In a classic "game of two halves," Brazil was the deserved victor but will have to improve if it is to win the World Cup, fans said last night after Brazil beat Turkey 2-1 in Ulsan, South Korea.
Speaking outside the ground after the game, Reinaldo Lima from San Paulo said, "Brazil did not play good. Today the team was bad in the first half, but I expect them [to get better] as more games are played."
Even Turkish coach Senol Gunes agreed that Brazil was the better side after 90 minutes, but he said he was angry with the referee's penalty decision.
"I'm not in a position to judge the referee. We controlled Brazil but we couldn't control the referee. It was not a penalty, [it was] outside the area. Referee, outside the area, last minute. He was doing nothing. Nothing more to talk about."
Asked whether Luziao made a meal of falling down for the penalty, Gunes said, "There was no referee."
Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said there were positive and negative points to take from the game.
"The first one is something which is not always reasonable for Brazil and that is marking the opponent on the field," he said.
"The second is that the team reacted quite positively [to the first goal from Turkey] in the dressing room. The negative point is that we didn't take advantage of all the opportunities."
Speaking of his decision to take off Ronaldo, he said, "Seventy minutes was enough for him.
"He performed well and showed us what he could do for 70 minutes."
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Aaron Civale got a little wild in the right-hander’s first start for the Chicago White Sox two days after he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Civale on Sunday walked four of the first seven hitters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old finished with four walks, one off his career high, while allowing six hits and two runs in five innings. He threw 65 strikes and 39 balls. Chicago trailed 2-1 when he was replaced by Dan Altavilla to start the sixth. “Not the cleanest,” Civale said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week. First couple
RSS