Author: WebDesk

-Atreyo Mukhopadhyay There is something about football that tends to defy logic. Things happen against the predicted projections. They sometimes go absolutely haywire. This can be crazy. Beyond the realm of imaginations. And that is why you love watching sports. It keeps astonishing you. Wakes you out of the slumber. Stuns you. Gets you out of your comfort zone. The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has turned out to be one such event. No favourites, no underdogs. It’s about who turns up better on a given day. How many upsets already? Spain, Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and a…

This was England’s Chance, and They Blew It   Harry Kane, England’s 29-year-old captain, has never won a trophy. After his penalty miss against France, he and his teammates must front up to the fact that they may never again come so close to glory. After the final whistle, Jude Bellingham, one of England’s outstanding performers throughout the tournament, lay on the turf, jersey pulled over his face and inconsolable. Those on the sidelines and in commentary boxes spoke of how, at 19, his chance would come again. But life is seldom that simple, and Bellingham, a mature young…

-Swapnil Mukherjee I had to take a few deep breaths before writing this, coming from a Messi fan – Love him or not, he is a human being. Everyone has their limits. Everyone has their breaking point. He too had his. Finally his dream is over. Ronaldo..I would like to see anyone go through what he has personally and come through it unscathed. It is impossible. Inhuman and unimaginable. 20 years of outstanding football, breaking and making records, leaving behind the CR7 legacy and May we say that will never change. The game will miss him. He is a devotee…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay It was Ishan Kishan today. It can be someone else tomorrow. How do you keep the door shut on this enormous pool of talents? In India, there are lots of them. It’s just a question of grooming them, giving them the break at the right time. If you do that, you reap the rewards. Was it not the case in Chattogram? It was downright outrageous. That knock by Kishan. What audacity, power and ability to execute plans. It was almost as if, the bowler did not exist. I can do whatever I want, hit the ball wherever I…

Messi Joy After Brazilian Heartbreak   The best team in South America are going home, undone by Croatia’s veterans. Lionel Messi and Argentina, though, march on, thanks in no small measure to his genius illuminating an often ugly game. South America’s best team are heading home. The world’s most adored player, however, is staying on, to maintain South American interest in a competition that the continent hasn’t won since 2002. Those were the key takeaways from a dramatic and bizarre night in Qatar, with the first two quarterfinals both going to the lottery that is a penalty shootout. …

 Another Tie-Breaker another win for #Croatia!! This time they knocked #BRA out of the #Qatar2022 . Who makes it to our Fittest Athlete of the day?

Van Gaal against Messi, and the Cruyff Way   The sixth instalment of one of the great World Cup rivalries will pit a legendary coach who didn’t see eye to eye with Johan Cruyff, against Lionel Messi, who remains the best example of how the late Dutch titan wanted football to be played.  When Netherlands take on Argentina in front of nearly 89,000 at the Lusail Stadium on Friday night, it will mark the latest chapter in one of the World Cup’s most intense rivalries. Both have had moments to savour, but this is also a contest characterised…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay All defeats hurt. Some of them sting and leave a long-lasting impact on the sufferer. India’s loss in the second ODI against Bangladesh which also cost them the series belongs to this category. It was not merely about India losing. It was about the manner they let the initiative slip. Considering that this happened twice in two games, there are reasons to ask whether this lot is the right one looking ahead to next year’s World Cup. Since the World Cup to be hosted by India is about 10-11 months away, let us stay in the present instead…

“We are disappointed with this outcome as our intention was to give David the opportunity to demonstrate why his lifetime leadership ban should be varied at an independent hearing and we amended our Code of Conduct accordingly,” the statement read. “We supported David’s wish for these discussions to be heard behind closed doors and respect his decision to withdraw his application. “David is a very senior and highly regarded member of the Australian team who has been a great ambassador for the game as a whole since his return from a year-long ban.”

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay You committed a mistake and were caught red-handed. The jury was out and found you guilty. They handed a punishment. You accepted it. Life should move on after that. Isn’t it? Or should you keep getting punished for the offence you have already been punished for? This appears to be the reason behind David Warner’s decision to withdraw his appeal against the lifelong leadership ban imposed on him after the ball tampering scandal during a Test match in South Africa in 2018. It caused a national furore in Australia and the Prime Minister stepped in. Warner, captain at…