Uruguay KO Ronaldo, Portugal

The World Cup final between France and Croatia on Sunday was briefly interrupted when three intruders affiliated to anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot ran onto the pitch before being hauled off by stewards.

The pitch invaders, who were dressed in police-style outfits, were later detained by police, one of them told Reuters by telephone from a police station near Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, venue for the match.

In a post on its Facebook page, the group said its action was intended to draw attention to what it said were human rights abuses in Russia.

Three of Pussy Riot's original members were jailed in 2012 for staging a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a church and the group have since become a symbol of anti-Kremlin direct action.

In the second half of Sunday's match, the three people wearing white shirts with police-style epaulettes, black trousers and police hats ran out onto the pitch from the area behind the French goal. A fourth person tried to run onto the pitch but was tackled on the sidelines.

The three ran about 50 metres, dispersing in different directions, before stewards wearing high-visibility jackets tackled them to the ground and dragged them off the pitch.

One photograph on social media showed one of the pitch invaders, a woman with blonde hair tucked under a police cap, performing a high-five with France player Kylian Mbappe before being caught.

The match, watched from the stands by Putin and the French and Croatian presidents, was halted, but resumed about 25 seconds later. A witness at the stadium said he had seen police escorting the pitch invaders out of the stadium grounds.

The pitch invasion was the first significant security lapse in the five-week tournament that has won hosts Russia widespread praise for their good organisation and efficiency.

Pussy Riot member Olga Kurachyova told Reuters she was one of the pitch invaders and was being held at Luzhniki police station. She said she could not speak further because police were trying to take her mobile phone away from her.

Moscow police said in a statement that three young women and a young man had been detained after running onto the pitch.

LIST OF DEMANDS

In its Facebook post, Pussy Riot complained of rights abuses in Russia. They alluded to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker jailed for 20 years in 2015 for setting fire to two offices in Crimea, including one belonging to Russia's ruling party, after Moscow annexed the region from Ukraine.

Pussy Riot said their demands included freeing political prisoners in Russia, freedom of speech on the internet, freedom to protest, and allowing political competition.

The group shared a video on social media recorded before the incident featuring three female activists, at least two of whom were among those detained. They wore police uniforms and one of them wore a pink balaclava.

"The World Cup has shown wonderfully what the police can be like in Russia, but what will happen afterwards?" one of the activists asked in the video, an apparent allusion to lenient policing noted by Russians during the tournament.

A separate video posted on social media appeared to show the moments after the pitch invaders had been detained.

Two of them, a man and a woman, could be seen standing in a room, dressed in dishevelled police uniforms, while a voice off camera demanded handcuffs be brought.

"Do you know that Russia will pay for this to FIFA through sanctions?" the off-camera voice said, in an angry tone. "You wanted to shit on Russia, didn’t you?"

"We are for Russia," the male detainee replied.

"Sometimes I regret that it's not 1937," the person off- camera in the video said. That year was the height of political repressions carried out by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Photographs of the pitch invasion suggested the pitch invaders did not include the three Pussy Riot members who were jailed in 2012 for performing in the church.

Russian news website MediaZona, co-founded by one of the original three Pussy Riot members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, reported that one of the pitch invaders was Pyotr Verzilov, Tolokonnikova's husband.

Didier Deschamps proclaimed France’s second World Cup triumph was “just as beautiful” as their first after leading them to glory again 20 years on, but Croatia defender Dejan Lovren said that Deschamps' team "did not play football."

"I'm disappointed because we lost the game, we played much, much better football than them, but on the other hand I'm proud of this team and what we have achieved," Lovren said.

"We played beautiful football again. France were one of the favourites to win the World Cup and they did it. I think we were better. They did it another way. They didn't play football, they waited for their chances and they scored. They had their own tactic and you need to respect that. They played the tournament like that, every game, but when you look at all the countries behind us, we're second.” he added.

"There's nothing to talk about now. It's difficult to describe. Maybe after a week or two, a couple of months... right now, it's difficult. Some moments I feel sad, some moments I'm happy. Overall, I'm proud."

Ivan Perisic conceded the first-half penalty after referee Nestor Pitana penalised him for handball following a VAR review.

"I was sure he would not give the pen," said the Liverpool centre-back. "From my point of view, he [Perisic] could not react.

"It was a critical moment, we came back at 1-1, and then this penalty and then 3-1, 4-1, but even then we didn't stop playing football, we still believed, we gave everything, and this is why people are proud now in Croatia."

Didier Deschamps' side had claimed a 1-0 over Belgium in the semifinals with a defensive masterclass which left Belgium star Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois deeply unimpressed with what he felt were overly cagey tactics by France in the semi-final, and now Lovren also felt the frustration of coming up against Deschamps's style. Not always the most entertaining, however, in the end, French squad just had too much talent at its disposal to get the job done.

Cristiano Ronaldo made European Championship history as Portugal ended Wales's extraordinary Euro 2016 journey with a 2-0 semi-final win on Wednesday that sent them into the final.

In what was billed as a shootout between Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale, it was the Portugal captain who prevailed, opening the scoring in Lyon with a majestic 50th-minute header that saw him tie France great Michel Platini's record of nine goals at the Euro finals.

He also teed up Nani for Portugal's second goal three minutes before consoling his club colleague Bale on the pitch at the end.

Fernando Santos's men now go on to a Sunday showdown at the Stade de France with either Germany or hosts France, who meet in Marseille on Thursday.

It will be only Portugal's second major final after Euro 2004, when a 19-year-old Ronaldo was left in tears on the Estadio da Luz pitch in Lisbon after the hosts were beaten 1-0 by Greece.

While Ronaldo -- whose three goals leave him one short of France's tournament top scorer Antoine Griezmann -- closes in on what would be his first international trophy, Bale and Wales's dreams of emulating Greece ultimately came up short.

Missing the suspended Aaron Ramsey, they failed to test a Portugal team who had not previously won inside 90 minutes at the tournament.

But having reached the last four in their first major competition since the 1958 World Cup, Chris Coleman's side and their redoubtable red-shirted fans leave France with their reputation immeasurably enhanced.

West Ham United defender James Collins got the nod for Wales in place of the suspended Ben Davies and he coped manfully with the threat posed by Ronaldo in the first half, although he was perhaps fortunate to escape censure for a penalty-box headlock on the Portugal captain.

Ronaldo had to wait until the 44th minute until his first sight of goal, heading over from Adrien Silva's inswinging left-flank cross, while Joao Mario dragged a shot across goal and wide.

With Ramsey absent, there was even more onus than usual on Bale to make things happen for Wales and he was the stand-out player in an otherwise flat first period.

From Joe Ledley's training-ground corner he swiped a shot into the stands, while a galloping run down the right wing culminated in a shot that flew straight into Rui Patricio's gloves.

But if the first half was all about Bale, the second was all about Ronaldo.

A short corner on Portugal's left yielded the opening goal five minutes after the restart.

Raphael Guerreiro curled a cross to the back post and Ronaldo leapt above James Chester, seeming to hang in the air, before powering a header past Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey's flailing left hand.

Wales had taken control of the game after falling behind to Belgium in the quarter-finals, ultimately winning 3-1, but Portugal gave them no chance of doing that by scoring a second goal within three minutes.

Ronaldo was this time the provider, albeit inadvertently, as his mishit shot was prodded into the net by his former Manchester United team-mate Nani.

Coleman made three attacking changes, sending on Sam Vokes, Simon Church and Jonathan Williams for Joe Ledley, Hal Robson-Kanu and Collins.

Bale twice worked Rui Patricio with swerving efforts from range, but Portugal remained a threat, with Nani, Jose Fonte and Danilo all testing Hennessey.

By the end Wales's fire had burnt itself out, but their fans continued to sing as the seconds ticked away on their unforgettable French adventure.

You would expect Manchester United to dominate the headlines following their crucial league win over Fulham, with a late winner scored by the 18 year old Alejandro Garnacho. Cristiano Ronaldo on the other hand, had different plans.

Back in august, Ronaldo wrote on Instagram that, "They (will) know the truth when they interview in a couple weeks." When asked about the possible interview back then, United Manager Erik Ten Hag replied, "I don't know what he will achieve with that."

Three months passed and United fans probably forgot about Ronaldo's comment. However, Ronaldo didn't forget, and just a week before the world cup, the bombshell interview dropped out of the blue.

In the "most explosive interview he's (Ronaldo) ever given" – as per Piers – Ronaldo took a dig at the club executives, the manager, former manager Ralf Rangnick and even his former teammate Wayne Rooney.

He claimed United tried to make him a "Black Sheep" and accused the club of doubting him and when his daughter's illness made him return late for pre-season. 

When asked about United trying to force him out, he replied, "Yes. Not only the coach but the other two or three around the club. I felt betrayed."

He also followed the likes of Zlatan, Van Gaal and Mourinho in showing his discontent at how the club is run. He says, "Nothing changed. I thought I would see new technology, infrastructure. I saw (the same) things I saw when I was 20"

In addition to that, he claimed to be surprised when United hired Ralf Rangnick and said, "This guy is not even a coach." 

He added, "You have some things inside that don't help reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal."

He also hit back at Wayne Rooney for his comments saying, "I don't know why he criticises me so much, probably because he's finished his career and I'm still playing at the top level." 

When asked about Ten Hag, he replied, "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me."

Ronaldo claims he wants to express his side of the story and show that he wants change for the good of the club. Piers Morgan also told talkSPORT after the interview that, "He loves United and the fans but feels if he doesn't speak nothing will change."

However, the manner in which he lashed out at the club probably did more harm than good. Just when United seemed to be improving, his acts overshadowed the squad's recent progress and created a negative environment and brought unwanted attention.

For now, United have handed out a hefty fine to their legend, but we can expect that Ronaldo's time at United will come to an end due to this.

What was supposed to be a fairytale homecoming of a fan favorite, ended up being the worst possible experience for all parties involved. If there was any hope to rekindle the relationship between Ronaldo and United, it's all gone now. It remains to be seen what happens in the future after this.

Tamjidul Hoque is ready to be hurt again by Argentina this world cup, tell him what you think will happen this time at: tamjidulh@gmail.com 

References:

1. www.sportskeeda.com (August 19,2022). "I don't know what he will achieve with that" – Ten Hag responds to Cristiano Ronaldo announcing he will 'tell the truth' in 2 weeks amid ongoing transfer saga.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic stated outright what he felt regarding the controversial penalty call following his side’s 4-2 defeat to France in Sunday’s World Cup final, saying : “You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.”

A debatable penalty awarded with the use of FIFA's new video replay system proved a turning point in the World Cup final on Sunday as debate focused on erronous referee calls.

France and Croatia were level at 1-1 in an evenly contested match when Argentine referee Nestor Pitana was alerted to a possible handball ten minutes from half time and, after checking the off-field screen, he decided Croatia's Ivan Perisic had handled. While there is no doubt that the ball did hit the Croatian’s hand, the focus will remain on whether the handling of the ball was intentional.

Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty and France went on to win 4-2. Even after the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, it remained a highly contentious call. Many former players called the awarding of the penalty a dubious decision with former England and Liverpool defender perhaps rightly suggesting that ‘It’s the referee’s mistake, not VAR! VAR is just the replay of an incident.’

The decisions proved to be a turning point in the match as France’s influence grew following their second goal. Dalic said he thought such a decision had no place in a game of such magnitude.

“We played well but the penalty knocked the wind out of us and after that it was very difficult," Dalic said after congratulating France on their victory. "I just want to say one sentence about that penalty: You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.”

The Croatia coach conceded that his team had let in two ‘soft goals’ but lamented the fact that things did not go their way when they were in a good position to fight for the match.

“We wanted to win the World Cup so much, but that's football," he said. "The French did not surprise us; we let in two soft goals coupled with an own goal and a penalty.

“What we had in terms of luck in this tournament, we lacked today. When you concede four goals, you cannot expect to win the game.”

Neverthless, Dalic went on to congratulate France and praised his team’s effort after they gave a vastly talented French side a run for their money.

“I congratulate France on their title. We played well in the first 20 minutes, we controlled the game. Then there was an own goal from a set play. We came back to life, dominated and then the penalty was given,” Dalic said.

“I have to congratulate my players, it was maybe the best game we played in this tournament; we controlled the match but we conceded. Against such a strong side as France you must not make mistakes. We are a bit sad, but we have to be proud as well for what we’ve done.”