Host nation Russia are under enormous pressure to perform as they head into Thursday's World Cup curtain raiser against Saudi Arabia in a contest between the two lowest-ranked nations in the tournament.

Stanislav Cherchesov's side will walk out onto the pitch at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium, the historic crucible of Russian sport, ranked a lowly 70th in the world, three spots below Group A rivals Saudi Arabia, and without a victory in eight months.

A 1-1 draw in Moscow with Turkey last week made former national team goalkeeper Cherchesov the first Russian or Soviet manager to go winless in seven consecutive games, four of those ending in defeat.

Russia has spent more than $13 billion on preparations for the big event, and President Vladimir Putin called on the team to pull themselves together as they look to progress from a section also featuring Uruguay and Egypt.

"As far as the team are concerned, I must acknowledge the fact that, unfortunately, our team have not achieved big results in recent times," Putin said.

"But we very much expect -- all fans and lovers of football in Russia -- expect the team to play with dignity, for them to show modern, interesting football, and to fight until the end."&nbsp

Igor Akinfeev, Russia's most recognisable player and first-choice goalkeeper for more than a decade, admits his team-mates must take the game to the opposition.

"The team have to come out and play," Akinfeev said after a 1-0 friendly loss to Austria last month in which Russia managed no shots on target.&nbsp

"If they do not, the score is not going to change." Akinfeev, the Russian captain, has played more games for club and country than Soviet goalkeeping legends Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasayev.

But the team's reliance on the 32-year-old, who infamously went a staggering 43 Champions League matches without keeping a clean sheet over an 11-year span, speaks volumes about the home team's chances.

Russia have never made the knockout stage of a World Cup as an independent nation and are desperate to make amends this summer.

Only South Africa, in 2010, have fallen at the group stage as hosts but poor form combined with a series of injuries have left Russia in disarray.

- Injury list - 
===============

Zenit St Petersburg striker Alexander Kokorin was lost to a serious knee injury in March, adding to the absence of defenders Georgi Dzhikiya and Viktor Vasin.

Krasnodar forward Fyodor Smolov and Artem Dzyuba, loaned out to Arsenal Tula in January after falling out with ex-Zenit coach Roberto Mancini, will spearhead the attack, while former Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev is back in the squad after more than two years out.

Saudi Arabia are returning to the global showpiece for the first time since 2006, prompting the country's sports authority to strike a pact to send players on loan to Spain to gain experience at the top level.

Fahad Al-Muwallad, whose goal against Japan last September clinched qualification, was one of nine players involved in the agreement but it was derided as a "fiasco".

Muwallad, who was on loan at Levante, and winger Salem Al-Dawsari, at Villarreal, only played for a few minutes at the end of the season.

Attacking midfielder Yahia Al-Sheri, who went to Leganes, never played in a match.

"From a sporting point of view, this is perhaps the biggest fiasco of the agreement, because the participation of these nine players has been practically negligible," former Gijon president and University of Oviedo football economist Placido Rodriguez told AFP.

"Knowing training techniques or playing with Spaniards, that is not why they come, clearly. They come for more than that, to contribute, to experience another rhythm of play, and that is done by playing, not training." Mohammed Al-Sahlawi, who had a three-week spell training with Manchester United, bagged a staggering 16 goals in qualifying, but the 31-year-old arrives at the finals stuck in a nine-game scoring drought.&nbsp

Russia will face Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Host nation Russia are under enormous pressure to perform as they head into Thursday's World Cup curtain raiser against Saudi Arabia in a contest between the two lowest-ranked nations in the tournament. Stanislav Cherchesov's side will walk out onto the pitch at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium, the historic crucible of Russian sport, ranked a lowly 70th in the world, three spots below Group A rivals Saudi Arabia, and without a victory in eight months. A 1-1 draw in Moscow with Turkey last week made former national team goalkeeper Cherchesov the first Russian or Soviet manager to go winless in seven consecutive games, four of those ending in defeat. Russia has spent more than $13 billion on preparations for the big event, and President Vladimir Putin called on the team to pull themselves together as they look to progress from a section also featuring Uruguay and Egypt. "As far as the team are concerned, I must acknowledge the fact that, unfortunately, our team have not achieved big results in recent times," Putin said. "But we very much expect -- all fans and lovers of football in Russia -- expect the team to play with dignity, for them to show modern, interesting football, and to fight until the end." Igor Akinfeev, Russia's most recognisable player and first-choice goalkeeper for more than a decade, admits his team-mates must take the game to the opposition. "The team have to come out and play," Akinfeev said after a 1-0 friendly loss to Austria last month in which Russia managed no shots on target. "If they do not, the score is not going to change." Akinfeev, the Russian captain, has played more games for club and country than Soviet goalkeeping legends Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasayev. But the team's reliance on the 32-year-old, who infamously went a staggering 43 Champions League matches without keeping a clean sheet over an 11-year span, speaks volumes about the home team's chances. Russia have never made the knockout stage of a World Cup as an independent nation and are desperate to make amends this summer. Only South Africa, in 2010, have fallen at the group stage as hosts but poor form combined with a series of injuries have left Russia in disarray. - Injury list - =============== Zenit St Petersburg striker Alexander Kokorin was lost to a serious knee injury in March, adding to the absence of defenders Georgi Dzhikiya and Viktor Vasin. Krasnodar forward Fyodor Smolov and Artem Dzyuba, loaned out to Arsenal Tula in January after falling out with ex-Zenit coach Roberto Mancini, will spearhead the attack, while former Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev is back in the squad after more than two years out. Saudi Arabia are returning to the global showpiece for the first time since 2006, prompting the country's sports authority to strike a pact to send players on loan to Spain to gain experience at the top level. Fahad Al-Muwallad, whose goal against Japan last September clinched qualification, was one of nine players involved in the agreement but it was derided as a "fiasco". Muwallad, who was on loan at Levante, and winger Salem Al-Dawsari, at Villarreal, only played for a few minutes at the end of the season. Attacking midfielder Yahia Al-Sheri, who went to Leganes, never played in a match. "From a sporting point of view, this is perhaps the biggest fiasco of the agreement, because the participation of these nine players has been practically negligible," former Gijon president and University of Oviedo football economist Placido Rodriguez told AFP. "Knowing training techniques or playing with Spaniards, that is not why they come, clearly. They come for more than that, to contribute, to experience another rhythm of play, and that is done by playing, not training." Mohammed Al-Sahlawi, who had a three-week spell training with Manchester United, bagged a staggering 16 goals in qualifying, but the 31-year-old arrives at the finals stuck in a nine-game scoring drought.

Hosts Russia have point to prove in World Cup opener

By:&nbspDavid Rowe*

With the FIFA World Cup just days away, I have been chatting with people on my travels through central and northern Europe to gauge their opinions about Russia being the host.

Several people have simply sighed, resigned to the fact that nefarious FIFA politics won the day. One Prague taxi driver, remembering the Soviet-led invasion of his country in 1968, hated the idea, but another Czech shrugged and said that most people, especially those too young to remember the Communist rule, would just focus on the football.

Indeed, many football fans will be thinking only of stoppage-time goals, dubious penalties and defence-splitting passes when the tournament kicks off on Thursday. But it’s also worth reflecting on Russia and the ethics of selecting hosts for major events in today’s commercially driven and politicised sports world.

The case against Russia

Every time there is a contest to host a World Cup or Olympics, debate ensues about the criteria for selection. These include technical matters like the economic and infrastructural capacity to stage a massive spectacle, and an overarching belief in spreading sports like football to new corners of the world.

But non-sporting matters also come into consideration. Organisers always consider the potential that awarding hosting rights to the wrong country could bring a major sporting event into disrepute.

Cases have been made against a string of host cities and countries over the years. These include the 1978 Argentina World Cup (military coup), the 1968 Mexico City and 1988 Seoul Olympics (popular demonstrations and violence), the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics (bribery), the 2008 Beijing Olympics (human rights and crackdowns in Tibet) and the 2010 South Africa and 2014 Brazil World Cups (financial mismanagement and lack of preparedness).

So, Russia is by no means the first country to be faced with threats of boycotts or being stripped of its hosting rights. But it is something of a standout case, because of the spectrum of its egregious behaviour since being awarded the World Cup (and 2014 Winter Olympics). What’s remarkable is that Russia has stains on its record both in and outside the sporting world.

Inside sport, Russia is most notorious for its wide-ranging state-sponsored doping programme, which included swapping positive-testing urine samples for negative ones through a "mouse hole" in the wall of the anti-doping laboratory at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russian athletes were subsequently banned from flying their national flag and competing under the Team Russia name at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the "racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism" that has been well-documented in Russian football.

FIFA's culture of money and influence

Russia, of course, has furiously denied everything, making much-outraged noise while pointing out the hypocrisy of its most vocal detractors. The latter reaction has some legitimacy – Russia does not have a monopoly on external aggression, calculated corruption and internal repression.

And although the process by which Russia and Qatar won their World Cup bids was undeniably flawed, there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy among the losers who played their part in the whole charade. Few of the bidding countries for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments came out of American prosecutor Michael Garcia's lengthy but imperfect investigation of the decisions unscathed. This includes Australia, which burned a cool $AU45 million of public money on a futile attempt to work its levers of access and persuasion.

But Russia's sheer effrontery in recent years makes it an especially conspicuous target for those wondering what it would take for a country to be barred from hosting the world's largest sports party on ethical grounds.

That it hasn't been stripped of the World Cup says much about global sport's intensely commercial and political imperatives. Nothing exemplifies this state of affairs more than the emergence of FIFA as a machine of money, influence and subterfuge under the presidencies of João Havelange and Sepp Blatter from 1974 to 2015.

FIFA’s moment of truth came with the arrests of a coterie of top officials at its 2015 Zurich congress – a very different image of the organisation than the one propagated in FIFA's absurdly self-aggrandising 2014 docudrama film United Passions.

Blatter and many of his associates have since been swept away. But there's been little appetite for voiding the controversial Russia and Qatar victories and re-opening the bidding process, despite the efforts of politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Nor have there been realistic calls for team boycotts of the 2018 World Cup. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop briefly flagged the idea of a World Cup-related action against Russia but said a boycott was not under consideration. So far only a few countries have confirmed boycotts by dignitaries, such as the UK, Poland and Iceland.

New standards for selecting hosts

Has FIFA reformed itself sufficiently under new President Gianni Infantino to ensure that a country like Russia will never again be rewarded after fuelling so much international condemnation with its actions?

We may soon get an idea. On June 13, the day before the opening match, the 68th FIFA Congress meets in Moscow to decide the 2026 World Cup host. There are new rules in place, including a more stringent bid appraisal process and an open ballot of all FIFA member associations.

There are only two bids for 2026 – Morocco and a North American joint bid submitted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The former has its own human rights issues, while the latter has US President Donald Trump's proposed travel bans and implied threats to countries who do not support the bid.

Will the new process result in a fair, transparent outcome? Not according to Bonita Mersiades, the whistle-blowing former head of corporate and public affairs at Football Federation Australia and author of Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way, and her fellow campaigners at the reform advocacy group New FIFA Now.

New FIFA Now and the recently formed Foundation for Sports Integrity argue that a new FIFA governance model under the control of fans and players is required. Among New FIFA Now's guiding principles for FIFA reform is this recommendation on selecting future hosts:

Establish a one-off committee of relevant experts from around the world to investigate and recommend the staging of future men's World Cup tournaments. The objective would be to ameliorate the World Cup as a vehicle for geopolitical soft power and brand building of nation states, as well as the construction of 'white elephants' and the demands of government guarantees made by FIFA to host nations that compromise and jeopardise international and domestic law.

Reformist proposals like these are gaining traction as part of widespread push-back against the excessive demands and massive costs of hosting mega sports events. The questions posed by Russia's winning bid should only add to the calls for change.

It's expected that over 3 billion people will catch at least some of this year's World Cup over the next month. Let's hope they look beyond the spectacle to ponder how the beautiful game made its way to Russia at this point in its history and whether it was worth the ethical price.

David Rowe is an Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University.

(This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/id">The Conversation</a>. Read the original <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-russia-worthy-of-hosting-the-world-cup-96917">article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the 'racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism' that has been well-documented in Russian football

By: David Rowe* With the FIFA World Cup just days away, I have been chatting with people on my travels through central and northern Europe to gauge their opinions about Russia being the host. Several people have simply sighed, resigned to the fact that nefarious FIFA politics won the day. One Prague taxi driver, remembering the Soviet-led invasion of his country in 1968, hated the idea, but another Czech shrugged and said that most people, especially those too young to remember the Communist rule, would just focus on the football. Indeed, many football fans will be thinking only of stoppage-time goals, dubious penalties and defence-splitting passes when the tournament kicks off on Thursday. But it’s also worth reflecting on Russia and the ethics of selecting hosts for major events in today’s commercially driven and politicised sports world. The case against Russia Every time there is a contest to host a World Cup or Olympics, debate ensues about the criteria for selection. These include technical matters like the economic and infrastructural capacity to stage a massive spectacle, and an overarching belief in spreading sports like football to new corners of the world. But non-sporting matters also come into consideration. Organisers always consider the potential that awarding hosting rights to the wrong country could bring a major sporting event into disrepute. Cases have been made against a string of host cities and countries over the years. These include the 1978 Argentina World Cup (military coup), the 1968 Mexico City and 1988 Seoul Olympics (popular demonstrations and violence), the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics (bribery), the 2008 Beijing Olympics (human rights and crackdowns in Tibet) and the 2010 South Africa and 2014 Brazil World Cups (financial mismanagement and lack of preparedness). So, Russia is by no means the first country to be faced with threats of boycotts or being stripped of its hosting rights. But it is something of a standout case, because of the spectrum of its egregious behaviour since being awarded the World Cup (and 2014 Winter Olympics). What’s remarkable is that Russia has stains on its record both in and outside the sporting world. Inside sport, Russia is most notorious for its wide-ranging state-sponsored doping programme, which included swapping positive-testing urine samples for negative ones through a "mouse hole" in the wall of the anti-doping laboratory at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russian athletes were subsequently banned from flying their national flag and competing under the Team Russia name at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the "racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism" that has been well-documented in Russian football. FIFA's culture of money and influence Russia, of course, has furiously denied everything, making much-outraged noise while pointing out the hypocrisy of its most vocal detractors. The latter reaction has some legitimacy – Russia does not have a monopoly on external aggression, calculated corruption and internal repression. And although the process by which Russia and Qatar won their World Cup bids was undeniably flawed, there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy among the losers who played their part in the whole charade. Few of the bidding countries for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments came out of American prosecutor Michael Garcia's lengthy but imperfect investigation of the decisions unscathed. This includes Australia, which burned a cool $AU45 million of public money on a futile attempt to work its levers of access and persuasion. But Russia's sheer effrontery in recent years makes it an especially conspicuous target for those wondering what it would take for a country to be barred from hosting the world's largest sports party on ethical grounds. That it hasn't been stripped of the World Cup says much about global sport's intensely commercial and political imperatives. Nothing exemplifies this state of affairs more than the emergence of FIFA as a machine of money, influence and subterfuge under the presidencies of João Havelange and Sepp Blatter from 1974 to 2015. FIFA’s moment of truth came with the arrests of a coterie of top officials at its 2015 Zurich congress – a very different image of the organisation than the one propagated in FIFA's absurdly self-aggrandising 2014 docudrama film United Passions. Blatter and many of his associates have since been swept away. But there's been little appetite for voiding the controversial Russia and Qatar victories and re-opening the bidding process, despite the efforts of politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Nor have there been realistic calls for team boycotts of the 2018 World Cup. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop briefly flagged the idea of a World Cup-related action against Russia but said a boycott was not under consideration. So far only a few countries have confirmed boycotts by dignitaries, such as the UK, Poland and Iceland. New standards for selecting hosts Has FIFA reformed itself sufficiently under new President Gianni Infantino to ensure that a country like Russia will never again be rewarded after fuelling so much international condemnation with its actions? We may soon get an idea. On June 13, the day before the opening match, the 68th FIFA Congress meets in Moscow to decide the 2026 World Cup host. There are new rules in place, including a more stringent bid appraisal process and an open ballot of all FIFA member associations. There are only two bids for 2026 – Morocco and a North American joint bid submitted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The former has its own human rights issues, while the latter has US President Donald Trump's proposed travel bans and implied threats to countries who do not support the bid. Will the new process result in a fair, transparent outcome? Not according to Bonita Mersiades, the whistle-blowing former head of corporate and public affairs at Football Federation Australia and author of Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way, and her fellow campaigners at the reform advocacy group New FIFA Now. New FIFA Now and the recently formed Foundation for Sports Integrity argue that a new FIFA governance model under the control of fans and players is required. Among New FIFA Now's guiding principles for FIFA reform is this recommendation on selecting future hosts: Establish a one-off committee of relevant experts from around the world to investigate and recommend the staging of future men's World Cup tournaments. The objective would be to ameliorate the World Cup as a vehicle for geopolitical soft power and brand building of nation states, as well as the construction of 'white elephants' and the demands of government guarantees made by FIFA to host nations that compromise and jeopardise international and domestic law. Reformist proposals like these are gaining traction as part of widespread push-back against the excessive demands and massive costs of hosting mega sports events. The questions posed by Russia's winning bid should only add to the calls for change. It's expected that over 3 billion people will catch at least some of this year's World Cup over the next month. Let's hope they look beyond the spectacle to ponder how the beautiful game made its way to Russia at this point in its history and whether it was worth the ethical price. David Rowe is an Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University. (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Is Russia worthy of hosting the football World Cup?

A die-hard Argentina fan in Kolkata has painted his house in the team's blue and white colours ahead of the football World Cup, saying his love for Lionel Messi's men knows no bounds. 
 
Shib Shankar Patra's passion for Argentina began during the 1986 World Cup when Diego Maradona helped the team win the coveted trophy. 
 
"For me Messi is an extension of Maradona. Everyone in my family loves Messi. We love his behaviour, we love everything about him," Patra told AFP. 
 
Patra who sells tea from a shop on the ground floor of his house wanted to travel to Russia to see his football heroes in person but ran short of money. 
 
"I had saved 60,000 rupees ($890) but it was not enough for the trip. I will now watch Argentina's games on TV and cheer for my favourite footballers."

The family has also made elaborate plans for Messi's birthday which will fall during the World Cup on June 24. 
 
"We will cut a cake and distribute T-shirts among kids with Messi's face embossed on them," said Patra, a father of two. 
 
Patra has even decorated the walls of each room in his house with life-size posters of Messi. 
 
India is currently ranked 97 in FIFA's rankings but that has not deterred football crazy fans from cheering for their favourite teams over the world. Especially, Kolkata which has an avid following of the sport.

Argentina launches their World Cup campaign against Iceland on Saturday in Moscow, with games to follow against Croatia and Nigeria in Group D. 
 
"I will be praying every day for Argentina's success. Nothing gives me more happiness than seeing them win on the field," said Patra.

Shib Shankar Patra's passion for Argentina began during the 1986 World Cup when Diego Maradona helped the team win the coveted trophy

A die-hard Argentina fan in Kolkata has painted his house in the team's blue and white colours ahead of the football World Cup, saying his love for Lionel Messi's men knows no bounds. Shib Shankar Patra's passion for Argentina began during the 1986 World Cup when Diego Maradona helped the team win the coveted trophy. "For me Messi is an extension of Maradona. Everyone in my family loves Messi. We love his behaviour, we love everything about him," Patra told AFP. Patra who sells tea from a shop on the ground floor of his house wanted to travel to Russia to see his football heroes in person but ran short of money. "I had saved 60,000 rupees ($890) but it was not enough for the trip. I will now watch Argentina's games on TV and cheer for my favourite footballers." The family has also made elaborate plans for Messi's birthday which will fall during the World Cup on June 24. "We will cut a cake and distribute T-shirts among kids with Messi's face embossed on them," said Patra, a father of two. Patra has even decorated the walls of each room in his house with life-size posters of Messi. India is currently ranked 97 in FIFA's rankings but that has not deterred football crazy fans from cheering for their favourite teams over the world. Especially, Kolkata which has an avid following of the sport. Argentina launches their World Cup campaign against Iceland on Saturday in Moscow, with games to follow against Croatia and Nigeria in Group D. "I will be praying every day for Argentina's success. Nothing gives me more happiness than seeing them win on the field," said Patra.

Messi's magic in India: Kolkata tea-seller paints home in Argentina colours

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer:

1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time.

2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991.

4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills.

5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014.

6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014.&nbsp

7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively.

8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children.&nbsp

"I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer.

10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDgqbvDXUxk" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp

Under Neuer's guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer: 1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time. 2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." 3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991. 4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills. 5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014. 6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014. 7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. 8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time. 9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children. "I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer. 10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009. ×

Here are 10 lesser-known facts about German 'sweeper-keeper' Manuel Neuer

Head coach Stephen Constantine's strategy of making seven changes in his starting eleven did not yield the desired result as India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their final league match of the Intercontinental Cup football tournament here today.

Despite the loss, the Indian team is still one foot in the final to be played on June 10 with six points from two earlier wins. The home team had beaten Chinese Taipei (5-0) and Kenya (3-0).

India took the lead through captain Sunil Chhetri in the 47th minute but New Zealand rallied through goals from Andre Earnest De Jong (49th) and Moses Dyer (86th) as the Indian defence looked shaky all through the match in front of a full-house Mumbai Football Arena.

For Chhetri, who was playing in his 101st match, it was his 62nd international goal, levelling with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (62 from 116 matches) of Sweden and Ronaldo (62 from 98 matches) of Brazil.

If Kenya beat Chinese Taipei tomorrow, it will be a complicated calculation to decide who play in the final. In that situation, all the three teams -- India, Kenya and Chinese Taipei -- will have six points each and head-to-head results will be considered and then the goal difference.

Since India has a goal difference of plus 7 as against plus 1 of New Zealand, it has a big chance to make it to the final.&nbsp;

New Zealand had more chances in the first half as they kept the Indian defence under intense pressure after the half-hour mark. But they failed to find the Indian net and both teams went to the breather goal-less. 
Just after resumption, Chhetri scored in the most bizarre way of giving his side a 1-0 lead.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Individual errors cost us the match, says Constantine. 
 
Read: <a href="https://t.co/K3gWhN67lD">https://t.co/K3gWhN67lD</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackTheBlue?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackTheBlue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsianDream?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsianDream</a> <a href="https://t.co/rDFATVKkpp">pic.twitter.com/rDFATVKkpp</a>
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1004784930256089088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A back pass to New Zealand custodian Woud prompted him forward but his poor clearance hit Chhetri's foot and rolled back into the goal.

But, India's joy was short-lived. Sarpreet Singh slipped the ball through to De Jong, who gave a fine finishing touch, sending the ball into the right corner of the net.

After the comfortable wins in the first two matches, Constantine made as many as seven changes in his starting line-up though he made five substitutions later on.&nbsp;

One of them was goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who made way for Amrinder Singh. He had also initially benched experienced Jeje Lalpekhua and Sandesh Jhinghan, who were back in the second half.

New Zealand showed an aggressive intent and in the third minute Sarpreet Singh drooped it from a high but Amrinder parried it away to the left. Jai Ingham was nearby but Salam Ranjan Singh kicked the ball out.

The second chance for the Kiwis came in the 13th minute when right back Justin Gulley crossed the ball in a tight angle to Andre De Jong, whose header went above the crossbar.

For India, Chhetri did well to bring the ball down from a diagonal pass from Mohd Rafique but it was taken away by Kiwi custodian Micheal Woud. The India skipper appealed for a penalty but it was dismissed by the referee.

In the 28th minute, Udanta Singh came in for Rafique.

The best chance for New Zealand in the first half came in the 35th minute when Ingham floated a corner to the near post, which was headed by Myer Bevan, but Amrinder managed to keep it at bay.

Minutes before the half-time came two good chances for India. Chhetri had made his way into the middle to give the ball to Ashique, but the winger took long to get his feet.

Another chance was when Ashique sent in a cross which was headed back to Chhetri by Balwant Singh but the India skipper shot above the bar. At the half-time it was 0-0.

India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their final league match of the Intercontinental Cup football tournament

Head coach Stephen Constantine's strategy of making seven changes in his starting eleven did not yield the desired result as India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their final league match of the Intercontinental Cup football tournament here today. Despite the loss, the Indian team is still one foot in the final to be played on June 10 with six points from two earlier wins. The home team had beaten Chinese Taipei (5-0) and Kenya (3-0). India took the lead through captain Sunil Chhetri in the 47th minute but New Zealand rallied through goals from Andre Earnest De Jong (49th) and Moses Dyer (86th) as the Indian defence looked shaky all through the match in front of a full-house Mumbai Football Arena. For Chhetri, who was playing in his 101st match, it was his 62nd international goal, levelling with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (62 from 116 matches) of Sweden and Ronaldo (62 from 98 matches) of Brazil. If Kenya beat Chinese Taipei tomorrow, it will be a complicated calculation to decide who play in the final. In that situation, all the three teams -- India, Kenya and Chinese Taipei -- will have six points each and head-to-head results will be considered and then the goal difference. Since India has a goal difference of plus 7 as against plus 1 of New Zealand, it has a big chance to make it to the final. New Zealand had more chances in the first half as they kept the Indian defence under intense pressure after the half-hour mark. But they failed to find the Indian net and both teams went to the breather goal-less. Just after resumption, Chhetri scored in the most bizarre way of giving his side a 1-0 lead. Individual errors cost us the match, says Constantine. Read: https://t.co/K3gWhN67lD#BackTheBlue #WeAreIndia #INDvNZL #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/rDFATVKkpp — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 7, 2018 × A back pass to New Zealand custodian Woud prompted him forward but his poor clearance hit Chhetri's foot and rolled back into the goal. But, India's joy was short-lived. Sarpreet Singh slipped the ball through to De Jong, who gave a fine finishing touch, sending the ball into the right corner of the net. After the comfortable wins in the first two matches, Constantine made as many as seven changes in his starting line-up though he made five substitutions later on. One of them was goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who made way for Amrinder Singh. He had also initially benched experienced Jeje Lalpekhua and Sandesh Jhinghan, who were back in the second half. New Zealand showed an aggressive intent and in the third minute Sarpreet Singh drooped it from a high but Amrinder parried it away to the left. Jai Ingham was nearby but Salam Ranjan Singh kicked the ball out. The second chance for the Kiwis came in the 13th minute when right back Justin Gulley crossed the ball in a tight angle to Andre De Jong, whose header went above the crossbar. For India, Chhetri did well to bring the ball down from a diagonal pass from Mohd Rafique but it was taken away by Kiwi custodian Micheal Woud. The India skipper appealed for a penalty but it was dismissed by the referee. In the 28th minute, Udanta Singh came in for Rafique. The best chance for New Zealand in the first half came in the 35th minute when Ingham floated a corner to the near post, which was headed by Myer Bevan, but Amrinder managed to keep it at bay. Minutes before the half-time came two good chances for India. Chhetri had made his way into the middle to give the ball to Ashique, but the winger took long to get his feet. Another chance was when Ashique sent in a cross which was headed back to Chhetri by Balwant Singh but the India skipper shot above the bar. At the half-time it was 0-0.

Intercontinental Cup: India suffer 1-2 defeat against New Zealand

The Indian national men's senior team will take on New Zealand in their third game of the Intercontinental Cup 2018 at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai on June 7.

Sunil Chhetri-led team India will look to extend the winning run ahead of the final clash.

The match will be played on June 7, 2018 and will begin at 8 pm IST. All the tickets for the Indian football team's remaining Intercontinental Cup matches have been sold out.

On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity.

India responded to the emotional request of Sunil Chhetri and a full house stadium greeted him at Mumbai Arena Stadium for the match against Kenya which India registered a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Kenya.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
India are going to face <a href="https://twitter.com/NZ_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZ_Football</a> in the final match of the round robin stage of the Hero Intercontinental Cup tonight. Let the winning momentum continue <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackTheBlue?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackTheBlue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsianDream?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsianDream</a> <a href="https://t.co/DaqqnOzNFT">pic.twitter.com/DaqqnOzNFT</a>
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1004587472515260416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

After the goalless first half, Chhetri scored after a controversial penalty that was given to the hosts in the 68th minute to give a lead to the team. Again, took advantage in the extra time and scored the third goal for the team. He converted a beautiful cross-field assist from Balwant Singh to celebrate his 100th international match.

Sunil Chhetri thanked the supporters who turned up at Mumbai Football Arena to watch that match.

All the tickets for the Indian football team's remaining Intercontinental Cup matches have been sold out

The Indian national men's senior team will take on New Zealand in their third game of the Intercontinental Cup 2018 at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai on June 7. Sunil Chhetri-led team India will look to extend the winning run ahead of the final clash. The match will be played on June 7, 2018 and will begin at 8 pm IST. All the tickets for the Indian football team's remaining Intercontinental Cup matches have been sold out. On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity. India responded to the emotional request of Sunil Chhetri and a full house stadium greeted him at Mumbai Arena Stadium for the match against Kenya which India registered a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Kenya. India are going to face @NZ_Football in the final match of the round robin stage of the Hero Intercontinental Cup tonight. Let the winning momentum continue #INDvNZL #BackTheBlue #WeAreIndia #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/DaqqnOzNFT — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 7, 2018 × After the goalless first half, Chhetri scored after a controversial penalty that was given to the hosts in the 68th minute to give a lead to the team. Again, took advantage in the extra time and scored the third goal for the team. He converted a beautiful cross-field assist from Balwant Singh to celebrate his 100th international match. Sunil Chhetri thanked the supporters who turned up at Mumbai Football Arena to watch that match.

India vs New Zealand, Intercontinental Cup: Sunil Chhetri-led Indian team look to extend winning run

FIFA World Cup 2018 is just a week away and the frenzy for the game is already touching its peak. Hosts Russia will kick off the 21st FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia in Moscow, while defending champions Germany will start against Mexico. But are you aware that there are certain regulations for a football to be used in the World Cup.

In March 1995, the International Football Association Board decided to adopt compulsory testing and marking for footballs to be used in FIFA and Confederation Matches.

The Law II of the game requires that footballs eligible for FIFA and&nbsp 
Confederation Matches will have to meet minimum standards. All balls used in international matches have to bear either a FIFA quality mark (FIFA QUALITY PRO or FIFA QUALITY) or the "IMS – International Match Standard" mark.

These logos indicate that a ball has been officially tested and found to be in compliance with specific technical requirements, different for each logo and additional to the minimum specifications stipulated in Law 2.

The list of additional requirements specific to each of the logos must be approved by the International Football Association Board.

To gain the top FIFA Quality Pro-mark, a ball has to pass seven tests to be fit for a game like World Cup, which are as follows:

1. Circumference: The rules state that ball circumference should be between 68.0 and 70.0 cm for the 'FIFA-inspected' designation, and between 68.5 and 69.5cm for the 'FIFA-approved' designation.

2. Shape and size: The size of a football is roughly 22 cm (8.65 inches) in diameter for a regulation size '5 ball.' &nbspIt is shot 2000 times against a steel plate and during the process, the maximum increase in circumference should be 1.5 cm.

3. Water absorption: The ball is compressed 250 times into a water bath. A ball that absorbs too much water will become heavier and therefore will react differently. The average water uptake of the initial weight of the tested balls is 15 per cent, while the maximum water uptake per ball should not exceed 20 per cent.

4. Sphericity: It is the measure of how closely the shape of an object approaches that of a mathematically perfect sphere. The apparatus used is the same as that used for determining the circumference. The conditioned balls are inflated to a test pressure of 0.8 bar. The maximum change should take place at 1.5 per cent for the approved ones and 2 per cent for the inspected balls.

5. Weight: &nbspThe ball's weight must be in the range of 410 to 450 grams (14 to 16 oz). Three sample balls are weighed three times each and the average value is then taken for finalise the actual size of the ball to be played in the tournament. The ball's weight is measured at the beginning of the match. A ball may weigh more than 16 oz. During the match if it absorbs moisture from wet grass or if dirt collects between the panels and seams.

6. Loss of pressure: The football should not lose pressure over time, thereby remaining playable. The ball is inflated to a determined pressure and should not deflate over 20 hours. The maximum loss of pressure for the approved should be 201 per cent and the maximum for the inspected balls should be 25 per cent.

7. Rebound: Then it is the rebound process where the testing assesses the uniform bounce of the ball. The ball is dropped ten times onto a steel plate from a height of two meters. If the Test is conducted at a room temperature of 20 degree Celsius, the bounce back should be 120-165 cm while at 5 degree Celsius the rebound should be minimum 120 cm. The maximum difference between lowest and highest rebound per ball tested should be 10cm. &nbsp

Once these seven tests are successfully completed within the predefined strict ranges, the tested FIFA world cup football obtains the FIFA quality pro mark.

To gain the top FIFA Quality Pro-mark, a ball has to pass seven tests to be fit for a game like World Cup

FIFA World Cup 2018 is just a week away and the frenzy for the game is already touching its peak. Hosts Russia will kick off the 21st FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia in Moscow, while defending champions Germany will start against Mexico. But are you aware that there are certain regulations for a football to be used in the World Cup. In March 1995, the International Football Association Board decided to adopt compulsory testing and marking for footballs to be used in FIFA and Confederation Matches. The Law II of the game requires that footballs eligible for FIFA and Confederation Matches will have to meet minimum standards. All balls used in international matches have to bear either a FIFA quality mark (FIFA QUALITY PRO or FIFA QUALITY) or the "IMS – International Match Standard" mark. These logos indicate that a ball has been officially tested and found to be in compliance with specific technical requirements, different for each logo and additional to the minimum specifications stipulated in Law 2. The list of additional requirements specific to each of the logos must be approved by the International Football Association Board. To gain the top FIFA Quality Pro-mark, a ball has to pass seven tests to be fit for a game like World Cup, which are as follows: 1. Circumference: The rules state that ball circumference should be between 68.0 and 70.0 cm for the 'FIFA-inspected' designation, and between 68.5 and 69.5cm for the 'FIFA-approved' designation. 2. Shape and size: The size of a football is roughly 22 cm (8.65 inches) in diameter for a regulation size '5 ball.' &nbspIt is shot 2000 times against a steel plate and during the process, the maximum increase in circumference should be 1.5 cm. 3. Water absorption: The ball is compressed 250 times into a water bath. A ball that absorbs too much water will become heavier and therefore will react differently. The average water uptake of the initial weight of the tested balls is 15 per cent, while the maximum water uptake per ball should not exceed 20 per cent. 4. Sphericity: It is the measure of how closely the shape of an object approaches that of a mathematically perfect sphere. The apparatus used is the same as that used for determining the circumference. The conditioned balls are inflated to a test pressure of 0.8 bar. The maximum change should take place at 1.5 per cent for the approved ones and 2 per cent for the inspected balls. 5. Weight: &nbspThe ball's weight must be in the range of 410 to 450 grams (14 to 16 oz). Three sample balls are weighed three times each and the average value is then taken for finalise the actual size of the ball to be played in the tournament. The ball's weight is measured at the beginning of the match. A ball may weigh more than 16 oz. During the match if it absorbs moisture from wet grass or if dirt collects between the panels and seams. 6. Loss of pressure: The football should not lose pressure over time, thereby remaining playable. The ball is inflated to a determined pressure and should not deflate over 20 hours. The maximum loss of pressure for the approved should be 201 per cent and the maximum for the inspected balls should be 25 per cent. 7. Rebound: Then it is the rebound process where the testing assesses the uniform bounce of the ball. The ball is dropped ten times onto a steel plate from a height of two meters. If the Test is conducted at a room temperature of 20 degree Celsius, the bounce back should be 120-165 cm while at 5 degree Celsius the rebound should be minimum 120 cm. The maximum difference between lowest and highest rebound per ball tested should be 10cm. Once these seven tests are successfully completed within the predefined strict ranges, the tested FIFA world cup football obtains the FIFA quality pro mark.

FIFA World Cup: 7 mandatory tests world cup 'ball' undergoes

All the tickets for the Indian football team's remaining Intercontinental matches have been sold out.&nbsp;

On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity.

Chhetri made the plea a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena.&nbsp;

India responded to the emotional request of Sunil Chhetri and a full house stadium greeted him at Mumbai Arena Stadium. Team India is coming off from victory against Kenya in the previous match and will meet New Zealand at Mumbai Arena Stadium on June 7 and all the tickets have been sold out, again.

<img alt="indiavsNZ.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/indiavsNZ.jpg" width="770" />

<img alt="indiafinal.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/indiafinal.jpg" width="770" />

Thirty-three-year-old Chhetri is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms.

The appeal was also backed by India's cricket heroes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar which helped in in a quick sale of the tickets.

India have already qualified for the finals of the first edition of Intercontinental Cup which is scheduled to take place on June 10.

Team India will play against New Zealand at Mumbai Arena Stadium on June 7 and all the tickets have been sold out, again

All the tickets for the Indian football team's remaining Intercontinental matches have been sold out. On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity. Chhetri made the plea a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena. India responded to the emotional request of Sunil Chhetri and a full house stadium greeted him at Mumbai Arena Stadium. Team India is coming off from victory against Kenya in the previous match and will meet New Zealand at Mumbai Arena Stadium on June 7 and all the tickets have been sold out, again. Thirty-three-year-old Chhetri is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms. The appeal was also backed by India's cricket heroes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar which helped in in a quick sale of the tickets. India have already qualified for the finals of the first edition of Intercontinental Cup which is scheduled to take place on June 10.

Chhetri magic: Tickets for India's Intercontinental Cup matches sold out

Real Madrid defender and captain Sergio Ramos has denied all the accusations related to the concussive blow to Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius in the UEFA Champions League finale.

Thirty-two-year-old Sergio Ramos talked humorously and said, "All that's missing is Firmino saying he got cold from bead of my sweat."

In the finals of Champions League, Karius had complained to match officials in the 49th minute that he had been elbowed in a clash by Sergio Ramos which went unpunished.

Recently, two Boston doctors who examined Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius revealed that Karius suffered a concussion shortly before the blunders which gifted Real Madrid their Champions League final crown.

A statement from doctors Ross Zafonte and Lenore Herget said Karius had undergone a comprehensive examination at Massachusetts General Hospital on May 31, five days after Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Madrid in Kiev.

Ramos was also the reason for Mohamed Salah's injury as the left hand of Egyptian striker got stuck with Madrid's defender Sergio Ramos as there was a strong challenge made by Ramos to tackle Salah while defending that resulted in Salah's ouster from the field in the 30th minute.

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said, 'All that's missing is Firmino saying he got cold from bead of my sweat'

Real Madrid defender and captain Sergio Ramos has denied all the accusations related to the concussive blow to Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius in the UEFA Champions League finale. Thirty-two-year-old Sergio Ramos talked humorously and said, "All that's missing is Firmino saying he got cold from bead of my sweat." In the finals of Champions League, Karius had complained to match officials in the 49th minute that he had been elbowed in a clash by Sergio Ramos which went unpunished. Recently, two Boston doctors who examined Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius revealed that Karius suffered a concussion shortly before the blunders which gifted Real Madrid their Champions League final crown. A statement from doctors Ross Zafonte and Lenore Herget said Karius had undergone a comprehensive examination at Massachusetts General Hospital on May 31, five days after Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Madrid in Kiev. Ramos was also the reason for Mohamed Salah's injury as the left hand of Egyptian striker got stuck with Madrid's defender Sergio Ramos as there was a strong challenge made by Ramos to tackle Salah while defending that resulted in Salah's ouster from the field in the 30th minute.

Sergio Ramos mocks Mo Salah's injury, Loris Karius' concussion claim

The 21st edition of World Cup will take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018. With nine days remaining for the tournament, here are some lesser-known facts about the history of football World Cup which you probably did not know.

1- In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered. It is believed that the trophy was melted and sold.&nbsp;

2- The first World Cup was played in 1930. Uruguay was both the tournament host and winner.

3- France's Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in World Cup history at the 1930 tournament in Uruguay.

4- The most goals ever scored by one player in a World Cup match is an impressive five, by Oleg Salenko of Russia.

5- The 2018 World Cup will be Russia’s 11th World Cup appearance and the World Cup in 2018 will mark the first time Russia has ever hosted this event.&nbsp;

6- This is the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup and Brazil holds the most titles with five.

7- For the first time in the history, the 2002 World Cup was held in two different countries: South Korea and Japan.

8- It is rumored that India withdrew from the 1950 tournament as they were not allowed to play barefoot.

9- The highest scoring game in World Cup history was in 1954 when Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5.

Here are some interesting facts about the history of football World Cup which you probably did not know.

The 21st edition of World Cup will take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018. With nine days remaining for the tournament, here are some lesser-known facts about the history of football World Cup which you probably did not know. 1- In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered. It is believed that the trophy was melted and sold. 2- The first World Cup was played in 1930. Uruguay was both the tournament host and winner. 3- France's Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in World Cup history at the 1930 tournament in Uruguay. 4- The most goals ever scored by one player in a World Cup match is an impressive five, by Oleg Salenko of Russia. 5- The 2018 World Cup will be Russia’s 11th World Cup appearance and the World Cup in 2018 will mark the first time Russia has ever hosted this event. 6- This is the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup and Brazil holds the most titles with five. 7- For the first time in the history, the 2002 World Cup was held in two different countries: South Korea and Japan. 8- It is rumored that India withdrew from the 1950 tournament as they were not allowed to play barefoot. 9- The highest scoring game in World Cup history was in 1954 when Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5.

9 lesser-known facts about the football World Cup

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri thanked the supporters who turned up at Mumbai Football Arena to watch that match between India and Kenya on June 4. Chhetri struck twice in his 100th international game to register a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup football tournament. After winning the match, Sunil Chhetri took to the Twitter to express his gratitude for the love and support Indian team received.

Chhetri tweeted, "We promise you that if that's the kind of support we get every time we play for the country, we will give our lives on the pitch. India, this night was special because we were in this together. Those in the stands shouting, and the ones at home cheering - thank you!"

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We promise you that if that’s the kind of support we get every time we play for the country, we will give our lives on the pitch. India, this night was special because we were in this together. Those in the stands shouting, and the ones at home cheering - thank you!
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) <a href="https://twitter.com/chetrisunil11/status/1003694651285442561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity.

India responded to the heartfelt plea as the tickets of India vs Kenya match sold out in hours and a full house cheered for the team.

India comfortably defeated Kenya as captain Chhetri converted a penalty in the 68th minute to give a lead which was further extended by Jeje Lalpekhlua when he doubled India's lead in the 71st minute.

Sunil Chhetri took advantage in the extra time and scored the third goal for the team. He converted a beautiful cross-field assist from Balwant Singh to celebrate his 100th international match.

Team India has entered the finals but will play its next match against New Zealand.

'India, this night was special because we were in this together,' says Sunil Chhetri

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri thanked the supporters who turned up at Mumbai Football Arena to watch that match between India and Kenya on June 4. Chhetri struck twice in his 100th international game to register a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup football tournament. After winning the match, Sunil Chhetri took to the Twitter to express his gratitude for the love and support Indian team received. Chhetri tweeted, "We promise you that if that's the kind of support we get every time we play for the country, we will give our lives on the pitch. India, this night was special because we were in this together. Those in the stands shouting, and the ones at home cheering - thank you!" We promise you that if that’s the kind of support we get every time we play for the country, we will give our lives on the pitch. India, this night was special because we were in this together. Those in the stands shouting, and the ones at home cheering - thank you! — Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 4, 2018 × On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity. India responded to the heartfelt plea as the tickets of India vs Kenya match sold out in hours and a full house cheered for the team. India comfortably defeated Kenya as captain Chhetri converted a penalty in the 68th minute to give a lead which was further extended by Jeje Lalpekhlua when he doubled India's lead in the 71st minute. Sunil Chhetri took advantage in the extra time and scored the third goal for the team. He converted a beautiful cross-field assist from Balwant Singh to celebrate his 100th international match. Team India has entered the finals but will play its next match against New Zealand.

'We will give our lives on the pitch,' says Sunil Chhetri to express gratitude for fans' support

The tickets of India vs Kenya match sold out in hours after a heartfelt plea made to fans by Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri. The match is scheduled to take place at&nbsp;Mumbai Football Arena on June 4.

On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity.

Chhetri made the plea a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena. He is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms.

The appeal was also backed by India's cricket heroes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar which helped in in a quick sale of the tickets.

"To all of you who are fans of big European clubs and support European clubs with so much passion and sometimes you guys think that the level is not the same, so why do you waste your time? Agreed, the level is not the same, not even close but with our desire and determination, we will try our best to make your time worth," Chhetri said while thanking the fans who did show up and requested others to support the team.

Chhetri will play his 100th match at Mumbai Arena against Kenya on June 4 and a house full stadium will be waiting to cheer him as well as the team.

On Monday, the website selling tickets for the four-nation tournament showed 'Sold Out' for the match against Kenya.

A popular Mumbai social media commentator, Nikunj Lotia, said he had booked an entire stand for the game which will be Chhetri's 100th international.

The tickets of India vs Kenya match sold out in hours after a heartfelt plea made to fans by Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri

The tickets of India vs Kenya match sold out in hours after a heartfelt plea made to fans by Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri. The match is scheduled to take place at Mumbai Football Arena on June 4. On June 2, Chhetri posted a video on social networking sites and pleaded to fellow citizens to come and support the Blue Tigers at the stadiums at every possible opportunity. Chhetri made the plea a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena. He is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms. The appeal was also backed by India's cricket heroes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar which helped in in a quick sale of the tickets. "To all of you who are fans of big European clubs and support European clubs with so much passion and sometimes you guys think that the level is not the same, so why do you waste your time? Agreed, the level is not the same, not even close but with our desire and determination, we will try our best to make your time worth," Chhetri said while thanking the fans who did show up and requested others to support the team. Chhetri will play his 100th match at Mumbai Arena against Kenya on June 4 and a house full stadium will be waiting to cheer him as well as the team. On Monday, the website selling tickets for the four-nation tournament showed 'Sold Out' for the match against Kenya. A popular Mumbai social media commentator, Nikunj Lotia, said he had booked an entire stand for the game which will be Chhetri's 100th international.

After plea by football captain Sunil Chhetri, India vs Kenya tickets sell out in hours

The Intercontinental Cup is a four-nation association football tournament which is underway.&nbsp;This is the first edition and will be concluded on June 10, 2018.

The tournament is organised by The All India Football Federation (AIFF) which is treated as a part of the senior men's team's preparation for 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

It is a great initiative taken by India to promote football at the grassroots level and also it will be a morale booster of the India team ahead of Asia Cup.

According to the FIFA Rankings, as of June 1, 2018, the Indian team was ranked 97 when they entered the competition. Although, it is expected that the team will better their international ranking after this tournament.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-indian-football-team-salutes-sunil-chhetri-on-his-100th-match--142096">Watch: Indian Football team salutes Sunil Chhetri on his 100th match</a>

Apart from India, Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei have also participated. The Chinese Taipei national football team is the official name given by FIFA to the national association football team of Taiwan aka. The Republic of China.

Initially, South Africa was announced to participate in the tournament but Kenya later replaced them when South Africa expressed its inability to participate.

So far, India leads the tally by winning the first match 5-0 which was against Chinese Taipei.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/intercontinental-cup-2018-all-eyes-on-chhetri-as-india-face-kenya-in-mumbai--142086">Intercontinental Cup 2018: All eyes on Chhetri as India face Kenya in Mumbai</a>

Star footballer of India, Sunil Chhetri is the top goalscorer of the tournament with a hat-trick that he scored against Chinese Taipei.

India will play its next match against Kenya on June 4 and the finals will be played on June 10 at the Mumbai Football Arena.

Star footballer of India, Sunil Chhetri is the top goalscorer of the tournament with a hat-trick that he scored against Chinese Taipei

The Intercontinental Cup is a four-nation association football tournament which is underway. This is the first edition and will be concluded on June 10, 2018. The tournament is organised by The All India Football Federation (AIFF) which is treated as a part of the senior men's team's preparation for 2019 AFC Asian Cup. It is a great initiative taken by India to promote football at the grassroots level and also it will be a morale booster of the India team ahead of Asia Cup. According to the FIFA Rankings, as of June 1, 2018, the Indian team was ranked 97 when they entered the competition. Although, it is expected that the team will better their international ranking after this tournament. Watch: Indian Football team salutes Sunil Chhetri on his 100th match Apart from India, Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei have also participated. The Chinese Taipei national football team is the official name given by FIFA to the national association football team of Taiwan aka. The Republic of China. Initially, South Africa was announced to participate in the tournament but Kenya later replaced them when South Africa expressed its inability to participate. So far, India leads the tally by winning the first match 5-0 which was against Chinese Taipei. Intercontinental Cup 2018: All eyes on Chhetri as India face Kenya in Mumbai Star footballer of India, Sunil Chhetri is the top goalscorer of the tournament with a hat-trick that he scored against Chinese Taipei. India will play its next match against Kenya on June 4 and the finals will be played on June 10 at the Mumbai Football Arena.

All you need to know about the Intercontinental Cup 2018

The tradition of numbering players has gone on to become one of the most symbolic things in the world of football.&nbsp

Whenever a new signing is announced by the club, fans look forward to the jersey number that is given to him.&nbsp

Whatever may be the role, the footballing world has seen the best players ever to grace the field don the number 10 jersey for either their club or country or both.&nbsp

The No. 7 was often associated with a fast, pacy winger or the No. 9 was a number reserved for a goalscorer, the No. 10 is associated with the best, most influential player of the team.

So, let's look at the all-time greats to have donned the number 10 jersey

1. Lionel Messi: The Argentine forward might not have played in a traditional number 10 position in his career but he embodies the fundamental idea of having the number 10 on his back. It is said that the best player in a team usually wears the coveted 10 and who else is better than "La Pulga". However, many critics have said that Messi cannot be termed 'the best of all-time' without a World Cup to his name.&nbsp

2. Diego Maradona: The retired Argentine footballer was a saviour to his country, and to his clubs, Napoli and Boca Juniors. Maradona was a one-man army and he succeeded in becoming one of the best ever to grace the world. Sporting the number 10 jersey, he scored many magical goals which included the 'goal of the century' against England in 1986. The Argentinian legend was a classic number 10, a perfect player whose dribbling was second to none.&nbsp

3. Pele: The Brazilian footballer who played as a forward was the first superstar of world football and captured the imagination with his brilliant goal scoring feats and amazing trickery. He donned the number 10 jersey for Brazil for whom he won a record three World Cups. Brazil with Pele in the side is often termed as the best team of all-time, and the attacking quality in that team is still unmatched by any team since then. Pele was called the 'King of Football' for his sublime goal tally coupled with his trophy cabinet

4. Zinedine Zidane: The Frenchman was as elegant a footballer as one ever saw and was one of the best-attacking midfielders of his generation. His goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 still remains one of the best goals ever. Late legend Alfredo Di Stefano once described the former Real Madrid great: "He makes it worthwhile going into the stadium." Such was the aura and elegance of the man who sadly ended his career with a sending off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.&nbsp

5. Zico: He was one of the best playmakers to ever play football. His vision coupled with his brilliant finishing made him Brazil's talisman in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, he was considered the best player in the world by football fans and critics. The Brazil team of the 70s and 80s put on quite a show with their flair and class, and Zico was at the helm of the side playing as a number 10. Zico played in a number 10 position for Brazil but remains one of the best players to have never won the World Cup.&nbsp

6. Ronaldinho: He donned many jersey numbers throughout his career but his standout years came at Barcelona where he sported number 10. The silky, flashy playmaker was an idol to an entire generation and also brought out a change in fortunes for the Catalans. He was FIFA's Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and also won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Ronaldinho did not score 30 goals a season or brilliant work rate in his career, but he was everyone's favourite whenever he entered the ground.&nbsp

7. Michel Platini: His prolific goalscoring made him one of the best footballers of his generation. Playing in the number 10 role, Platini achieved great heights at Saint-Etienne and Juventus while also playing a major role in France's 1984 Euro win. The Frenchman won three consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 19083-85 and was also adjudged French Player of the Century in 1999.&nbsp

With 10 more days to go, here is the significance of jersey number ten

The tradition of numbering players has gone on to become one of the most symbolic things in the world of football. Whenever a new signing is announced by the club, fans look forward to the jersey number that is given to him. Whatever may be the role, the footballing world has seen the best players ever to grace the field don the number 10 jersey for either their club or country or both. The No. 7 was often associated with a fast, pacy winger or the No. 9 was a number reserved for a goalscorer, the No. 10 is associated with the best, most influential player of the team. So, let's look at the all-time greats to have donned the number 10 jersey 1. Lionel Messi: The Argentine forward might not have played in a traditional number 10 position in his career but he embodies the fundamental idea of having the number 10 on his back. It is said that the best player in a team usually wears the coveted 10 and who else is better than "La Pulga". However, many critics have said that Messi cannot be termed 'the best of all-time' without a World Cup to his name. 2. Diego Maradona: The retired Argentine footballer was a saviour to his country, and to his clubs, Napoli and Boca Juniors. Maradona was a one-man army and he succeeded in becoming one of the best ever to grace the world. Sporting the number 10 jersey, he scored many magical goals which included the 'goal of the century' against England in 1986. The Argentinian legend was a classic number 10, a perfect player whose dribbling was second to none. 3. Pele: The Brazilian footballer who played as a forward was the first superstar of world football and captured the imagination with his brilliant goal scoring feats and amazing trickery. He donned the number 10 jersey for Brazil for whom he won a record three World Cups. Brazil with Pele in the side is often termed as the best team of all-time, and the attacking quality in that team is still unmatched by any team since then. Pele was called the 'King of Football' for his sublime goal tally coupled with his trophy cabinet 4. Zinedine Zidane: The Frenchman was as elegant a footballer as one ever saw and was one of the best-attacking midfielders of his generation. His goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 still remains one of the best goals ever. Late legend Alfredo Di Stefano once described the former Real Madrid great: "He makes it worthwhile going into the stadium." Such was the aura and elegance of the man who sadly ended his career with a sending off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. 5. Zico: He was one of the best playmakers to ever play football. His vision coupled with his brilliant finishing made him Brazil's talisman in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, he was considered the best player in the world by football fans and critics. The Brazil team of the 70s and 80s put on quite a show with their flair and class, and Zico was at the helm of the side playing as a number 10. Zico played in a number 10 position for Brazil but remains one of the best players to have never won the World Cup. 6. Ronaldinho: He donned many jersey numbers throughout his career but his standout years came at Barcelona where he sported number 10. The silky, flashy playmaker was an idol to an entire generation and also brought out a change in fortunes for the Catalans. He was FIFA's Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and also won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Ronaldinho did not score 30 goals a season or brilliant work rate in his career, but he was everyone's favourite whenever he entered the ground. 7. Michel Platini: His prolific goalscoring made him one of the best footballers of his generation. Playing in the number 10 role, Platini achieved great heights at Saint-Etienne and Juventus while also playing a major role in France's 1984 Euro win. The Frenchman won three consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 19083-85 and was also adjudged French Player of the Century in 1999.

Football and the significance of Jersey #10

Today, all eyes will be on Indian Football team captain Sunil Chhetri as he seeks to make his 100th international memorable by continuing his scoring spree in the Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya in Mumbai.

With 59 goals to his credit, the striker is India's all-time leading scorer.

Another win at the Mumbai Football Arena will ensure the home team's passage to the final of the tournament, which is being used as preparation for next year's Asian Cup.

On this special occasion, the entire India football team congratulated the skipper for his remarkable inning.&nbsp;

The official Twitter account also posted a video where Chhetri's teammates congratulated him followed by a big round of applause.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The entire <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndianFootball</a> team congratulates skipper <a href="https://twitter.com/chetrisunil11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chetrisunil11</a> on this grand occasion. Let's win it together. Lest we forget, the dab was perfect, <a href="https://twitter.com/GurpreetGK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GurpreetGK</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chhetri100?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chhetri100</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvKEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvKEN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackTheBlue?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackTheBlue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsianDream?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsianDream</a> <a href="https://t.co/zAQQiEdYXx">pic.twitter.com/zAQQiEdYXx</a>
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1003536558463508480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The 97th ranked side is on a high having defeated Chinese Taipei 5-0 in the tournament opener.

Chhetri was in imperious form, scoring his third hat-trick in international football, and he would look to continue in the same manner against the physical stronger African team, which likes to attack.

Chhetri and his strike partner Jeje Lalpekhua have shown in the past that if they get going, any defence can be breached.

India coach Stephen Constantine has an option upfront in Balwant Singh and, depending on the situation of the match, he can be considered.

India are ranked much higher and are used to the conditions here.

Kenya, on the other hand, would look to spoil Chhetri's party. Their coach Sebastian Minge had described India as a quality side

With 59 goals to his credit, the striker is India's all-time leading scorer.

Today, all eyes will be on Indian Football team captain Sunil Chhetri as he seeks to make his 100th international memorable by continuing his scoring spree in the Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya in Mumbai. With 59 goals to his credit, the striker is India's all-time leading scorer. Another win at the Mumbai Football Arena will ensure the home team's passage to the final of the tournament, which is being used as preparation for next year's Asian Cup. On this special occasion, the entire India football team congratulated the skipper for his remarkable inning. The official Twitter account also posted a video where Chhetri's teammates congratulated him followed by a big round of applause. The entire @IndianFootball team congratulates skipper @chetrisunil11 on this grand occasion. Let's win it together. Lest we forget, the dab was perfect, @GurpreetGK#Chhetri100 #INDvKEN #WeAreIndia #BackTheBlue #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/zAQQiEdYXx — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 4, 2018 × The 97th ranked side is on a high having defeated Chinese Taipei 5-0 in the tournament opener. Chhetri was in imperious form, scoring his third hat-trick in international football, and he would look to continue in the same manner against the physical stronger African team, which likes to attack. Chhetri and his strike partner Jeje Lalpekhua have shown in the past that if they get going, any defence can be breached. India coach Stephen Constantine has an option upfront in Balwant Singh and, depending on the situation of the match, he can be considered. India are ranked much higher and are used to the conditions here. Kenya, on the other hand, would look to spoil Chhetri's party. Their coach Sebastian Minge had described India as a quality side

Watch: Indian Football team salutes Sunil Chhetri on his 100th match

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri is currently on a record-breaking spree. Recently, he scored a hat-trick in India's 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei at the Intercontinental Cup on Friday and now he has joined the ranks with legendary footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to become the third-highest active international goalscorer.

He surpassed USA international striker Clint Dempsey when he scored the hat-tricks and joint-third in the active goalscorers' list with Spain' David Villa.

Sunil Chhetri has scored a total of 59 goals in his illustrious career so far.

Now, level with David Villa (59), behind Cristiano Ronaldo (61) and Lionel Messi (64) in the list of an active international goalscorer.

Lionel Messi: 62

Cristiano Ronaldo: 61

David Villa: 59

Sunil Chhetri: 59

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/abuse-us-scream-at-us-but-come-watch-us-urges-indian-football-team-captain-sunil-chhetri-141860">‘Abuse us... but </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/abuse-us-scream-at-us-but-come-watch-us-urges-indian-football-team-captain-sunil-chhetri-141860">come</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/abuse-us-scream-at-us-but-come-watch-us-urges-indian-football-team-captain-sunil-chhetri-141860"> watch us,’ urges Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri</a>

"I am very happy when I score. I do not take it for granted. I am very fortunate to score so many goals for my club and country. I am very happy from inside," Chhetri said during a post-match press conference.

Sunil Chhetri has scored a total of 59 goals in his illustrious career so far

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri is currently on a record-breaking spree. Recently, he scored a hat-trick in India's 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei at the Intercontinental Cup on Friday and now he has joined the ranks with legendary footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to become the third-highest active international goalscorer. He surpassed USA international striker Clint Dempsey when he scored the hat-tricks and joint-third in the active goalscorers' list with Spain' David Villa. Sunil Chhetri has scored a total of 59 goals in his illustrious career so far. Now, level with David Villa (59), behind Cristiano Ronaldo (61) and Lionel Messi (64) in the list of an active international goalscorer. Lionel Messi: 62 Cristiano Ronaldo: 61 David Villa: 59 Sunil Chhetri: 59 ‘Abuse us... but come watch us,’ urges Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri "I am very happy when I score. I do not take it for granted. I am very fortunate to score so many goals for my club and country. I am very happy from inside," Chhetri said during a post-match press conference.

After Ronaldo & Messi, this Indian footballer is the 3rd-most active international goalscorer

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has responded to the video that he had posted on social networking sites a few days back where he made a plea to the fellow citizens to come and support the Indian football team at the stadiums at every possible opportunity.

Recently while interacting with media, he said, "Whatever I said in the video I put on Twitter was straight from my heart. I hope people will not take it in a wrong sense. There is no hidden agenda or propaganda in it, those are just my feelings."

Chhetri, who is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms.&nbsp;

He requested a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena.

Even the Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli&nbsp;requested to support the Indian football team. Virat posted a video, watch here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Please take notice of my good friend and Indian football skipper <a href="https://twitter.com/chetrisunil11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chetrisunil11</a>'s post and please make an effort. <a href="https://t.co/DpvW6yDq1n">pic.twitter.com/DpvW6yDq1n</a>
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli/status/1002968424857915393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

While thanking the fans who did show up,&nbsp;Chhetri said, "To all of you who are fans of big European clubs and support European clubs with so much passion and sometimes you guys think that the level is not the same, so why do you waste your time? Agreed, the level is not the same, not even close but with our desire and determination, we will try our best to make your time worth," Chhetri said while thanking the fans who did show up.

"To all of you, who have lost hope or don’t have any hope in Indian football, we request you to come and watch us in the stadium," the skipper added.&nbsp;

"I mean it’s not fun to criticise and abuse on the internet. Come to the stadium, do it on our face, scream at us, shout at us, abuse us, who knows one day we might change you guys, you might start cheering for us. You guys have no idea how important you guys are and how important your support is."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/after-ronaldo--messi-this-indian-footballer-is-3rd-most-active-international-goalscorer-141975">After Ronaldo & Messi, this Indian footballer is </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/after-ronaldo--messi-this-indian-footballer-is-3rd-most-active-international-goalscorer-141975">3rd-most</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/after-ronaldo--messi-this-indian-footballer-is-3rd-most-active-international-goalscorer-141975"> active international goalscorer</a>

"I request you all to please come ...talk about the game, go back home, have discussions, make banners. Please get involved, this is an important time and juncture in Indian football and football in India needs you guys."

India, who have improved their ranking to 97 in current Fifa chart, are in a good run of form of late.

They will next face Kenya on June 4, which will also be Chhetri’s 100th international match.

Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This is nothing but a small plea from me to you. Take out a little time and give me a listen. <a href="https://t.co/fcOA3qPH8i">pic.twitter.com/fcOA3qPH8i</a>
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) <a href="https://twitter.com/chetrisunil11/status/1002892448513679361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

'Whatever I said in the video I put on Twitter was straight from my heart. I hope people will not take it in a wrong sense', said Sunil Chhetri while interacting with media

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has responded to the video that he had posted on social networking sites a few days back where he made a plea to the fellow citizens to come and support the Indian football team at the stadiums at every possible opportunity. Recently while interacting with media, he said, "Whatever I said in the video I put on Twitter was straight from my heart. I hope people will not take it in a wrong sense. There is no hidden agenda or propaganda in it, those are just my feelings." Chhetri, who is regarded as one of the greatest footballers that India has produced, urged the people who abuse to come to the ground and scream at them instead of taking out their anger on the social media platforms. He requested a day after his hat-trick helped India defeat Chinese Taipei side 5-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Mumbai Football Arena. Even the Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli requested to support the Indian football team. Virat posted a video, watch here: Please take notice of my good friend and Indian football skipper @chetrisunil11's post and please make an effort. pic.twitter.com/DpvW6yDq1n — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 2, 2018 × While thanking the fans who did show up, Chhetri said, "To all of you who are fans of big European clubs and support European clubs with so much passion and sometimes you guys think that the level is not the same, so why do you waste your time? Agreed, the level is not the same, not even close but with our desire and determination, we will try our best to make your time worth," Chhetri said while thanking the fans who did show up. "To all of you, who have lost hope or don’t have any hope in Indian football, we request you to come and watch us in the stadium," the skipper added. "I mean it’s not fun to criticise and abuse on the internet. Come to the stadium, do it on our face, scream at us, shout at us, abuse us, who knows one day we might change you guys, you might start cheering for us. You guys have no idea how important you guys are and how important your support is." After Ronaldo & Messi, this Indian footballer is 3rd-most active international goalscorer "I request you all to please come ...talk about the game, go back home, have discussions, make banners. Please get involved, this is an important time and juncture in Indian football and football in India needs you guys." India, who have improved their ranking to 97 in current Fifa chart, are in a good run of form of late. They will next face Kenya on June 4, which will also be Chhetri’s 100th international match. Watch the video here: This is nothing but a small plea from me to you. Take out a little time and give me a listen. pic.twitter.com/fcOA3qPH8i — Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 2, 2018 ×

Came 'straight from my heart', says Indian football captain on appeal that went viral

Former Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic launched a lawsuit against the country`s football association and its president Kozo Tashima on Thursday, saying he was fired illegally just two months before the World Cup.&nbsp

The Bosnian`s lawyer Lionel Vincent filed the suit on Thursday in a Tokyo district court, court officials confirmed.&nbsp

Vincent has suggested that Tashima, who personally flew to France to fire Halilhodzic in April, should resign over his handling of the dismissal.

Halilhodzic is suing Tashima directly because he believes the Japanese Football Association (JFA) president had acted illegally in dismissing him without consulting the association`s board.

The Tokyo District Court confirmed a civil suit was filed on Thursday, with the plaintiff being Halilhodzic and defendants being the Japan Football Association and Tashima.

"We cannot comment as we have not seen the letter of complaint," a JFA spokeswoman said.

"There are media reports that we have been sued for defamation. But we don`t believe there are facts that constitute defamation. There are no problems in the process of terminating the contract with former coach Halilhodzic.&nbsp

"The process of paying remuneration in full for the rest of the duration of his (originally contracted) term has already been completed, based on the contract.

The decision was officially ratified by the JFA board last week but Vincent says this has come too late.

"We were quite shocked after president Tashima decided to terminate Vahid`s contract," Vincent told Reuters.

"We realised he took this decision without any prior approval of the board of the JFA, which is an infringement of the article of recuperation of the JFA.

"It is quite stunning to see the president, the man in charge of the organisation, take such a decision without any respect for the rules.

"If I was them I would seriously consider his resignation for this. It is amazing."&nbsp

ONE YEN SOUGHT

The lawyer added that they had sought clarification on the decision by the JFA but were yet to receive an acceptable response.

Halilhodzic is also demanding a personal apology from Tashima and a nominal fee of one Japanese yen ($0.009) as compensation.

"For Vahid it was `okay, we are talking about honour and honour has no price, you cannot buy it`," Vincent added.

"So he thought, well maybe it is worth one yen. Vahid thought that as the JFA is a public interest organisation, asking for a huge amount of money doesn`t make sense because it is not why he is doing it.

"Vahid has said `I want my honour back and so you need to apologise first and acknowledge that you did something wrong to me. It is not acceptable so apologise.

"`For my honour, one yen please. I am sure president Tashima has one yen in his pocket.`"

Halilhodzic was replaced by Akira Nishino in early April after being at the helm since 2015 and successfully guiding the Samurai Blue through World Cup qualifying for the tournament in Russia.

Tashima claimed at the time that the 66-year-old`s dismissal was due to his `lack of communication`.

"If there are certainly other reasons why president Tashima decided to terminate then okay, fine, but I think it is too much to say it is just because of lack of communication," Vincent added.

Japan, led by Halilhodzic`s successor Nishino, will face Colombia, Senegal and Poland in Group H at the June-July tournament.

&nbsp

He was fired illegally just two months before the World Cup

Former Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic launched a lawsuit against the country`s football association and its president Kozo Tashima on Thursday, saying he was fired illegally just two months before the World Cup. The Bosnian`s lawyer Lionel Vincent filed the suit on Thursday in a Tokyo district court, court officials confirmed. Vincent has suggested that Tashima, who personally flew to France to fire Halilhodzic in April, should resign over his handling of the dismissal. Halilhodzic is suing Tashima directly because he believes the Japanese Football Association (JFA) president had acted illegally in dismissing him without consulting the association`s board. The Tokyo District Court confirmed a civil suit was filed on Thursday, with the plaintiff being Halilhodzic and defendants being the Japan Football Association and Tashima. "We cannot comment as we have not seen the letter of complaint," a JFA spokeswoman said. "There are media reports that we have been sued for defamation. But we don`t believe there are facts that constitute defamation. There are no problems in the process of terminating the contract with former coach Halilhodzic. "The process of paying remuneration in full for the rest of the duration of his (originally contracted) term has already been completed, based on the contract. The decision was officially ratified by the JFA board last week but Vincent says this has come too late. "We were quite shocked after president Tashima decided to terminate Vahid`s contract," Vincent told Reuters. "We realised he took this decision without any prior approval of the board of the JFA, which is an infringement of the article of recuperation of the JFA. "It is quite stunning to see the president, the man in charge of the organisation, take such a decision without any respect for the rules. "If I was them I would seriously consider his resignation for this. It is amazing." ONE YEN SOUGHT The lawyer added that they had sought clarification on the decision by the JFA but were yet to receive an acceptable response. Halilhodzic is also demanding a personal apology from Tashima and a nominal fee of one Japanese yen ($0.009) as compensation. "For Vahid it was `okay, we are talking about honour and honour has no price, you cannot buy it`," Vincent added. "So he thought, well maybe it is worth one yen. Vahid thought that as the JFA is a public interest organisation, asking for a huge amount of money doesn`t make sense because it is not why he is doing it. "Vahid has said `I want my honour back and so you need to apologise first and acknowledge that you did something wrong to me. It is not acceptable so apologise. "`For my honour, one yen please. I am sure president Tashima has one yen in his pocket.`" Halilhodzic was replaced by Akira Nishino in early April after being at the helm since 2015 and successfully guiding the Samurai Blue through World Cup qualifying for the tournament in Russia. Tashima claimed at the time that the 66-year-old`s dismissal was due to his `lack of communication`. "If there are certainly other reasons why president Tashima decided to terminate then okay, fine, but I think it is too much to say it is just because of lack of communication," Vincent added. Japan, led by Halilhodzic`s successor Nishino, will face Colombia, Senegal and Poland in Group H at the June-July tournament.

Vahid Halilhodzic launches lawsuit over Japan dismissal

Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the most successful football export the Central American country has produced and his quiet but determined leadership will be central to his nation's hopes in Russia.

While several of the generations who reached the last eight of the World Cup four years ago have enjoyed lengthy careers in Europe and, before them, Paulo Wanchope made a mark in England, none has achieved as much as the Real Madrid goalkeeper.

Navas has two Champions League titles and a Spanish league title to his name with Real and despite constant suggestions that Zinedine Zidane might be looking elsewhere for another keeper the Costa Rican has kept his spot.

His ability to put aside these doubts and the frequent unfavourable comparisons to Spain's Manchester United keeper David De Gea, who was once lined up to replace him, is no surprise to those who know Navas's background and the adversity he handled so well on his way to the top.

Navas was born in the town of San Isidro in the agricultural Perez Zeledon region in the south of Costa Rica, to working-class parents.

When his mother and father emigrated to the United States, he was brought up by his grandfather and his early football experience was tough, with his local team Municipal Club Perez Zeledon rejecting him as being too small.

He was forced to leave behind his small rural hometown and move to the capital San Jose at the age of 14 as he sought to get his opportunity with the country's most successful club, Deportivo Saprissa.

At Saprissa, now 1.85 metres tall, the deeply Catholic Navas won six domestic league titles and the CONCACAF Champions League before moving to Albacete in Spain's second division, then Levante.

His superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition and persuaded Real to pay his buy-out fee to Levante and bring him to the Bernabeu.

Despite the doubters, he has been a big part of a golden era for Real in European competition, cementing his status as one of the most successful players to emerge from Central America.

Keylor Navas superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition

Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the most successful football export the Central American country has produced and his quiet but determined leadership will be central to his nation's hopes in Russia. While several of the generations who reached the last eight of the World Cup four years ago have enjoyed lengthy careers in Europe and, before them, Paulo Wanchope made a mark in England, none has achieved as much as the Real Madrid goalkeeper. Navas has two Champions League titles and a Spanish league title to his name with Real and despite constant suggestions that Zinedine Zidane might be looking elsewhere for another keeper the Costa Rican has kept his spot. His ability to put aside these doubts and the frequent unfavourable comparisons to Spain's Manchester United keeper David De Gea, who was once lined up to replace him, is no surprise to those who know Navas's background and the adversity he handled so well on his way to the top. Navas was born in the town of San Isidro in the agricultural Perez Zeledon region in the south of Costa Rica, to working-class parents. When his mother and father emigrated to the United States, he was brought up by his grandfather and his early football experience was tough, with his local team Municipal Club Perez Zeledon rejecting him as being too small. He was forced to leave behind his small rural hometown and move to the capital San Jose at the age of 14 as he sought to get his opportunity with the country's most successful club, Deportivo Saprissa. At Saprissa, now 1.85 metres tall, the deeply Catholic Navas won six domestic league titles and the CONCACAF Champions League before moving to Albacete in Spain's second division, then Levante. His superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition and persuaded Real to pay his buy-out fee to Levante and bring him to the Bernabeu. Despite the doubters, he has been a big part of a golden era for Real in European competition, cementing his status as one of the most successful players to emerge from Central America.

FIFA 2018: Keylor Navas' determined leadership will be central to Costa Rica's hopes in Russia

Andres Iniesta waved goodbye to Barcelona on Sunday and his supposed successor scored the winner as Philippe Coutinho's superb strike sealed a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad.&nbsp

Iniesta, with a tear in his eye, walked off to a standing ovation from the Camp Nou when substituted in the second half, having unfastened his captain's armband and handed it to Lionel Messi.&nbsp

If Messi is to become Barca's new leader, Coutinho is the player marked out to assume Iniesta's creative responsibilities and it was perhaps fitting the Brazilian proved the difference on a night almost entirely devoted to his 34-year-old team-mate.&nbsp

After his number eight had come up on the fourth official's board, Iniesta first hugged Messi and then embraced the rest of his colleagues. He clapped the crowd, blew them a kiss, before exhaling and ducking into the dug-out.&nbsp

After 22 years at the club and 16 in the first team, Iniesta's 674 appearances for Barcelona is bettered only by Xavi Hernandez, who was also on the pitch before kick-off to join in the tributes.&nbsp

Real Sociedad welcomed Iniesta with a guard of honour while the crowd formed an impressive mosaic to spell out 'Infinit Iniesta' on the two sides of the Camp Nou, with an infinity symbol, doubling up as number eights, at the ends.&nbsp

A giant flag behind one of the goals read 'Gracies Per Tant', 'thank you for so much'.&nbsp

Iniesta exchanged pennants with Xabi Prieto, the 34-year-old midfielder who is also calling time after 15 years in the first team of Real Sociedad. Prieto came on in the 88th minute to great appreciation from the visiting support.&nbsp

There was also a football match to win and Barcelona's victory means they finish top of La Liga on 93 points, 14 ahead of their nearest rivals Atletico Madrid and 17 clear of Real.&nbsp

Dembele injury concern

The one blot on the night was an injury to Ousmane Dembele, who had to go off in the 53rd minute after sustaining an injury to his right foot towards the end of the first half.

Dembele was seen being handed an ice pack on the bench, with France now facing an anxious wait for the diagnosis before the start of the World Cup.

Ernesto Valverde stayed true to his word that he would rest Messi, who only came on for the final 23 minutes.

Early on, Gerard Pique miscued when left free at a corner and Ivan Rakitic headed wide but otherwise Real Sociedad were fairly comfortable in the first half.&nbsp

Nelson Semedo wanted a penalty after he was tripped by Alberto De La Bella and Luis Suarez wanted a harsher punishment when Raul Navas lunged in on Dembele.&nbsp

Navas, nowhere near the ball, caught Dembele's right foot and Suarez was booked for his complaints to referee Jose Munuera.&nbsp

Dembele finished the half but was taken off shortly after the interval as Denis Suarez came on to replace the French forward.&nbsp

Coutinho's goal came rather out of the blue but was no less impressive for the fact as he wiggled his way into space on the left of the penalty area and curled a trademark shot inside the far corner.&nbsp

That was his last significant contribution before being replaced by Messi, who almost set up a second only for Denis Suarez to squander the finish.&nbsp

Finally, Iniesta was replaced in the 82nd minute by Paco Alcacer and the fans did not stop chanting the veteran's name until the final whistle blew.&nbsp

Andres Iniesta waved goodbye to Barcelona on Sunday and his supposed successor scored the winner as Philippe Coutinho's superb strike sealed a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad

Andres Iniesta waved goodbye to Barcelona on Sunday and his supposed successor scored the winner as Philippe Coutinho's superb strike sealed a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad. Iniesta, with a tear in his eye, walked off to a standing ovation from the Camp Nou when substituted in the second half, having unfastened his captain's armband and handed it to Lionel Messi. If Messi is to become Barca's new leader, Coutinho is the player marked out to assume Iniesta's creative responsibilities and it was perhaps fitting the Brazilian proved the difference on a night almost entirely devoted to his 34-year-old team-mate. After his number eight had come up on the fourth official's board, Iniesta first hugged Messi and then embraced the rest of his colleagues. He clapped the crowd, blew them a kiss, before exhaling and ducking into the dug-out. After 22 years at the club and 16 in the first team, Iniesta's 674 appearances for Barcelona is bettered only by Xavi Hernandez, who was also on the pitch before kick-off to join in the tributes. Real Sociedad welcomed Iniesta with a guard of honour while the crowd formed an impressive mosaic to spell out 'Infinit Iniesta' on the two sides of the Camp Nou, with an infinity symbol, doubling up as number eights, at the ends. A giant flag behind one of the goals read 'Gracies Per Tant', 'thank you for so much'. Iniesta exchanged pennants with Xabi Prieto, the 34-year-old midfielder who is also calling time after 15 years in the first team of Real Sociedad. Prieto came on in the 88th minute to great appreciation from the visiting support. There was also a football match to win and Barcelona's victory means they finish top of La Liga on 93 points, 14 ahead of their nearest rivals Atletico Madrid and 17 clear of Real. Dembele injury concern The one blot on the night was an injury to Ousmane Dembele, who had to go off in the 53rd minute after sustaining an injury to his right foot towards the end of the first half. Dembele was seen being handed an ice pack on the bench, with France now facing an anxious wait for the diagnosis before the start of the World Cup. Ernesto Valverde stayed true to his word that he would rest Messi, who only came on for the final 23 minutes. Early on, Gerard Pique miscued when left free at a corner and Ivan Rakitic headed wide but otherwise Real Sociedad were fairly comfortable in the first half. Nelson Semedo wanted a penalty after he was tripped by Alberto De La Bella and Luis Suarez wanted a harsher punishment when Raul Navas lunged in on Dembele. Navas, nowhere near the ball, caught Dembele's right foot and Suarez was booked for his complaints to referee Jose Munuera. Dembele finished the half but was taken off shortly after the interval as Denis Suarez came on to replace the French forward. Coutinho's goal came rather out of the blue but was no less impressive for the fact as he wiggled his way into space on the left of the penalty area and curled a trademark shot inside the far corner. That was his last significant contribution before being replaced by Messi, who almost set up a second only for Denis Suarez to squander the finish. Finally, Iniesta was replaced in the 82nd minute by Paco Alcacer and the fans did not stop chanting the veteran's name until the final whistle blew.

Andres Iniesta bows out with Barca win thanks to brilliant Coutinho strike

A dramatic 94th-minute winner from Gabriel Jesus gave Premier League champions Manchester City a 1-0 win over Southampton on Sunday to ensure they became the first team ever to reach 100 points in an English top-flight season.

But Southampton still ended up celebrating as their narrow defeat combined with Swansea's 2-1 defeat by Stoke City guaranteed them Premier League football next season.

For much of the match, City, who fielded four changes from midweek and played Raheem Sterling in an unfamiliar centre forward role, struggled to find their familiar rhythm and failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.

Dusan Tadic had an effort cleared off the line in the second half when City brought on Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz to ensure the pair notched up their fifth Premier League appearances of the season to qualify for a medal.

Saints looked to have secured the draw but, with time virtually up, Jesus latched on to Kevin de Bruyne's excellent floated cross to produce a perfect lobbed finish past the advancing Alex McCarthy.

The goal sparked wild celebrations, with City boss Pep Guardiola joining in on the sidelines, leaping from the dugout and punching the air.

City's magnificent campaign has ended with a record 16 away wins and 106 Premier League goals.

Dusan Tadic had an effort cleared off the line in the second half when City brought on Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz to ensure the pair notched up their fifth Premier League appearances of the season to qualify for a medal

A dramatic 94th-minute winner from Gabriel Jesus gave Premier League champions Manchester City a 1-0 win over Southampton on Sunday to ensure they became the first team ever to reach 100 points in an English top-flight season. But Southampton still ended up celebrating as their narrow defeat combined with Swansea's 2-1 defeat by Stoke City guaranteed them Premier League football next season. For much of the match, City, who fielded four changes from midweek and played Raheem Sterling in an unfamiliar centre forward role, struggled to find their familiar rhythm and failed to register a single shot on target in the first half. Dusan Tadic had an effort cleared off the line in the second half when City brought on Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz to ensure the pair notched up their fifth Premier League appearances of the season to qualify for a medal. Saints looked to have secured the draw but, with time virtually up, Jesus latched on to Kevin de Bruyne's excellent floated cross to produce a perfect lobbed finish past the advancing Alex McCarthy. The goal sparked wild celebrations, with City boss Pep Guardiola joining in on the sidelines, leaping from the dugout and punching the air. City's magnificent campaign has ended with a record 16 away wins and 106 Premier League goals.

Last-gasp Jesus goal takes City to 100 points

<h2>WION's pick of the week</h2>

<h5 title="Opinion: IPL 2018 - How Hyderabad under Kane Williamson is blossoming"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-ipl-2018--how-hyderabad-under-kane-williamson-is-blossoming-136143">Opinion: IPL 2018 - How Hyderabad under Kane Williamson is blossoming</a></h5>

42nd match of this year Indian Premier League, played between Hyderabad and Delhi at Firozshah Kotla Delhi on 10th May 2018 as one of the most special encounters this season

<h5 title="Watch: Brendon Hartley suffers horrific crash in Spanish GP practice"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-brendon-hartley-suffers-horrific-crash-in-spanish-gp-practice-136397">Watch: Brendon Hartley suffers </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-brendon-hartley-suffers-horrific-crash-in-spanish-gp-practice-136397">horrific</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-brendon-hartley-suffers-horrific-crash-in-spanish-gp-practice-136397"> crash in Spanish GP practice</a></h5>

Brendon Hartley lost control of his Toro Rosso car at Turn Nine and smashed into the barriers during Practice Three for Spanish Grand Prix

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Will <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendonHartley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrendonHartley</a>'s car be ready for qualifying after this big shunt in FP3?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpanishGP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpanishGP</a> ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZEGViMxJjS">pic.twitter.com/ZEGViMxJjS</a>
— Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/995277552695439362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/petra-kvitova-clinches-madrid-open-title-136490">Petra Kvitova clinches Madrid Open title</a>

10th seed Petra Kvitova won the Madrid Open title for the third time

<img alt="Petra Kvitova (2)_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Petra%20Kvitova%20(2)_0.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/caught-on-cam-ms-dhoni-threatens-ravindra-jadeja-in-ipl-match-against-hyderabad-136574">Caught on cam: MS Dhoni threatens Ravindra Jadeja in IPL match against Hyderabad</a>

A hilarious incident happened in the seventh over of the first innings when MS Dhoni gestured to throw on the face of Ravindra Jadeja

<img alt="MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/MS%20Dhoni%20and%20Ravindra%20Jadeja.jpg" width="720" />

<h5 title="In pics: Mohamed Salah clinches Premier League's Player of the Year prize"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics:-mohamed-salah-clinches-premier-league's-player-of-the-year-prize-136594">In pics: Mohamed Salah clinches Premier League's Player of the Year prize</a></h5>

<h5 title="In pics: Mohamed Salah clinches Premier League's Player of the Year prize">Mohamed Salah scored 43 goals in 50 games in all competitions for Liverpool this term</h5>

<h5 title="Zverev outplays Thiem to win Madrid Masters"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/zverev-outplays-thiem-to-win-madrid-masters-136689">Zverev outplays Thiem to win Madrid Masters</a></h5>

<h5 title="Zverev outplays Thiem to win Madrid Masters">Dominic Thiem lost to Alexander&nbsp;Zverev&nbsp;in the Madrid Masters final</h5>

<img alt="Alexander Zverev.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Alexander%20Zverev.jpg" width="720" />

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>FIFA 2018</h2>

<h5 title="FIFA 2018: All you need to know about 21st edition of football World Cup"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-all-you-need-to-know-about-21st-edition-of-football-world-cup-136657">FIFA 2018: All you need to know about 21st edition of football World Cup</a></h5>

<h5 title="FIFA 2018: All you need to know about 21st edition of football World Cup">The mega event hosted by Russia will be keenly followed by thousands of fans around the world</h5>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/major-blow-to-brazil-as-dani-alves-ruled-out-of-fifa-2018-136210">Major</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/major-blow-to-brazil-as-dani-alves-ruled-out-of-fifa-2018-136210"> blow to Brazil as Dani Alves ruled out of FIFA 2018</a>

The Brazilian football federation (CBF) has confirmed it that Brazil right-back Dani Alves has been ruled out of the FIFA 2018 due to a knee injury

<img alt="000_14S5UY.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/000_14S5UY.jpg" width="770" />

<h5 title="Neymar Jr feels 'fear' ahead of his return for FIFA 2018"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/neymar-jr-feels-fear-ahead-of-his-return-for-fifa-2018-136331">Neymar Jr feels 'fear' ahead of his return for FIFA 2018</a></h5>

Brazil legend Zico's YouTube channel, Neymar said he is in a race against time to get mentally ready for the tournament in Russia

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Football</h2>

<h5 title="After 22 years Wenger leaves Arsenal, probably England too"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/after-22-years-wenger-leaves-arsenal-probably-england-too-136618">After 22 years Wenger leaves Arsenal, probably England too</a></h5>

When asked, Wenger said the prospect of him managing another Premier League club was unlikely

<h5 title="Chelsea miss out on Champions League"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/chelsea-miss-out-on-champions-league-136596">Chelsea miss out on Champions League</a></h5>

Chelsea were denied a place in next season's Champions League when they were well beaten 3-0 at Newcastle

<h5 title="Mesut Ozil out with a back injury but expects to be fit for World Cup"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/mesut-ozil-out-with-a-back-injury-but-expects-to-be-fit-for-world-cup-135393">Mesut Ozil out with a back injury but expects to be fit for World Cup</a></h5>

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is suffering back injury

<h5 title="Chinese Super League club Chongqing Lifan denies Iniesta move"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/chinese-super-league-club-chongqing-lifan-denies-iniesta-move-135417">Chinese Super League club Chongqing Lifan denies Iniesta move</a></h5>

Chinese Super League giants Chongqing Dangdai Lifan have denied move for Andres Iniesta

<h5 title="FIFA 2018: France defender Koscielny out with Achilles injury"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-france-defender-laurent-koscielny-out-with-achilles-injury-135483">FIFA 2018: France defender Koscielny out with Achilles injury</a></h5>

France defender Laurent Koscielny will miss the FIFA World Cup and faces six months out after undergoing surgery on an Achilles tendon injury

<h5 title="Manuel Neuer ruled out of German Cup final, doubts over FIFA 2018"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manuel-neuer-ruled-out-of-german-cup-final-135744">Manuel Neuer ruled out of German Cup final, doubts over FIFA 2018</a></h5>

Manuel Neuer has been sidelined by a fractured foot since September and is running out of time to be fit for Germany's opening World Cup match against Mexico

<h5 title="Sex, concentration and goals key to World Cup glory: Romario tells Jesus"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/sex-concentration-and-goals-key-to-world-cup-glory-romario-tells-jesus-135971">Sex, concentration and goals key to World Cup glory: Romario tells Jesus</a></h5>

Gabriel Jesus may be apprehensive about next month’s World Cup

<h5 title="Chelsea charged for referee confrontation"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/chelsea-charged-for-referee-confrontation-136151">Chelsea charged for referee confrontation</a></h5>

The draw with Huddersfield dampened Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-four finish in the league this season

<h5 title="Arda Turan gets 16-game ban for pushing and abusing referee"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arda-turan-gets-16-game-ban-for-pushing-and-abusing-referee-136158">Arda Turan gets 16-game ban for pushing and abusing referee</a></h5>

Turkish football authorities on Thursday banned the country's best-known player&nbsp;Arda&nbsp;Turan

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Cricket</h2>

<h5 title="Ajinkya Rahane to lead India in Afghanistan Test, Karun Nair replaces Virat Kohli
"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ajinkya-rahane-to-lead-india-in-afghanistan-test-karun-nair-replaces-virat-kohli-135553">Ajinkya Rahane to lead India in Afghanistan Test, Karun Nair replaces Virat Kohli</a></h5>

Rahane, however, he has been left out of the 16-man ODI squad for the three-match series in England in July

<h5 title="Ambati Rayudu returns to India ODI squad after impressive performance in IPL 
 "><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ambati-rayudu-returns-to-india-odi-squad-after-impressive-performance-in-ipl----135555">Ambati Rayudu returns to India ODI squad after impressive performance in IPL</a></h5>

Virat Kohli will be leading the side

<h5 title="Kohli confusion: BCCI names skipper for Ireland T20s despite county commitments"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/kohli-confusion-bcci-names-skipper-for-ireland-t20s-despite-county-commitments-135565">Kohli confusion: BCCI names skipper for Ireland T20s despite county commitments</a></h5>

India are set to play two T20's against Ireland in Dublin's Malahide on June 27 and 29

<h5 title="Shoaib Malik wants to play until upcoming World T20"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shoaib-malik-wants-to-play-until-upcoming-world-t20-135690">Shoaib Malik wants to play until upcoming World T20</a></h5>

Malik played 35 tests for Pakistan and has represented the team in 261 one-day internationals and 95 Twenty20 matches

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Others</h2>

<h5 title="Serena Williams' French Open campaign in doubt after another withdrawal"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/serena-williams-french-open-campaign-in-doubt-after-another-withdrawal-135707">Serena Williams' French Open campaign in doubt after another withdrawal</a></h5>

The 36-year-old returned to action in March

<h5 title="World Snooker Championship 2018: Mark Williams sealed third world snooker title"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/world-snooker-championship-2018-mark-williams-sealed-third-world-snooker-title-135421">World Snooker Championship 2018: Mark Williams sealed third world snooker title</a></h5>

Welshman secures third world championship with an 18-16 victory

<h5 title="Watch: Comedy of errors as Inzamam-ul-Haq's nephew Imam gets his partner run out"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-inzamam-ul-haqs-nephew-imams-comedy-of-errors-get-his-partner-run-out-135507">Watch: Comedy of errors as Inzamam-ul-Haq's nephew Imam gets his partner run out</a></h5>

The dismissal gave everyone a sense of 'deja vu'. Inzamam was run out 40 times in his ODI career

Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (May 7 to May 13)

WION's pick of the week Opinion: IPL 2018 - How Hyderabad under Kane Williamson is blossoming 42nd match of this year Indian Premier League, played between Hyderabad and Delhi at Firozshah Kotla Delhi on 10th May 2018 as one of the most special encounters this season Watch: Brendon Hartley suffers horrific crash in Spanish GP practice Brendon Hartley lost control of his Toro Rosso car at Turn Nine and smashed into the barriers during Practice Three for Spanish Grand Prix Will @BrendonHartley's car be ready for qualifying after this big shunt in FP3?#SpanishGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZEGViMxJjS — Formula 1 (@F1) May 12, 2018 × Petra Kvitova clinches Madrid Open title 10th seed Petra Kvitova won the Madrid Open title for the third time Caught on cam: MS Dhoni threatens Ravindra Jadeja in IPL match against Hyderabad A hilarious incident happened in the seventh over of the first innings when MS Dhoni gestured to throw on the face of Ravindra Jadeja In pics: Mohamed Salah clinches Premier League's Player of the Year prize Mohamed Salah scored 43 goals in 50 games in all competitions for Liverpool this term Zverev outplays Thiem to win Madrid Masters Dominic Thiem lost to Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Masters final FIFA 2018 FIFA 2018: All you need to know about 21st edition of football World Cup The mega event hosted by Russia will be keenly followed by thousands of fans around the world Major blow to Brazil as Dani Alves ruled out of FIFA 2018 The Brazilian football federation (CBF) has confirmed it that Brazil right-back Dani Alves has been ruled out of the FIFA 2018 due to a knee injury Neymar Jr feels 'fear' ahead of his return for FIFA 2018 Brazil legend Zico's YouTube channel, Neymar said he is in a race against time to get mentally ready for the tournament in Russia Football After 22 years Wenger leaves Arsenal, probably England too When asked, Wenger said the prospect of him managing another Premier League club was unlikely Chelsea miss out on Champions League Chelsea were denied a place in next season's Champions League when they were well beaten 3-0 at Newcastle Mesut Ozil out with a back injury but expects to be fit for World Cup Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is suffering back injury Chinese Super League club Chongqing Lifan denies Iniesta move Chinese Super League giants Chongqing Dangdai Lifan have denied move for Andres Iniesta FIFA 2018: France defender Koscielny out with Achilles injury France defender Laurent Koscielny will miss the FIFA World Cup and faces six months out after undergoing surgery on an Achilles tendon injury Manuel Neuer ruled out of German Cup final, doubts over FIFA 2018 Manuel Neuer has been sidelined by a fractured foot since September and is running out of time to be fit for Germany's opening World Cup match against Mexico Sex, concentration and goals key to World Cup glory: Romario tells Jesus Gabriel Jesus may be apprehensive about next month’s World Cup Chelsea charged for referee confrontation The draw with Huddersfield dampened Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-four finish in the league this season Arda Turan gets 16-game ban for pushing and abusing referee Turkish football authorities on Thursday banned the country's best-known player Arda Turan Cricket Ajinkya Rahane to lead India in Afghanistan Test, Karun Nair replaces Virat Kohli Rahane, however, he has been left out of the 16-man ODI squad for the three-match series in England in July Ambati Rayudu returns to India ODI squad after impressive performance in IPL Virat Kohli will be leading the side Kohli confusion: BCCI names skipper for Ireland T20s despite county commitments India are set to play two T20's against Ireland in Dublin's Malahide on June 27 and 29 Shoaib Malik wants to play until upcoming World T20 Malik played 35 tests for Pakistan and has represented the team in 261 one-day internationals and 95 Twenty20 matches Others Serena Williams' French Open campaign in doubt after another withdrawal The 36-year-old returned to action in March World Snooker Championship 2018: Mark Williams sealed third world snooker title Welshman secures third world championship with an 18-16 victory Watch: Comedy of errors as Inzamam-ul-Haq's nephew Imam gets his partner run out The dismissal gave everyone a sense of 'deja vu'. Inzamam was run out 40 times in his ODI career

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

Chelsea have been charged by the English Football Association (FA) after their players and coaches confronted the referee at half-time during Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in the Premier League.

Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger were among the players to surround referee Lee Mason, who awarded the hosts a corner in the closing stages of the first half but blew the whistle for the interval before Willian could take it.

"Chelsea have been charged with failing to ensure their players and/or officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion," the FA said in a statement on Thursday.

"The incident occurred at half-time of yesterday's game against Huddersfield Town."

The London outfit have until 1800 GMT on May 15 to respond.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was fined 8,000 pounds ($10,800) earlier this season after he confronted the fourth official and was subsequently sent off by referee Neil Swarbrick during his team's 1-0 win over Swansea City in November.

The draw with Huddersfield dampened Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-four finish in the league this season. They sit fifth ahead of their final match of the campaign against Newcastle United on Sunday.

The draw with Huddersfield dampened Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-four finish in the league this season

Chelsea have been charged by the English Football Association (FA) after their players and coaches confronted the referee at half-time during Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in the Premier League. Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger were among the players to surround referee Lee Mason, who awarded the hosts a corner in the closing stages of the first half but blew the whistle for the interval before Willian could take it. "Chelsea have been charged with failing to ensure their players and/or officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion," the FA said in a statement on Thursday. "The incident occurred at half-time of yesterday's game against Huddersfield Town." The London outfit have until 1800 GMT on May 15 to respond. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was fined 8,000 pounds ($10,800) earlier this season after he confronted the fourth official and was subsequently sent off by referee Neil Swarbrick during his team's 1-0 win over Swansea City in November. The draw with Huddersfield dampened Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-four finish in the league this season. They sit fifth ahead of their final match of the campaign against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Chelsea charged for referee confrontation

<h2>WION's pick of the week</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics:-champions-manchester-city-celebrate-with-epl-trophy-135146#photo-135140">Champions Manchester City lift EPL trophy</a>

<img alt="Manchester City (8)_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/Manchester%20City%20(8)_0.jpg" width="770" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-ms-dhonis-return-to-form-is-major-takeaway-from-ipl-2018-134604">Opinion: MS Dhoni's return to form is major takeaway from IPL 2018</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-players-who-deserve-a-chance-in-indian-cricket-team--134966">IPL players who deserve a chance in Indian Cricket Team</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-city-players-show-how-not-to-celebrate-after-winning-epl-135231">Manchester City players show how NOT to celebrate after winning EPL</a>

When the mid-fielder Yaya Toure arrived on the stage to collect the trophy, his fellow teammates jumped on him and a blooper happened

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
My favorite video from yesterday's presentation. City players drop the PL trophy and react as if someone dropped a bomb. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/NYhegUdPJm">pic.twitter.com/NYhegUdPJm</a>
— Adil (@adilkhalil_) <a href="https://twitter.com/adilkhalil_/status/993334268700045317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/turkey-football-fan-banned-from-stadium-rents-crane-to-watch-game-133692">Watch: Ban can't deter this Turkey football fan, rents crane to watch </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/turkey-football-fan-banned-from-stadium-rents-crane-to-watch-game-133692">game</a>

A football fan banned from the Denizli Atatürk Stadium in Denizli, Turkey rented a crane to watch a match 
 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/el-clasico-not-so-classic-list-of-incidents-where-referee-got-it-wrong-135194">'El Clasico' not so classic: Other times the referee got it wrong</a>

The Barcelona-Real clash Sunday night saw 28 fouls, one grabbing of the neck, one red card, and eight yellows

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>IPL 2018</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-another-fan-breaches-security-to-meet-ms-dhoni-touches-feet-134946">Watch: Another fan breaches security to meet MS Dhoni, touches feet</a>

MS Dhoni's fans and followers never fail to show their love and affection and recently an incident happened that will prove that fans' love for MSD is unconditional

<img alt="ms dhoni.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/ms%20dhoni.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-lasith-malinga-given-ultimatum-to-leave-ipl-and-return-home--134257">IPL 2018: Lasith Malinga given ultimatum to leave IPL and return home</a>

The pacer stated that he would not be returning to the island until the end of the IPL 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-big-money-players-disappoint-with-small-performances-134212">IPL 2018: Big-money players disappoint with small performances</a>

Several players have not stood up to their billing this season

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-like-football-ipl-gets-mid-season-transfer-window-133839">IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window</a>

The transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-dhoni-ambati-rayudus-comical-run-out-during-chennai-vs-delhi-clash-134018">Watch: Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu's comical run-out during Chennai vs Delhi clash</a> 

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>FIFA 2018</h2>

<h2><img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_0.jpg" width="770" /></h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018--schedule-venue-timings-participating-countries-squad-list-134023">FIFA 2018 | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list</a>

All you need to know about FIFA World Cup 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">'Hands up for your </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">colours</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">... raise your flag,' says FIFA 2018 anthem</a>

The song 'Colors' is written by an American singer-songwriter, Jason Derulo. The song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Football</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">Gerard Pique asked Barca staff members to give </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">guard</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216"> of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">honour</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216"> as Real Madrid snubbed</a>

Recently, Zinedine Zidane said that Real Madrid will not give La Liga champions Barcelona a guard of honour when the sides meet in El Clasico

<img alt="barcelona.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/barcelona.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-thrash-burnley-5-0-to-win-wengers-final-home-game-135092">Arsenal thrash Burnley 5-0 to win Wenger's final home game</a>

Arsene&nbsp;Wenger received&nbsp;the kind of tribute he would have wanted in his final home game after 22 years in charge

<img alt="el classico.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/el%20classico.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039">El Clasico: Real Madrid, Barcelona tie ends in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039">ill-tempered</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039"> draw</a>

Suarez appeared to have fouled Raphael Varane in the build-up to Messi's goal and the Uruguayan forward had a goal ruled out for offside three minutes later

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/diego-simeone-calls-on-uefa-to-change-away-goals-rule-134835">Diego Simeone calls on UEFA to change away-goals rule</a>

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/steven-gerrard-named-manager-of-scottish-club-rangers-134685">Steven Gerrard named manager of Scottish club Rangers</a>

Scottish club Rangers named former Liverpool and England midfielder&nbsp;Steven&nbsp;Gerrard as their manager on a four-year deal

<img alt="StevenGerrard_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/StevenGerrard_0.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/europa-league-wenger-denied-final-flourish-as-atletico-madrids-costa-outlasts-arsenal-134491">Europa League: Wenger denied final flourish as Atletico Madrid's Costa outlasts Arsenal</a>

Atletico victory was sweeter as coach Diego Simeone sat out the match after being banned for his rant

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109">Champions League: Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach final for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109">third</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109"> year in a row</a>

Real Madrid will meet either Liverpool or AS Roma in the final in Kiev on May 26

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-liverpool-edge-out-as-roma-to-meet-real-madrid-in-final-134295">Champions League: Liverpool edge out AS Roma, to meet Real Madrid in final</a>

Liverpool last won the coverted trophy in 2005 and made it to the finals in 2007

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9w-fJDLrPFo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/salah-voted-englands-footballer-of-the-year-134003">Mohamed Salah voted England's Footballer of the Year</a>

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Cricket</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204">Replace Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul as </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204">opener</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204"> in Indian Cricket team, demand fans</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shreyas-iyer-to-replace-virat-kohli-for-india-afghanistan-test--135213">Shreyas Iyer to replace Virat Kohli for India-Afghanistan Test</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003">Worried about banned Smith, Warner </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003">and</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003"> Cameron: Darren Lehmann</a>

Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann said that all&nbsp;three players are fantastic and have paid the price for their deeds

<img alt="Darren Lehmann.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/Darren%20Lehmann.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-signs-surrey-in-english-county-ahead-of-india-series-in-england-134461">Virat Kohli signs up with Surrey for county cricket ahead of India series in England</a>

The India captain will feature in three County Championship matches and three one-day cup game

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hardik-pandya-dinesh-karthik-to-represent-icc-world-xi-in-lords-134407">Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's</a>

The ICC World XI is set to take place on May 31st in Lord's stadium, London

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298">Justin Langer to be </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298">new</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298"> coach of Australia</a>

Langer's first coaching test will begin next month when Australia takes on England at home in an ODI series next month.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-consolidate-top-spot-in-icc-test-team-rankings-133983">India consolidate top spot in ICC Test team rankings</a>

In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Others</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/petra-kvitova-beat-mihaela-buzarnescu-to-win-first-prague-title-134841">Petra Kvitova beat Mihaela Buzarnescu to win first Prague title</a>

Petra Kvitova won her third title of the year as she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the Prague Open

<img alt="Petra Kvitova (2).jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Petra%20Kvitova%20(2).jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-approves-aerodynamic-rule-changes-for-2019-133996">Formula One approves aerodynamic rule changes for 2019</a>

The measures include a simplified front wing with a larger span, front brake ducts without winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing

<hr />
<hr />
&nbsp;

Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (April 30 to May 6)

WION's pick of the week Champions Manchester City lift EPL trophy Opinion: MS Dhoni's return to form is major takeaway from IPL 2018 IPL players who deserve a chance in Indian Cricket Team Manchester City players show how NOT to celebrate after winning EPL When the mid-fielder Yaya Toure arrived on the stage to collect the trophy, his fellow teammates jumped on him and a blooper happened My favorite video from yesterday's presentation. City players drop the PL trophy and react as if someone dropped a bomb. #MCFC pic.twitter.com/NYhegUdPJm — Adil (@adilkhalil_) May 7, 2018 × Watch: Ban can't deter this Turkey football fan, rents crane to watch game A football fan banned from the Denizli Atatürk Stadium in Denizli, Turkey rented a crane to watch a match 'El Clasico' not so classic: Other times the referee got it wrong The Barcelona-Real clash Sunday night saw 28 fouls, one grabbing of the neck, one red card, and eight yellows IPL 2018 Watch: Another fan breaches security to meet MS Dhoni, touches feet MS Dhoni's fans and followers never fail to show their love and affection and recently an incident happened that will prove that fans' love for MSD is unconditional IPL 2018: Lasith Malinga given ultimatum to leave IPL and return home The pacer stated that he would not be returning to the island until the end of the IPL 2018 IPL 2018: Big-money players disappoint with small performances Several players have not stood up to their billing this season IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window The transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players Watch: Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu's comical run-out during Chennai vs Delhi clash FIFA 2018 FIFA 2018 | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list All you need to know about FIFA World Cup 2018 'Hands up for your colours... raise your flag,' says FIFA 2018 anthem The song 'Colors' is written by an American singer-songwriter, Jason Derulo. The song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018 Football Gerard Pique asked Barca staff members to give guard of honour as Real Madrid snubbed Recently, Zinedine Zidane said that Real Madrid will not give La Liga champions Barcelona a guard of honour when the sides meet in El Clasico Arsenal thrash Burnley 5-0 to win Wenger's final home game Arsene Wenger received the kind of tribute he would have wanted in his final home game after 22 years in charge El Clasico: Real Madrid, Barcelona tie ends in ill-tempered draw Suarez appeared to have fouled Raphael Varane in the build-up to Messi's goal and the Uruguayan forward had a goal ruled out for offside three minutes later Diego Simeone calls on UEFA to change away-goals rule Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations Steven Gerrard named manager of Scottish club Rangers Scottish club Rangers named former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard as their manager on a four-year deal Europa League: Wenger denied final flourish as Atletico Madrid's Costa outlasts Arsenal Atletico victory was sweeter as coach Diego Simeone sat out the match after being banned for his rant Champions League: Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach final for third year in a row Real Madrid will meet either Liverpool or AS Roma in the final in Kiev on May 26 Champions League: Liverpool edge out AS Roma, to meet Real Madrid in final Liverpool last won the coverted trophy in 2005 and made it to the finals in 2007 × Mohamed Salah voted England's Footballer of the Year Cricket Replace Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul as opener in Indian Cricket team, demand fans Shreyas Iyer to replace Virat Kohli for India-Afghanistan Test Worried about banned Smith, Warner and Cameron: Darren Lehmann Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann said that all three players are fantastic and have paid the price for their deeds Virat Kohli signs up with Surrey for county cricket ahead of India series in England The India captain will feature in three County Championship matches and three one-day cup game Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's The ICC World XI is set to take place on May 31st in Lord's stadium, London Justin Langer to be new coach of Australia Langer's first coaching test will begin next month when Australia takes on England at home in an ODI series next month. India consolidate top spot in ICC Test team rankings In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent Others Petra Kvitova beat Mihaela Buzarnescu to win first Prague title Petra Kvitova won her third title of the year as she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the Prague Open Formula One approves aerodynamic rule changes for 2019 The measures include a simplified front wing with a larger span, front brake ducts without winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing

Defending champions Real Madrid have sailed through to the finals of UEFA Champions League after defeating Bayern Munich in the semi-finals with an aggregate of 4-3.

Real Madrid were already leading by winning the first Leg by 2-1 even though Bayern dominated the match.

In the second Leg, Real Madrid took advantage of Bayern Munich’s carelessness in attack and defence to draw 2-2 to enter the Champions League final for a third year a row.

In the first half, Bayern's Defender Joshua Kimmich scored in the third minute to cover the deficit of Leg 1 but Karim Benzema levelled with a free header in the 11th minute.

Bayern Munich displayed a very poor defence&nbsp;in the match and the worst of all when goalkeeper Sven Ulreich's blooper allowed Real Madrid to take a 2-1 lead in the 45th minute.

An absolute shocker when Bayern's defender Corentin Tolisso passed to the goalkeeper Sven Ulreich from the right-back position and brain freeze Ulreich slipped and could not handle the ball.

Benzema then took the advantage and scored the goal into an empty net.

Watch the video:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
What an absolute howler by Bayern's goalkeeper, Sven Ulreich to allow Benzema to score this goal. Madness!?<a href="https://t.co/H0E9bVQALL">pic.twitter.com/H0E9bVQALL</a>
— Roro O'Monstro.™ (@Roromeo_MUFC10) <a href="https://twitter.com/Roromeo_MUFC10/status/991406162200354816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Benzema’s goal.... AGAIN! 
Hattrick? ?? <a href="https://t.co/6wy6fpFVwd">pic.twitter.com/6wy6fpFVwd</a>
— Real Madrid Lebanon (@RealMadridLeb) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMadridLeb/status/991405905127268352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Bayern's goalkeeper Sven Ulreich's blooper allowed Real Madrid to take a 2-1 lead in the 45th minute

Defending champions Real Madrid have sailed through to the finals of UEFA Champions League after defeating Bayern Munich in the semi-finals with an aggregate of 4-3. Real Madrid were already leading by winning the first Leg by 2-1 even though Bayern dominated the match. In the second Leg, Real Madrid took advantage of Bayern Munich’s carelessness in attack and defence to draw 2-2 to enter the Champions League final for a third year a row. In the first half, Bayern's Defender Joshua Kimmich scored in the third minute to cover the deficit of Leg 1 but Karim Benzema levelled with a free header in the 11th minute. Bayern Munich displayed a very poor defence in the match and the worst of all when goalkeeper Sven Ulreich's blooper allowed Real Madrid to take a 2-1 lead in the 45th minute. An absolute shocker when Bayern's defender Corentin Tolisso passed to the goalkeeper Sven Ulreich from the right-back position and brain freeze Ulreich slipped and could not handle the ball. Benzema then took the advantage and scored the goal into an empty net. Watch the video: What an absolute howler by Bayern's goalkeeper, Sven Ulreich to allow Benzema to score this goal. Madness!?pic.twitter.com/H0E9bVQALL — Roro O'Monstro.™ (@Roromeo_MUFC10) May 1, 2018 × Benzema’s goal.... AGAIN! Hattrick? ?? pic.twitter.com/6wy6fpFVwd — Real Madrid Lebanon (@RealMadridLeb) May 1, 2018 ×

Watch: Defender passes, Bayern goalie misses, Real go to Champions League finals

For the first time in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, the cash-rich tournament is set to welcome a mid-season transfer window.&nbsp;

Similiar to football, the transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players.&nbsp;

With the tournament having already reached the half-way stage where teams have played seven matches out of their standard 14 round robin matches, many players haven’t quite delivered for their teams or have not found game time because of stiff competition.&nbsp;

And the mid-season transfer window provides an opportunity for such players to turn around their career and make an impression.

By now, teams have already figured out players who they wish to keep for the remainder of the season.&nbsp;

And the transfer window not only benefits players but also teams as they can replace the deadwood in their squad with new talent.

The mid-season transfer window was activated from April 29 and will continue till May 10.&nbsp;

Both uncapped and capped (both domestic and foreign) players are eligible for the transfer window, but with one condition, that the players must have played less than two matches for their franchise so far.

Going by these rules, players such as Adam Milne, JP Duminy (Both Mumbai), Sandeep Lamichhane (Delhi), Alex Hales (Hyderabad), Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali (Both Bangalore) and David Willey (Chennai) can be swapped.

However, both parties must agree on the move in advance and then go ahead with the transfer. &nbsp;

The transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players.

For the first time in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, the cash-rich tournament is set to welcome a mid-season transfer window. Similiar to football, the transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players. With the tournament having already reached the half-way stage where teams have played seven matches out of their standard 14 round robin matches, many players haven’t quite delivered for their teams or have not found game time because of stiff competition. And the mid-season transfer window provides an opportunity for such players to turn around their career and make an impression. By now, teams have already figured out players who they wish to keep for the remainder of the season. And the transfer window not only benefits players but also teams as they can replace the deadwood in their squad with new talent. The mid-season transfer window was activated from April 29 and will continue till May 10. Both uncapped and capped (both domestic and foreign) players are eligible for the transfer window, but with one condition, that the players must have played less than two matches for their franchise so far. Going by these rules, players such as Adam Milne, JP Duminy (Both Mumbai), Sandeep Lamichhane (Delhi), Alex Hales (Hyderabad), Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali (Both Bangalore) and David Willey (Chennai) can be swapped. However, both parties must agree on the move in advance and then go ahead with the transfer.

IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window

The backbone of FC Barcelona, Andres Iniesta has announced on Friday that he will leave the&nbsp;club at the end of the season.

Barcelona captain Iniesta has spent all of his senior career at Camp Nou and has lifted 31 trophies and it is expected that the count will increase to 32 as Barca will clinch the Liga title on Sunday at Deportivo La Coruna.

From past few months, there were speculations that 33-year old might leave Barca and Spanish media reported that he will move to Chinese Super League.

On Friday, Iniesta addressed a press conference and with teary eyes, he said that he will leave Barcelona. The Spain international broke down in tears at Barcelona's training ground with all his teammates present and a packed press room burst into applause when he finished his opening statement.

As per the media reports, Iniesta will join a CSL giant Chongqing Dangdai Lifan.

Recently, Barcelona won the Spanish King's Cup and Iniesta was crying in the concluding minutes.

<img alt="DbVk-vFVMAABtCN.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/DbVk-vFVMAABtCN.jpg" width="770" />

<img alt="DbVnLY8UQAAxz3C.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/DbVnLY8UQAAxz3C.jpg" width="770" />

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2PZLoLWZM84" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Andres Iniesta has announced on Friday that he will leave the club at the end of the season

The backbone of FC Barcelona, Andres Iniesta has announced on Friday that he will leave the club at the end of the season. Barcelona captain Iniesta has spent all of his senior career at Camp Nou and has lifted 31 trophies and it is expected that the count will increase to 32 as Barca will clinch the Liga title on Sunday at Deportivo La Coruna. From past few months, there were speculations that 33-year old might leave Barca and Spanish media reported that he will move to Chinese Super League. On Friday, Iniesta addressed a press conference and with teary eyes, he said that he will leave Barcelona. The Spain international broke down in tears at Barcelona's training ground with all his teammates present and a packed press room burst into applause when he finished his opening statement. As per the media reports, Iniesta will join a CSL giant Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. Recently, Barcelona won the Spanish King's Cup and Iniesta was crying in the concluding minutes. ×

Watch: End of an era as Iniesta says 'goodbye' to FC Barcelona

Brazilian football chief President Marco Polo Del Nero has been banned from football for life by FIFA's ethics committee for bribery, the global soccer body said on Friday.

FIFA said that Del Nero had been investigated over "schemes in which he received bribes in exchange for his role in awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to various football tournaments."

In doing so, he violated ethics rules on bribery, offering and accepting gifts, loyalty, conflict of interest and general rules of conduct, FIFA said.

Del Nero, a former member of FIFA's executive committee, could not immediately be reached for comment although he has previously denied wrongdoing.

He was among several dozen soccer officials and sports marketing executives indicted in the United States in 2015 in a corruption scandal that sparked the biggest crisis in FIFA’s history.

Brazil does not allow the extradition of its own citizens and Del Nero had remained as president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) until the FIFA provisionally suspended him in December.

Brazilian football chief President Marco Polo Del Nero has been banned from football for life by FIFA's ethics committee for bribery, the global soccer body

Brazilian football chief President Marco Polo Del Nero has been banned from football for life by FIFA's ethics committee for bribery, the global soccer body said on Friday. FIFA said that Del Nero had been investigated over "schemes in which he received bribes in exchange for his role in awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to various football tournaments." In doing so, he violated ethics rules on bribery, offering and accepting gifts, loyalty, conflict of interest and general rules of conduct, FIFA said. Del Nero, a former member of FIFA's executive committee, could not immediately be reached for comment although he has previously denied wrongdoing. He was among several dozen soccer officials and sports marketing executives indicted in the United States in 2015 in a corruption scandal that sparked the biggest crisis in FIFA’s history. Brazil does not allow the extradition of its own citizens and Del Nero had remained as president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) until the FIFA provisionally suspended him in December.

Brazilian football boss Del Nero gets life ban

Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer also considered the 'Egyptian King' scored two goals against AS Roma on Wednesday at Anfield.&nbsp;

He plays as a forward for the English Premier League club 'Liverpool'&nbsp;

'He felt the love in Liverpool,' Salah said.&nbsp;

Salah was named Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year on Sunday. Leading with 43 goals in 47 games this season is indeed an incredible record.&nbsp;

He is next in line with the great attacking players, Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar.

There has been some news of him becoming the next winner of the most prestigious individual accolade in world football.

"I love that when I was a kid that I was playing the PlayStation as Liverpool," Salah jokes.

It was absolutely a delight for English Football League audiences to watch Salah throughout the season as some of his performances were awestruck.&nbsp;

When asked about him being the third best player in the world, he says, "I'll leave that for the people to decide".

The calm and relaxed player did not celebrate either of his goals against his former club.&nbsp;

Pressure builds upon him as his fellow teammate named him as "Player of the Year".&nbsp;

"It makes me work harder," he says due to fan's expectations. "It makes me give everything, more than before because now there's more pressure. Everyone is looking for you to do something. When I didn't score in one game, they said: 'Wow, he's playing badly'."

"Everyone is expecting something in each game I'm playing. I don't have to score in every game but I want to do my best. I want to give everything for the club for my teammates and myself also", he added.&nbsp;

He plays as a forward for the English Premier League club 'Liverpool'

Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer also considered the 'Egyptian King' scored two goals against AS Roma on Wednesday at Anfield. He plays as a forward for the English Premier League club 'Liverpool' 'He felt the love in Liverpool,' Salah said. Salah was named Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year on Sunday. Leading with 43 goals in 47 games this season is indeed an incredible record. He is next in line with the great attacking players, Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar. There has been some news of him becoming the next winner of the most prestigious individual accolade in world football. "I love that when I was a kid that I was playing the PlayStation as Liverpool," Salah jokes. It was absolutely a delight for English Football League audiences to watch Salah throughout the season as some of his performances were awestruck. When asked about him being the third best player in the world, he says, "I'll leave that for the people to decide". The calm and relaxed player did not celebrate either of his goals against his former club. Pressure builds upon him as his fellow teammate named him as "Player of the Year". "It makes me work harder," he says due to fan's expectations. "It makes me give everything, more than before because now there's more pressure. Everyone is looking for you to do something. When I didn't score in one game, they said: 'Wow, he's playing badly'." "Everyone is expecting something in each game I'm playing. I don't have to score in every game but I want to do my best. I want to give everything for the club for my teammates and myself also", he added.

Mohamed Salah felt the 'love in Liverpool'

Liverpool blew AS Roma defence into pieces as the Reds defeated&nbsp;visitors 5-2 in the first leg of Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday at Anfield.

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah struck twice in the first half to give an early 2-0 lead to Juergen Klopp's side.

Lead was then further extend by&nbsp;Roberto Firmino as he ripped Roma apart after the break by scoring two more goals.

Sadio Mane scored one more goal to make it&nbsp;5-0 up for Liverpool but two late Roma goals, however, gave&nbsp;the Italians some relaxation as they tried to forfeit the deficit to some extent.

Edin Dzeko struck for the visitors in the 81st minute and four minutes later Diego Perotti converted a penalty to save some excitement for the second leg game.

As the fans would expect AS Roma to repeat the quarter-finals heroics that booted out Spanish&nbsp;giants FC Barcelona from the tournament when they&nbsp;came back from 4-1 down to beat Barca&nbsp;in the round of eight.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It's half-time in the tie. Another big 90 minutes in Rome await. 
 
Up the Reds! ? <a href="https://t.co/LeSwh7tVzl">pic.twitter.com/LeSwh7tVzl</a>
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LFC/status/988879501043077120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/mosalah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mosalah</a>'s latest attacking masterclass helped establish a 5-2 lead in our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCL</a> semi-final first leg. 
 
Our take on tonight's seven-goal thriller → <a href="https://t.co/HcXakqONx2">https://t.co/HcXakqONx2</a> <a href="https://t.co/4gkoCOxlnF">pic.twitter.com/4gkoCOxlnF</a>
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LFC/status/988883860183232513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Edin Džeko has now scored in 4 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCL</a> games in a row. ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ <a href="https://t.co/Pt4OLDxIPK">pic.twitter.com/Pt4OLDxIPK</a>
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/988879056207740929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Mo Salah struck twice in the first half to give an early lead to Juergen Klopp's side

Liverpool blew AS Roma defence into pieces as the Reds defeated visitors 5-2 in the first leg of Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday at Anfield. Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah struck twice in the first half to give an early 2-0 lead to Juergen Klopp's side. Lead was then further extend by Roberto Firmino as he ripped Roma apart after the break by scoring two more goals. Sadio Mane scored one more goal to make it 5-0 up for Liverpool but two late Roma goals, however, gave the Italians some relaxation as they tried to forfeit the deficit to some extent. Edin Dzeko struck for the visitors in the 81st minute and four minutes later Diego Perotti converted a penalty to save some excitement for the second leg game. As the fans would expect AS Roma to repeat the quarter-finals heroics that booted out Spanish giants FC Barcelona from the tournament when they came back from 4-1 down to beat Barca in the round of eight. It's half-time in the tie. Another big 90 minutes in Rome await. Up the Reds! ? pic.twitter.com/LeSwh7tVzl — Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 24, 2018 × .@mosalah's latest attacking masterclass helped establish a 5-2 lead in our #UCL semi-final first leg. Our take on tonight's seven-goal thriller → https://t.co/HcXakqONx2 pic.twitter.com/4gkoCOxlnF — Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 24, 2018 × Edin Džeko has now scored in 4 #UCL games in a row. ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Pt4OLDxIPK — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 24, 2018 ×

Champions League: Super Salah shines again as Liverpool beat Roma in semi-final first leg

Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp refused to dwell on the two late goals they conceded in a 5-2 win over AS Roma in their Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday, saying his team had been "perfect" for 80 minutes.

"Of course, we would have been more happy with 5-0 or 5-1 but 5-2 is a fantastic result. We go there and try again," said the German coach after Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino claimed two goals each against the shell-shocked Italians.

"The boys played a brilliant game over a very long period. Even the last minutes when we conceded. We made one mistake and the ref made one mistake (awarding a penalty) and that was two goals for them.

"We have to work again in Rome, that is no problem. There would have been work to do if we had won 5-0. Roma would have tried everything anyway," he said.

Salah scored two superbly taken goals to take his season tally in all competitions to 43 and his Champions League total to 10 for the season -- a club record for a Liverpool player in a single European campaign.

Klopp was clearly impressed by the Egyptian's finishing, which saw him open the scoring with a beautiful curling left-foot shot into the top corner and then double the advantage with a perfectly executed lift over advancing keeper Alisson.

"The first goal is just a genius strike, he scored already a few like this, so that makes clear it is no coincidence," he told reporters.

"The second is brilliant play, Bobby (Firmino) between the lines and he (Salah) makes the play. Then he makes the other two goals," added Klopp, referring to Salah's assists for Sadio Mane and Firmino after the break.

The former Dortmund manager did not regret taking Salah off in the 75th minute with Liverpool 5-0 ahead, saying he wanted to protect the PFA Player of the Year from possible injury.

"If anyone wants to say it is my mistake we concede the two goals because I change the striker, I have no problem with that. We did not prepare our passes. He was running (to through balls) all the time and it would not have helped us if he got an injury."

But Klopp stopped short of saying that Salah, signed from Roma for 42 million euros ($51.37 million) in June, was now the best player in the world.

"What a player. If you think he is the best in the world, write it or say it. He is in outstandingly good shape, world class shape, but to be the best in the world you need to do it over a longer period, I think."

Juergen Klopp refused to dwell on the two late goals they conceded in a 5-2 win over AS Roma

Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp refused to dwell on the two late goals they conceded in a 5-2 win over AS Roma in their Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday, saying his team had been "perfect" for 80 minutes. "Of course, we would have been more happy with 5-0 or 5-1 but 5-2 is a fantastic result. We go there and try again," said the German coach after Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino claimed two goals each against the shell-shocked Italians. "The boys played a brilliant game over a very long period. Even the last minutes when we conceded. We made one mistake and the ref made one mistake (awarding a penalty) and that was two goals for them. "We have to work again in Rome, that is no problem. There would have been work to do if we had won 5-0. Roma would have tried everything anyway," he said. Salah scored two superbly taken goals to take his season tally in all competitions to 43 and his Champions League total to 10 for the season -- a club record for a Liverpool player in a single European campaign. Klopp was clearly impressed by the Egyptian's finishing, which saw him open the scoring with a beautiful curling left-foot shot into the top corner and then double the advantage with a perfectly executed lift over advancing keeper Alisson. "The first goal is just a genius strike, he scored already a few like this, so that makes clear it is no coincidence," he told reporters. "The second is brilliant play, Bobby (Firmino) between the lines and he (Salah) makes the play. Then he makes the other two goals," added Klopp, referring to Salah's assists for Sadio Mane and Firmino after the break. The former Dortmund manager did not regret taking Salah off in the 75th minute with Liverpool 5-0 ahead, saying he wanted to protect the PFA Player of the Year from possible injury. "If anyone wants to say it is my mistake we concede the two goals because I change the striker, I have no problem with that. We did not prepare our passes. He was running (to through balls) all the time and it would not have helped us if he got an injury." But Klopp stopped short of saying that Salah, signed from Roma for 42 million euros ($51.37 million) in June, was now the best player in the world. "What a player. If you think he is the best in the world, write it or say it. He is in outstandingly good shape, world class shape, but to be the best in the world you need to do it over a longer period, I think."

Liverpool's Klopp shrugs off late Roma goals after 'perfect' performance

football-0

Football, News on Football, stories on Football, articles on Football, Football stories at Wion, Football news, Football latest news

football 0

Hosts Russia have point to prove in World Cup opener

Opinion: Is Russia worthy of hosting the football World Cup?

Messi's magic in India: Kolkata tea-seller paints home in Argentina colours

Here are 10 lesser-known facts about German 'sweeper-keeper' Manuel Neuer

Intercontinental Cup: India suffer 1-2 defeat against New Zealand

India vs New Zealand, Intercontinental Cup: Sunil Chhetri-led Indian team look to extend winning run

FIFA World Cup: 7 mandatory tests world cup 'ball' undergoes

Chhetri magic: Tickets for India's Intercontinental Cup matches sold out

Sergio Ramos mocks Mo Salah's injury, Loris Karius' concussion claim

9 lesser-known facts about the football World Cup

'We will give our lives on the pitch,' says Sunil Chhetri to express gratitude for fans' support

After plea by football captain Sunil Chhetri, India vs Kenya tickets sell out in hours

All you need to know about the Intercontinental Cup 2018

Football and the significance of Jersey #10

Watch: Indian Football team salutes Sunil Chhetri on his 100th match

After Ronaldo & Messi, this Indian footballer is the 3rd-most active international goalscorer

Came 'straight from my heart', says Indian football captain on appeal that went viral

Vahid Halilhodzic launches lawsuit over Japan dismissal

FIFA 2018: Keylor Navas' determined leadership will be central to Costa Rica's hopes in Russia

Andres Iniesta bows out with Barca win thanks to brilliant Coutinho strike

Last-gasp Jesus goal takes City to 100 points

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

Chelsea charged for referee confrontation

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

Watch: Defender passes, Bayern goalie misses, Real go to Champions League finals

IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window