Author: Rohan Chowdhury

Colombia will play Argentina in the Copa America 2024 final in Miami after Nestor Lorenzo’s side defeated Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay 1-0 in a tense semi-final in Charlotte. Colombia’s victory came courtesy a 38th-minute header by Jefferson Lerma from a James Rodriguez corner. Despite being reduced to ten men after Daniel Munoz received a second yellow card in the dying minutes of the first half, they managed to hold on in the second half, and could even have added to the scoreline. The encounter was heated from the start, with both sides engaging in rough tackles. Uruguay began strongly, with Darwin…

Two goals in two halves saw Argentina, the defending champions, usurp Canada, and secure their place in the Copa America 2024 Final. Julian Alvarez opened the scoring at the halfway mark of the first half, and finally, Lionel Messi got his name back on the scoresheet in the 51st minute, his first in this tournament. Lionel Scaloni made changes to the line-up, bringing in Angel di Maria and Alvarez alongside Leo Messi, leaving top-scorer Lautaro Martinez on the bench. Canada had a spirited start to the game with more shots in the first ten minutes, but defensive lapses allowed Argentina…

It’s a repeat of the tournament opener in the Copa America 2024 first semi-final. Defending champions Argentina will take on Canada at MetLife Stadium on June 10. In their group stage encounter, Argentina came out on top with a 2-0 victory, with goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina had a dominant group stage run, maintaining a perfect record without conceding a single goal. Although Lionel Messi’s form, so far, has not been up to the mark, the squad has delivered consistently, showing that they have learned to perform beyond relying on Messi. Lautaro Martinez has been…

Despite not being at their best, Argentina progressed to the last-four of Copa America via penalties. Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, the evergreen goalkeeper, was once more the hero. Ecuador deserved to go through for their sheer intent to win, which was lacking in Las Albicelestes. Whenever a legend of the game is on the verge of retirement, there is a certain spotlight on that player’s performance. For Lionel Messi, this has perhaps been his worst ever run for his national side. Other than his assist to Lautaro Martinez in the opener, nothing significant has come from his boot. A lazy attempt…

No fairytale for Georgia in Cologne, as a young Spanish Armada gave them a harsh reality check in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 clash. Georgia had already made history by defeating Portugal the other day and qualifying for the knockouts in their first campaign, but they bowed out to Spain, after a thumping 1-4 defeat. Spain made ten changes from their previous game, returning to their strongest lineup with Laporte being the only constant. Unai Simon started in goal in place of David Raya, while Marc Cucurella and Dani Carvajal took over as full-backs instead of Navas and Grimaldo.…

Switzerland vs Italy Switzerland enter their Round-of-16 clash with Italy, the defending champions, undefeated, having started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Hungary followed by 1-1 draws against Scotland and Germany. Michel Aebischer and Kwadwo Duah scored in the opener, with Breel Embolo securing the victory late. Against Scotland, Xherdan Shaqiri equalised after an early deflected goal from Scott McTominay. Switzerland held Germany to a draw, with Dan Ndoye scoring and Yann Sommer making crucial saves before Niclas Fullkrug equalized for Germany. Italy began with a 2-1 win against Albania but then lost 1-0 to Spain and drew 1-1…

Own goals and late goals have grabbed headlines on multiple occasions in Euro 2024. As Czechia and Turkey met at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, fans saw another late-goal thriller. In this Group F clash, Turkey stood at the second position and Czechia at No.3 at the start of the game. The table saw ups and downs during the course of the game, also because of the other clash in this group between Portugal and Georgia, where the latter managed a 2-0 upset. The match in Hamburg ended in a 2-1 win for Turkey, as Cenk Tosun scored the winner in the…

Eight years ago, on June 27, Argentina faced Chile in the Copa America final at MetLife Stadium. After a goalless stalemate in 120 minutes, Chile lifted the trophy 4-2 on penalties. Lionel Messi missed his shot and announced his retirement from international football after the match. Fast forward to Wednesday, June 26, these two sides met again at the same stadium, houseful. Since that retirement, Messi came out of it, won the Copa America 2021, and the FIFA World Cup 2022 as the captain of his side. Though the match seemed to be heading for another goalless draw, the Argentine…

Argentina stand on the brink of achieving a historic feat that would place them alongside Spain’s legendary teams that won it all between 2008 and 2012. With victories in the Copa America 2021 and the FIFA World Cup 2022, Argentina now have the opportunity to complete an extraordinary treble by winning the Copa America 2024. This would match Spain’s unprecedented sequence of winning a continental championship, the World Cup, and another continental championship in succession. The Beginning: Copa America 2021 Argentina’s resurgence on the international stage began with their triumph in the Copa America 2021, held in Brazil. Under the…

The Paris Olympics 2024 will mark the city’s third time hosting the Games, following 1900 and 1924. Each iteration has delivered unique moments and innovations, mirroring the evolution of the Olympic movement and the world at large. The 1900 Summer Olympics were notably chaotic, integrated with the 1900 Paris Exposition, leading to a scattered schedule across multiple venues over five months. These Games were significant for being the first to include female athletes. Helene de Pourtales, who was American-born, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first female Olympic champion as part of the Swiss team that won the 1-2-ton…