Italy’s chances to make it past the group stage at Women’s Euro 2022 are still alive as the Azzurre salvaged a point to hold Iceland to a 1-1 draw in Manchester on Thursday. Italy conceded an early goal to the Nordics but managed to put themselves back on track and drew level with Bergamaschi in the second half.
The COVID-19 emergency in Italy continues. According to the Italian Department of Civil Protection, the number of cases has been increasing day after day, reaching 5372 on Friday at a pace that is challenging the football industry. With the Serie A now counting 28 players positive to the coronavirus, it is clear that the protocol adopted to face the crisis is not working.
The second round of the Nations League saw Cristiano Ronaldo stealing the stage but there was much more that happened both on and off the pitch. The international break ended just like it began, unable to answer how the coronavirus pandemic can be managed in football. Kylian Mbappé was the notable casualty of national duty, though he will soon return to action.
After a gap of an eternity, international fixtures returned with the resumption of the UEFA Nations League, so here is our full recap of the First Round in the Division A of the competition. Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence was the main talking point for the Portuguese team, but his side still did light work of the Croatians who were missing Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric.
Croatia completed their clean round in World Cup Group D in Rostov last night, as they beat Iceland 2-1 to secure their first place in the so-called “Group of Death.” With the qualification already in his pocket after two games, Coach Zlatko Dalic operated a massive turnover, which still didn’t prevent the Vatreni from honoring their last match.
In the last weeks, we had been hearing about Russia 2018 being the World Cup of big data and technology. Nigeria and Iceland, which faced each other yesterday in Group D – with the Super Eagles prevailing 2-0 - are a great example of it. Since the very moment the Nigerian playing kit for World Cup 2018 got released, it quickly went viral and sold out.
For the second time in a row, France overcame their opponents by one goal difference. The French are a young team, which however can rely on the experience of coach Didier Deschamps. It is not a chance that the winning goal over Peru yesterday came from the youngest striker in this World Cup, 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint Germain.
Everyone was calling for Lionel Messi to respond to Cristiano Ronaldo’s bullying debut. Underdog Iceland looked like a comfortable test on paper, yet the hero of the day turned out to be Icelandic goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson, who saved a penalty from La Pulce and led his side to a stunning 1-1 tie with Argentina in the opening match of World Cup Pool D.