Sport
Messi’s World Cup chase takes center stage in Qatar
Lionel Messi’s hopes of winning an elusive World Cup will come up against the tactical scheming of veteran coach Louis van Gaal as Argentina face the Netherlands in Friday’s quarter-final at Lusail.
Messi, 35, once again carries his nation’s hopes on his shoulders as he looks to crown an extraordinary career that includes seven Ballon d’Or awards and multiple club titles, but only one Copa America to show for his efforts with Argentina, Reuters reported.
Messi can expect little in the way of sympathy from the 71-year-old Van Gaal, who is determined to give the Dutch their first World Cup title after runners-up finishes in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
The coach’s planning will largely focus on containing Messi and catching Argentina on the break, as Van Gaal thumbs his nose at his critics by playing a brand of football at odds with the usual attacking Dutch approach.
The tactical plan is key to his side’s hopes of winning tomorrow as the Dutch look to take revenge for their semi-final defeat in 2014 when Argentina beat them in a shootout.
“We can surprise teams with our plan. We were also the better team then and Messi didn’t see much of the ball,” the coach told reporters this week.
He can also point to a run of form that has seen the Dutch go 19 games without defeat since he returned to the hot seat for a third spell 15 months ago.
Messi spoke briefly about the Dutch threat after Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16, where he marked his 1,000th career appearance by scoring and being named Man of the Match.
“Another difficult one is coming,” he said.
Messi can expect vocal support from Argentine fans in Qatar, who are set to vastly outnumber their orange-clad Dutch counterparts.
On the losing side against Germany in the 2014 final, where Argentina failed to add to World Cup triumphs in 1978 and 1986, Messi was grateful for the support.
“These are incredible moments. We want to thank all the people who are here. The whole of Argentina would love to be here,” he said.
Quarterfinals
Friday: Brazil v Croatia & Netherlands v Argentina
Saturday: Morocco v Portugal & France v England
Where to watch
Afghan fans need not miss out on any of the excitement of this year’s tournament which is being broadcast live and exclusively by Ariana Television in Afghanistan.
For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE
Afghanistan’s national futsal team has arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to participate in the Futsal World Cup 2024.
The Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 with the participation of 24 teams is scheduled to kick off on September 14 in Tashkent.
How to watch FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024?
For fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Television will again make sure you don’t miss out on the thrill of matches – which will get underway on Saturday 14 September.
Afghanistan will play their first match on Sunday 15 September when they come up against Angola.
Sport
Afghanistan name squad for maiden Test against New Zealand
Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain Afghanistan while other prominent names in the squad include Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Friday announced the nation’s squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand starting 9 September in India’s Greater Noida.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain Afghanistan while other prominent names in the squad include Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai.
Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Karim Janat weren’t in consideration as they weren’t a part of the preliminary squad.
Rashid, Afghanistan’s talismanic all-rounder, wasn’t considered because he had been advised to refrain from long-format cricket for a year after his back operation.
All-rounder Gulbadin Naib, who was a part of the preliminary squad also didn’t make it to the final squad.
Shahidi has played eight Tests for Afghanistan, of which three have been as a captain.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhil, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shams Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Qais Ahmad, Khalil Ahmad, Nijat Masood
Recently, Afghanistan’s opponent New Zealand announced that they had appointed former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as their spin bowling coach for the next three Tests, whereas former India batting coach Vikram Rathour joined the camp for the one-off Afghanistan game.
Afghanistan’s national futsal team lost 2-1 against the host team, Thailand, in their last match in the continental five-a-side tournament match on Friday.
The country’s futsal national team won the bronze medal by winning 2 out of 4 games played in the continental tournament.
This was the fourth and the last match for Afghanistan in the tournament.
In the tournament’s first game, Afghanistan beat Guatemala 5-4.
In the third match, Afghanistan thrashed New Zealand 5-1.
The tournament was hosted by Thailand, involving teams from Afghanistan, Guatemala, New Zealand, and Kuwait.
With just over a week to go before the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024, these matches are seen as crucial for the team, as they view them as important warm-up sessions ahead of the Uzbekistan World Cup.
For fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Television will again make sure you don’t miss out on the thrill of matches – which will get underway on Saturday 14 September.
Afghanistan will play their first match on Sunday 15 September when they come up against Angola.
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