Belgium vs Panama [3:0] Final Score Goals but Belgium prevail over Panama in 2nd-half

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oeQOoGKi8zEBOBev1QMTsN98BS29UASIDQy0WUghAGhTpwMcjkZcRwQAYk9wLF4PIZDTMZvQYjTP3PaKHA8M6TNy2KZw2ipqB_vgoZHd9UDG7PtLUiaXfu8_AePRvbhma-o0he6kQFYL/s1600/Belgium-vs-Panama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oeQOoGKi8zEBOBev1QMTsN98BS29UASIDQy0WUghAGhTpwMcjkZcRwQAYk9wLF4PIZDTMZvQYjTP3PaKHA8M6TNy2KZw2ipqB_vgoZHd9UDG7PtLUiaXfu8_AePRvbhma-o0he6kQFYL/s640/Belgium-vs-Panama.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium proved too good for World Cup debutants Panama in the opening match in England's Group G. After a goalless first half, Belgium, ranked third in the world, finally broke Panama's resistance when Dries Mertens steered in a spectacular volley.<br /> <br /> Panama, 55th in the rankings, had a chance to snatch an equaliser but Thibaut Courtois was quick off his line to save Michael Murillo's shot with his legs.<br /> <br /> Manchester United striker Lukaku made certain of the victory as he scored with a diving header after an exquisite pass from Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne with the outside of his boot.<br /> <br /> Lukaku then added a third with a chipped finish after a fine through ball from Chelsea's Eden Hazard.<br /> Belgium take on Tunisia in their second match on Saturday, 23 June (13:00 BST), before Panama are England's second opponents a day later (13:00 BST).<br /> <br /> Gareth Southgate's side play their first game of the tournament later on Monday against Tunisia in Volgograd (19:00 BST).<br /> <br /> <b>'Moment of magic' - Mertens volley sets up Belgium win</b> Belgium, who included seven British-based players in their starting line-up, scored 43 goals in qualifying, a joint record for a European team, but suffered a frustrating first 45 minutes in Sochi. <br /> <br /> Panama's goalkeeper Jaime Penedo denied Yannick Carrasco, Mertens, Hazard and Lukaku in the opening 40 minutes as the Central Americans battled hard to try to contain one of the World Cup favourites.<br /> <br /> The Europeans also failed to capitalise on two Panama errors when Hazard shot into the side-netting after a short Roman Torres backpass, before Mertens also missed the target when allowed to shoot from a quickly-taken short corner.<br /> <br /> The opening matches at the World Cup have seen Brazil and Argentina both draw their first games, with holders Germany losing to Mexico.<br /> <br /> But Belgium ensured there would be no upset at the Fisht Stadium as Mertens took advantage of Panama failing to clear their lines with a superb volley over Penedo.<br /> <br /> They had a chance to double their lead as De Bruyne curled a free-kick wide before Lukaku dived in to score from the Manchester City midfielder's pass and settle any nerves.<br /> Six minutes later Lukaku grabbed his second and Belgium's third with a composed finish over the advancing Penedo.<br /> <h3> Panama fail to get the goal their fans craved</h3> <b>Lukaku doubles Belgium's lead</b> A national holiday was declared after Panama sealed qualification in October and their fans, who outnumbered those from Belgium, created a fantastic atmosphere, cheering every time their team crossed the halfway line. <br /> The emotion of the occasion was shown with captain Roman Torres, whose goal took Panama to Russia, in tears as the national anthem played before kick-off.<br /> Torres, part of Panama's back five, did superbly to make a last-ditch sliding challenge to deny Lukaku a tap-in from De Bruyne's cross in the opening half.<br /> <br /> Eric Davis shot over and the Panama fans were dreaming of an upset as their side held out throughout the first half.<br /> However, with the Central Americans tiring, Belgium's extra class and fitness levels told after the break.<br /> <br /> The Panama fans were denied the goal they so desperately craved as Murillo could not steer his shot past Courtois and Fidel Escobar's late free-kick was comfortably held by the Chelsea goalkeeper.<br /> Nevertheless, Panama's fans, players and management can be proud of the determined effort.<br /> They now need to get something against England on Sunday in Nizhny Novgorod or they will be facing an early exit from their first World Cup.<br /> <h3> Man of the match - Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)</h3> Romelu Lukaku has been directly involved in 13 of Belgium's last 19 goals (11 goals, two assists). He now has 38 goals in 70 games for Belgium and is his country's record goalscorer More second-half delight for Belgium - the stats <br /> <ul> <li>Belgium are now unbeaten in their last 10 World Cup group games (won five, drew five), winning each of their last five.</li> <li>Each of the last 11 goals that Belgium have scored in World Cup matches have come after half-time. </li> <li>Panama were given five yellow cards in this match - the last time that a team were given more in a single World Cup game was in the 2010 final (Netherlands - seven).</li> <li>Overall, there were eight yellow cards in this match between Belgium and Panama - the most of any game at the 2018 World Cup so far and also more than in any single game at the 2014 tournament.</li> <li>Belgium have won all 13 international matches that Dries Mertens has scored in.</li> <li>Dries Mertens became the first Belgian player to score in two successive World Cup tournaments since Marc Wilmots (1998 and 2002).</li> <li>It took 49 minutes and 10 seconds for Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to make his first successful pass in the match to teammate and striker Romelu Lukaku. His second pass (68:11) assisted a goal for Lukaku.</li> <li>Only Jan Ceulemans (six) has scored more goals in major tournaments (World Cup & European Championships) for Belgium than Romelu Lukaku (five - level with Marc Wilmots).</li> <li>Eden Hazard has been directly involved in 16 goals in his last 15 appearances for Belgium (eight goals, eight assists).</li> </ul> <h3> 'They could have won by a landslide' - what they said</h3> <b>Belgium coach Roberto Martinez: </b>"We started very well for the first 10 to 15 minutes, then Panama become effective with their defensive structure and we got a bit anxious.<br /> "But I'm delighted in the way we reacted as a team - everyone was committed to keep a clean sheet and in the second half it was about finding a bit of composure in front of goal. We couldn't be prouder of the team.<br /> <br /> "It was a great goal from Dries Mertens and that gave us some breathing space. From that point on we were more ourselves and more in control.<br /> "Panama gave an incredible amount of effort but it is difficult to maintain that for more than 45 minutes, and my players deserve huge credit for the way we played for 90 minutes."<br /> <br /> <b>Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku</b>: "As a team we know we have a lot of players with qualities. We were ready today and need to be ready for the next game as that will be more difficult than this one.<br /> "I'm not thinking in personal terms - the most important thing is the team. I want to help my team-mates as much as possible."<br /> <br /> <b>Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez:</b> "It would have been terrible if they had scored more. No-one likes losing but considering our opponents and our history it is a normal result and they could have scored more.<br /> "It is not a positive result, but they could have won by a landslide and there were people that thought we would lose by seven goals.<br /> "I told them we played with dignity. We are not as fit as the European players. We will keep growing and learning."<br /> <br /> <b>On Panama's five yellow cards:</b> "We are a very organised team, we play tactically and sometimes our players look a bit tough, but other teams are also tough and physically strong.<br /> <br /> "We never have the intention to be tough but they are strong men. We do not try to hurt anyone - we have good intentions."<br /> <br /> source: BBC

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Belgium vs Panama [3:0] Featured FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup Sports Belgium vs Panama [3:0] Final Score Goals but Belgium prevail over Panama in 2nd-half

Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium proved too good for World Cup debutants Panama in the opening match in England's Group G. After ...

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Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup: Sweden start with a 1-0 win over South Korea

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ORiW6s_SgcrxgXlYPYVy6s-YSVrYcPulury20F2f8D4JctEyQpatUgvHCqAOnGCzzkCpLMHE5YWtQrsBp9RO9LYgW4a-8KTMkXG7__wVFn1sNYIVmMG7qkiyIjUfu_UAvDDzNMFRck8s/s1600/sweden_korea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ORiW6s_SgcrxgXlYPYVy6s-YSVrYcPulury20F2f8D4JctEyQpatUgvHCqAOnGCzzkCpLMHE5YWtQrsBp9RO9LYgW4a-8KTMkXG7__wVFn1sNYIVmMG7qkiyIjUfu_UAvDDzNMFRck8s/s640/sweden_korea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweden vs South Korea Republic [1:0]</td></tr> </tbody></table> Sweden marked their first appearance in the World Cup for 12 years by beating South Korea thanks to a penalty from captain Andreas Granqvist that was awarded after a video assistant referee (VAR) review. There was a short delay for Kim Min-woo's foul on Viktor Claesson to be analysed on video and for the referee to point to the spot but it did not affect Granqvist, who sent goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo the wrong way.<br /> <br /> Sweden, who join Mexico at the top of Group F on three points, created the better chances in Nizhny Novgorod.<br /> <br /> Marcus Berg should have scored midway through the first half but his close range shot was beaten away by Cho, while South Korea did not manage a single shot on target.<br /> <ul> <li><a href="http://ghanasky.com/category/2018-fifa-world-cup-russia/">See how the players rated in Sweden's win over South Korea</a></li> <li><a href="http://ghanasky.com/category/2018-fifa-world-cup-russia/">Relive Sweden's win over South Korea as it happened</a></li> <li><a href="http://ghanasky.com/category/2018-fifa-world-cup-russia/">South Koreans swapped shirts to try to confuse opposition</a></li> </ul> In a scrappy game, Cho also saved well from Ola Toivonen's header following a free-kick.<br /> South Korea, competing in their ninth successive World Cup, were disappointing and the closest they came to scoring was when Hwang Hee-chan headed wastefully wide in the closing moments.<br /> The result means Mexico, 1-0 winners over world champions Germany on Sunday, and Sweden have a three-point lead at the top of Group F after the first round of matches.<br /> enrik Larsson in 2002 against Nigeria<br /> <h3> Gritty Swedes get vital win</h3> Sweden reached Russia by beating France in a group game on the way to finishing above the Netherlands in the table and reach the play-offs, when they overcame Italy.<br /> However, they arrived in Russia without a goal in their previous three matches and without Zlatan Ibrahimovic after his retirement from international football.<br /> <br /> Indeed, Janne Andersson's team looked to be heading for a goalless draw until the second-half penalty - the seventh spot kick to be awarded at the tournament.<br /> There was little doubt about the validity of the penalty as replays showed Claesson, who plays his club football in Russia, was clearly caught.<br /> <br /> Granqvist, 33, kept his nerve to become the oldest player to score on his World Cup debut since Martin Palermo, who was 36 when he netted for Argentina in 2010.<br /> In doing so it meant the proportion of the 26 goals scored so far at this World Cup from the penalty spot rose to 19%. <br /> <br /> It was however a gritty rather than spectacular performance from the Swedes, who lost Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof on the morning of the game due to illness.<br /> His place was taken by Pontus Jansson but the Leeds United defender had little to do against lacklustre opponents.<br /> <br /> Jansson wasted a chance to make an impression at the other end of the pitch when he rose unmarked at a corner but headed straight at the keeper.<br /> With world champions Germany - smarting from their opening-game defeat - up next, this was a vital win for Sweden.<br /> <h3 class="sp-story-body__cross-head"> South Korea face battle to stay in World Cup</h3> South Korea did not win a game at the 2014 World Cup and they now face a battle to qualify from a tough group after this lacklustre performance.<br /> Having qualified by finishing second behind Iran in a six-team group, they were hoping to at least match their efforts of 2010 when they reached the last 16 in South Africa.<br /> But this was a lethargic display and their failure to test keeper Robin Olsen will be a big concern for boss Shin Tae-yong.<br /> After an impressive season with Tottenham, Son Heung-min would expect to make a mark in Russia but he was largely anonymous other than one impressive run in the first half.<br /> Only when they fell behind did South Korea add some much needed urgency into their play.<br /> However, their day to forget was summed up when the unmarked Hwang headed wide from eight yards.<br /> <h3 class="sp-story-body__cross-head"> Man of the match - Cho Hyun-woo (South Korea)</h3> <br /> <br /> <figcaption class="sp-media-asset__caption gel-brevier ">South Korea would have lost by a wider margin but for Cho Hyun-woo, whose save to deny Marcus Berg from close range was sublime</figcaption><br /> <h3> 'We need to dare to do even more' - what they said...</h3> <b>Sweden coach Janne Andersson:</b> "I felt the wait for the VAR was unnecessary. There was no doubt that the penalty should have been called straightaway. Luckily the referee had VAR to help him to be able to make the right decision.<br /> "Today's match was so much more important to win after Germany lost. But we were focused on winning the game anyway. The opportunities for us now going forward are so much better.<br /> "Germany are the ones faced with a dilemma. We are going to prepare in the best way possible and then we'll see. We need to dare to do even more."<br /> <h3 class="sp-story-body__cross-head"> Turning the clock back 60 years - the stats</h3> <ul> <li>This was Sweden's first win in their opening match at a World Cup since beating Mexico 3-0 as hosts in 1958, drawing five and losing two since then.</li> <li>South Korea lost their opening match at a World Cup for the first time since 1998. </li> <li>Sweden's goal was the first they have scored in 402 minutes of international football.</li> <li>South Korea are winless in seven World Cup matches (D2 L5), losing their last three in a row.</li> </ul> <h3> What's next?</h3> Sweden face Germany in Sochi on Saturday 23 June (19:00 BST) while South Korea play at 16:00 on the same day against Mexico in Rostov-on-Don.<br /> <br /> <br /> source: BBC

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Featured FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup Sports Sweden vs South Korea - 1:0 Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup: Sweden start with a 1-0 win over South Korea

Sweden vs South Korea Republic [1:0] Sweden marked their first appearance in the World Cup for 12 years by beating South Korea thanks ...

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