It’s one win that meant little in terms of the standing at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, but so much for millions of Filipinos unhappy with the state of their national basketball program and aching for relief from a string of defeats. Before an 11,000-plus crowd that packed the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last night (Sept....
Tag: World Cup
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Filipinas’ World Cup Cinderella run ends, but applause, admiration remain
The FIFA Women’s World Cup match on July 30 that pitted a heavyweight against a team playing for the first time on football’s grandest stage resulted in what most sports pundits expected. Hope that the Filipinas—or the Philippine Women’s National Football Team—would pull an upset against Norway had been stoked by its 1-0 win in...
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Messi powers Argentina past France in dramatic World Cup Final shootout
The 36-year wait for Argentina is finally over as the most coveted 18-carat gold trophy in the world of football is again in the hands of the Albicelestes after winning a nail-biting 4-2 penalty shootout against reigning champion France on Sunday night (Monday morning in the Philippines) at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar. Only...
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Croatia holds off Morocco, 2-1, gets World Cup bronze
Is there a more bittersweet match in the FIFA World Cup than playing for third place? The teams facing off lost in their respective semifinal: Croatia, 2018 World Cup finalist, were denied passage to the final by Argentina, who cruised past them, 3-0, while Morocco were beaten 0-2 by France, the 2018 World Cup champion....
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World Cup: Argentina in final as Messi’s last-dance dream stays alive
Lionel Messi’s Argentina is now a win away from its goal of World Cup glory after dismantling a weary-looking Croatia, 3-0, in the first semifinal match this morning (3 a.m., Dec. 14 in Manila) at Lusail Stadium. It is the sixth time Argentina reached the World Cup final, and they are now waiting for the...
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Where we’re at in World Cup: 4 teams remain in thrilling tournament
Except for some shockers like powerhouses Argentina and Germany losing to unheralded opponents at the start of the Group Stage, the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar began uneventfully. But as expected, the quadrennial event exploded into life with the semifinals set this week. Anxiety levels soared through the roof in this weekend’s quarterfinals, in...
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World Cup 2022: Thrilling for reasons other than the games
As the biggest show on earth reaches fever pitch in Qatar, fans are being treated to thrilling sideshows that have little to do with the tournament, but with far-reaching implications for the participating countries. Since kicking off on Nov. 21 at the Khalifa International Stadium, the 2022 FIFA World Cup has been abuzz with...