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[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Fans in Lisbon watch Morocco v Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - December 10, 2022 Portugal fan reacts as he watches the match REUTERS/Rodrigo AntunesLISBON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Portugal fans were overcome with sadness and frustration on Saturday after their fancied team crashed out of the World Cup to Morocco, a lower-ranked side that had already ousted Spain. Portugal, fresh from their knockout demolition of Switzerland, were beaten by Morocco 1-0. The country's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo was again out of the starting line-up after being benched for the last-16 tie against Switzerland. The country's football federation had earlier had to publicly deny reports that the skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament. "We are happy on behalf of the whole of Africa, because Morocco was representing Africa," said Moroccan tourist Amin Abdul, in Lisbon.

☆ World Cup memorabilia proves a big draw for football fans in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Philip O'Connor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

We moved back to Qatar but the love for collecting sports memorabilia stayed with me ever since," Esmael told Reuters, explaining the genesis of the collection. A former player for Qatar's national youth teams, Esmael saw the tournament as a perfect opportunity to share their collections with the world. "Me and my brother Khalid, who is also an avid World Cup memorabilia collector, organised a football collectibles exhibition at the Katara cultural village on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar." "I now have 150 match worn shirts and I focus mainly on World Cup shirts and European Championship shirts," Esmael says, adding that his favourite shirt is one from the former Yugoslavia that was worn by striker Davor Suker. Esmael says that the most valuable item they have is a 1978 World Cup winner's medal and that he sources most of his shirts through a company in the United Kingdom.

☆ Leave Ronaldo alone, says Portugal coach Santos ahead of quarter-final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Later, the country's football federation had to publicly deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament after talking with Santos. "He (Ronaldo) has never told me he wanted to leave our national team. It's high time to leave Ronaldo alone and acknowledge what he has done for Portuguese football," Santos said. "But we had a normal conversation where I explained my viewpoints and, of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation."

☆ World Cup quarterfinals: Morocco on the verge of history against Portugal as Kylian Mbappé’s France face England
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Moroccans have become the darlings of the World Cup. At the first “Arab” World Cup, they became the first Arab nation to qualify for the quarterfinals of the World Cup and, as the first African side to qualify for the quarterfinals in over a decade, they represent so much more than just their own nation. Born in Madrid, Achraf Hakimi scored the goal to knock Spain out of the World Cup. No team has scored more than Portugal’s 12 at the World Cup, but will the unstoppable Portugal be able to beat the immovable Morocco? Mbappé has already surpassed Cristiano Ronalo's World Cup goal scoring record and is level with Lionel Messi on nine.

☆ Portugal young gun Ramos faces tough test from wily Saiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Shady Amir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ramos, 21, made headlines when the teams were announced, picked to lead the attack in place of Portugal's all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo who was relegated to the bench. It did not take long for the youngster to become one of the biggest stories of the Qatar World Cup. Ramos made his debut in Portugal's 4-0 win over Nigeria in a warm-up game before the World Cup and played a total of 10 minutes as a substitute in two of the three group matches. Perhaps Ramos, who helped Benfica reach the Champions League last 16 this season, benefited from being the third striker in the squad behind Ronaldo and Andre Silva. He will now be firmly in the spotlight when Morocco coach Walid Regragui considers his tactics.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo: Portuguese Football Federation denies reports that star threatened to walk out of World Cup camp
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Aleks Klosok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) on Thursday denied that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave the World Cup squad after being named as a substitute against Switzerland earlier this week. The 37-year-old striker was dropped from the starting lineup for Tuesday’s last 16 clash with his replacement, Benfica forward Gonçalo Ramos, stepping up to score a sublime hat-trick as Portugal thumped the Swiss 6-1. Portuguese publication Record reported on Thursday that the striker had previously threatened to leave the squad following a conversation with manager Fernando Santos. “The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the stay in Qatar,” read the statement. It was the first time Ronaldo was left out of the starting lineup for Portugal at a major tournament since Euro 2008.

☆ Messi or Ronaldo? Football's hottest debate rages on in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Philip O'Connor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I think he's more versatile than Messi, who has a wonderful left foot, but Ronaldo is the better footballer and athlete," England fan David Barley told Reuters. Both are playing at their fifth World Cup but neither has yet won the trophy. It's probably Messi, but overall I prefer Ronaldo - I'm a Portugal fan, Sporting is my team, so Ronaldo," American fan Melo Barrows said. "Messi, Messi, absolutely Messi," he said. He's a good player, he scores also, he assists -- what a player, he's the best player of all time."

☆ How Cho Gue-sung became the breakout thirst trap of the World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Cho, 24, was a local celebrity as a player for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC before the World Cup, when he had 20,000 Instagram followers. Cho first generated buzz in his World Cup debut during Korea’s match against Uruguay, which ended in a scoreless tie. South Korea's Cho Gue-sung, center, during the FIFA World Cup match against Ghana in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Nov. 28. One can point to 2002’s World Cup heartthrob, Ahn Jung Hwan, whose beauty was only celebrated locally in South Korea. “He’s hot, he knows it, and he scored two goals for Korea in the World Cup.

☆ The Kid Who Replaced Cristiano Ronaldo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jonathan Clegg | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LUSAIL, Qatar—Gonçalo Ramos grew up dreaming of being the next Cristiano Ronaldo. He wasn’t alone. Most Portuguese kids who have kicked a soccer ball in the past 20 years had the exact same fantasy. The difference is that only one of them would get the call to actually replace Ronaldo in a do-or-die match at the World Cup.

☆ Gonçalo Ramos: Meet the striker who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and made World Cup history at Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Not only was it his first start at Qatar 2022, the tournament’s first hat-trick, but Ramos’ three goals in this last-16 tie puts Ronaldo record in one-off World Cup games somewhat in the shade. Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout match, despite competing in five tournaments. Michael Steele/Getty ImagesBenfica CampusRamos is a product of the famous Benfica academy. Never gives up!” Ramos’ Benfica teammate Grimaldo told Marca. His trio of goals ensured Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose against Saudi Arabia in 2002.

☆ Could Cristiano Ronaldo be Portugal’s super sub for the rest of the World Cup?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself in unfamiliar territory this season – but no matter where he is in the stadium, the cameras follow. After it was announced he would start Portugal’s World Cup round of 16 match against Switzerland from the bench, huge swathes of photographers swarmed around the team’s substitutes prior to kick off. All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, despite him starting on the bench. With his only real chance of the match, Ronaldo buried his shot past Yann Sommer but was denied a goal by the linesman’s offside flag. His star quality remains, too, with the Lusail Stadium filled with chants of “Ronaldo, Ronaldo” when he entered the field of play to arguably the biggest roar of the night – the game’s seven goals included.

Yet for former Ghana star Derek Boateng, they hold a personal truth. “Football saved my life, because without football I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing,” he told CNN. Just four years earlier, Ghana had competed at its first ever World Cup, in Germany, with Boateng again featuring. “Playing the World Cup is everything to me, as a football player. Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP via Getty ImagesThat mantra lay at the heart of Boateng’s playing career, and it is a message he repeats to aspiring student-athletes at the academy.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo’s Farewell Could Take Him From the World Cup to Obscurity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jonathan Clegg | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LUSAIL, Qatar—Cristiano Ronaldo has made the point, over and over, that he isn’t done with top-level soccer. But the reality emerging at this World Cup is that top-level soccer may be done with him. Ronaldo, technically the most famous unemployed person currently in Qatar, was let go by Manchester United last month and cuts an increasingly peripheral figure for the Portuguese national team. Now, this tournament no longer seems like just the final World Cup of a glittering career. It could mark Ronaldo’s de facto exit from the global stage altogether.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to bench as Portugal thrashes Switzerland to reach World Cup quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —No Cristiano Ronaldo, no problem for Portugal as it produced a dynamic display to thrash Switzerland 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals at Qatar 2022. The superstar striker was dropped from the starting lineup on Tuesday by Fernando Santos but the bold decision paid off for the Portugal manager. Either way, the news of his absence from the starting lineup was the major talking point ahead of the crunch game. The decision to drop him from the starting lineup was truly vindicated with Portugal looking far more threatening in attack. With all his experience, though, Ronaldo can still have a role to play in Portugal’s World Cup campaign but it’s yet to be seen whether that’s from the bench or in the starting lineup.

☆ Crypto advertising is under fire after the FTX implosion, but firms like Binance, Grayscale, and OKX are pouring money into marketing to win back consumer trust
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Reed Alexander | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bitcoin crash and FTX implosion massively dented the crypto advertising boom. But fewer crypto advertisers can also create an advantage for those still trying to get their messages to consumers. And Dinu added that crypto companies' efforts to advertise to restore trust could persist "well beyond" the next six months. Some crypto companies are still launching splashy campaigns, similar to crypto ad campaigns from the beginning of the year. "Crypto companies have to stop talking about themselves and start talking about how cryptocurrency or blockchain fits into normal people's lives."

☆ Shocks aplenty but Asia again unrepresented at business end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

DOHA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Asia will again be unrepresented in the World Cup quarter-finals but several upset wins and vibrant displays have many in the continent feeling that the gap to the best teams is closing. Japan, South Korea and Australia made it out of the group stage for a record representation in the last 16 but none were able emulate the 2002 Taegeuk Warriors and the North Korean side of 1966 by making the quarter-finals. All the people that are involved in the football in Asia as well as Japan I think can share our happiness." Of all the success for the Asian confederation sides, Australia's progressing to the last 16 was perhaps the most surprising given they had scraped into the tournament via two playoffs. "I do believe that Asian football is getting stronger and stronger and stronger, and we're catching up quickly."

☆ Analysis: 'Sorcerer' Ramos dazzles with hat-trick in first World Cup start
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ramos could not have hoped for a more magical night in Qatar, having made his international debut only three days before the World Cup started. Ramos had only featured for 10 minutes in total in Portugal's World Cup group matches but earned a surprise start when Santos opted to leave the country's all-time top scorer Ronaldo on the bench and take a risk with the youngster. Ramos is neither the muscular package that is Ronaldo nor does he play as far forward as the Portugal captain. While thousands of fans at Lusail stadium repeatedly chanted 'Ronaldo' 'Ronaldo', hoping to see the superstar in action, Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Germany's Miroslav Klose 20 years ago. But by then a new Portugal hero, no longer the sorcerer's apprentice, had stolen the show with a memorable performance.

☆ World Cup Round of 16: Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal face Switzerland for a place in the quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Switzerland, meanwhile, navigated a difficult group with victories against Cameroon and Serbia seeing them through to the knockout stages despite a loss to Brazil. The last time the two sides met was in the Nations League in June when Portugal dismantled Switzerland 4-0 in Lisbon. Switzerland celebrates defeating Serbia 3-2 and qualifying for the knockout stages. Like Portugal, Spain is entering its round of 16 match against Morocco immediately after a shock defeat to an Asian nation – a 2-1 loss to Japan – in the group stages. “We said we wanted to give everything we’ve got to get out of the group stages,” said Regragui, according to the Guardian.

☆ Ronaldo in sharp focus ahead of Portugal match against Switzerland
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Speculation regarding the future of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and his outburst following his substitution against South Korea were in sharp focus on Monday ahead of their World Cup last-16 game against Switzerland. "I have not spoken to him about this," Santos told a news conference ahead of Tuesday's game against the Swiss. For Santos, what is important is Portugal reaching the last eight for the first time since 2006. Portugal always have the obligation to win," said Santos, who has been in charge since 2014. After each game, if you win the game you are closer to being a favourite," he added.

☆ Can You Tell a Country by Its Corner Kicks?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Rory Smith | Allison Mccann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Argentina vs. Mexico 2022 World Cup Nov. 26, 2022 The play started here as a corner. Argentina vs. Mexico 2022 World Cup Nov. 26, 2022 The play started here as a corner. Argentina vs. Mexico 2022 World Cup Nov. 26, 2022 The play started here as a corner. Argentina vs. Mexico 2022 World Cup Nov. 26, 2022 The play started here as a corner. Reid can, sometimes, tell where a team is from just from the way it attacks or defends its corner kicks.

☆ Kylian Mbappé continues record-setting pace in France’s World Cup round of 16 victory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The team booked its ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Poland. But, the star of the show on Sunday was Kylian Mbappé, who continued his record-setting pace with an emphatic double. France's Olivier Giroud celebrates with Kylian Mbappé after scoring the opening goal against Poland at the 2022 World Cup. Having helped secure the nation’s second World Cup title in 2018 as a 19-year-old, he is continuing his domination four years later. Both Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo have eight World Cup goals to their names.

☆ Croatia beats Japan on penalties to reach World Cup quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

CNN —Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković made himself a national hero as Croatia beat Japan on penalties 1-1 (3-1) to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. Marko Djurica/ReutersJapan’s heartbreakDespite its defeat, Japan can look back at an impressive World Cup campaign. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Mbappé was one of the leading stars of the team's World Cup triumph four years ago. He also became just the third goalkeeper to save three penalties in a single World Cup shootout.

☆ France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 3-1 victory over Poland as Kylian Mbappé breaks Pelé’s record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +30 min

CNN —France was made to work hard for its place in the World Cup quarterfinals, overcoming an improved Poland side 3-1 thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé. That is Mbappé’s fifth goal of Qatar 2022 and already his ninth World Cup goal overall, breaking Pelé’s record of seven World Cup goals scored before the age of 24. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Issei Kato/Reuters Kylian Mbappé scores his second goal on November 26, leading France to a 2-1 victory over Denmark. Mbappé was one of the leading stars of the team's World Cup triumph four years ago.

☆ USMNT’s youth and talent at Qatar 2022 bodes well for 2026 World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

The Netherlands knocked the USMNT out of the Qatar World Cup on Saturday. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Qatar is the first Islamic country to host a World Cup.

☆ Japan vs. Croatia: Samurai Blue aiming to reach World Cup quarterfinals for first time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

CNN —In a World Cup of surprises, Japan has played a leading role in headline-making shock results. Croatia is a team undefeated in nine of its last 10 World Cup matches. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament.

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