World Cup

Christian Eriksen Deserves To Be In The World Cup

For a moment, it looked like plucky Ireland were going to qualify for the World Cup. Shane Duffy's silly goal put them up 1-0 on Denmark at home. All they had to do was see the game out without conceding. But then Christian Eriksen decided he had had enough, as only a handful of players in the world can do, and tore Ireland up on the way to a hat trick, a 5-1 win and World Cup qualification for Denmark.

Cryptic Zlatan Tweet Kicks Off Excellent Game Of World Cup "Will He Or Won't He?"

Sweden National Team manager Janne Andersson would like all of you to know that there is NO WAY Sweden's all-time goalscorer and all-around entertainment generator Zlatan Ibrahimovic is going to play for Sweden at the World Cup, which they just qualified for, much to the chagrin of Italy. So just get that out of your heads. Zlatan, the man who once said "a World Cup without me is nothing to watch" is not going to play in the World Cup. He is retired from international football and currently rehabbing an awful knee injury. IT IS NOT HAPPENING.

Is This The Death Of Italian Football As We Know It?

People have started to write the obituaries for Italian football.

Italy is a young nation. It has old cities, even older cultures. But, as a country, it was only unified in 1861. That’s only slightly older than the form of codified football we know today. It should be no surprise that Italy has traditionally been so close to football: it’s simply a question of historical proximity.

Watch Gianluigi Buffon Show True Sportsmanship Before Facing Sweden

We get it. When things are not going our way, soccer and any other sport can bring out some nasty stuff. This was made disgracefully evident by the 80,000 Italian fans that attended San Siro and whistled during the entirety of Sweden’s national anthem.

However, and this is what we value most in soccer, the beautiful game can also bring out the very best in us as human beings. 

Switzerland Through To World Cup With Awful Penalty Call Overshadowing Achievement

In the end, the only moment that separated Switzerland and Northern Ireland in their World Cup qualifying playoff was a dubious penalty call awarded to the Swiss in Belfast. Sunday’s return leg at St Jakob-Park in Basel ended in a 0-0 draw with the Irish again looking extremely limited going forward, but Switzerland were entirely wasteful as well, particularly forward Haris Seferovic.

Italian Apocalypse Looms Following Shock First Leg Defeat To Sweden

Sweden registered a famous 1-0 victory over Italy in their World Cup qualifying playoff first leg in Stockholm thanks to a deflected effort from substitute Jakob Johansson. The return leg is on Monday in Milan with Italy’s hopes of a 19th World Cup appearance in serious jeopardy. 

Johansson’s 61st minute strike was vital, but Sweden’s ability to successfully keep Italy off the scoresheet was just as big. An away goal in Milan would almost certainly be enough to send Sweden through, and this Swedish side has enough talent to go toe-to-toe with the four-time world champions.

The Own Goal That Helped Send Senegal To The World Cup Was Properly Stupid

Senegal qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia by beating South Africa 2-0 in a World Cup qualification replay on Friday. For the second goal, South Africa capitulated in perhaps the most painful way possible: the shambolic own goal.

Teams That Have Qualified For The World Cup

Only 30 teams can qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Here's a complete list of the teams that have qualified, which we will update when new teams qualify.

1) Russia. Host-UEFA

2) Brazil. CONMEBOL

3) Iran. AFC

4) Japan. AFC

5) Mexico. CONCACAF

6) Belgium. UEFA

7) South Korea. AFC

8) Saudi Arabia. AFC

9) Germany. UEFA

10) England. UEFA

11) Spain. UEFA

12) Nigeria. CAF

13) Costa Rica. COCACAF

14) Poland. UEFA

15) Egypt. CAF

16) Iceland. UEFA

17) Serbia. UEFA

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