If historians had not located the ancient Sparta territory, I would have guessed it was in the Basque country, precisely in the lovely city of San Sebastian, and that King Leonidas is buried under the turf of Anoeta, Real Sociedad’s stadium, as the almighty Barcelon continues to struggle in the land of Euskera, despite playing against a weaker side (at least in theory).
Neymar transfer rumors have circulated almost since he stepped foot on the training ground at Paris Saint-Germain. Such is the nature of European soccer, with its escalating transfer fees and dueling ownership groups. Although for a time it appeared that Real Madrid would replace Ronaldo with Neymar, it now looks increasingly likely that Neymar will stay at PSG for at least another season.
Every four years the World Cup comes around and presents some of the best athletes from the world of soccer. From incredible passes to mind-boggling goals, the tournament is the largest sporting competition in the world, drawing the largest television audiences ever recorded.
France takes on Uruguay in the first quarterfinal of the 2018 World Cup at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The match will serve as the tournament’s first truly fascinating clash of styles: the attacking zest of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba versus the hard-bitten play of Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez and Luis Suarez. It’s all on the line with the winner advancing to the semifinal to meet either Brazil or Belgium.
It wouldn’t be a World Cup without Luis Suarez making headlines for negative actions. In 2010 it was his hand ball to save a goal against Ghana. In 2014 it was biting Giorgio Chiellini. In 2018 against Portugal, he was caught faking a head injury, with the referee not buying it at all.
Luis Suarez combined with Edinson Cavani for the game’s first goal, which was vital in a match between two teams with defenses that can be difficult to break down.
The usual South American suspects are dominating all the headlines so far this World Cup. How far will Neymar take Brazil? Are Lionel Messi and Argentina finally on form after squeaking through to the Round of 16? Even Colombia and its exciting play through Fernando Quintero and Falcao is garnering attention. However, lost in the chatter of those South American squads is a very exciting and solid Uruguay World Cup squad.
Today's games were expected to be one-sided affairs, but that wasn't the case. Heavyweights Portugal, Uruguay and Spain all struggled to hold on to 1-0 leads to get the vital three points. Not the most exciting day of the World Cup so far, but Twitter was still making the day and games enjoyable with some witty banter.