Russia ready to roar

In an extraordinary game, Portugal were pushed right up till the end by Iran as VAR came into play at the death. There was a penalty incident review after a handball by Cedric Soares and Iran captain Karim Ansarifard stepped up to equalize for Iran in injury time. Despite the late drama, Portugal held on to a 1-1 draw to ensure second place in Group B and qualified for the Round Of 16 where they will play Uruguay. 

In the other Group B game, Spain were drawing Morocco 2-2 and late in the game, Iran forward Mehdi Taremi had the chance to seal a memorable win when a deflected shot fell his way. He however only managed to find the side netting and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Portugal forward Ricardo Quaresma had scored a stunning goal right at the end of the first half to give the European champions the lead in the crucial game.  Cristiano Ronaldo failed to extend Portugal’s lead when he won a penalty in the 53rd minute but Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand dived to his left to save his effort from the spot.

Refree Caceres consulted with VAR to award Portugal a penalty for Morteza Pouraliganji's foul on Ronaldo amid vociferous protests from the Iranians and their numerous supporters at the Mordovia Arena. The Real Madrid forward's missed penalty also meant he lost the chance to tie England's Harry Kane at the top of the scorers' list on five goals.

"We have achieved our goal and now we have to recover over the next few days to think about the next match," goal-scorer Quaresma was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Now we have to continue with this mindset of winning and wait for the next match."

Iran were well organised at the back and defended stoically but did not have enough men going forward. Carlos Queiroz's men relied mostly on counter attacks and while forward Sardar Azmoun showed plenty of glimpses of his talent, it was not enough to deny Portugal.

"It's such a big disappointment for us," Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh said. "We had a big chance at the end of the game, we could have scored and won it. As everyone has seen, we did our best to win this game but we missed some chances."

Portugal had faced a lot of criticism for their lacklustre display and inability to hold possession in their 1-0 win against Morocco last Wednesday but they appeared determined to set that right against the Asian powerhouse.

They dominated possession, playing almost three times the number of passes than their Asian opponents, and were more intent on creating chances through the midfield rather than just directing long balls towards Ronaldo.

Spain will meet hosts Russia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday. 

(Source: Reuters)

France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.

"I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything," Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Lloris said in an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe published on Monday.

"I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying."

Lloris, who made his international debut as a 21-year-old in a friendly against Uruguay in November 2008, bows out after becoming France's most-capped player during the World Cup.

He overtook previous record-holder Lilian Thuram's mark of 142 appearances and finished with his 145th cap in the final, which France lost 4-2 on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw at the end of extra time.

"I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision," Lloris said.

Former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper Lloris captained France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He played at seven major tournaments in total, including Euro 2016, when France lost in the final to Portugal as hosts.

France's back-up goalkeepers at the World Cup were 37-year-old Rennes veteran Steve Mandanda and Alphonse Areola of West Ham United.

However, the replacement for Lloris as France's starter is set to be the 27-year-old Mike Maignan of AC Milan, who missed the World Cup due to injury.

- 'Go out at the top' -

"There comes a time when you need to step aside. I have always said the French national team does not belong to any one person," Lloris said.

"There is a goalkeeper who is ready (Maignan), and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children.

"To have been the France goalkeeper for 14 and a half seasons is a big deal, but it is also mentally exhausting and I hope clearing some time for myself will allow me to keep playing at the highest level for a few more years."

He added: "I prefer to go out at the top, having helped France get to a World Cup final."

Lloris' decision comes after coach Didier Deschamps -- in charge since 2012 -- signed a new contract to remain in the position through to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

"I must, we must, respect his decision even if he still had his place in our team, as he demonstrated during the last World Cup," Deschamps said in a statement.

"A great servant of the France team is bowing out and I want to pay tribute to his exceptional career.

"Beyond all the records that his talent and professionalism enabled him to break, beyond the essential role that he played in our greatest victories ... Hugo is a remarkable person on a human level."

The next assignment for Deschamps and France is the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins at the end of March with a double-header against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.

They will also play Greece and Gibraltar in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the finals which will take place from June 14 to July 14 next year.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is almost over. We've been treated to a tournament full of fantastic goals, heartbreaking upsets and plenty of underdog triumphs that add drama to the greatest sporting event in the world. Now that it's drawing to a close - what do the stars of each nation drive, and what car would they be if they were vehicles on the streets of Dhaka?

Lionel Messi might drive a Lamborghini Huracan, but if the Argentine superstar had been a vehicle on the clogged up streets of Dhaka, he'd probably be a Pathao rider with 2 helmets and defensive armour. He'd be super fast, and his superior tactics would ensure that he gets past all obstacles. 

England made strides this tournament with captain Harry Kane. The Tottenham star drives a Bentley Continental GT, although here, he would be a Dhaka-Sylhet bus. A calm and collected vehicle that's secretly hiding the firepower to get you to the London of Bangladesh on time.

Cristiano Ronaldo, another contender for greatest of all time, earns massive paychecks at Real Madrid that can afford him a Bugatti Chiron. He's fast and capable of split-second direction changes, much like the Legunas we see around the city. He would go to great lengths to get the job done. 

Atlético Madrid and France striker Antoinne Griezmann is a big fan of McLaren, and sports the top dog P1 as his chariot. His immense work-rate on the field as he comes back on defence go in-line with Dhaka's favourite car, the Toyota Corolla X, which is absolutely everywhere.

Neymar still drives the Audi R8 V10 from his Audi sponsored Barcelona days. Now at PSG, the Brazil forward has made headlines this World Cup for all the wrong reasons. Thus, he would definitely be a mishuk or CNG - prone to falling over.

Arsenal's German winger Mesut Ozil pays tribute to his nationality with his Mercedes SLS AMG, but his sure-footed sprints across large swathes of field are similar to the Volkswagen Beetle's old-school yet surprising performance. Doesn't have the most power, but faster than it appears.

It was the first time that Video Referee Assistant (VAR) technology was used in a World Cup final but controversial refereeing decsions ensured that a spectacle of the calibre of the final might have been marred by inconsistencies.

Argentine referee Nestor Pitana, who was also took charge of the first match played between Russia and Saudi Arabia was handed the duty to bring the curtain down on the showpiece event.

Both France’s opener and their second goal which handed them the lead in the second half were controversial in their own rights.

The first goal would follow after Antoine Griezmann was fouled outside the area. Griezmann looked to shimmy his way past Marcelo Brozovic, perhaps going down easily under the midfielder's attentions to set up a set piece in a very dangerous area. Replays looked unconvincing as Griezmann looked like he either accidentally tripped himself or went down against minimum contact.

VAR did not intervene due to the guidelines which suggests that it should only intervene in case of goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity. It was not a penalty or a red card incident so VAR did not intervene.

Controversy followed the actual scoring of the goal as well after Mario Mandzukic had scored the first ever own goal in a World Cup final. French midfielder Paul Pogba appeared to be in an offside position when Mandzukic headed into his own net.

The Croatia forward had jumped higher than Pogba and interfered with the play. Notably former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas had his say on the matter over twitter.

“Honestly, I do not understand the use of VAR very well,” Casillas wrote.

“The referee points to a foul that wasn’t on Griezmann and France’s goal comes from that action and nothing happens.”

Uruguay and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez agreed with the former Real Madrid goalkeeper and wrote: You are right Iker and Paul Pogba was offside when he ‘participates’ in the play.

While the controversies in the first goal may get overlooked, it was France’s second goal ten minutes before half-time which might have changed the tide of the match after Croatia had fought back with a equalizer from Ivan Perisic.

Blaise Matuidi went up for a near-post header, but missed the nod-on. Instead, the ball landed near the defending Perisic's arm, prompting wild gesticulations from French players, pleading for a handball. The ball went out of bounds and was originally ruled a goal kick for Croatia, but the officials decided to use the VAR to check the play.

The referee put his finger to his ear, and after what felt like an eternity, signalled that he would consult the VAR. Whether it was deliberate, or whether Perisic's hand was in an unnatural position was not clear, even after repeated viewing of the incident.

Even when he appeared to come to a decision, the referee quickly spun on the spot and returned to the screen for one quick look before awarding a penalty to France from which Griezmann scored.

It looked highly unlikely that it was a case of deliberate handball and might have even been a case of ball to hand.

Alan Shearer led the criticism of the refree while talking at the BBC studio, claiming Pitana’s decision-making had been “ridiculous” and that both pivotal decisions were, in his opinion, wrong.

“They’re losing this game to a free-kick that wasn’t a free-kick, and penalty that definitely wasn’t penalty,” Shearer said.

Jurgen Klinsmann agreed, while Rio Ferdinand added: “Two bad decisions have really turned this game on its head.”

It was the biggest game in the biggest showpiece event in the world. A game which should have been lit up by the footballing excellence of the participating teams. In a way, that probably was the case. France had the most talented squad in the tournament and they managed to showcase their abilities. However, football is a crazy game where moments can decide the outcome of a match and before the second France goal, Croatia were looking like the better side. Whatever the result, maybe controversies should not lead discussions in the aftermath of such an important game, which is what happened after the final.

France, Belgium face off.

The two best teams of this World Cup lock horns tonight. A dream match that has every potential to live up to its billing as a Battle Royale.

A fierce fight is on the cards at many levels between the two attacking sides of world football. France are in possession of the richest talent and Belgium in the company of their Golden Generation. Both teams have already proved they can score, hold on to it and come back into the match after conceding goals.          

There will be lots of small fights within the fight.

A fight of class between No. 10s is one of those.

Although not always the case, the best player of the team usually puts on the number 10 jersey in football. The No. 10 jersey carries with it a sense of greatness, a sign of respect and a symbol of hope. The history of the World Cup is filled with magical players who, with this jersey on, put in amazing performances for their countries. The No. 10 jersey was popularised with Pele's phenomenal performance in 1958, and then almost all the greats including Maradona arrived thereafter wearing the shirt and made it more famous. In this World Cup, Lionel Messi and Neymar too wore the No. 10 but could not do much.

It would be interesting to see how the No. 10s of France and Belgium fare. Eden Hazard is not only the best in the Belgium camp but also one of a few top playmakers in the world eligible to wear the number. He is the heart of Belgium that never stops. Either he is scoring or making intelligent assists. He is active all the time. On the other hand, a French wonderkid is wearing the No. 10 in his debut World Cup. And Kylian Mbappe has already more than justified the decision. Interestingly though, Mbappe has invoked memories of Pele by becoming the first teenager since the Brazilian legend to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match.

There will be a battle of wits between two coaches -- France's Didier Deschamps and Belgium's Roberto Martinez. The game plan is all too crucial. At this stage of the tournament, they have adequate knowledge about each other's weaknesses and strength. So, the homework is done and the plot ready.        

There will be a battle of efficiency between two captains in implementing game plans. France's Hugo Lloris can count on his captaincy experience to prevail over Eden Hazard, Belgium's captain for this World Cup. Lloris will keep under the bar while Hazard will lead the attack from midfield. The captain's armband is a test of character. Some rise to the opportunity and become magnificent. Hazard is becoming magnificent.

It will also be a battle between midfield marshals to dictate the game. It would be a treat to watch how France's masterful duo of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante operate against Belgium's highly energetic trio of Axel Witsel, Nacer Chadli and Marouane Fellaini.

And, of course, goals are all that matter in the end. So, the focus will be on two rival strikers -- France's Kylian Mbappe and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. Both are of African origin: formidable, speedy and hungry for goals.  

But which team are going to celebrate in the end? It's a close call. But it is safe to say that the team that prevails in the majority of battles within battles would win the match!

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star