It was still a suffering team, unable to let go and believe in their football

Santos is working with the idea of giving up discussing possession to Spain and basing his game on a fierce defense. From here, when you have the ball, the idea will be to play fast, looking precisely for the speed of Guedes and the forcefulness of Cristiano Ronaldo, the two players who will act at the top.

Portugal already prevailed in the last European Championship from the defensive order and it is not expected that the script will change. An approach with which he hopes to overwhelm Spain and have the opportunity to win the back of Ramos or Piqué at some point.

Follow live the press conference of Fernando Hierro and Sergio Ramos

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The most likely line-up for Portugal will be Rui Patricio, Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro; William, Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario, Guedes and Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to the ‘Jugones’ program of La Sexta, Gerard Piqué had to mediate between Sergio Ramos and Luis Rubiales so that they did not come to blows. The reason, the decision of the RFEF president to dismiss Julen Lopetegui as coach after his agreement with Real Madrid and three days after Spain’s debut against Portugal in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

06/14/2018

On 06/15/2018 at 10:19 AM CEST

In Sport English

Jugones: Pique had to separate Sergio Ramos and Rubiales!

Eduardo Inda, head of ‘OK Diario’, was the one who explained the matter. "The two faced each other, no one hit anyone but they told each other everything. There were screams, and very powerful from one to the other and from the other to one".

According to Inda, "the level of tension was huge" and at a certain moment "Gerard Piqué had to intervene and mediate so that the anger did not go to greater".

What angered Luis Rubiales, Inda argued, was learning that some media took Lopetegui’s continuity for granted, apparently after some players conveyed this message as a form of pressure for Lopetegui to continue in office.

The sparks jumped when Rubiales asked for app 1xbet explanations and Sergio Ramos would have said: "This is crazy, we’re going to be the World Cup grotesque, we’re going to make a fool of ourselves!".

Inda explains that Piqué’s mediation helped ease the tension and "in the end, they hugged" the president of the RFEF and the captain of Real Madrid and the Spanish team, "but the tension was brutal".

&# 128680; WE HAVE A PROGRAM! The DISCUSSION between Sergio Ramos and Rubiales, the REACTIONS to the ‘BOMBAZO’ … YOU WILL SEE IT ALL IN #JUGONES! pic.twitter.com/8BHmqKeGc1

– JugoneslaSexta (@JugoneslaSexta) June 14, 2018

Two days before the World Cup in Russia started, a statement from Real Madrid announcing that Julen Lopetegui would be their coach for next season, dynamited the concentration in Krasnodar.

06/13/2018

On at 18:29 CEST

In Sport English

OFFICIAL: Lopetegui is sacked as Spain’s coach

The Spanish coach did not speak out this past Tuesday, and announced that he would take the floor this Wednesday at a press conference, first at 10:30 and then delayed his appearance for half an hour.

At the press conference, Rubiales announced the dismissal of Lopetegui.

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Argentina is a drama. It was before the game started and it is much more so after suffering a painful defeat. As cruel as it is fair. Croatia was better because they had a good time against an opponent who played with a weight that constrains their players, which does not allow them to feel free. Argentina looks much worse than it really is. The World Cup may have come to an end for the albiceleste after a new disaster in which nothing went well. It only remains to pray.

06/21/2018

On 06/22/2018 at 10:30 PM CEST

In Sport English

Argentina and Messi on the brink as Rakitic inspires Croatia to victory

Jorge Sampaoli moved the team and the drawing with respect to the first match, in which no one was satisfied with what was seen against Iceland. Not only because of the result, but, above all, because of the little creative capacity shown by the albiceleste, which is unable to find the formula to take advantage of everything that Leo Messi can offer. The ’10’ plays few balls, very few. Insufficient for Argentina to grow.

Mercado, Acuña and Enzo Pérez entered and Sampaoli undid the 4-2-3-1 of the debut to sew a kind of 3-4-3 looking for more arguments in attack. The result, during the first half, was not what was expected. Croatia made use of a practical manual, with the team behind them and without hiding their plan: surprise their rival on the counter. The first half, at least on points, was for the Croats, who needed little to be dangerous when they reached Willy Caballero’s area.

After three minutes, the Argentine goalkeeper avoided Perisic’s goal, who fired with his left foot inside the area. Caballero reached for a corner with his fingertips. Argentina had a hard time combining clearly, having fun, having a good time. It was still a suffering team, incapable of letting go and believing in their football. All his players gave the feeling of being worse than they really are.

Only when Messi came into play did something happen. At thirteen minutes, she enabled Salvio, who put her back. Meza finished off Lovren’s body and the ball ended up in a corner. Meanwhile, Mandjukic, Rebic and Perisic turned Argentina’s defense into a tremulous flank, unable to provide security for the rest of the team to play freely. The albiceleste danger arrived in isolation. Acuña sent the ball to the crossbar with a faulty center and Enzo Pérez forgave the best chance of the game so far: the ball was dead and tame in the area, but he shot from the first range.

Then it was Mandjukic who missed his head alone against Caballero. The surprising thing is that he planted himself in the small area with a diagonal send over the defensive line without any effort. It was a lackluster first half, with more mistakes than successes.

gentleman, a Croatian friend

Argentina came out of the locker room, after the break, with a different air. Agüero came to the area and tested it with a cross shot and Messi seemed to come into play something else. But the albiceleste received a blow from one of their own. Willy Caballero was frivolous looking to play a Vaseline ball against Rebic. He did it so badly that the ball was perfect for the Croatian to volley on goal. Unforgivable.

Sampaoli moved the bench and Higuaín entered for Agüero. Argentina put one more march. The Juventus striker came out motivated and his was the play that ended with Rakitic’s rejection of Messi’s shot, when the goal was already called. The mountain appeared high and the clock ran fast and cruel before the eyes of the South American team. Sampaoli put aside his usual rascality to put Dybala in. When you’ve hit bottom, you can only look up.

Or not. Because there are always those who can sink you a little more with sand shovels. Modric caught the ball far, far from the area. So far that it seemed impossible, but the Croat released his leg with a whip that turned the ball into a missile that pierced Caballero’s goal. The mountain appeared vertical and in Argentina’s backpack there were only stones. Lots of stones. All the stones of the world in an albiceleste shirt that is lead. This way you can not play. Argentina does not play to win, but to avoid the acid rain that falls without pause from all fronts when the ball rolls. It is a miracle that, in such an environment, they have played three finals in recent years.

rakitic casts the bouquet on the grave

Rakitic was about to deposit the bouquet of flowers on the albiceleste grave with a free kick that crashed into the wood. I had only commissioned it to be done later. With Caballero’s defense already in another country, the midfielder had the break and the talent to score the third. Messi will continue to suffer, with the stony gesture, being part of it. Messi suffers with Argentina everything he enjoys at Barça. The laws that balance the world do not allow you to be fully happy.

Argentina’s defeat against Croatia (0-3) leaves the Albilceste in a very delicate situation, but with options to qualify for the round of 16 on the last day, when they will face Nigeria, and very aware of the match that this Friday Iceland and Nigeria will compete.

06/21/2018

On at 22:04 CEST

If Iceland beats Nigeria, the Argentine team will no longer depend on itself to be in the last 16: they will have to beat Nigeria and hope that Iceland loses against Croatia. If this situation arises, it will be necessary to analyze the goal difference.

possible iceland-croatia pact

Any other result of the Vikings in the last day would leave the Sampaoli team without mathematical possibilities. That is to say: with a draw, Croatia secures first place in the group and Iceland the classification, so the match will be subject to all kinds of speculation of a possible pact that would KO Argentina.

Croatia will face the last day already classified for the round of 16 and with the possibility of resting their starting players.

If Nigeria and Iceland draw in their Volgograd match, Argentina will have to win on the final matchday and hope that Iceland does not beat Croatia. The cases of ties to points are resolved by the difference of goals: Argentina has -3.

In the event that Nigeria beats Iceland, Argentina will also have to beat Nigeria on the final matchday and hope that Iceland does not win on the final matchday.

In any case, Argentina must beat Nigeria on the last day. If he doesn’t, he will be out of the World Cup.

The 2018 World Cup in Russia will be remembered for the many surprises that are taking place in the preliminary phase. In Brazil-Costa Rica (2-0) the ‘canarinha’ surrounded the tragedy but once again the Barça player Philippe Coutinho unblocked the duel and against Serbia, on June 27, he will play with some tranquility.