All posts tagged: Heavyweights

Heavyweights Argentina and France start World Cup quests

Heavyweights Argentina and France start World Cup quests

Published by Sam Flores

HUNGRY HAALAND Erling Haaland makes his World Cup finals debut for Norway against Iraq after his country qualified for the first time since 1998. Haaland has just finished as the Premier League’s top scorer for the third time in four seasons at Manchester City and boasts a remarkable record of 55 goals in 50 caps for his country. “Hopefully he’ll have a very big impact,” said Norway coach Stale Solbakken, who was in the squad as a midfielder the last time Norway played at the finals in France. Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold believes his team can pull off an upset. “We’ve got to perform to our best and try to shock the world,” Arnold said. “Qualification is not enough. I want more,” he added. “We’ve only got everything to win and not to lose. In Monday’s action, one of the pre-tournament favourites, Spain, were held to a shock goalless draw by tiny Cape Verde, one of the debutants. Even the introduction of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal as a second-half substitute made no impact. Source …

Heavyweights line-up as Cup of Nations reaches knockout stage

Heavyweights line-up as Cup of Nations reaches knockout stage

Published by Sam Flores

RABAT, Jan ‌1 : The past three Africa Cup of Nations finals were littered with giant slaying performances and shock results but the latest edition in Morocco has gone with form and assured a heavyweight line-up of teams for the knockout fixtures at the weekend. The first round of matches concluded on Wednesday with only one former champion, Zambia, eliminated but the other 11 past winners reached the last-16, setting up potentially mouth-watering showdowns from now on. Only Mozambique and Tanzania had never progressed ‌to the knockout stages previously, squeezing through among the best third-placed finishers, ‌while Sudan are past the first round for only the second time since they won the competition in 1970. But for the rest, Africa’s top 12 ranked teams are all through, including seven sides heading to the World Cup later this year, and will begin a hefty battle for the continental crown on Saturday with second-ranked Senegal against Sudan in Tangier in the first knockout game. Senegal only topped their group on goal difference ‍from the Democratic Republic of …