By MARK LORENZANA Spain started its World Cup campaign with a 7-0 rout of Costa Rica, which many soccer fans, especially fans of La Furia Roja, thought would be a portent of things to come — opponents beware. Instead, Spain is now out of the World Cup, after a match that was level at 0-0 on Tuesday, Dec. 6, against
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By MARK LORENZANA Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar on Monday, Dec. 5, returned from an ankle injury to help his team cruise against South Korea, 4-1, and advance into the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar. The Seleção scored early in the match, at the seventh minute, courtesy of a goal by Vinícius Júnior, and then Neymar got in on the action
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By MARK LORENZANA After a somewhat inconsistent showing in the group stages, England on Sunday, Dec. 4, defeated Senegal, 3-0, in a blowout to barge into the World Cup Quarterfinals in Qatar. Sure, the Three Lions — the oldest international soccer team in the world, having played its first international match against Scotland in 1872 — was dominant in its
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By MARK LORENZANA Leave nothing to chance. That statement may be painfully cliché, but it’s something that the players from the Mexican National Team should have taken to heart as early as the first half of their opening game against Poland on Nov. 22, when they played aggressive, controlled possession and had countless shots at goal. One could say that
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By MARK LORENZANA American Soccer superstar Christian Pulisic literally sacrificed his body to send the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) into the knockout round of this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. With his team needing a goal, Pulisic scored in the 38th minute against Iran, but collided with the goalkeeper and ended up in the hospital for an
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By MARK LORENZANA It seemed as though Neymar’s absence for Brazil’s match against Switzerland on Monday, Nov. 28, due to an ankle injury would come to haunt the Seleção, as the South American squad couldn’t find the net for 82 agonizing minutes. Richarlison, the hero for Brazil against Serbia, scoring two goals — one an impressive, athletic shot — on
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By MARK LORENZANA In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Germany failed to advance to the knockout stage, thanks — or no thanks, depending on whose perspective it is — in large part to an inspired first game by the Mexican National Team. Mexican winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s lone goal back then, against Germany, four years ago, was enough to give
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By MARK LORENZANA Brazilian forward Richarlison came through for his team in Qatar after teammate Neymar suffered an ankle injury and limped off the field, giving the Seleção a 2-0 win against a tough and physical Serbian team on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 24 (Mexico City time). Richarlison, who also plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, initially scored
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By MARK LORENZANA Another odds-on favorite lost in its first game in Qatar — a day after Saudi Arabia stunned powerhouse Argentina — as Germany squandered a 1-0 lead and ended up losing to Japan, 2-1, on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Germans have not lost a World Cup match after taking the lead since the 1994 tournament, when Bulgaria won
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By MARK LORENZANA Despite controlling most of the match offensively and having several shots at goal, the Mexican National Team walked away from its opening game in Qatar with a scoreless draw against Poland on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 22 (Mexico City time). On the same day, two-time champion Argentina, led by soccer legend Lionel Messi, was upset by
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