About Us Contact us Kannada

Samara (Russia), July 8: The 2018 FIFA World Cup now has its four semi-finalists after a typically thrilling set of quarter-finals. Here are four things we learned as eight contenders for the title were reduced to four, reports Xinhua news agency:

1. Courage can only take you so far: Russia bowed out of the World Cup in a heroic and painful style following a penalty shootout against Croatia. Right now the Russians will be feeling the disappointment of their exit, but they should be proud of a squad of players who performed well above themselves and allowed their supporters to dream. The win against Spain was a minor miracle and fruit of their hard-work, courage and a necessary bit of luck. But if you want to get into the last 4 you need a bit more than that and a talented Croatia deserved to progress.

2. Let's talk about goalkeepers: The World Cup tends to be about strikers: Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Lukaku and Harry Kane, but the quarter-finals have been as much about goalkeepers as attackers. Belgium's Thibaut Courtois made a string of brilliant saves to keep Brazil at bay, England's Jordan Pickford made three magnificent stops to keep Sweden out, Hugo Lloris made out a great save against Uruguay for France when the score was still 0-0 and Danijel Subasic was once again an intimidating presence in the penalty shootout as Croatia got past Russia. Keepers win you matches just as much as strikers.

3. Be flexible: Belgium coach Roberto Martinez produced a masterstroke to help his side beat Russia, swapping the 3-4-2-1 he has used for most of the World Cup, for a 4-3-3 against Brazil. The different formation allowed Belgium to stretch Brazil down the flanks, especially the Brazil right and clearly caught Brazil by surprise. Meanwhile Fellaini was a threat in the air that Brazil struggled to deal with. Brazil's excellent coach, Tite, countered Martinez's strategy at halftime, but by then Belgium were 2-0 ahead; too much of a lead for a team that good to surrender.

4. France continue to improve: Didier Deschamps' side didn't look entirely convincing in their first two group games, making hard work of Australia and Peru, but World Cups with a possible 7 games in four weeks are all about evolving and growing as a team in a short span of time. France have done that and a team that looked disjointed in mid-June looks compact, solid and threatening after the first week of July: of course they have a fulcrum called N'golo Kante holding things together for them, allowing Paul Pogba, Griezmann and company to shine.



Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.

Comments

Noida (PTI): A Lamborghini hit two pedestrians on a footpath adjacent to an under-construction building in sector 94 here on Sunday, police said.

The injured, labourers from Chhattisgarh, were rushed to a nearby hospital and are said to be out of danger. They have suffered a fracture in their legs, police said.

A purported video surfaced online showing that after the accident, a man was heard asking the accused if he knew how many people died here. To this, the accused asked the locals "koi mar gaya idhar? (did anyone die here?)" and came out of the car.

Following this, someone in the video could be heard saying, "police ko bulao (call the police)".

Bhupendra Singh, In-charge at Sector 126 Police Station told PTI, "In the car accident two labourers were injured and they were from Chhattisgarh. They are out of danger and have fractures in their legs."

The accident happened adjacent to an under-construction building, he said.

"The car driver has been identified as Deepak, a resident of Ajmer and the car is registered with the Puducherry registration. He has been arrested and the car has been seized," he added.

During questioning he told the police that the accident happened due to a fault in the vehicle. Further investigation is underway, Singh said.

All Stories

Moon sighted, India to celebrate Eid on Monday
Moon sighted, India to celebrate Eid on Monday

 Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan, will be celebrated in the country on Monday as the moon was sighted this evening.
Nine people including Indian arrested for looting departmental store in Kathmandu
Nine people including Indian arrested for looting departmental store in Kathmandu

At least nine people, including an Indian national, were arrested for their involvement in looting various items from a departmental store during the pro-monarchy protest in Nepal, police said.
Syed Shafiulla calls out hypocrisy over street Namaz vs. Hindu festivals; Video goes viral
Syed Shafiulla calls out hypocrisy over street Namaz vs. Hindu festivals; Video goes viral

A recent episode of The Sujit Kumar Show, featuring Congress leader Syed Shafiulla as a guest, has sparked widespread discussion across social media platforms.

Copyright © 2025. Vartha Bharati. All rights reserved