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Benzema posts tweet indicating international retirement
France forward Karim Benzema posted a message on social networks Monday indicating that he is retiring from internationals, a day after the national team lost the World Cup final without him.
After raising the Ballon d'Or award as the world's top player to crown his remarkable rise, Benzema's dream of winning the World Cup was over last month before the tournament in Qatar even started as he tore a muscle in his left thigh during training with Les Bleus.
"I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending," Benzema wrote on his 35th birthday, in a post accompanied by a picture of him in a France shirt.
Read more: Brilliant Benzema and His Road to Ballon d’Or Glory
The Real Madrid striker was France's top scorer at the 2014 World Cup but did not play in the country's victorious 2018 World Cup campaign because he was still exiled from the national team for his alleged role in a sex-tape scandal with then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
The fallout from that scandal led to a dramatic fall from grace for Benzema. He faced a nationwide deluge of vitriol and scathing criticism, including on the political level. It led to a long exclusion from the national team from October 2015 until his recall by Deschamps in May last year.
With his relationship with Deschamps repaired, Benzema scored freely for France with 10 goals in 16 games after his return to reach 37 overall, and he formed a great partnership with Kylian Mbappe.
His most impressive run of performances came in last season's Champions League as he led Madrid to the title – his fifth in Europe's top competition – with 15 goals. He has moved up to second place on Madrid's all-time scoring list with 329 goals.
At last year's European Championship, Benzema looked sharp and was France's top scorer with four goals.
Olivier Giroud started for France in Benzema's place at the World Cup in Qatar and finished the tournament with four goals, but he was substituted before halftime of Sunday's final with Argentina leading 2-0.
France fought back for 2-2 after 90 minutes and 3-3 following extra time before Argentina won a penalty shootout to cap one of the most exciting finals in World Cup history.
Read more: France's Benzema ruled out of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Vamos Argentina, says Professor Yunus congratulating Messi's team on World Cup win
Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus congratulated Argentina on their World Cup triumph Sunday.
"Vamos Argentina! Congratulations to Argentina – Lionel Messi and the whole team for winning the World Cup 2022!" Yunus said in a media statement Monday.
"An exhilarating final match with Lionel Messi, one of the greatest of all time, getting the honour he deserves. Kudos to France and another legend in the making Kylian Mbappé !" he added.
"We always believe in the power of sports to lift communities up and inspire the next generation to realise their true potential," Yunus said.
Argentina's "superfans" in Bangladesh are over the moon now as Messi scored two goals and converted in the shootout as the South American side beat France 4-2 on penalties to claim a third World Cup title despite Mbappé scoring the first hattrick in a final in 56 years.
Women's Football: Barisal FA outplay Dhaka Rangers 6-0
Barisal Football Academy outplayed Dhaka Rangers Football Club by 6-0 goals in the Bashundhara Group Women's Football League' 2021-22 at the Bir Shreshta Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur on Monday.
In the day's 2nd match, Marufa, Kakoli, Sajeda, Sikha, Poly and Taniya scored one each for the Barisal FA, which dominated the first half by 2-0 goals.
Earlier in the day's first match, Suddopuskorini JSC beat Farashganj Sporting Club by 2-0 goals at the same venue Monday afternoon.
After a barren first half, Nasrin and Sultana scored one each for the winners.
Bangladesh team for Men's Jr AHF Cup Hockey announced
Bangladesh Hockey Federation preliminarily announced a 25 members squad to form a Bangladesh team for the eight-nation Men's Junior Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup (Under-21) Hockey Tournament to be held in Muscat, Oman from January 6-12 next year.
Selected players have been asked to report to team manager Hazi Mohammad Humayan on Tuesday (December 20) at 4 pm at the federation office.
Earlier, Bangladesh put in four-team Pool B alongwith Sri Lanka, Hong Kong China and Uzbekistan while Pool A team comprises hosts Oman, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.
Bangladesh will play Hong Kong in the inaugural match on January 6, play Sri Lanka on January 7 and meet Uzbekistan on January 9 in the pool matches.
Selected players are: Goal-keeper- Nuruzzaman Nayan, Saifuddin and Al Amin
Defender- Amirul Islam, Mehrab Hasan Samin, Hujaifa Hossain, Ramin Hossain, Asaduzzaman Chand, Aman Sharif, Sabadur Rahman Mithu, Azizar Rahman, Rahid Hasan Jibon
Midfield- Prince Lal Samanta, Abed Uddin, Shahidur Rahman Saju, Tanveer Rahman Siraj, Tayub Ali, Shimul Islam
Forward- Rafiqul Hasan Rocky, Obaidul Haque Joy, Debashis Kumar Roy, M Zahid Hossain, Tahsin Ali, Abdullah, Deen Islam.
World Cup review: Best and worst of the tournament in Qatar
After 64 matches, 172 goals and one of the best finals in history, the 2022 World Cup is over.Argentina is the champion for the third time after beating France in a penalty shootout. Lionel Messi finally has his hands on the golden trophy that had long eluded him.Here's a look at some of the highlights of the tournament — and the low points:BEST PLAYERLionel Messi won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He has never played better at a World Cup, scoring seven goals, providing three assists and being Argentina's star player in all seven of its matches. He has also made a record 26 appearances at the World Cup to break Lothar Matthaus' record. Messi definitively joins Pelé and Diego Maradona in the pantheon of soccer’s greatest players.
Also read: Qatar bustles with life as World Cup nears end
BIGGEST FLOPConsidering his name and profile, and the drama he had created by an explosive pre-tournament interview, Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could hardly have had a worse tournament. OK, he converted a penalty against Ghana to become the first man to score at five different World Cups, but nothing else went right for the player currently without a club. He tried — and failed — to claim a headed goal against Uruguay, showed a bad attitude after being substituted against South Korea to the annoyance of his coach, then was benched against Switzerland and Morocco in the knockout stage. He wept after Portugal's 1-0 loss to Morocco that ended his World Cup career, and finished the tournament with only the one goal.
BEST GOALBrazil striker Richarlison had his back to the goal when he used one touch to flick the ball up in the air near the penalty spot, then spun around and leapt off the ground to deliver a spectacular acrobatic kick into the net. It sealed a 2-0 win over Serbia in the group stage and made Brazilians, briefly, forget about the injured Neymar.
BEST SAVEThere were 20 seconds remaining of stoppage time in extra time in the final when France striker Randal Kolo Muani went clean through on Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez. The win, the title, was there for France but Martinez stuck out his left leg to keep the ball out. It was a save as important as all of Messi's goals.
BEST MATCHArgentina was involved in the best two. First, the team's quarterfinal match against the Netherlands had it all — goals, gamesmanship, late drama through a goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time to make it 2-2, a penalty shootout, a World Cup-record 17 yellow cards and a red card after the whistle. There was even the sight of Lionel Messi breaking off from his post-match on-field interview to shout abuse at a Netherlands player: “What are you looking at, stupid?” Then came the final at the same Lusail Stadium, which might have just topped it.MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM
Belgium arrived as the second-ranked team and with some of the most famous players in the world. They scored one goal, didn't get out of their group and coach Roberto Martinez left his role. Germany exiting from the group stage for the second straight World Cup is a close second.BEST MOMENT
It's a crowded field in a World Cup featuring so many upsets but nothing quite matches the moment the Netherlands blindsided Argentina with an audacious free kick in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time of their wild quarterfinal game to take it to extra time. Instead of taking a shot from the edge of the area with virtually the last passage of play in the match, Teun Koopmeiners played a short pass into the middle of the area, Wout Weghorst took a touch and held off his marker before slotting home a finish on the stretch.
BEST FANS
Morocco's for the noise, Argentina's for the pure passion, and Japan's for the way they tidy up after themselves.
REVELATION
At 31, Antoine Griezmann reinvented himself as a midfield playmaker for France, having played as a forward for his entire career. He was one of the players of the tournament.
BEST QUOTE
“I had the feeling that this was the one.” — Lionel Messi after winning the World Cup for the first time.
With Mbappé and Deschamps, France's future looks just fine
France played its part in one of the most memorable finishes in World Cup history, even though the defending champions failed to retain the title.
Kylian Mbappé’s hat trick of goals all came late — first in regulation, then in extra time — and helped give France a 3-3 draw with Argentina in the final.
In the penalty shootout, it seemed destined for Lionel Messi to win his first World Cup at the age of 35, not Mbappé to win his second at 23.
Still, the foundations of France's national soccer team are solid with just under four years to go until the next World Cup in 2026.
EXPECTATION VS. PERFORMANCE
France outperformed expectations even as the defending champion and the world’s fourth-ranked team.
A run of poor results in the UEFA Nations League, including a home loss in June to Denmark, plus a litany of injuries before and after the squad for Qatar was selected kept high hopes in check.Then, in the last training session before the flight to Doha, forward Christopher Nkunku was injured by a teammate.
It got worse in Qatar. Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was forced out of the squad because of an injury and then Lucas Hernández, the left back in the 2018 team, picked up a season-ending knee injury nine minutes into France’s first game against Australia.
France persevered and got better as the team passed through the knockout rounds — against Poland, England and Morocco.
The record now under France coach Didier Deschamps of two World Cup finals and a quarterfinal, plus a European Championship final and a UEFA Nations League title is truly impressive.
“I’m optimistic about the future,” said Deschamps, who has expertly mixed youth and experience in his teams. “A lot of players have played in many of those tournaments and have got experience.”
WHO’S OUT
Only four of the 26 players in the squad has turned 30 and Deschamps has made clear he wants to sign the contract extension the French soccer federation says it wants to offer.
This year's World Cup could be the last for Olivier Giroud, who at 36 took the central striker role left by Benzema and broke Thierry Henry’s all-time France scoring record.
Giroud ended the tournament with four goals and now has 53, two ahead of Henry. Mbappé has 36 and could take the record before the 2026 World Cup.
Benzema turns 35 on Monday, and captain Hugo Lloris has his 36th birthday one week later. At 31, and after a standout World Cup, Antoine Griezmann can look toward another World Cup.
Deschamps is still only 54 and looks far from fatigued in his 11th year on the job.
WHO’S NEXT
The next generation of players to revitalize Les Bleus is already at the World Cup.
Several made debuts this year and their progress in Qatar was accelerated by all the injuries and illness to long-established players.
Aurélien Tchouaméni was joined by former Monaco teammate Youssouf Fofana in an emergency midfield pairing, and 21-year Arsenal defender William Saliba also got playing time.
Also read: 2026 World Cup hosts take diplomatic handover from Qatar
If Lloris does step down, 27-year-old Mike Maignan is primed to add to his handful of international games. A domestic league winner at both Lille and AC Milan, Maignan also was injured and missed the World Cup.
Nkunku, now 25, will move to Chelsea next season after four years at Leipzig and impressing in the Champions League.
WHAT’S NEXT
On March 24, France will host the Netherlands at Stade de France to start one of the toughest European Championship qualifying groups.
A clash between the World Cup finalists and quarterfinalists is the most anticipated game on the schedule when national teams return to action in three months.
Greece, Ireland and Gibraltar are also in the group, which plays through November and will send two teams directly to Euro 2024 in Germany.
France also has available dates in September and October for friendly games against teams from outside Europe.
2026 World Cup hosts take diplomatic handover from Qatar
A diplomatic delegation from the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup were in Qatar on Sunday for a handover ceremony ahead of the final between France and Argentina.
The United States, Mexico and Canada will stage soccer’s biggest event in less than 3½ years.
Read more: Qatar offers World Cup visitors an introduction to Islam
“We could not be more excited,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who led a presidential delegation to the final. “We are already hard at work preparing for 2026 and we’re looking forward to welcoming fans from around the world.”
Greenfield told Sheikha Alya Al Thani of Qatar, a fellow ambassador to the United Nations, that the current host had “set the standards high.”
“The most important thing to remember is the World Cup transcends things and it plays an exceptional role in uniting people and countries and creating lasting friendships,” Sheikha Alya said.
Read more: Qatar bustles with life as World Cup nears end
The 2026 tournament will be played in 16 cities: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
Argentina won the title in Qatar by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw.
Messi plans to play on for Argentina after World Cup win
Lionel Messi is not ready to walk away from Argentina yet, despite ending his pursuit of a World Cup winner's medal.
The soccer great secured the one major trophy that has eluded him in his storied career as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
The match finished 3-3 through extra time with Messi scoring twice and converting his penalty in the shootout.
Read more: Messi wins World Cup to push claim to be soccer's GOAT
At 35, this is likely his last appearance in soccer's biggest tournament, but he confirmed after the match that he intends to play on.
“Obviously, I wanted to complete my career with this, (I) can’t ask for more,” Messi said. "Finishing my career this way is impressive. After this, what else? I have a Copa América, a World Cup. Almost at the very end.
"I love soccer, what I do. I enjoy being part of the national team, the group. I want to enjoy a couple of more matches being a world champion.”
Messi has won the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world on seven occasions.
He has also won the Champions League four times with former club Barcelona, but the World Cup is the biggest prize in the sport.
“If he wants to keep playing, he can be with us, he is more than entitled to decide if he wants to stay with us,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “It’s a huge pleasure to coach him, everything that he transmits to his team is unparalleled. It’s something I’ve never seen before.”
Read more: Messi's hometown of Rosario celebrates after World Cup win
Messi put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot and played a part in Angel Di Maria’s goal that made it 2-0 after 36 minutes.
Mbappé scored two goals in a 97-second span to take the game to extra time,
Messi put Argentina back in front in the 108th minute, but Mbappe’s penalty in the 118th saw the Paris Saint-Germain star complete the first hat trick in a World Cup final in 56 years.
“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way. I craved for this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me, I had the feeling that this (World Cup) was the one," Messi said. “It took so long, but here it is. We suffered a lot, but we managed to do it.”
Mbappé electrifies in World Cup epic, ends up on losing side
Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick seemingly from out of nowhere to electrify the World Cup final, he ended the tournament as the leading scorer with eight goals, and he still missed out on winning a second straight title.
The France superstar was on the losing side of an epic final against Argentina that was settled in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw on Sunday. He was then consoled on the field by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Kylian has really left his mark on this final,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.
Read more: Messi wins World Cup to push claim to be soccer's GOAT
Mbappé had been the leader France desperately needed as time was running out with the defending champions trailing 2-0 and playing poorly. The forward had also been almost invisible up to that point.
But his goals carried France back into the match — twice. First, late in regulation time. Then again deep in extra time.
Mbappé converted a penalty in the 80th minute and then scored with a volley from just inside the area in the 81st.
It took only 97 seconds for him to get France even with Argentina and the great Lionel Messi.
Mbappé scored a second penalty in extra time, about 10 minutes after Messi had given Argentina the lead again in what became a compelling duel between the two players.
Mbappé's hat trick was only the second in a World Cup final — the other was by England striker Geoff Hurst in 1966.
The Frenchman leaves Qatar with the Golden Boot trophy as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals. At the age of 23, he's matched Pelé's career total of 12 World Cup goals.
But Mbappé couldn't quite match the Brazil great's back-to-back World Cup titles — both players were teenagers when they won their first one, Pelé in 1958 and Mbappé in 2018.
One minute before Mbappé turned the game on its head, Argentina’s fans began to taunt him.
Chants of “Olé, Olé” rained down from the stands at Lusail Stadium as Mbappé futilely chased the ball while his opponents passed it over and around him.
Read more: Messi fulfils his destiny, Argentina win third World Cup
Mbappé gestured in frustration with his right arm at the apparent hopelessness of the situation.
But after scoring his first two goals, Mbappé surged into the Argentina half looking for a game-winning third. His darting, twisting run resulted in a shot deflected just too high.
Once he eventually got the hat trick to make it 3-3 in extra time, Mbappé set out for a fourth. His curling cross barely eluded the head of substitute Randal Kolo Muani, and a final dribble deep into the Argentina penalty area was scrambled clear as he looked to shoot.
He shouted out loud as his last attempt to win the game single-handedly slipped away.
Mbappé tried to set the tone in the penalty shootout, taking responsibility for the first kick. He converted the penalty but France still ended up losing 4-2. Messi did the same for Argentina to start the shootout, but his teammates all scored their penalties.
During the shootout, Mbappé made sure he was the first to console Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni on their slow walks back to the center circle after their failures to score.
Mbappé stood bent over in the center circle, hands on his knees, as Argentina defender Gonzalo Montiel prepared to take the decisive kick. He then squatted, saw the net ripple and walked away alone amid the Argentina celebrations.
Deschamps eventually came over behind his player to put arms around his neck. Mbappé soon went to the team dugout and sat slumped in a chair with his dark blue shirt pulled up over his face to hide his emotions.
Long after the game was over, Mbappé left the stadium with his head bowed and the World Cup trophy securely in the hands of Messi.
Messi wins World Cup to push claim to be football's GOAT
After finally winning the World Cup, Lionel Messi made his strongest case yet to be considered soccer’s greatest player of all time.
It will never be possible to say definitively, though, even after Argentina's 4-2 penalty shootout victory over France on Sunday in the final at Lusail Stadium.
Messi has been his country's inspiration throughout the tournament in Qatar and scored twice in the game that finished 3-3 through extra time.
Read more: Messi's hometown of Rosario celebrates after World Cup win
“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way," Messi said. "I craved for this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me. I had the feeling that this was the one.”
Kylian Mbappe certainly made Messi work for a golden trophy that had eluded him throughout his storied career. The France forward scored a hat trick as the defending champions came back from 2-0 down and then evened the match again after Messi made it 3-2 in extra time.
But this was Messi's night and Messi's World Cup.
“It took so long, but here it is," Messi said. “We suffered a lot, but we managed to do it.”
For some, no one will ever surpass Pele, who won the World Cup three times with Brazil. Even in Messi’s homeland of Argentina, Diego Maradona remains, for many, the country's ultimate soccer icon after captaining the national team to the 1986 World Cup title.
And for the past 15 years or so, Messi has had a personal rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo just to establish himself as the finest player of his generation.
Competition is fierce when it comes to determining the greatest of all time, or the GOAT, as it has come to be known. It can come down to the smallest of margins that separate players of such brilliance.
Messi’s failure to win the sport’s biggest prize has always counted against him when measuring his achievements against Pele and Maradona. The same goes for Ronaldo.
Read more: Messi fulfils his destiny, Argentina win third World Cup
Messi is a seven-time winner of the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world and lifted club soccer's biggest prize, the Champions League trophy, on four occasions. He ended his wait for a first major trophy with his country at last year’s Copa America.
The World Cup, however, is the ultimate measure of greatness and Pele and Maradona secured immortality with inspirational performances on that stage.
That had eluded Messi until Sunday.
Yes, he was part of the Argentina team that lost to Germany 1-0 in the 2014 final, but the magic he produced game in, game out during his peak years for Barcelona never seemed to translate when wearing the blue and white stripes of his country.
At 35 and nearing the end of his career, the tournament in Qatar was widely seen as his final shot at the World Cup. And if that is the case, he saved his best for last.
Messi does not dominate over 90 minutes anymore, but instead decides matches with moments of genius. He scored seven goals in Qatar, but, arguably, his assists have been more memorable.
Read more: Messi's 12th World Cup goal puts Argentina ahead of France
His disguised pass for Nahuel Molina’s goal against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals was weighted and measured to perfection. His twisting and turning run to beat Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol and set up teammate Julian Alvarez in the semifinals felt like peak Messi, only in slow motion.
He has now surpassed Pele with 13 goals at World Cups and is tied for fourth with Just Fontaine on the all-time list. His seven in this year's tournament surpassed Maradona’s five at the 1986 edition in Mexico.
Messi has now scored a national team-record 98 goals in 172 games. That places him third in the all-time scoring list for men’s internationals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (118) and Ali Daei (109).
There has been a sense of destiny for Messi and Argentina, even after its shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the team's opening game of the World Cup.
Messi had to summon every bit of energy in his aging limbs to get Argentina through the final and hold off Mbappe. Leading 2-0 and cruising to the title as the game approached the last 10 minutes, Mbappe intervened to remind everyone that he has already overtaken Messi and Ronaldo as the best player in the world right now.
He scored in the 80th and 81st minutes to turn the game upside down.
When Messi put Argentina back in front in the 108th minute, he looked to have scored the winner. But Mbappe's penalty in the 118th saw the Paris Saint-Germain star complete the first hat trick in a World Cup final in 56 years.
In the penalty shootout, Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive kick to secure Messi's place among the pantheon of greats and, perhaps, confirm his position as the true GOAT.