FIFA World Cup 2026: મોરોક્કોને 2-0થી હરાવી ફ્રાન્સની સેમિફાઇનલમાં ધમ…

ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ ૨૦૨૬ હવે તેના અંતિમ તબક્કા તરફ આગળ વધી રહ્યો છે. રોમાંચક ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ મેચમાં ફ્રાન્સે મોરોક્કોને ૨-૦થી હરાવીને સેમિફાઇનલમાં ગૌરવપૂર્ણ સ્થાન મેળવી લીધું છે, જ્યારે આ હાર સાથે મોરોક્કોનું વર્લ્ડ કપ જીતવાનું સપનું ચકનાચૂર થઈ ગયું છે. સમગ્ર મેચ દરમિયાન ફ્રાન્સનું પ્રભુત્વ જોવા મળ્યું હતું અને મોરોક્કોની ટીમ એક પણ ગોલ નોંધાવી શકી નહોતી.

ફ્રાન્સ-મોરોક્કો, એમ્બાપ્પેની પેનલ્ટી મિસ અને રોમાંચ

મેચનો પ્રથમ હાફ અત્યંત રોમાંચક રહ્યો હતો. બંને ટીમોએ ગોલ કરવા માટે ઘણી તકો ઊભી કરી હતી, પરંતુ કોઈ સફળતા મળી નહોતી. મેચની ૨૪મી મિનિટે ફ્રાન્સ પાસે લીડ મેળવવાની સુવર્ણ તક હતી, જ્યારે મોરોક્કોના ડિફેન્ડરે પેનલ્ટી બોક્સ (D) ની અંદર કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેને ફાઉલ કર્યો હતો. ફ્રાન્સને પેનલ્ટી એનાયત કરવામાં આવી, પરંતુ મોરોક્કોના ગોલકીપરની ચપળતા અથવા નસીબના જોરે એમ્બાપ્પે આ પેનલ્ટી ચૂકી ગયો અને પ્રથમ હાફ ૦-૦ની બરાબરી પર સમાપ્ત થયો. mchezo.life

ફ્રાન્સનો વળતો પ્રહાર

બીજા હાફમાં ફ્રાન્સે રમતની ગતિ બદલી નાખી અને માત્ર ૬ મિનિટના અંતરાલમાં બે ગોલ કરીને મેચ પોતાના નામે કરી લીધી. ૬૦મી મિનિટ: પ્રથમ હાફની ભૂલ સુધારતા, કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેએ શાનદાર ફિલ્ડ ગોલ કરીને ફ્રાન્સને ૧-૦ની લીડ અપાવી. ૬૬મી મિનિટ: ફ્રાન્સના આક્રમણને ચાલુ રાખતા ઓસ્માન ડેમ્બેલેએ બીજો ગોલ ફટકારીને સ્કોર ૨-૦ કરી દીધો. આ બેક-ટુ-બેક ગોલ બાદ મોરોક્કો દબાણમાં આવી ગયું અને અંતિમ સીટી વાગવા સુધી વાપસી કરી શક્યું નહીં. ફ્રાન્સે ૨-૦થી આ મેચ જીતીને સેમિફાઇનલની ટિકિટ મેળવી લીધી.

સેમિફાઇનલમાં કોની સામે થશે ટક્કર?

ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ ૨૦૨૬ની સેમિફાઇનલમાં પહોંચ્યા બાદ હવે ફ્રાન્સનો મુકાબલો સ્પેન અથવા બેલ્જિયમ સામે થશે. આ બંને ટીમો વચ્ચેની ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ મેચ બાદ વિજેતા ટીમ ફ્રાન્સ સામે ટકરાશે. બુધવાર, ૧૫ જુલાઈના રોજ ભારતીય સમયાનુસાર (IST) રાત્રે ૧૨:૩૦ વાગ્યે મેચ રમાશે. ફિફા વર્લ્ડકપમાં પોર્ટુગલ બહાર થતા રોનાલ્ડોને જોવા આતુર તેના ચાહકોમાં ઉત્સાહ ઘટયો છે. છતાં મેસ્સી અને એમ્બાપ્પેની શાનદાર રમત લોકોના આકર્ષણનું કેન્દ્ર બની રહી છે. ફ્રાન્સે મોરોક્કોને હરાવીને સેમીફાઈનલની ટીકીટ મેળવી લીધી છે. હવે તેની સામે કઈ ટીમ આવશે સ્પેન -બેલ્જિયમની મેચના આગામી પરિણામો કહેશે.

આ પણ વાંચો : FIFA World Cup 2026 : ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ માટે 8 ટીમ નક્કી,જાણો સંપૂર્ણ શેડ્યુલ

The ICC is considering stricter regulations for franchise cricket amid growing concerns over betting and match-fixing, according to reports from its Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. The governing body is reviewing measures to strengthen anti-corruption systems across domestic leagues.

The ICC is also discussing changes to the approval process for new franchise tournaments. Officials want stronger checks before allowing new leagues to operate, especially in non-full member nations, as the governing body looks to protect the integrity of the game and reduce corruption risks.

ICC Plans Stricter Rules to Tackle Corruption in Franchise Cricket

The ICC is discussing stronger measures to tackle betting and match-fixing in franchise cricket during its Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. The governing body believes newly launched T20 leagues are more vulnerable to corruption and wants to strengthen anti-corruption measures.

According to a BBC Sport report, the ICC's integrity unit has found growing evidence that corrupt groups are targeting players and leagues in different countries. The report said the ICC is planning to create a working group to improve the regulation of franchise cricket and strengthen anti-corruption efforts.

The report stated:

"In documentation seen by BBC Sport, the ICC's integrity unit have reported there is 'growing evidence' that corrupters were 'infiltrating leagues and players across a number of different member territories'."

"The ICC are now planning to establish a working party which will seek to harmonise franchise cricket within the international calendar and examine how corruption could be tackled more effectively. As part of the steps taken to mitigate the concerns, the ICC's executive committee will discuss a number of wider strategies during their ongoing annual general meeting (AGM) in Edinburgh."

ICC Considers Stricter Approval Process for New T20 Leagues

According to the report, the ICC also wants to tighten the approval process for new domestic franchise leagues. Officials believe the current rules make it too easy for non-full member nations to launch competitions, creating opportunities for illegal betting and match-fixing.

Under the existing regulations, a non-full member country can organize a franchise league if it signs more than four players from full-member nations who have represented their countries within the previous 24 months. The ICC is now considering stricter requirements before approving future tournaments.

The governing body also plans to establish a dedicated group to better align franchise leagues with the international calendar while strengthening oversight and anti-corruption measures across domestic cricket.

Cricket Canada Suspension Highlights ICC's Concerns

The ICC recently suspended Cricket Canada because of serious breaches of its membership obligations. According to reports, match manipulation was one of the major concerns behind the decision, although it was not mentioned in the ICC's public statement.

Cricket USA was also suspended last year, while France and Italy remain under investigation over governance issues. Despite the suspension, Canada's national teams will continue to compete in ICC events.

The ICC will provide funding through a controlled system for approved national team programs while a Normalisation Committee monitors Cricket Canada's progress toward meeting the conditions for reinstatement.

Meanwhile, Mauritius is set to become a new ICC member after meeting all the required criteria. Colombia, Poland, Latvia, Burundi, and Burkina Faso did not meet the requirements for membership.

In another mega development, IPL matches are likely to be held in Australia as BCCI and Cricket Australia discuss a landmark proposal.

France has sealed their spot in their third consecutive World Cup semifinal with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The France vs Morocco quarterfinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was played in the Boston Stadium. This was a rematch of one of the semifinal games from the 2022 World Cup.

Did France Beat Morocco in World Cup Quarterfinal

This match strategically took the form of a typical game where one team is clearly stronger than the other. The stronger team dominates attack and possession, while the weaker team sits back and waits for the counter-attack.

While Morocco has emerged as one of the strongest international sides over the past four years, Les Bleus are the best international team in the world. From the starting minutes of the game, France was seen taking the ball forward. Their first attempts on target came within five minutes of the match.

After controlling the game in the first quarter, Kylian Mbappé was brought down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui in the 25th minute. And after a VAR check, a penalty was awarded. However, the French skipper missed the penalty and the chance to give his team the lead.

After the hydration break, the game began in the same manner it ended. In the first 30 or so minutes of this match, France had taken 10 shots, three of which were on target. This compared to Morocco’s zero.

However, the first half ended with the French failing to score any goals, despite having taken a lot more shots. The team looked indecisive in the attacking third and, on occasion, was toothless in front of goal. On the other hand, Morocco had started keeping a lot more possessions, but to no avail. While one team had 22 shots by the end of the half, the other had five. No points for guessing which was which.

The second half began with the Atlas Lions looking more aggressive. In the 28th minute, a decent attempt was blocked by French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Meanwhile, Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou was having a stellar game so far.

Around the 55-minute mark, France had taken control of the game again, and while the likes of Mbappé and Désiré Doué had taken several shots on target, only for them to be saved, the 2018 world champions looked tantalisingly close to scoring.

The goal came in the 60th minute with some Mbappé magic. The French captain found the ball at the edge of the box, took a shot that curled past defender Issa Diop, and slotted the ball into the net, 1-0 France.

With that goal, France established their dominance in the game; meanwhile, Morocco started looking a bit desperate. Following the goal, the defending African champions made a couple of changes on the side, making the lineup more attack-focused with an outright No. 9 in Soufiane Rahimi.

However, the changes did not change the fact that France was still the better side in the No. 9 contest. In the 66th minute, they extended their lead to two goals. After cutting to the middle, Ousmane Dembélé took a right-footed shot from outside the box, and the ball sneaked into the bottom-right corner, making the score 2-0.

This goal all but sealed the match for France. To have any chance from here, Morocco needed a miracle, a miracle that never came. While they did create a few weak chances in the last half hour of the game, that did not bring them any viable scoring opportunities.

On the other hand, France was still quite pacy on the flanks, and their attacking players created some more chances, but they did not score again in the game. After taking a 2-goal lead, Kylian Mbappé was taken off the field. That was the level of confidence manager Didier Deschamps had in his team winning the match with a two-goal lead and just over 20 minutes remaining.

In the end, this France vs Morocco match ended with a 2-0 scoreline. With this win, the French have reached their third consecutive World Cup semi-final.

France will face the winner of the Spain vs Belgium match in the first semifinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played on Wednesday, July 15, at 12:30 am (IST) in Dallas Stadium.

Check Out: Did France Beat Morocco World Cup Quarterfinal

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Just around a few months ago, India were crowned the T20 World Champions. From that defining moment, the Indian T20I side have slipped to five straight losses, with one game being abandoned. Barring a few players who have been either rested or injured, the nucleus of the side has more or less remained the same. Yet, the Indian batting unit has looked bereft of confidence and skill.

So, what could be bottlenecks for the defending World Champions? It could be about lack of adaptability while playing in slightly different conditions. On the surface, it isn’t as if the decks in England have offered appreciable movement off the seam. All that we have seen is a hint of extra bounce. The truth be said the conditions in Bristol, the venue for the fourth T20I, was the best of all the pitches that we have witnessed on the UK tour so far. Unfortunately, from an Indian perspective, the top order once more collapsed while facing hard-length offerings and short deliveries from Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.

The initial school of thought could be that the Indian batters needed to play out the England pace duo of Tongue and Archer and subsequently, take more risks while facing the spinners. However, the shortest format of the game demands a batting unit to have the required arsenal to take advantage of the scoring opportunities. In that respect, the Indian batters don’t seem to have enough shots in the locker room to counter the England Powerplay bowlers in their own den.

Consider the following dismissals in the fourth game in Bristol: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cleared the front leg and tried to slog Jofra Archer but couldn’t only spoon a catch via the top edge. Ishan Kishan attempted a half pull or half slog and was dismissed. Tilak Varma danced down the track to a slower short one in order to slash it via point but to no avail. Washington Sundar attempted the pull stroke but found the fielder at fine leg to perfection. In the 13th over, Shivam Dube cleared the front leg to thwack Sam Curran but could only connect with thin air. The last bit of information isn’t related to a dismissal, but when a batter isn’t able to land a shot against a 125 kph short ball, then it is a problem that requires attention.

Peel the outside coating of the above-mentioned scalps further and zoom in on Vaibhav’s wicket. When the left-hand batter aimed to slog across the line, the hands were placed down and then it went higher. For a moment, just scroll through your old coaching manual, and it would observe, ‘get your hands nice and high’ while attempting a pull stroke against the short ball.

Undoubtedly, Vaibhav has the raw attributes to tonk plenty of sixes. But going forward, he probably has to work on upgrading certain aspects of his game. The way Vaibhav bats is merely a microcosm of how some of his senior teammates have tackled hard length from the opposition ranks. No wonder, the Indian batters had a strike rate of less than 120 in Ireland. And in the present series in England, it is hovering around just 100. In a nutshell, the Indian batters don’t seem to possess the pull and cut to counter the tactics of Archer and Tongue.

One of the hallmarks of cricket is how a set of players successfully acclimatise to different conditions. Although in modern-day T20s most of the conditions are homogenous in nature, there are small differences in how cricket is played across frontiers. It is safe to say that the Indian batters’ shortcomings have come to the fore in England. The worrying part from India’s point of view is that the next T20 World Cup is in the Southern Hemisphere and one can expect relatively more bounce in comparison to England.

The post India’s sorry tale in England and Ireland — Where have the orthodox pulls and cuts disappeared? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Melbourne [Australia], July 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India and Australia’s deep sporting bond and expressed delight at witnessing young sporting talent in action at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium, which he visited on Friday alongside Australia PM Anthony Albanese on the final day of his three-day visit to Australia.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Delighted to witness young sporting talent in action at the MCG. Watching children play cricket, Kabaddi and Australian rules football was a wonderful reminder that sport has a unique ability to connect people. India and Australia share a deep sporting bond. As both our nations prepare to host major global sporting events in the years ahead, there is immense potential to deepen cooperation in sports, youth engagement, infrastructure and talent development."

Delighted to witness young sporting talent in action at the MCG. Watching children play cricket, Kabaddi and Australian rules football was a wonderful reminder that sport has a unique ability to connect people.

India and Australia share a deep sporting bond. As both our nations… pic.twitter.com/DRIxJWiCm4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2026

PM Modi visited the MCG on the final day of his three-day visit to Australia, where he also announced that India is striving to host the 2036 Olympics and expressed delight over Chennai hosting the opening fixture of the Big Bash League 2026-27 edition.

Notably, earlier in the day, the Australian Prime Minister announced that the BBL 2026-27 season will begin in India, with Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium set to host the opening fixture in December. The announcement was made alongside PM Modi in a joint statement.

Cricket Australia later confirmed that the Melbourne Renegades will face the Perth Scorchers in the historic season opener on December 12. The match will be the first BBL fixture to be played outside Australia.

During his speech at the MCG, PM Modi said that with India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the country is also pursuing its bid for the 2036 Olympics. He also welcomed Chennai hosting the opening match of the 2026-27 Big Bash League season, saying staging sporting events in India ensures massive reach and viewership.

“India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. We are also striving to host the Olympics in India in 2036. Brisbane will host the Olympics in 2032. Sports infrastructure will be developed on a mega scale to host these global events… I am delighted that a Big Bash League match will be held in Chennai, India. For any sporting league, hosting an event in India guarantees extensive reach and viewership," he said.

PM Modi said the MCG evokes two emotions for Indians — the excitement of an India vs Australia contest and the realisation that cricket is a shared passion connecting both nations. He added that the sport has strengthened his friendship with Australian PM Albanese, serving as a natural bridge between the two leaders.

“Stepping into the MCG evokes two simultaneous emotions for any Indian. First, the thrill of an India-Australia match and second, the realisation that, in both our nations, cricket is not merely a sport but a shared passion. Yet, today, there is no pressure of a ‘last-over finish.’ Instead, there is only the joy of the game, the warmth of our friendship, and the energy of future champions," he said.

PM Modi said cricket has been a natural link between him and Albanese, recalling their visits to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023.

“Whenever I have had the chance to meet my friend Prime Minister Albanese, cricket has served as a natural connecting point between us. We visited the stadium together in Ahmedabad, and being here today, I can truly feel the sporting spirit–especially with legends like Steve Waugh and Lisa Sthalekar present among us," he said.

Albanese welcomed PM Modi to the MCG, highlighting the historic India-Australia cricket rivalry and the record-breaking attendance during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. He also acknowledged cricket legends Lisa Sthalekar and Steve Waugh, praising their contributions to the sport.

“Prime Minister Modi, welcome back to the sacred turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the birthplace of Test Cricket, the home of Australian rules football and the scene of so many famous contests between Australia and India. Just two years ago, Australian and Indian fans broke an attendance record that was 90 years old. Over five days, 3,70,000 people came through these gates to watch the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. That is the passion and the respect between our rivalry. It is a great honour to be joined here by two legends of Australian cricket who are both admired and revered in India too. Lisa Sthalekar and Steve Waugh," he said.

Albanese said the upcoming decade presents a major opportunity for India and Australia to strengthen sporting ties, with India hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games, Australia hosting the 2032 Olympics, and India pursuing its 2036 Olympic bid. He added that the nations will continue to share friendly rivalries, competitive contests, and greater cooperation across sports.

“With India hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games, Australia hosting the 2032 Olympics and India bidding for the 2036 Olympics, which I’m certain Australia will support, there is a decade of opportunity ahead of us for more friendly rivalry, serious contests and increased cooperation right across the board," Albanese said.

Notably, PM Modi, alongside Albanese, also visited the Shane Warne Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Albanese and PM Modi also unveiled the Roadmap on Sport Cooperation, aimed at strengthening sporting ties between Australia and India, according to a media release.

The initiative combines Australia’s expertise in hosting major sporting events with India’s growing ambitions in the sector, while opening new avenues for trade, tourism, and investment. It outlines key areas of collaboration, including capacity building, sports science and technology research, as well as industry and investment.

The Roadmap is expected to deepen cooperation in staging major international sporting events, with Australia preparing to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and India gearing up for the landmark centenary edition of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

PM Modi said the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap will expand cooperation beyond cricket, focusing on areas such as sports training, science, and technology to strengthen the partnership between the two nations both on and off the field.

“It gives me great pleasure to launch the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap today alongside Prime Minister Albanese. Through this initiative, we will strengthen cooperation not only in cricket but across other sports as well. We will move forward together in areas such as sports training, sports science, and technology, strengthening our partnership both on and off the field," PM Modi said. (ANI)

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