Category: International Sports

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Turkey just about managed to get over line and send Austria home while booking themselves a place in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.

Maybe feeling like they had to make up for their captain, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, missing the game through suspension, Turkey came out of the blocks with intent. An early corner, as in barely a minute into the game early, couldn’t be dealt with properly by the Austrian defense leaving a gap open for Merih Demiral to take full advantage and give Turkey the lead inside a minute. The rest of the half was predominantly spent in the Turkey half of the pitch as Austria tried to penetrate their well organised defense.

In the 2nd half, Austria stepped up their efforts as they were able to transition a lot more smoothly on the pitch and knock the ball about for fun. They were playing a very entertaining brand of football with quick, sharp moves and effortless passes aided by their high press to win the ball back quickly and efficiently. It was therefore a bit of a shock when, in the 59min, Merih Demiral rose highest in the Austria penalty box to meet Arda Güler cross and, again, score for Turkey and extend their lead even further. The Austria faithful looked stunned as, truthfully, at the time it was Austria who looked more likely to put the ball in the back of the net. Turkey’s celebrations began early but they didn’t last for long as through a corner of their own, Austria managed to pull one back through Michael Gregoritsch who found himself unmarked at the far post after a flick on from Stefan Posch.

Austria kept huffing and puffing throughout the remainder of the half and with some better finish from the likes of captain, Marko Arnautovic, they could’ve actually drawn level. But they never gave up. Right up until the last kick of the game when Christoph Baumgartner found himself free in the box and nodded a header toward goal only for goalkeeper, Mert Günok, to pull off what is probably the save of the tournament so far to secure the win for Turkey.

2-1 it ended, setting up a quarter final meeting with the Netherlands.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Romania (no. 47 in the FIFA world team rankings), who qualified in 1st place in the group stage, would’ve thought that they were guaranteed smooth sailing in the round of 16. Netherlands (no. 7 in the FIFA world rankings), on the other hand, who qualified in 3rd place, would’ve anticipated having one of the tougher draws in this stage. So their relative emotions were definitely filled with confusion and bemusement as hey drew each other. And Netherlands were not going to look this gift horse anywhere, let alone on the mouth.

At the start, the game was more of a tentative affair as both teams took the time to feel each other out and get a gauge on what to expect from each other. It wasn’t until the 20th minute when Cody Gakpo, who had been relatively quiet in the game until then, took everybody by surprise after receiving the ball on the left wing. He cut inside passed the defender and rifled a low hard shot to the goalkeeper’s near post. This proved to be the shot in the arm that the Netherlands team needed as they immediately responded by stepping up a gear and firmly taking control of the game. It was as if Gakpo had given them the confidence to actually show their quality on the pitch. Other players in the team who went on to have a good game include Tijjani Reijnders and Xavi Simmons. Denzel Dumfries was also a constant threat down the right wing.

In the 2nd half, Romania seemed to realize what was happening and opted to hit Netherlands on the counter. A tactic that almost came through in the end if not for some dogged defensive intervention from the Netherlands’ defensive line. Halftime substitute Donyell Manel added some speed and trickery to the Netherlands front line and it was he who, in the 83rd minute, secured Netherlands’ progression into the quarterfinals with a relatively easy tap in from point blank range after some fine work from Cody Gakpo down the wing, that is, beating 2 defenders and the goalkeeper to put it on a plate for Malen.

It was now a formality until the final whistle, but not before Donyell Malen scored another in his own right with the last kick of the game. Picking up the ball in his own half, he carried it down the pitch in a sort of one-man counter attack after captain Virgil van Dijk had the cleared the ball from a Romanian corner kick. He dribbled past the last defender and the wrong footed the goalkeeper with an expert finish.

3-0 the game ended with the Netherlands headed into the quarter finals in rejuvenated fashion as Romania bowed out unceremoniously.

Oh, and Gakpo deservedly won the Man of the Match Award for his contributions.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AFP}

France and Belgium duked it out for a spot in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.

Or at least, that’s what it was supposed to be. Truly it was a long-drawn-out affair in which neither team really possessed the quality to finish the job on the day. Chance after chance, they missed and missed. Of a total of 24 shots between the 2 sides (more from the French), only 4 were on target. And they were relatively routine saves.

In the 2nd half, France really upped the pressure. Suffocating Belgium in their own box looking for a way in. Chance after chance fell for French forward Marcus Thuram, but he couldn’t compose himself enough to take any of them. This led to French manager Didier Deschamps, making a change, bringing in the prospect Kolo Muani. 

He, combining with French talisman Kylian Mbappe, did their best to stabilize the Belgian defense, but couldn’t get any change. On the other end of the pitch, Belgian Centre forward, Romelu Lukaku, struggled to influence the game, in part because of the new formation Belgium adopted for this game, pushing Belgian talisman, Kevin de Bruyne deeper into midfield and further from the attacking line. They only linked up once, after a formation change pushed de Bruyne higher up the pitch. Lukaku held off the defender with his noteable strength and teed up de Bruyne from the edge of the box. His shot drew a decent save from the keeper.

Just as it started to seem like the game was destined for extra time, and possibly penalties, the deadlock was broken. After receiving a pass from the returning N’golo Kante, substitute Kolo Muani spun around inside the box onto his right foot, looking to send a pass across goal, presumably looking for Mbappe. However, the pass deflected violently off of Belgian Centre back, Jan Vertonghen, and bounced over the helpless Belgian Goalkeeper, Koen Casteels, who had dived for the ball’s initial trajectory in anticipation.

Belgian left winger Jérémy Doku had a good game up against French right back Jules Koundé. Their battle was the best part of the game as they constantly sized each other up and tested each other’s limits. With France having won the game, Koundé was the one chosen for the Man of the Match award.

1-0, the game ended, with France securing their spot in the quarterfinals, and with Belgium sent packing with a feeling that they may have had more to offer.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AFP}

Portugal vs Slovenia turned out to be more dramatic than anyone might have thought it would be. When the draw first happened, it seemed like it would be just another stepping onto the ultimate goal for Portugal. Nobody expected the game to be somewhat of an exhibit showcasing Ronaldo battling some inner demons.

The first 90minutes was more of a tale of some missed chances and decent saves as Portugal struggled to find a way past Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Slovenia’s defense also looked very inspired, particularly Vanja Drkušić who was having quite a good game against the notorious Cristiano Ronaldo. With the score tied at 0-0 after 90min, we ventured into extra-time. This is where the drama really started.

First came the penalty. Portuguese substitute Diogo Jota picked up the ball from the halfway line before carrying it all the way into the Slovenia penalty box, where he was then brought down by the aforementioned Drkušić. This would kick off a domino effect whereby previously known heroes would turn into momentary zeroes. First, it was Drkušić for giving away the penalty. Next came Ronaldo, ready to routinely tuck away the spot kick and ensure safe passage for Portugal into the quarter finals. Except, he missed. Or should I say Oblak saved it. Either way, it didn’t enter. And Ronaldo couldn’t hold back the tears as he felt the weight of his country’s disappointment on his shoulders. The 2nd zero.

Still, we had 15min to go in extra time, and anything could happen.

And it very nearly did. A mistake from Portuguese veteran, Pepe, the 3rd zero, let Benjamin Šeško run through on goal, one on one with Diogo Costa, the Portuguese goalkeeper. Sesko, the young jewel of Slovenian football, would add himself to the list as the 4th zero, as he missed the opportunity to secure qualification for his country. Or should I say the keeper saved it. Either way, it should’ve been a goal, but it wasn’t. Extra time was now up. It was time for the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Now, this is where everything changed. Because, as close as the game actually was, the gulf in quality between the 2 sides shone brightly here. Up stepped the Slovenian heroes, Josip Iličić, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbič vs Diogo Costa. 3 penalties they took and 3 times they missed, Costa saving each penalty with relative ease. 3 more zeroes.

On the other side, Ronaldo stepped up first, seeking redemption, which he got after slotting the kick passed Oblak and then turning to the crowd and begging for forgiveness for his earlier miss quite earnestly. Next was Bruno Fernandes, who made a mockery of the tense affair, then Bernardo Silva sealed it with an expertly taken shot.

Portugal safely through, Slovenia sent packing, but not before giving us one of the more memorable cup ties of the competition.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by TSN}

Before we get into it, I just want to say, it was a thoroughly entertaining battle. Both drivers wanted to win, and they drove each other to the limit in order to earn the victory. Unfortunately for them, they both lost out on the victory. Fortunately for us, we may have just witnessed the beginning of a rivalry.

Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principle, was quoted as saying “Lando Norris kept divebombing Max…. He was a little too over eager” A sentiment shared by Max Verstappen. Lando Norris was quoted as saying, “He knew what he was doing. He was on the Wrong.” Which brings us to the topic at hand. Who actually was on the wrong?

Max Verstappen is obviously notorious for his aggressive, uncompromising, elbows-out style of driving that often leads to incidences on the track. That is to say, this isn’t the first time we have seen him get into such an altercation in a race, the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2021 being a very good example of this. However, did he actually break any rules? Are Formula 1 drivers allowed to be so aggressive in defense of their track position?

The rules of attack/defense on the track are as follows. When defending, you, as a driver, are not allowed to move more than once. Which means, you have to predict which direction you think the driver behind you is going to go, and then time your move strategically and commit to it. Once committed, you cannot then move to the other side. Another rule states that you are not allowed to force another driver off the track, whether in attack or defense. Lastly, you are not allowed to leave the track in order to gain an advantage, whether attacking or defending.

Now, these 2 drivers battled for the lead of the race for nigh on 7 laps. And in every lap, these rules were being pushed further and further. Too Norris’ credit, he chose to be quite the gentleman and gave Verstappen fair room to manoeuvre around and even let him take the lead back ahead after he masterminded an overtake from off the track. Verstappen, however, as we all know by now, does not take any prisoners and he ensured that Norris would have to almost physically take the position from him if he wanted to take the lead. He would genuinely risk crashing out of the race rather than surrender the position. Some would say it is dirty driving. Others would argue it is only the mark of a winner who cannot stand to lose, a la Michael Schumacher and Ayton Senna.

One argument gaining a lot of traction states that it has been too long since Verstappen actually had to fight anybody on the track and the sudden pressure put on him by Lando Norris was a lot for him to cope with on the day. And as much as he seemed to have evolved into a more levelheaded and tactical driver, this showed that he was still the same old bullish Max Verstappen.

There is also an argument to be had that Lando Norris was a little too naive when attempting to overtake him. Verstappen may have been overly aggressive, but Norris should have known better than to simply expect him to willingly give up the position, as has been the case in earlier incidents when the roles were reversed.

At the end of the day, all we can say is, more of the same please. Red Bull and Verstappen have had a strangle hold on the game for far too long now. It is refreshing to see things shaken up a bit.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by BBC}

There was drama on the track at the Austrian Grand Prix on the 30th of June 2024 as the fight for the race win resulted in both drivers losing out.

For about 50 to 55 laps of the Austrian Grand Prix, it was relatively business as usual. Max Verstappen had opened up a lead in his Red Bull, Lando Norris was trying to keep up with him in his Mclaren and George Russell was sneakily going about his business in the last podium position in his Mercedes. Apart from some fireworks between teammates Sebastian Ocon and Pierre Gasly of Alpine as they engaged in their usual wheel to wheel duel, there was little else to write that is. That is until the teams made their second pit stop of the day.

After complaining about tyre performance, Max Verstappen made a pit stop to swap out his hard tyres for the mediums. Lando Norris had the same idea. Norris’ pit stop went smoothly. Verstappen’s did not. Some extra time taken to fit the left rear tyre meant that by the time they got out of the pit lane, Verstappen’s 7sec lead had been cut down to just 2.5sec.

Norris then began applying the pressure. Lap after lap, constantly hounding Verstappen, looking for a way past him. More than once, he attempted a brave dive bomb into the corner, but Verstappen’s cheeky antics made it impossible for Norris to position his car for a proper overtake. The tension was building with every passing lap, until finally…they made contact. Norris attempted an overtake around the outside on a hairpin corner and because Verstappen edged slightly to his left to try and put him off, they came together in the most dramatic fashion. Both cars suffered a puncture and had to limp back to the pit lane, with Norris suffering front wing damage as well, resulting in him retiring the car.

George Russell, who was quietly going about his business in 3rd, suddenly took the lead of the race with about 5 5 laps to go. He couldn’t believe his luck as he took the chequered flag to claim his 2nd ever Grand Prix win.

Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri pipped Carlos Sainz for 2nd as the latter rounded up the podium positions.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Reuters}

India was crowned world champions after beating South Africa in the ICC (International Cricket Council) Twenty20 world cup final.

India was looking to reclaim some pride after losing the ODI series to Australia in front of their home crowd earlier this year. The Indian team came up against an inspired South African side who had just come from demolishing Afghanistan in the semi-final, limiting them to just 56 runs in total. The game was always going to be won by whoever wanted and the India side definitely showed its intent by beating England, the defending champions, in the semi-final by a mammoth 68 runs. This was promising to be an epic clash.

And it was. It was a tense finale as South Africa found themselves needing at least 2 boundaries from 2 balls. Kagiso Rabada, the batsman, had no choice but to throw caution to the wind. Go big or go home, as they say. Unfortunately, he didn’t go big enough as his attempt to knock one over the line fell just short, right into the hands of an Indian fielder. India emerged victorious but only by a mere 7 runs. They definitely earned their victory after battling a worthy adversary.

Virat Kohli was voted the MvP (most valuable player) finishing the game with 76 runs from 58 balls.

Jasprit Bumrah capped the final game by winning the Player of the Tournament award, no doubt because of his proficiency at bowling.

The fans may have been disappointed by how the ODI series ended, but at least they were afforded some sort of redemption for the mishap in the Twenty20.

by Ben Ayuko

{contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

{image by Getty Images}

What in the world is going on in Group E?

It genuinely feels as though each member of the group had a pact agreed at the launch of the tournament, but one of them found out too late that they were going to be the sacrifice. I know it sounds like I’m being pretty dramatic but hear me out.

Romania qualified for the next round after finishing top of the group after their 1-1 draw with Slovakia, thanks to goals from Ondrej Duda of Slovakia and Răzvan Marin of Romania. Slovakia qualified in 3rd position. Had Slovakia won that game, it would have been they who finished top of the group and Romania would have been packing their bags and going home. Likewise, if Romania won, then Slovakia would’ve been packing their bags. Such fine margins.

Belgium tried to get up to speed versus Ukraine in order to finish top of the table, but the longer the game went on, the more they slowly began to accept that they would probably not get that elusive goal that they were looking for. In fact, it was looking more and more likely that Ukraine would score. Their closest effort came directly from a corner kick after Ruslan Malinovskyi almost caught the Belgian keeper Koen Casteels off guard at his near post. That scare seemed like the off switch for Belgium as from then on, they opted not to take unnecessary risks knowing a draw would get them through anyway.

0-0 after the final whistle meant that Belgium qualified in 2nd while Ukraine drew the short straw and had to pack their bags. If either team had got a goal, they’d have finished top of the group while the other was sent packing. Such fine margins.

Every team in Group E finished the group stages on 4 points. Every team had 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. The rank in the group was determined exclusively by goal difference from top to bottom, and in some cases where the goal difference was the same, they had to compare the number of goals scored. It’s madness.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by sportsmole}

Sorry Georgia, I was not familiar with your game.

Neither were you, reader. I don’t think anybody was. Or at least, I don’t think anybody thought Georgia would beat Portugal, deservedly, let alone qualify for the knockout rounds of the European championship. On their first time in the competition no less.

And I mean “Deservedly“. Quite literally from the 1st minute of the game {technically 1:30} when Georgia Starboy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, raced through on goal after latching onto a through ball from teammate Georges Mikautadze and finished tidily passed the Portuguese keeper, Diogo Costa. This early goal seemed to spark a seemingly dormant flame that had been inside this Georgia team all along, just waiting for a chance to shine. And shine they did.

Now, Portugal is one of the best teams in the world, so obviously they had chances to score from the likes of Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, etc. But none of them managed to breach this very inspired Georgian defense. Their goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, in particular had quite a stellar performance, making 5 saves including a particularly powerful freekick from Ronaldo. And with every chance he saved, it only seemed to spur Georgia on. They were trading shots on either end of the pitch with Georgia holding their own and going toe-to-toe with one the best teams in the world let alone in Europe.

Just as Portugal started to get a handle on the game and it seemed like the inevitable outcome, we all knew was going to happen, was going to happen, Georgia earned themselves a penalty kick and Georges Mikautadze , after registering the assist for the first goal, dispatched the spot kick with finesse to seal the deal and confirm Georgia’s progress into the Round of 16.

The dream lives on.

Elsewhere, Cenk Tosun scored in the dying minutes of injury time (90min+4) to secure 2nd spot for Turkey and ensure safe progression through to the round of 16. Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s powerful drive into the bottom corner had given Turkey the lead before Tomáš Souček equalized for the Czech Republic. It was quite a comeback considering they’d had a man sent off in the 1st half.

Portugal progressed as group winners followed by Turkey then Georgia. Let us see what they can muster in the next round.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Sky News}

England set out to secure their status as the top team in Group C when they took on Slovenia. Gareth Southgate, the England Manager, has recently come under fire from his own people (the English) after some lackluster performances in the opening 2 group games. Knowing this he really needed a performance from his team to get the fans on his side.

If anything, he may have started riot. A protest. A demonstration even. Like the taxbi- look, it wasn’t good.

England had one or two good moments in the whole game. 1st, a goal ruled out due to an offside in the buildup {admittedly, a good play}. And 2nd was good sequence of play that culminated in a weak effort on goal from substitute Cole Palmer. Other than that, England failed to create anything of real note for the whole 90min. They were equally as likely to lose the game as they were to win it. The spectators were so displeased, they began throwing their empty beer cups at Gareth Southgate. Okay, maybe they’re treating him a little harshly considering he is literally coaching their national team. But English fans have always been that way with their own people. Who can forget the whole Beckham episode before he “mad up for it” with ‘That’ freekick vs Greece. Or the whole racist debacle at the last Euro tournament with Saka, Rashford and Sancho because they missed their penalties in the final. All we can ask is, is anyone really surprised they never win anything?

Anyway, the game ended 0-0.

Elsewhere, Denmark and Serbia played out a 0-0 draw, securing Denmark 2nd spot in Group C and qualification for the next round.

Fun fact, there has only been 1 win in 12 games in this group, which came from England on the opening day against Serbia. Denmark and Slovenia have drawn all their games, while England and Serbia drew 2 of theirs, each. This, of course means Serbia’s loss to England is also the only Loss experienced in this group.

It just might have been the most uneventful group.