Brazil crush Paraguay

The last time Brazil beat Paraguay in the Copa America was in 2001. Since then, they have drawn four times and lost one match against Paraguay. In three of those draws, in the knockout stages, Paraguay won two and Brazil won one on penalties. After 23 years, Brazil have beaten Paraguay in regular time.

After the stalemate against Costa Rica, Brazil felt pressure against an opponent known for sitting deeper and catching the opposition on the counter. Brazil intended to attack as they did against Costa Rica - what changed against Paraguay was installing conviction – reducing more time on the ball within the opponent’s penalty area and hitting the target. 

Paraguay managed to play a tough game against Brazil, including giving Alisson trouble with shots from outside the area. But it was nothing more than a mirage in the Las Vegas desert. After 30 minutes, the Seleçao took control of the match.

Lucas Paqueta missed a penalty that piled the pressure, but Vinicius Jr reacted quickly and opened the scoring. Savinho added another and Vinicius doubled his tally later on.

The game seemed resolved, but Alderete, who had missed one of the goals, hit a shot on the way back from the break and reduced the score.

Dorival Junior's team continued to control the actions in the second half, turning the score into a rout with a penalty goal from Paqueta and only managing in the final minutes, especially with the numerical advantage after Cubas' expulsion in a move with Douglas Luiz.

Vinicius was the best player on the field, but Paqueta also shared the spotlight and was a character in the game. Despite missing a penalty earlier, he continued actively and participated in all three goals in the first half. And when Brazil had another penalty in the second half, the fans chanted Vinicius’ name, but he caught the ball, took responsibility and kicked it on the same side, only this time hitting the target.

Paqueta looked better when he pulled the strings from the midfield while Rodrygo Goes played as the central attacking midfielder and linked up with Vinicius upfront. Savio on the right side looked better and contributed better by linking up with the midfielders and wingback. Joao Gomes is flourishing as an effective holding midfielder while Bruno Guimaraes is performing better. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

A night to celebrate for Turkey after feisty contest

While Georgia’s intensity at Gelsenkirchen was creating history, at Hamburg, a storm was brewing on the pitch – the storm continued even after the final whistle was blown as the vital group match between the Czech Republic and Turkey transformed into a feisty contest.

The Czech Republic, who could only go through with a win, had begun assertively and looked the better side until two exasperating moments from Antonin Barak. He was booked for an early foul on Ferdi Kadioglu and then, nine minutes later, he clipped Salih Ozcan’s foot with studs up. Barak could have been given one last chance. He held his head in his hands when the punishment was confirmed.

They had almost scored after two minutes when Lukas Provod’s deflected strike drew a full-stretch save from Mert Gunok and then, with 10 men, held out in relative comfort before half‑time. Gunok rescued ­Turkey again when David Jurasek broke through and there was a sense that chance needed to be taken.

Jindrich Stanek seemed to have saved his side with a brilliant one-handed stop Kenan Yildiz but the rebound was only cleared to the edge of the box and worked left to Hakan Calhanoglu.

The captain cut across the ball with the outside of his foot and scripted a, technically masterful finish across the keeper.

Bat later on, the Turkish captain was shown a red card for which he would miss the match against Austria.

The bigger concern may be how Turkey lost their heads after that, being pegged back by a blast from Tomas Soucek after the recently introduced Chory had caused Gunok to drop a high ball.

Tension radiated from all corners; Jan Kuchta had a goal ruled out for the Czechs but Tosun offered some calm before the late scrap.

The second the final whistle was blown, a huge brawl broke out. Tomas Chory, in the middle of it, is shown a straight red card. Arda Guler, who had Scrappy Doo-ed his way back onto the pitch, is booked.

A pitch invader added some more spice to the mix.

Referee Istvan Kovacs experienced a tougher time. 

As the dust settled, the Turkish players celebrated in front of the dejected Czech unit. 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

Georgia creates history

The FIFA World Cup or the Euro requires a dramatic story of the underdogs to make it memorable. With the odds stacked against them and by following an unconventional, winding route, the Caucasus nation – Georgia - had reached its first-ever major tournament.

Georgia did not cruise to Euro 2024 by finishing in the top two of their qualifying group - instead, they took advantage of the opportunity provided to them by their outstanding performance in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

Georgia, actually, came fourth in their Euros qualifying group behind Spain, Scotland and Norway as they picked up just eight points and were thumped 7-1 by the Spaniards along the way. Still, their near-flawless Nations League campaign in 2022, where they dropped just two points in six games as they won Group Four of League C, earned them a European Championship qualifying play-off place.

It was confirmed that they would need to take the play-off route with two games still to play in the race to reach Germany, as Scotland secured the second spot behind leaders Spain in Group A. The League C path contained the three Nations League C group winners - Georgia, Greece and Kazakhstan - and the League C group runner-up, Luxembourg.

Coached by former French star – Willy Sangol, Georgia were automatically drawn against Luxembourg in the semi-final and eased to victory without their talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was suspended.

Instead, it was Karlsruher striker Budu Zivzivadze,who emerged as the hero on the night, bagging a brace to send his country to the final.

And last night, they beat one of the better teams of Euro 2024 – Portugal by a margin of 2-0 to earn a spot in the Round of 16.

Georgia had to win to avoid elimination while Portugal came into the game with a place in the last 16 already boxed off. Roberto Martínez changed nine of his 10 outfield players, Cristiano Ronaldo the only survivor from their impressive win over Turkey. Diogo Costa remained in goal and with 92 seconds on the clock it was the Portugal goalkeeper who was fishing the ball out of his net.

Portugal struggled to cope with Georgia’s intensity and hunger.

At the end of the first half, Portugal had recorded twice as many touches and 11 shots compared to their opponents’ three.

But there was only one that mattered, Kvaratskhelia drilling the ball across Costa and into the far corner to register his first goal at a major tournament.

Diogo Dalot forced a phenomenal left-hand save from Giorgi Marmardashvili, who was absolutely brilliant in the Georgia goal, but, then, the referee pressed pause as the VAR reviewed Lochoshvili’s fall inside the box at the start of the phase of play.

The referee headed to the pitch-side VAR monitor and then pointed to the penalty spot, confirming Silva, who was later withdrawn alongside Ronaldo, swiped at the midfielder.

Mikautadze side-footed his spot-kick into the corner and while Costa went the right way, neither he nor Portugal were a match for Georgia. 

That was it!

After the final whistle, the Georgian joy knew no bounds – players thumped their chests, clenched their fists, screamed with joy, shed tears of satisfaction, hugged each other, looked at the sky to thank God and continued their celebration so that this fairy tale night never ends.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Austria top the group

In a group where France and Holland were featuring, it would always be a stifling task for teams like Austria and Poland to claim a spot for the next round. Poland booked early tickets for home, but Austria topped the group would feature in the second round for the second time in their tournament history. 

The improvement of Austria was evident when Ralph Rangnick took over. He was leveled as a failure in Manchester United which surprised me a lot. Ralph is a very organized coach and prefers to play with an aggressive press. 

At Berlin, against Holland, his aggressive pressing with 4-2-2-2 gifted us an entertaining football. They were impressive against the tournament favourites France,  saw off Poland and tamed the Dutch. 

Austria had swamped the Dutch from kick-off, dominating in their half and popping the ball around crisply. 

Their left-back Alexander Prass had already threatened in advanced positions twice and struck gold on the third. 

This time he swept a cross towards Marko Arnautovic that Malen, careering in on the stretch to intervene, hammered inside Bart Verbruggen’s near post

Holland responded through Cody Gakpo after the break. 

Austria had made ground down the left through Wimmer and, for the first time since the break, were asking a question. Eventually Sabitzer played Florian Grillitsch in at the byline and the resulting cross, stood up deliciously, was bulleted in by a diving Schmid despite De Vrij’s efforts on the line

Memphis Depay equalized after his goal was confirmed by VAR. Meanwhile, Poland equalized at Dortmund against France and the equation of this group was becoming interesting. 

Holland was settling and regain the momentum. But Austria gave the Dutch a potent reminder, nobody can sleep on their threat.

Substitute Christoph Baumgartner slid Sabitzer through and, from a tight left-sided angle, he thrashed past Verbruggen.

An aggressive intent pays off most of the times. 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Costa Rica halt Brazil

Whenever Costa Rica faces Brazil their strategy remains clear - defend till the last breath and deny the Selecao from scoring. We still remember the Costa Rican stubbornness at Turin during the Italia 90 and Russia 2018, but still the Selecao broke through. 

Meanwhile in the 1997 Copa America and 2002 World Cup - the game plan was crushed by a bunch of extraordinary players in the form of Romário, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. 

Those days are gone. 

In this year's Copa America Brazil are not the favourites but they're not that bad to end a goalless draw against a below par Costa Rican unit. 

Brazil dominated the possession. Attacked. Retained possession quickly. But lacked conviction. 

Costa Rica reduced the spaces. 

Brazil then tried to work as if it were futsal. 

Short passes, tables and quick play. Rodrygo Goes  even had the first good chance, but it was not productive. 

The clearest opportunities came when the team attracted Costa Rica and found space to fit long passes at speed. Too bad for Brazil that Raphinha lost when trying to slice the ball and cover up goalkeeper Sequeira.

The aerial ball also seemed like a viable alternative for Brazil.And a goal even came from Marquinhos, but it was disallowed. 

VAR took a while - about four minutes -  but caught the defender being offside, after Rodrygo's header was deflected, in the 32nd minute of the first half.

The second half was very similar to the first. 

Costa Rica sat deeper. 

Brazil kept trying, insisting.

After an hour or so - Endrick and Savinho entered, while Vinicius Junior and Rafinha left.

The team increased the pace and occupied the rival field.

Until then, the best opportunity was an attempt by Lucas Paqueta from outside the area. 

Contrary to the strategy of exchanging passes into the goal, he took a risk from outside the area, but the ball exploded onto the post.

With Endrick on the field, the attempt was to have more presence in the area, someone who would bother Costa Rica's defenders.

With Vini around - Brazil were able to especially neutralize the movement of bringing the ball from the edge to the middle.

Not only for his shot at the post, Paqueta appeared more in the game. 

Savinho also gave a boost when he entered the right and created a play that was Brazil's last effort. But Bruno Guimaraes went over the top.

Brazil ended without striking gold.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Italy stun Croatia

Just when you have thought that it's all over, football strikes back to leave you stunned. Either you will shed tears of joy or tears of immense sadness. Football can essay fairytales, football can break hearts into pieces. 

Just when Luka Modric and Croatia looked ready for one last dance on the big stage, a beautifully curled equalizer from the Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni, with virtually the last kick of eight minutes added time, triggered euphoria at Leipzig. 

At the other end, the Croatian players on the pitch and Mordic in the dug out started crying. They could not believe what happened despite the efforts on the pitch. 

A cruel night for Modric who fired a penalty too close to Gianluigi Donnarumma after the break. Within 33 seconds, though, he had wrought a moment for the record books. In the next attack he thrashed in a rebound to become the oldest player in the tournament to score. 

In a straight knockout match, Croatia needed a victory while Italy a draw to advance. 

Spalletti - the Italian coach - bore out his promise to shake things and switched to 3-5-2 that turned 5-3-2 while defending Italy remained resilient and the intention was to grab the opponents on the counter. 

Croatia started on the front foot and was more skilful and technical. It appeared that Dalic’s players evidently the more practised at working the ball in tight spaces.

Italy were finding space with the occasional quick switch out wide and came closer to open the scoring, but Livakovic showed outstanding reflexes. 

After taking the lead, Croatia looked for containment and defended for their lives. 

With a few seconds remaining, the Azzuri unit that looked out of sorts, Calafiori salomed down the middle. He slipped a pass wide left for Zaccagni, who had all the spaces to exploit and take the risk. 

He cut into the box, opened his body, and steered a glorious power-curler across Livakovic and into the top right - heartbreak for Croatia. 

Football, bloody hell!

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Belgium regain form

To stay alive in Euro 2024 Belgium was needed to exhibit mental strength and play with caution and aggression against the Romanians. For which a few changes were required. 

Jan Vartonghen was restored to defence. Tielemens and Amadou Onanna featured in the midfield. Jeremy Doku was played in his natural position on the left. Kevin de Bruyne was playing as the marshall at the centre of the park with a lot more freedom. 

The changes paid off as a few minutes into the match - The Red Devils put the right foot on the paddle. 

Romelu Lukaku drove deep into the Romanian territory and laid the ball off to De Bruyne. De Bruyne dinked across the edge of the box before discovering Lukaku again in the penalty box. Lukaku noticed the approach of Tielesmans and laid the ball at his feet to beat Florin Nita. 

That goal changed the approach of Belgium, who remained composed and attacking throughout the night. 

Doku was brilliant. He dropped deep, held the ball, spun and ran. He hung on the shoulder of the full-back and ran beyond him. 

At the heart of Belgian sound display De Bruyne controlled the show by being at his impish best - the master in the midfield ran through Romania many times. 

After an hour of play - De Bruyne's pass sent Lukaku clear to finish calmly into the bottom corner, only for VAR to intervene. Lukaku has been denied by VAR for the third time - hard luck. 

With 10 minutes remaining De Bruyne pushed himself onto the Romania defence before a goal kick cleared everyone and he poked the ball past Nita to score.

The way Belgium played last night has instilled the faith but how far they can go remains a moot question.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Portugal are flying

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Dortmund - a venue where he has so many memories - some are unforgettable while some are forgettable. But the local fans love the legend and it was evident when a pitch invader entered the centre to take a selfie with the GOAT. 

On a clammy and boisterous afternoon CR7 was the mentor, the leader and the assistor for the young boys who consistently grew around their role model. 

Turkey is one of the most fancied trans in Euro 2024 but their impulsive energy was tested by a well drilled Portugal unit of CR7 and Roberto Martinez. 

A 4-3-3 formation with strength in every position and a beautifully fluid sense of control in the centre. 

Portugal have a stronger team man for man, a more natural balance, a Portuguese way of playing that everyone comes in understanding.

The Dortmund Stadium was red with the Turkish fans but sadly, they hardly had anything to cheer for as Portugal toyed with their defence, midfield and forward. 

Vithina is a classic pivot, a conductor, allows Bruno Fernandes to display his playmaking abilities. Turkey midfield failed to stamp authority as the ball moved from centre to back to the flanks where Rafael Leao and Bernardo Silvia provided the killer pinches. Meanwhile, CR7 wandered up front to deep and assisted his boys. 

A 3-0 victory was bound to happen as Turkey failed to cope with the pressure.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Stalemate at Leipzig

Didier Deschamps can dare to surface a team without the talisman Kylian Mbappé because of the talents available. For which - he didn't risk playing the injured star in one of the high-voltage matches of the group stage. 

Both the teams came to Leipzig against the backdrop of scratchy victories and one expected them to reignite the classic of #Euro 2000 where the Dutch won by 3-2 in Group D - these two sides are pitted in Group D in this year's Euro as well. 

But the match ended 0-0 in normal time like the Anfield quarterfinal in 1996 where the French won via penalty shootouts. 

Still, the match was lively with the French dominating the proceedings. 

Opportunities went begging and Antoine Griezmann was culpable and they were almost punished as proceedings entered their final 20 minutes.

Jeremie Frimpong reached away from Theo Hernandez, and beat Mike Maignan inside the opening minute - hinted at a classic as the mobile Dutch front line caused particular headaches in the first half, Xavi Simons sparked at the venue where he fared well all season for RB Leipzig and Cody Gakpo making Maignan save superbly. 

Griezmann drew an acrobatic stop from Bart Verbruggen and then, fed by an Adrien Rabiot who should surely have shot after clever work from Marcus Thuram, stumbled in front of goal when looking to convert. 

He also moved wide from inside the box and then watched as Thuram, slipped into the space by a smart ball down the right from Jules Kounde, raced towards goal but blazed off target.

Aurélien Tchouameni rose high but headed wide before Griezmann fluffed arguably the best chance of all. 

Teded up by N'Golo Kante, who was again the top performer throughout the night, he could not beat Verbruggen from six yards and France was left to sweat because of VAR. 

The flag went up quickly after Xavi Simons, rifling in from 14 yards after Maignan had denied Memphis Depay, briefly wheeled away in celebration. 

Denzel Dumfries, well offside, had been standing directly to Maignan’s left as the ball flashed past him on that side. 

The assumption was that he had impeded the keeper’s ability to dive and VAR was set to work to decide. 

It was upheld after an almost three-minute wait that culminated in Anthony Taylor calling Griezmann and Virgil van Dijk across to run them through the rationale.

VAR has been the centre of debate in this event, as usual,l and last night's performance wasn't appreciated. For such decisions, you must use the tempo wisely. 

The compactness of the midfield courtesy of Kante gives France the edge. Kante has been the stabilizing factor and his determination allows the whole team to grow in that 4-2-3-1 formation. 

But a compact midfield and solid defence may not help if you can't score goals. 

Till, now, the finishing of the French remains unconvincing. 

For the Dutch - the backline needs to be more solid. The Austrians of Rangnick will test them. 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Spain give Italy nightmares

The scoreline of 1-0 could have been worse if Gigi Donnaruma was not there. In the group of death, the encounter between Spain and Italy was dubbed as The Clasico, but at the end of the match, the defending champions Italy were nowhere near the Spanish side who racked up 20 shots on goal and 50 attacks. Spain literally sliced Italy into pieces.

The Spanish plan was to take on the full-backs and dominate the flanks as much as possible. Italy would keep the midfield defensive and backline solid for which the attacks must be orchestrated by targeting the wide areas.

As expected, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal were relentless.

From the word go, Nico Williams went wide, raced past Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and delivered a beautiful cross from which Pedri forced the first of eight saves from Donnarumma.

Later on, Williams would attack from the inside and rear from the outside.

Di Lorenzo was experiencing nightmares.

Di Lorenzo wasn’t alone in his suffering, either.

On the other side, Federico Dimarco had almost as bad a time.

Lamine Yamal delivered the first dangerous ball with the match just four minutes old, a warning that he too would not let up.

It was the night of two young Spanish wingers, who were fast, impeccable and fearless.

Again, their wonderful display could not overshadow the performances of Dani Carvajal, Marc Cucurella, Pedri, Rordi, Fabian Ruiz and the skipper Alvaro Morata.  

What happened to Italy? It seemed they were struggling to find a place in this new world. Talent is not the factor here; the problem lies in the attitude and exhibiting the true philosophy of Italian football. Italy has forgotten that their greatness lies in Catenacchio and over the years, ignoring that tactic has not been fruitful. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Below par England against Denmark

The Danish right flank were left stunned when Kyle Walker beat them with pace. 

Shaping to send a back-pass to his goalkeeper from the left touchline, Victor Kristiansen fell asleep and Walker cashed in. 

Walker stole the ball, cut inside, drilled a low cross into the Danish penalty area and it took a couple of deflections before arriving at the feet of Harry Kane - England took the lead. 

After taking the lead, quite surprisingly, England started to get behind the ball and sat deep. Denmark switched to a high line and there were spaces which England could have exploited to increase the lead. 

Denmark created pressure and gave away the ball at one of their own throw-ins and then gave Morten Hjulmund the freedom of the ploughed field to pick his spot and shoot from distance - it was the 13th goal from outside of the box in this Euro which is a week old. 

The goal should have reignited England but they remained average on the pitch. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice were deployed in the midfield that did not work as they went on the back foot while Denmark were in possession. 

The structure of the midfield was affected and the connection with Jude Bellingham was not working. Then - Kane was seen sinking deeper and deeper whereas, he should have been exploiting the spaces when Denmark was attacking high line. 

There was a nerve factor against Serbia and the expectation was that England will pull themselves up in Frankfurt. 

Sadly, the performance was flat. 

And, Denmark grew as a team. 

England could have lost if Denmark's attacks were successful. There was a last-ditch quality to some of England’s defending and when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shaped a curler for the far corner in the 85th minute. 

England may be on the top of the table but as usual they are far from the team to lift the title.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Composed Albania halt Croatia

The match was 76 minutes old and two minutes ago Kramaric brought back a down-and-out Croatian unit into the game. Budimiu’s pull-back discovered Sucic whose close-range shot was blocked in front of an empty net by Djimsiti but rebounded off the on-rushing Klaus Gjasula and entered into the net. Gjasula became the first-ever player in the history of the Euro to score an own goal as a substitute – a unique which no player would love to hold –but certainly any player would relish a quick redemption.

One goal down and time ran out, but the Albanian unit remained calm and composed in search of an equalizer. In the 95^th minute – the ball rolled down the left flank, Hoxha held it up to play in Mitaj, who cut it back into the box and Gjasula, the man who scored the own goal, swept in this time for his side.

Tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and the Euros are all about unique stories - after yesterday’s blockbuster between Turkey and Georgia at Dortmund, Hamburg came up with another thrilling encounter.

Albania is growing the habit of taking leads in their matches and today was no different. Against Italy, they might have lost the tempo but today – they toyed with the midfield and backline of Croatia.

In the first half, Croatian midfield was chasing shadows – The three attacking midfielders of Albania enjoyed spaces and could isolate Croatian defenders.

After 11 minutes. With Ivan Perisic, surprisingly deployed at left-back, slow to get out, Jasir Asani was granted a remarkable amount of space to bend in a cross from the right, picking out Qazim Laci. His header bounced awkwardly for Dominik Livakovic but the keeper should still surely have kept it out.

Albania could have been further ahead by half-time - Kristjan Asllani received an Asani’s pass and reacted immediately - it was deflected into his path after Luka Modric had, unthinkably, conceded possession, and then Rey Manaj could not get sufficient purchase on a header to beat Livakovic.

Numbers say Croatia had more on the possession but they don’t give the true picture of how they struggled to pressurize the Albanian midfield and back. After the break, the Croatian coach changed the shape of the midfield through substitutions which paid rich dividends but it was not enough to tame an Albanian unit who was beaming in confidence and deserved full points rather than sharing points.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Portugal start with a scratchy win

At Leipzig, obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo hogged the limelight. He was playing with a bunch of players who idolised him and grew up watching him in action. Ronaldo, the inspiration of Portugal and many other nations – looked excited for another mission hinting that age is just a number and a person should never stop until and unless his dream is fulfilled.

It was evident that The Czech Republic would unleash a stubborn backline against the boys of Roberto Martinez. The stubborn backline tested the master – Ronaldo’s physical dominance was not there anymore when the defenders tried to squeeze the juice out of his body, the finishing touches lacked conviction and the free-kicks lacked venom.

But, hey, the man is Cristiano Ronaldo – still, he sprinted around the corner and kept the boys alive throughout the match on a rainy night in Leipzig.  

The rest of the team grew around him.

The Czech Republic took the lead after an hour of play via a Turkish and Romanian stunner but the spirit of Portugal was never down.

The boys pressed. Started throwing more bodies forward. Dominated the flanks. The Czechs came under pressure. Robin Hranac’s own goal had given Portugal a route back into the game.

The character of the boys led by Ronaldo came into the display as time ran out.

 In the stoppage time, Pedro Neto stole the ball on the left wing and romped into the box. He crossed low, dangerously so. Hranac attempted to intercept but slipped and could only tee up Francisco Conceiçao, making his competitive debut and only just on, six yards out. The 21-year-old scored and followed the footsteps of his father who scored a hat-trick against Germany 24 years ago.

Conceiçao and Pedro Neto – both came on in the 90th minute and combined to score in the 91st. Along with the pair of Nuno Mendes and Vitinha – these young boys are the future of Portugal along with experienced and tested players like Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota and Rafael Leao.

Roberto Martínez has now been bequeathed a new galaxy of bright and brilliant things – he would not want this group of las to end up like the Golden Generation of Belgium.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Classic at Dortmund

The Turkish fans gathered in numbers at the City Centre in Dortmund. It was a sea of Read out there. They came to Germany with hope. They triggered a carnival atmosphere with the beautiful Turkish Flag. There was music and the Georgina fans joined them to enjoy a wonderful football festival at the Signal Park Iduna. 

And, what a match it turned out to be! 

The weather in Dortmund turned wild. A storm showed up. Water was pouring over the roof. In the middle, Turkish and Georgian players played the game similar to the weather - wildly gorgeous, wide open, end to end attack like a basketball match and outrageous goals. 

The match burst into life from the word go and within 25 minutes Muldur struck a thunderous volley that went like a rocket into the Georgian net. 

And, the excitement of that outrageous strike was not yet over, as Turkey put another one into the net only to be denied by VAR. 

3-5-2 transforming into 3-4-3 for Georgia while attacking - got their mojo back quickly. They took advantage of the spaces left by the impulsive Turkey unit. 

The flanks were occupied by white shirts as 

Yildiz was isolated down the right side of the box then tossing lollipops before dipping outside, crossing and Mikautadze turns with the path of the ball inside the near post - it was Georgia's first ever goal in a major tournament. 

Georgia were flying as 3-4-3 turned 3-2-5 now and so nearly scored again a few minutes later. Again, it was Mikautadze. 

Otar Kakabadze, burst through, produced a headed lay off and, on the turn Mikautadze’s volley went just wide.

After the break - the match became a high octane movie. 

It developed its own momentum where no one was slowing down. No one wants to sit deep and defend their goals. They were hunting for prey like leopards. 

Turkey switched from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 to 4-2-4 and didn't even mind playing 2-2-6! 

The wily Calhanoglu controlled the rhythm beautifully. 

There was a chance for Yildiz at one end and Giorgi Tsitaishvili at the other. Another dropped for Mikautadze, Turkish bodies thrown before him. Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick was pushed away by Mamardashvili.

With an hour of play gone - Georgia got the ball clear but Tsitaishvili overplayed it, caught in possession by Ayhan, the ball broke to Guler, 25 yards out, and the kid curled a stunningly joyous finish that shaved the inside of the far post, seven-eighths of the way up! 

What a goal - a moment to relish for every football fan around the globe. 

Georgia was still not out of stamina but kept Turkey on the edge till the last minute. 

In the stoppage time they came close to share points but a heroic block by Kashia denied them. 

In the end, Akturkoglu brought the ball away, and passed into an empty net which was harsh on Georgia who were equally brilliant. 

Indeed, when the teams decide to attack and fly with freedom, football becomes spectacular.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

France see off Austria

 

The French midfield of Didier Deschamps is known for controlling matters and keeping things tight rather than the fluidity of the past. The combination of Adrien Rabbit and N'Golo Kante stamped authority by sheer determination and played in phases - pressed the button when the moment was right.

The French intent was to allow Kylian Mbappé more freedom and split open the areas where he operated. The plan worked on a warm and humid night that tested the stamina of both sides. France didn't do much but kept the game slow so that the energy didn't drain.

Most importantly, the Austrian physicality forced France to remain slower and switch the tempo when it was required, otherwise, compact play dominated the proceedings.

An own goal in the first half settled the score and an injury scare to Mbappé ended a tough night.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Belgium digest Slovakian shock

After a long time we started reading the word Golden Generation of Belgium at the start of last decade. After the era Enzo Sciffo and Jan Cuelemans, a bunch of fresh young guns emerged with hope. 

The era of Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne took off with a lot of expectations - as usual -  still today, the Red Devils remain underachievers. 

After the shocker at Frankfurt against Slovakia - the Golden Generation of Red Devils is falling apart. 

So much talent. So much skill. Still, they don't function consistently. 

Romelu Lukaku started in a breezy fashion without conviction. Belgium left spaces in the first half which allowed Slovakia to settle and cash in. 

An unerring finish by Ivan Schranz after a defensive aberration was the decisive moment in the match and it came after just seven minutes.

Lukaku kept pushing hard. 

He accrued more xG than the entire Slovakia team, and finished his second overruled goal with aplomb. 

But he also failed to get shots off when afforded time and space, saw heavy touches run the ball out of play and was denied his first goal because he was offside six yards out from goal.

With time running out - Lukaku scored again. Sadly, a handball from Openda as he took the ball under control, a touch confirmed only by the snickometer technology more commonly used for detecting LBW in cricket. 

Before this incident, Belgium lost opportunities through Lukaku, again Leandro Trossard and Johan Bakayoko. 

Jeremy Doku was puzzling. 

Tracking back to contain Slovakia’s first real attack, Doku came into possession of the ball in his own area. Surprisingly, he opted for a short pass to Wout Faes. 

It was closed down by Schranz, ricocheted out to the feet of Robert Bozenik, whose shot was parried by Koen Casteels. 

The ball ran right and Schranz drilled it low back across the goal and into the net. 

Clumsy work and it decided the fate of the match. 

The Red Devils were left pondering about their unexpectedly average performance against the underdogs at Frankfurt.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Romania stun Ukraine

From the mid to late 80s - Steaua and Dinamo Bucharesti were producing eye-catching talents like Gheorghe Hagi, Drumitrescu, Marius Lacatus, Poppescu, Petrescu, Prunea, Mihali, and Florin Raducioiu.

These players were habituated to score stunners led by Haghi whose left foot was always compared to Diego Maradona.

Romania was emerging as a European powerhouse again since 1970 back then.

At the back, the Romanian unit was solid backed by the brilliant goalkeepers, the midfield remained flat four with a pivot at the back - where one was a true attacking playmaker while the other was a supportive midfielder and the rest were purely defensive.

Everything flew through the playmaker and the rest of the team grew in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.

30 years later - the 4-1-4-1 formation allowed the same platform for the players to flourish.

No one knows players like Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin, Denis Dragus, Coman, Burca or Ianis Hagi - the son of legendary Hagi, but this group of players are similar to mid to late 80s and early 90s - score stunners, squeeze the opposition by blocking the spaces and defend with sheer determination.

Their story in the qualifiers says they had been impressive for which I tagged them as one of the underdogs in this tournament.

They stunned Ukraine in Munich like Hagi stunned Colombia 30 years ago in Pasadena.

It's a rollicking start and one can expect them to reach at least in the last eight.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

England win against Serbia

In the regime of Gareth Southgate - England doesn't experience opening match shocks. They win but keep hinting that the team needs to improve more temperamentally.

The build-up was intense and the nervous energy was palpable. Jude Bellingham got the header to calm the impulses and England started to get into the groove.

 But the expected fluidity was missing courtesy of a compact Serbian backline.

Dragan Stojkovic went with his main strikers, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic while Dusan Tadic was on the bench.

The manager asked the latter to drop to the right of a midfield four out of possession, in front of a back five. 

The idea was to create two solid red walls.

Serbia were physical, leaving plenty on England in the challenges.

Bellingham felt a few in the first half but it only seemed to fire him further up. He was in the mood and decorated the first half with some wonderful moments - obviously, Real Madrid helped develop such characters.

Serbia remained compact but bodies were not thrown forward with intent to challenge Jordan Pickford. But when they did advance, the resilience of the English defence was tested.

The English resilience won and no late drama took place.

Still, a long way to go!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Slovenia halt Denmark

In the 16th minute, against the run of play, Benjamin Sesko of Slovenia attempted a screamer that shook the Danish backline.

A minute later Christian Eriksen scored to essay a wonderful story and for an hour Denmark would dominate against the smallest nation in terms of population in this tournament.

An hour later, in the 67th minute, a beautiful through ball sent Slovenia away down the left, only for the man in the middle, Gnezda Cerin but he squandered the header.

4 minutes later, Slovenia brought on fresh legs as they were trailing by just one goal and in such cases there's an opportunity for a comeback.

In the 74th minute, Slovenia won a freekick in a dangerous area, five yards out from the corner of the box. It was a curler by Erik Janza but Sporar’s flick went wide in the near post even though he was offside.

4 minutes late, the ball was swung over from a corner on the right. and Janza had time to line it up and struck with power – with a deflection to make sure Schmeichel had no chance.

Janza scored for Slovenia after 24 years in the #Euro and Slovenia looked like a different kettle of fish.

The Danish lost the momentum.

Slovenia shared points.

Football!   

Holland overcome the Polish scare

Ronald Koeman has wonderful memories in Hamburg. 36 years ago, at this venue, the Dutch took revenge for the defeat in 1974 by beating Germany to reach the final of Euro 1988. It was a tough match. It drained out a lot of sweat from both teams and 36 years later, Koeman experienced the same.

Holland came to #Euro against the backdrop of a strong qualifier, finishing just behind one of the favourites of this year's Euro - France. Meanwhile, Poland qualified courtesy of the UEFA Nations League play-offs.

Holland, amid the sea of Orange, started controlling the ball but against the run of play, they fell behind. The Polish looked to block the spaces and stretch the Dutch backline. Well, the Dutch had not wasted time reorganizing and registering a comeback.

Despite wasting opportunities - Cody Gakpo drove towards the D-box of Poland and, sensing the danger, three white Polish shirts contorted their bodies to block the pending shot -  Gakpo’s effort reflected off one defender and skidded off Bartosz Salamon, wrong-footing Szczesny, who had already dived to his right.

1-1, but the danger remained as Poland kept things tighter to test Holland. The Dutch midfield offered little and it was up to Nathan Ake to link up with the backline and provide the goods to forwards.

Just as the Dutch had gone a little down, Koeman sent on Jeremie Frimpong and Wout Weghorst to inject a bit of momentum. 

Frimpong almost immediately snuck on to a through ball only for Szczesny to smother but then Weghorst pounced inside the box, smacking in after Aké’s deflected cross bounced invitingly.

A hard-earned point.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Italy start with a victory

An estimated 50,000 Albanians who had, for the entire day, made Dortmund pulsate to their beat.

Cars had trailed flags around the inner ring road throughout the afternoon, horns sounding with them, and a swathe of their following had marched to the ground three and a half hours before kick-off.

But a group of Italian fans, comprehensively outnumbered, responded in good humour so that their team didn't feel lonely.

As soon as Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in the history of the Euro - the defending champions Italy felt the shockwaves spreading from Dortmund to Rome - while Dortmund became noisier courtesy of the colourful Albanian fans.

Since 2006, Italy are familiar with shocks, but every time, it becomes hard to digest for the once mighty force of world football and its fans.

The Albanian response required an immediate reaction - Alessandro Bastini and Nicola Barella - the potent Inter pair - buried the further possibilities of an after-shock with two cool finishes.

The remainder was a successful exercise in the kind of game management that once seemed a national pastime after a dramatic first 20 minutes.

Italy knew how to switch the tempo and for which, to defend their title they will need it more.

Lastly, Federico Chiesa was a treat for the eyes.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Spain crush Croatia

 

Spain put the right foot on the paddle from the word go.  In the first ten minutes, the red shirt swarmed over the white like a twister and as Croatia got the ball to move - they started missing chances.

Croatia seemed like Expandable - the finishing touch was missing and they even missed a penalty to reduce the deficit. Meanwhile, Spain fed the weakness of Croatia to strike thrice.

It's not the end of the world of Croatia as they can still qualify for the next round. They need to rediscover their finishing touch.

As usual, Spain starts with a bang but can they finish well remains a moot question.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

What a start for Germany!

That was rollicking! Germany kicked off the Euro with a pomp-metal surge.

The goal-fest indicated how well Julian Nagelsman had prepared his team - the young boys hunted for the prey like hungry wolves and were fed up with lovely supple passing from the rhythm section - Toni Kroos.

A cracking start!

But big tournaments are all about maintaining the momentum till the end.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Below par Brazil against USA

The USA lost 18 of their last 19 matches - but against Brazil, they salvaged a draw. Brazil was expected to end up with a victory before Copa America but their performance was below par.

Dorival Junior went back to 4-2-2-2 with Vinicius Junior and Rafinha operating as two potential goal scorers.

Vini operates better as a left winger and not as a central striker while Rafinha hasn't yet cut a satisfactory figure in a yellow shirt.

Rodrygo Goes on the right will suit better and in the midfield - a genuine playmaker should operate just behind a hitman and the hitman for Brazil is Endrick.

Paqueta plays better as the central midfielder rather than the attacking one.

In the central midfield playing Joao Gomez totally disorganises the central park - his poor control over the ball lets the opposition to the counter and the defence comes under pressure consistently.

Next up is Copa America - Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay will join Brazil in the group stage.

If the performance remains average to below par - qualifying for the next round will be a stifling task.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

A last-gasp win for Brazil

Brazil started with a few new faces which indicated that Dorival Junior was intending to test ahead of the Copa America 2024. Brazil scored within 5 minutes but the performance was absolutely below par. 

The injection of recognized names brought momentum but Mexico looked the better side. Still, the Brazilian midfield looked disorganized and Mexico came back from 0-2 down to equalize in the stoppage time. 

Endrick and Vinicius Jr linked up well to score the winner in the 96th minute. 

Endrick has scored 3 goals in 3 matches from the bench and is hinting at the number 9 which Brazil has been searching for since 2006. He can take the load off the forwards and deserve to be the starter. Perhaps, his age is not allowing Dorival to take the risk. But, you have to take the risk as Brazil has a great history with 17-year-old talents.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

The epic at Leeds by Graham Gooch

Leeds 1991. 

It was perishing cold out there. 

The dark clouds scudded across towards the Pennines. 

The deck at Leeds was damp. The red cherry jagged around. The bounce was not even. The atmosphere transformed the deck into a minefield where survival was the order of the day. 

The giant from Antigua - Curtly Ambrose ran like a raging bull. It was a terrifying sight for the English batsmen who were cut like ribbons as the memories of Barbados a year back revisited. 

Mixing hostility and accuracy , Ambrose made full use of his height and kept the ball jagging around the top of the offstump.

At the other end - the sharpness of Malcolm Marshall, tenacity of Courtney Walsh and the deceptive pace of Patrick Patterson gave fear, unleashed by Ambrose, a new dimension. 

The red cherry was no more like a fresh red apple in that damp atmosphere - but every delivery took the red off the cherry and transformed it into a cannonball. 

The West Indies pacers were on top - they were in no mood to breach the 22-year-old unbeaten record on English soil. 

The West Indies captain won the toss in the first Test and invited England to bat on an overcast condition. 

Led by Marshall, the Caribbean pacers bowled out England for 198 - their seventh failure in nine innings to reach 200 mark in Leeds. 

In reply, West Indies succumbed astonishingly. 

Derek Pringle and Philip Defreitas emphasized line and length and compensated for the wayward Devon Malcolm, while Mark Ramprakash brought out the Derek Randall inside him. 

He dived acrobatically to his right in the covers to catch Phil Simmons, and then swooped to throw down the stumps at the bowler's end as Hooper attempted an apparently reasonable single. 

Graeme Hick held two catches at second slip, and the third debutante Watkin, could also celebrate, as he claimed Desmond Haynes's wicket with his fourteenth ball in Test cricket. 

Again, the West Indies batsmen were wayward. 

Richards's poor judgment in turning down a straightforward third run left Richie Richardson stranded. Nor could he hold together the bottom half of the innings, being caught steering the fifth ball of the third day to slip. 

England managed a surprising lead but many times in the past - they had let the opportunities miss. 

While the Caribbean pacers set jitters in the English batting lineup in the second innings, one man was not defied by the odds - rather - decided to display the courage of the highest order which will give him immortality. 

The determination of Clint Eastwood was evident on the face, the famous moustache, the broad shoulders, high back-lift, the clenched jaws never lost their synchronization during his iconic knock. 

He drove to the offside against Patterson and set off for a mission. Then, a delivery from Ambrose was flicked to square leg for a boundary. 

In the meantime, Ambrose was on a hat-trick twice, with Allan Lamb and Robin Smith departing first ball, and he picked up the first six wickets.

England were reeling at 124 for 6! 

Ramprakash, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 78 with Gooch - that was promising but ended. 

When rain brought an early finish, England had a lead of only 168 with four wickets in hand. 

In between, with the score on 137 for 6, the umpires offered light to the batsmen, but Gooch refused to accept it. He decided to bat and it was an indication that Gooch was not in the mood to save face against the fury of West Indies fast bowlers. 

The support Gooch needed was to come from Pringle, who stood firm while 98 runs were added for the seventh wicket.

On Day 4 - the weather turned worse for the batsmen, but Gooch was unfazed. 

Immediately after being tested by a snoter from Ambrose, Gooch leg-glaced to bring up 150 for England. A back foot cover drive just forced Richards to think differently as Gooch was gaining his authoritativty with every passing delivery. 

Marshall was brought on - the response was a back foot punch through extra cover.  

Walsh pitched one short at pace as Gooch pulled to bring up a gallant hundred. 

Gooch cut and pull with so much confidence against pace that the uneven bounce could hardly be noticed. The initial trigger movement off the back foot had done a world of good for Gooch on that minefield. 

Richards took the new ball and it started moving around - well - for Gooch, it only raced to the boundary like a tracer bullet. 

It was all about timing rather than brut force - handling the movement off the deck and off the air with soft hands and astute feet movement amalgamated with a solid defence, is always the key to success and Gooch exhibited such on that tough day. 

Gooch drove Marshall to extra-cover to reach 150 off 325 deliveries with 18 fours. 

In the end England were all out for 252 with Gooch carrying bat through with 154 off 331 deliveries - he scored 61.11% of the team runs. Meanwhile, none of the batsmen had crossed more than 6 runs except Ramprakash and Pringle. 

Gooch was the second England batsman to carry his bat at West Indies after Len Hutton at The Oval in 1950, and the first Englishman since Geoff Boycott at Perth in 1979-80 to do so.

England won and took a 1-0 lead riding on that bold knock by their captain. 

It was an epic - a display of balance between attack and defence.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

It's Real Madrid again

It’s that team Real Madrid again! For the sixth time in the last ten years, Real Madrid has won the UEFA Champions League in the previous ten years. They have been so dominating in this competition that the rest are left thinking of what makes the Royal Whites so good that they always find a way to reach the final and win the tournament.

In this season, Borussia Dortmund was the opponent and even a layman would not bet on the Yellow Boys because the Los Blancos does not lose a final.

Yes, Dortmund brought the Under Dogs punch and pressured the Big Boys from Madrid with a stirring liberation in the first half of the match – creating opportunities and missing them. Madrid reset their plan and started pressing the opponent – they were waiting to grab the opportunity, and Real Madrid did not lose them when an opportunity arrived. 

That is known as conviction and that differentiates the Bog Boys from the smaller ones.

Madrid waited, waited and waited – Dani Carvajal opened the scoring and Vinicius Junior confirmed the title for the fifteenth time with a delicate finish.

The English pundits like Jamie Carragher kept on saying that Real Madrid had been lucky – but Mr Carragher forgets that your luck does not smile upon you if you are not good enough in conviction and your fighting spirit is not sparkling.

Throughout the season – Carlo Ancelotti’s diamond-shaped 4-4-2 formation was never hard to break down for the salesmen of philosophical football.

While on possession – Toni Kroos dropped into the full-back pocket to pull the strings in the build-up, Fede Valverde pushed high and wide to receive switches, Rodrygo Goyes slid under Vinicius to overload the left wing and Bellingham arrived from midfield to do striker duty.

Off the ball - they are passive but hard to play through, dropping into a flat 4-4-2 block instead of committing to a high press.

That was never hard to break down. That was not difficult to analyse. That came under pressure time and again. That tactic won from time to time.

But still – Real Madrid won.

How?

Caro Ancelotti once said, “I am very clear that there are two types of coaches: those who do nothing and those who do a lot of damage. I try to be in the first. The game is for the players, and you can tell them a certain strategy, convince them, but then the decisive thing is their quality and commitment.”

Ancelotti had put the right players in the right position and groomed others to switch on certain positions so, they could be the backup when required. He gave the players the freedom to flourish. His man management qualities should be a lesson for all. The freedom factor and man management abilities developed one of the best understandings between the players where iconic moments were created that can’t be analysed.

 Ancelotti just maximized the abilities of the players he had who always displayed their killer instinct whenever the situation demanded.

You need luck, yes! But to operate that luck you need to have a certain skill. 

Real Madrid are well equipped to operate their luck.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

The onslaught by Viv Richards

He strode out to the middle of that warm summer day - his distinctive arrogant swagger was marginally stifled, the jaws moving a little more frantically to chew the gum which completes the persona. 

It was the first of the 3 ODIs before the 5-match Test series in 1984 between England and West Indies in England. 

Prudential was replaced by a new sponsor - the giant American Oil Company Texaco will be remembered by the cricket fans of the 80s and 90s for a long time. 

Viv Richards witnessed the hoardings of Texaco displayed along the periphery of the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium - the venue for the first ODI - where the raucous English supporters were still celebrating the fall of Gordon Greenidge. 

Before that - Desmond Haynes was run out next to nothing and at 11 for 2, astonishingly, West Indies felt the heat of the opposition bowlers. 

But one man - Viv Richards - displayed nothing. 

No tension. No panic. No fear. 

Absolutely nothing. 

There was only the grim visage and the hard glint in his eyes to suggest that he was ready to slice the attack 

The King was standing on a wrecked ship - but his natural instinct to attack hardly faded. 

Back in the 80s, wise men used to say, if you don't get Richards out earlier, you'll have to pay a heavy price. 

At 43, Bob Willis clung on to a sharp return catch from Richie Richardson, and then trapped the King into an indiscretion, a misjudgment of pace leading to a spooned dive, which, just eluded the fielder's desperate lunge by a whisker. 

What a costly mistake it would prove! 

West Indies kept on losing wickets - Larry Gomes for 4, Clive Lloyd for 8 and Jeff Dujon for 0 - all to the offspin of Jeff Miller. 

England prepared a slow and low deck to neutralize the pace battery of the Caribbean and trap their batsmen with spin. When Malcolm Marshall was dismissed the West Indies was tattering at 102 for 7. 

But Richards did not stop playing shots. 

His murderous stroke-play witnessed the ball vanish - at the other end, wickets became cheaper - Baptiste hung on to add 59 but he and Joel Garner marched to the dressing room with West Indies losing their way at 166 for 9. 

14 overs were remaining when Michael Holding joined Richards. 

Holding was a mere spectator to the onslaught that followed - a rare scene on the cricket field back in those days, when batsmen, still, took caution over aggression because the wickets suited to the bowlers, the bats were not heavy and the boundaries were not smaller like today. 

Richards completed his hundred with a punched on-drive off Ian Botham - off 112 deliveries with 12 boundaries.

Richards played Botham to the onside with a flick of the wrist as the ball raced to the square leg boundary. 

Neil Foster noticed Richards' attacking intent towards onside - set more fielders on that region and pitched outside the leg - but the King moved towards the square leg to hoist him over long off - staggering! 

Derek Pringle over-pitched and Richards planted a foot down the wicket, whipped his wrists and launched it over the wide mid-on in an incredible on-driven six. 

Then, Pringle was hoisted over long off into the crowd. 

150 for Richards! 

Willis returned to bowl and decided to pitch along the offstump - Richards got his left leg out of the way, leaning on the back foot and hoisted it over extra-cover.

Richards swung one to the mid-wicket boundary to register the hundred-run partnership for the last wicket. 

As Botham ran into bowl the last ball - Richards moved outside the leg eyeing the gaps on the off-side but Botham pitched it outside the leg, and was hit straight back over the head for a boundary. 

106 runs had come in the last 14 overs, where Holding contributed to just 13. 

189 off 170 deliveries with 21 boundaries and 5 sixes. 

The last 58 balls had produced 86 runs with 9 fours and 5 sixes.

England never recovered from the blow by Richards and the summer of 1984 became a nightmare for the English.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

La Decima

The night of May 24, 2014, was warm in Dhaka. 

One could listen to the noises of TV from the nearby houses even at 2:45 am. 

The sounds of cheer diminishing into despair could be heard. 

A group was cheering as if the match was over in favour of Atlético Madrid while a group was just left pondering what might have been - perhaps, the wait would prolong. 

The UEFA Champions League Final of 2013-14 at Lisbon witnessed Atleti - the newly crowned La Liga champions taken on a battle-hardened Los Blancos who entered the field to break the 12-year-old jinx. 

In the 36th minute - From a set-piece, a cross was sent into the Real Madrid box, where the Jackal in the Box - hard nut Uruguayan Diego Godin looped a header over the line, despite the best attempts of Iker Casillas to claw the ball away. 

Casillas was in an absolute no-man's land there - what was he playing at? 

Either way, Godin added another important goal to his collection following his title-winning contribution at Barcelona.

The Royal Whites had to respond quickly but time was running out. 

The Madridistas - watching all over the globe in front of their TV sets, wished they could control time, space and reality. They prayed that the stars in the sky could make a perfect alignment for a Los Blancos comeback. 

Atleti were 120 seconds away from the ultimate glory when Real Madrid was awarded a corner on the right side of the field for the second time. 

The first one was not productive but while taking the second one Luka Modrić looped over in a manner that it discovered a waiting Sergio Ramos who guided into the bottom left corner from 12 yards! 

What a stunning header, not only to get across Tiago but, also to guide it into the only place Thibaut Courtois couldn't reach it!

92:48 minute - 1-1 

Florentino Perez was seen as relieved. Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane were relieved from an acute nervous breakdown. The supporters of Real Madrid had gained their voice. 

In Mirpur, Dhaka - a loud cheer broke the silence of the night. 

Ramos has injected life and in extra time a carnage by Madrid took place as Atleti sunk and Real Madrid achieved La Decima. 

Unbelievable match. 

Unbelievable feelings. 

Unforgettable night. 

The jinx was broken and the number of despair lessened in the last 10 years. 

Hala Madrid! 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Saeed Anwar and his 194

Chennai. The South of India. Wonderful region. Wonderful people. Great places to visit. A place filled with passionate cricket fans. And - during the summer the Cricket Stadium transforms into a furnace. Despite the exhausting weather, the MA Chidambaram Stadium witnessed some of the iconic knocks in the history of cricket. 

A cricket bat can be a weapon of destruction. It can be like the Great Wall of China. It can be a magic wand. It can be the brush of a painter. For a special batsman, it can be the combination of all. 

There was a batsman known as Saeed Anwar from Pakistan, who, on a sweltering Chennai afternoon used a local bat the way he wished to go against India on May 21, 1997, during the Independence Cup. 

On that day his bat was the combination of all. 

Anwar came to India after recovering from an injury against the backdrop of a brilliant 1996. In the previous two matches, he was showing signs of a return but those eye-catching innings were short-lived. 

Perhaps, the best was kept for the hapless Indian bowlers. 

Shahid Afridi was dismissed earlier. India had had a bright start. But Anwar entered into a zone where he could do no wrong. 

The jam-packed crowd at Chennai witnessed the effortless lofts over the on field, the flawless drives through the off-side, the calculated chips over mid-off and even delicate deflections that found their way to the fence. 

The extreme heat dehydrated Anwar and, requested a runner. Afridi was his running partner. Anwar looked tired as fluid consistently drained off his body. But while playing the shots his intensity was top-notch. 

118 runs came off boundaries - indicates how he reduced the idea of rotating strikes and adopted controlled aggression. 

Whenever he limped his way from the square leg to take a strike, gaps seemed to widen, boundaries got closer and the time to play the strokes hovered on the infinite.

An Anil Kumble over went for 2, 2, 6, 6, 6, 4 left him frustrated and fuming. 

The first six was smoked, and the next two flew into the distant tiers over wide mid-on.

And in the following over by Sachin Tendulkar, Anwar moved to the off-side and delicately glanced it away to the fine-leg fence - as if a masterful dancer was walking on the stage elegantly. 

And - those flick off the wrists - as if poet Iqbal's poetry was wrapped all over those. 

A superbly-placed sweep off Tendulkar took him past the 13-year-old record of 189 set by Sir Viv Richards. He followed it up with a square drive for four. 

194 off 146 deliveries - that too at the home ground of the arch-rivals can only be essayed by a special player. 

Saeed Anwar was special!

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Brazil exhibit fighting spirit

The nights at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu are hardly dull. The gentle breeze blowing over the massive stadium brings with it a vibe of passion, positivity and competitiveness. The crowd adds the flavour of thrill and chill - the ball starts rolling and the players elevate their level to ensure an exciting encounter. 

A young but weary-and-teary Brazil unit logged horns with a competent Spanish side that grinded the Canarinhos on the green canvas of Bernabeu. Spain led by 2-0 courtesy of strong dominance at the centre of the park and the flanks. 

Brazil midfield looked lost and the precision was missing. The players at the back melted under the consistent pressure from the Spanish press - a comeback from Brazil looked tough. 

But the vibe of Bernabeu has the power to elevate the level and Real Madrid Brazilian Royalty Rodrygo Goes pulled one back to lift the spirit. 

Rodrygo Goes, who dons the legendary number 10 shirt, was the Brazilian player who most sought the game and participated in offensive actions, although he made some mistakes that he is not used to. 

At 17-minute, he made a great individual play, which ended with a bad conclusion from Vinicius Jr - who was not up to the mark last night. 

At 39-minute, he was opportunistic, took advantage of the goalkeeper's error and was cold in finishing through coverage. 

Then, Brazil had Endrick - the 17-year-old Real Madrid -bound boy who has proven yet again, you cannot keep him out of the party if the Samba Boys are struggling to tune in to the beat of Samba Festival. 

He came on at half-time and four minutes later scored his second goal for the national team. 

The boy is giving hope and surely, the disciplined and competitive nature of Real will polish him into a champion. 

Thankfully, he didn't make a mistake like Neymar by joining Barcelona. 

You could see how Raphinha is declining and Vitor Roque will decline too., if my experience doesn't betray me. 

Brazil threw more bodies up front when the score became 3-2. Till the last minute the tired Brazil boys consistently fought and ultimately the equaliser came through the midfield underperformer of last night - Lucas Paqueta. 

Brazil were not good but the most important thing was the mentality to fight till the end. 

It's good to see that CBF have arranged two International Friendlies against top European teams rather than weaker African or Asian teams to give the impression of a false dawn.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar