Mes: enero 2022

Finally the big day is almost near and long waiting has come to an end because the most awaited moment is here: FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia. Undoubtedly, it is one of the biggest extravaganzas on the earth, and now it’s time to gear up ourselves for the summer’s tournament because FIFA is round the corner. As the globe eagerly waits to have a glimpse of the action-packed with around 736 players from over 32 teams in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the billions of soccer fans are going around mad with excitement and curiosity.

The winner team will be qualifying itself for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup. The most awaited moment where many outstanding footballers are going to showcase their skills & talents in the highly-anticipated moment of the summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia in addition to the big names such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi,
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar is almost near.

The curious fans are eagerly waiting for a glance of the first opening match of this extravagant moment and their excitement is just palpable. Only hours are left when Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar are going to be the main course items in the plates of fans during this spectacular event which is going to take place this summer from 14 June – 15 July 2018. Thanks to the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, that is offering an opportunity for billions of soccer fans to stay updated of this thrilled moment in real-time.

Robbie Williams, England’s pop-icon is all set to host the opening ceremony for around 80,000 football fans in the stadium and for billions of others all around the world. Portugal is again landing back into this tournament off to back of their Euro 2016 dominating victory of 3-0 against Algeria and thus all the football lovers are really very overwhelmed. 14 June 2018 is the day when a group is going to stage up for the real Christmas that arrives once in every four years and this is going to be a moment of intense excitement for all the soccer lovers.

Out of the 32 nations that have been successfully qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia, around 20 countries earlier competed with the previous version of this spectacular tournament in 2014. Iceland and Panama are the ones who have backed their positions in the World Cup for the first time.
Each team in the World Cup has a preliminary squad of 35 players and out of it a final squad of 23 players has been finalized. This spectacular event is going to be hosted in over 12 cities that are in and around the European Russia. The Luzhniki stadium and the Saint Petersburg stadium are going to be the most frequently used stadiums for this astonishing event.

Russia is going to host the opening match against Saudi Arabia on 14 June 2018 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow with both teams hoping for a colorful victory to end up the barren run in the global finals. The 2018 World Cup in Russia is going to put a start to its opening ceremony with official match ball named as «Telstar 18» and the official tournament song is «Live it Up».

The tournament mascot is the wolf «Zabivaka». So, let’s see who is going to make a deep run in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and which nation is going to lift up the trophy. Once in every four years this great event takes place and the whole world eagerly waits for this most astonishing moment. For all the soccer fans across the globe, it is the real Christmas time for them when they can see their favourite stars rocking the ground.

The main icons such as Ronaldo, Messi are going to explicit their extravagant moves. The World Cup 2018 is going to be the pinnacle in the careers of Portugal captain Ronaldo and Argentina skipper Messi. The Real Madrid Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Messi have been the two best players on the planet for the last decade. Their fans are very curiously awaiting the most sought after moment after four long years when their super stars are going to break the ground.

Russia has bagged the chance to host this astonishing event for this time. This is going to be breath taking moment when everyone is going to gear up their seats and watch their favourite teams playing. And it’s time when they are going to witness their star icons on the ground trying with their amazing moves and just are going to break the silence that lasted for 4 long years. All have so the game begins now…

Swimming

Did you know- By March 1939, against all odds,Ecuador,with only four swimmers(the smallest delegation), won the Swimming South American Championships in Lima, Peru, outpacing Brazil and Argentina. The heroes were Carlos Luis Gilbert, Ricardo Planas, Luis Alcivar Elizalde y Abel Gilbert. Because of the World War Second, they could not compete to the Summer Olympics in the 40s.

Pan American Games

Did you know- At the 2007 Pan American Games, a pre-Olympic event, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Olympic team of Ecuador finished 11th in the count medal, with 19 medals, outpacing Jamaica (13th), Peru (20th) and Uruguay (22nd). The nation’s medal tally for Rio 2007 included five gold medals. In that event, for the first time in the history of the Pan American Games, the team from Ecuador won the soccer tournament, ahead of Jamaica, Mexico and Bolivia. In the gold-medal game, they beat Jamaica 2-1.

Baseball

Did you know- The team from Ecuador -made of mostly Ecuadorian of Panamanian descent– won the Baseball South American Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. The national team won all its matches, and defeated Argentina (20-1), Chile (20-2), Brazil (10-0) and Peru (6-0).

1976 Montreal Olympics

Did you know- The National Olympic Committee sent five athletes to the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Curiously the delegation of Ecuador to Montreal was one of the smallest sent by a country in the world.

Women’s Basketball

Did you know- The national team finished in 12th place in the women’s Basketball World Championship in Brazil in the early 70s.

Ecuador Vs U.S.A

Did you know- On October 18, 1960, Ecuador’s player César Muñoz Vicuña made international headlines when he defeated Bobby Fisher (America), one of the greatest players of all time. Like Jefferson Perez (track & field), Galo Legarda (cue sports), Rolando Vera (athletics), Alberto Spencer (soccer) and Jorge Delgado Panchana (aquatics), Mr Muñoz was one of the most respected athletes in Ecuador, an oil-rich nation in South America.

Host Country

Did you know- By the mid-1990s, the Under-17 World Championship, backed by the nation’s then-President Sixto Durán Ballén (1992-96), was held in Guayaquil and Quito (Ecuador). The African team of Ghana was the champion, followed in order by Brazil (runner-up), Argentina (third place) and Oman. Also competed Australia, Nigeria, Portugal, Germany, Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, USA, Guinea, Japan, Qatar, and the host country.

Shooting

Did you know- On October 9, 1934, Ecuador’s shooter Juan Orús Madinya set a new world record.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and there is no bigger event than the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. With the qualifying stages drawing to a close, here are some of the biggest names who are in danger of missing out.

1) Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero

Argentina is one of the biggest names in world soccer, winning the World Cup in 1978 and 1986. However, the appointment of their greatest ever player, Diego Maradona, as team manager has been an absolute disaster with the team currently stuck in 5th position in the South American Zone qualification round. With only the top 4 teams qualifying automatically and the 5th place team entering into the playoffs, Argentina’s hopes are hanging by a thread. Only 1 point separates them from Uruguay and Venezuela, and with 3 matches remaining, Argentina could finish as low as 7th.

2) Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 80 million pounds made him the most expensive player in the world. But even his prodigious talent isn’t enough for Portugal, as the Portuguese are currently languishing in 3rd place in Group 1 of the UEFA World Cup qualifying rounds. With only the top team making it through and the 2nd place team heading to the playoffs, Portugal has only 2 games left to play and might be eliminated if they do not win their next game.

3) David Beckham

The 2 games England played against Croatia might have decided Beckham’s fate. In the earlier game, England beat Croatia 4-1 with Theo Walcott, starting at the right midfield position, scoring a hat trick. Walcott had to sit out the return match at Wembley due to an injury and Aaron Lennon took his place. Lennon promptly turned in a man of the match performance, helping create 2 goals in England’s devastating 5-1 victory against the team that knocked them out of Euro 2008. Beckham had time to come on for a 10 min cameo, but will Capello take 3 right midfielders to South Africa? I think not.

There you have it. 3 of the biggest names in world soccer in danger of missing out of the next World Cup. Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive player in the world, and David Beckham, the most well known player in the world.

The World Cup has had no shortage of action this year. The tournament started off a little slow and goal scoring was few and far between, as were phantom calls by the referees, but all that has changed. At least the goal scoring part.

Portugal and Argentina have been the most impressive teams in my mind so far, but here are some assessments of the tournament.

The Vuvuzelas have grown on me. In the beginning of the tournament, it was the general consensus of Americans that the Vuvuzelas had to go. At this point, however, I have embraced the annoying horns as part of the game, and it is almost white noise to me.

The countries of Africa have more heart than the rest of the pack. Even though Cameroon and Ivory Coast have been eliminated, both teams played like their lives were on the line. The Ivory Coast truly deserves to be one of the 16 teams remaining, however with Portugal and Brazil in their group, it couldn’t have been tougher to advance.

Tying is not the same as winning. A lot of fans seem to forget this and will celebrate when their team has a draw with an opponent. New Zealand technically did not lose a game (tied all three) and were eliminated.

When it comes to most impressive continent in this world cup, the winner is without a doubt South America. At this point in the tournament, Brazil is the favorite to win it all, but every South American team has been on cruise control to the second round. Yesterday, Argentina put on a dominant performance against Mexico.

You don’t always need a superstar. While Kaka and his Brazilians, and Mesi and his fellow Argentinians march on, there are several teams that remain that do not have a superstar on their team (at least not to the average spectator). As far as I’m concerned the biggest names in this tournament are Kaka, Mesi, Christiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, and Wayne Rooney. Only two of the aforementioned players’ teams still remain in this World Cup, while teams like Paraguay and Uruguay without marquee players march on.

Finally, a note must be mentioned about how terrible France’s performance was. Since Henry’s handball in the qualifier, it had been nothing but turmoil for this team. They could not get it together at any point, and eventually threw in the towel, refusing to even practice prior to their last game. What happened to good sportsmanship?

Football, the beautiful game is without a doubt the most viewed sport in the world, and is quite popular amongst all generations of people. One of the best reasons for its enormous popularity is the interesting stories of the greatest football rivalries between various clubs and countries that come with this sport.

Biggest Club Rivalries in Football

Real Madrid Vs FC Barcelona

Real Madrid FC was established in 1902, while FC Barcelona was founded in 1899. Commonly called ‘El Clasico’ rivalry, Real Madrid and Barcelona have battled against with each other for about 270 times, with Real Madrid winning around 37% wins in compare to Barcelona’s 41%, and about 22% of the games finishing in a draw. This rivalry started from the 1902 when they met each other for the first time.

Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC

The football grounds have been dominated by this famous rivalry since 1894. These rival clubs have played with each for more than 190 times, with Manchester United winning 40% and Liverpool wining 33% of the games. About 27% of the matches have ended in draw. Manchester was founded in the year 1878, and Liverpool was established in the year 1892.

Arsenal Vs Chelsea

Most of the Arsenal fans dislike Chelsea, and the rivalry between these clubs is already a hundred years old. Since 1907 they have been competing with each other. They have played almost 200 games with each other, with Arsenal winning 38% and Chelsea winning 32% of the matches. Around 30% of the games have ended in draw. Arsenal was established in 1886, and Chelsea was found in the year 1905.

River Plate Vs Boca Juniors

These two football rivals have played around 210 games with each other, and the ferocious rivalry started since 1913, with River Plate winning around 33%, and Boca Juniors winning 37% of the matches. About 30% of the matches have ended in a draw. River Plate was established in the year 1901, while Boca Juniors was found in the year 1905.

Biggest Country Rivalries in Football

Argentina Vs Brazil

The rivalry between these neighboring countries is commonly known as the ‘Battle of the South Americans’. The first match between these two took place in the year 1914, and more than 100 matches have already been played against each other. Both the countries have won equal number of times, and about 25% of the matches have ended in a draw. In 1901, Argentina played its first international match, while Brazil played its first in 1914.

Portugal Vs Spain

Since 1921, Portugal and Spain have played against each other for around 140 times. Portugal has won about 17% of the matches, while Spain won around 50% of the matches. About 34% of the matches have ended in a draw. Portugal played its first international match in the year 1921, whereas the first international match of Spain was in the year 1920.

Mexico Vs USA

Mexico and USA have been playing against each other since 1934. In about 70 matches, Mexico has won 21% of the matches and USA has won 52% of the matches. Mexico debuted in the international arena in 1923, while the USA played its first international match in 1885.

Germany Vs England

The two countries met with each other in the football ground in the year 1899. Until now, they have played against each other more than 30 times, with both nations winning equal number of times, and 17% of the matches have ended in a draw. Germany played its first international match in 1908, while England played its first in the year 1870.

Japan Vs South Korea

Since 1954 these Asian nations have played against other for more than 800 times. Japan has won 18% of the matches, while South Korea has won about 52% of the games. About 30% of the matches have ended in a draw. First international match of Japan was in the year 1936, whereas South Korea played its first international match in the year 1948.