Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson led his island nation to an improbable 1-1 draw against heavyweight Argentina, sparking Fox play-by-play man John Strong to say "Iceland beats Argentina, 1-1."
Halldorsson came up with six saves against an Argentina side that controlled 78 percent of the possession. His stop on Lionel Messi's penalty will play on World Cup highlight reels for years to come.
Iceland’s first trip to the World Cup is off to a pretty fantastic start. The smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup won 1-1 against Argentina to start Group C play on Saturday. Alfred Finnbogason scored the equalizer for the underdogs and the call from Iceland announcer Gummi Ben showed just what it meant to his country.
Iceland has a population of about 334,000, smaller than more than 50 cities in the U.S., but the team qualified for its first World Cup two years after thrilling at the 2016 Euros.
In 2018, one might say French striker Antoine Griezmann has a lot on his plate. He has been fielding rumors about his future for weeks and is withholding a much-anticipated decision about which club he will take his talents to next season. He’s also one of the focal points of a star-studded France side heading into the World Cup as a tournament favorite. After a significant Euro 2016 performance, he’ll be expected to produce in the Les Bleus attack.
After calling time on his professional career back in December at the age of 37, Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky celebrated his 20-year professional career — which included stints with Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal — by playing a testimonial match on Saturday featuring a Czech XI and World XI. The likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Jens Lehmann and Mathieu Flamini were on show, but it was Rosicky’s young son, Tomas Jr, who stole the show.
Every football fan remembers where they were when Brazil suffered humiliation at the hands of Germany during the last World Cup on their home turf. The 7-1 loss in the semifinals was undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the nation’s sporting history.
Growing up as a reader of Sports Illustrated and a fan of soccer were two mutually exclusive things. Every week, I’d immediately flip through the magazine looking for an article from Grant Wahl or a blurb concerning the world’s game, but it was an extremely rare occurrence.
Mario Balotelli made his triumphant return to the Italian national team against Saudi Arabia on Monday and managed to score an outstanding goal early on.
In true Balotelli form, it only took him just a measly twenty minutes to find the back of the net. They really could have done with him against Sweden.
The match was the first of former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini’s tenure as the coach of the Italian team, and the Azzurri went on to win 2-1.
There's no denying that tensions are high heading into the Champions League final tomorrow in Kyiv, but Liverpool and Real Madrid fans are reminding us of how soccer can bring people together for good.
The CRIS Cancer Foundation filmed Liverpool and Real Madrid fans singing Liverpool's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Celebrating its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 36 years, Peru sent a fantastic reminder of its footballing heritage and indomitable spirit to Group C rivals France, Denmark and Australia via Twitter.
The two-minute hype video will send shivers down your spine with shots of the Andes mountains, the Amazon Basin, Lima, Machu Picchu and the nation’s brilliant World Cup qualifying campaign (take a seat, Luis Suarez).