The18 World Cup Takeover

Entire Nation Of Brazil Begins Freaking Out As Neymar Limps Off During Practice

Brazil fans may want to look away. After being held out of practice on Monday, the latest Neymar injury update saw the world’s most expensive player limp off after just 15 minutes of practice on Tuesday.

Sepp Blatter Accepts Putin Invitation To World Cup Despite Six-Year Ban From Football

Disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter will attend two matches at the 2018 World Cup at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin despite, the former’s six-year ban from football on unethical conduct charges. 

Blatter will attend Wednesday’s match between Portugal and Morocco at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow before traveling to St. Petersburg to watch Brazil take on Costa Rica Friday. 

The Surprising Origin Story Of The Viking Clap

Boom boom. Huh! The sound that will haunt Lionel Messi in his dreams tonight, the soundtrack of the Cinderellas, my new ringtone — the Iceland viking clap. 

South Korea’s Manager Has The Perfect Tactic For Confusing Opposition Scouts

South Korea’s manager Shin Tae-Yong is a smart man. Recent accusations of a Swedish scout spying on South Korea’s training led the gaffer to explain a very interesting tactic that he uses in training.

Sneaky, Sneaky Juan Quintero Puts A Free Kick Under The Wall And Humiliates Japan’s Keeper

I’m making this up — this could’ve happened at the 1934 tournament or something — but I’m pretty sure that Tuesday’s match between Colombia and Japan is the first-ever World Cup game in which a player has been sent off in the third minute, resulting in a successfully taken penalty, only to be followed by a 39th minute equalizer in which a player strokes a free kick under the wall.

I just have a good feeling that we’ve never seen anything like this before.

James Rodriguez Injury Update: Calf Injury Forces Star To Bench vs. Japan

Colombia will be without attacking midfielder James Rodriguez when it opens group play against Japan Tuesday. The latest James Rodriguez injury update says the 2014 Golden Boot winner is still struggling with a left calf injury that he sustained during training, and he’s since been omitted from Colombia’s starting eleven to face Japan.

Heroes And Villains Of The World Cup: Matchday Five

No event escalates individuals to the status of national hero or global villain as dramatically as the World Cup. The idolatry that follows success and the stigma that follows failure are woven into the fabric of history, and the repercussions will typically follow footballers for the rest of their lives. Daily, we’ll take a look at who played the role of hero and who played the role of villain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Coaches Corner: A Tactical Preview Of Poland vs. Senegal

Poland and Senegal play on the final day of matchday one at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and it looks set to be an absolute goal fest with both teams possessing plenty of firepower upfront. 

PREDICTED POLAND LINEUP (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Piszczek, Pazdan, Bednarek, Rybus; Krychowiak, Linetty; Grosicki, Zieliński, Błaszczykowski; Lewandowski

World Cup Social Media Roundup: Day 5

Day five saw two heavyweights, Belgium and England, secure victories but not without some nervy moments. Twitter was on call for reactions to all of the day's action. 

South Korea vs. Sweden 

This definitely wasn't the most exciting game of the tournament, and there wasn't much flow to the game. The internet took note of that.

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