PAINFUl CElEBRATION FOR TITE
ST PETERSBURG: Tite became the second coach to pick up an unexpected injury at the World Cup when he pulled a muscle celebrating Brazil's late goal against Costa Rica. After Philippe Coutinho scored in the first minute of injury time, Tite ran onto the field from the dugout but tumbled to the ground. Replays of Tite's fall were widely shared on social media. "I kind of pulled a muscle, tore some fibers," Tite said with a smile after Brazil's 2-0 win on Friday. "I was going to celebrate with them but I had to limp back." Substitute goalkeeper Ederson Moraes might have been to blame for the tumble because he unintentionally gave the coach a little shove in the back as he ran behind Tite. Two days ago, England coach Gareth Southgate needed to go to the hospital after dislocating his right shoulder while out running.
Germany set to be without Hummels
SOCHI: Germany are likely to be without centre-back Mats Hummels in Saturday's crunch World Cup clash against Sweden, coach Joachim loew said. "Mats Hummels will probably not be able to play. He somehow dislodged a vertebra in his neck yesterday and has not improved," loew said at Friday's pre-game press conference. "There is still time, but when things like that happen you don't generally improve overnight." Chelsea's Antonio Ruediger would be the likely replacement for Hummels alongside Jerome Boateng in the heart of the German defence.
BEING BORING WORKS FOR BElGIUM
MOSCOW: Being boring at this year's World Cup is working out well for Belgium coach Roberto Martinez. Asked Friday why this Belgian squad is calmer than at previous tournaments - where quarterfinal exits fell short of expectations - Martinez said it's good to avoid making headlines for off-field issues. "We do want to be boring," the coach said. "We're a football team. We're not here to bring stories or try to fill pages for the wrong reasons." Belgium made a no-fuss start to its World Cup, bringing enough excitement on the field to beat overmatched Panama 3-0. The No 3-ranked team is heavily favored to beat Tunisia on Saturday at Spartak Stadium. England is also in Group G and plays Panama on Sunday. The Spanish coach cut out one potential problem by not taking Radja Nainggolan to Russia. Nainggolan was a fan favorite at the 2016 European Championship team under previous coach Marc Wilmots.
Simeone slams Argentina 'anarchy'
BRONNITSY: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has blasted Argentina's World Cup campaign, lambasting the "anarchy" on and off the field that has left the two-time champions facing first-round elimination. In an audio recording published by Spanish media outlets, the former Argentina international said the current squad lacked leadership on and off the field following Thursday's 3-0 rout by Croatia in Group D. And in a veiled dig at Argentina star lionel Messi, Simeone even hinted he would pick Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo in his team if forced to choose. "What is happening right now is what has happened to the national team over the past four years, unfortunately: anarchy," Simeone said. "There is no leadership from the management or from those who are supposed to lead. I see a team that is lost." With Messi struggling for form and yet to score in Russia, Simeone indicated that he would prefer to have Ronaldo in his team. "Messi is very good, but it is clear that he is very good because he is surrounded by extraordinary players (at Barcelona)," Simeone said. "The question I ask is if you have to choose between Messi and Ronaldo in a normal team, who would you chooseIJ"
Argentina kabaddi team hits out too
DUBAI: A pall of gloom descended on the 18-member Argentine kabaddi contingent who hit out against football coach Jorge Sampaoli after lionel Messi and Co found themselves on the brink of World Cup group stage elimination following a shock defeat to Croatia. Thousands kilometres away in Dubai for the Kabaddi Masters, the Argentine kabaddi team got together to cheer for the team last night but only to return heartbroken. A team member hit out against the Argentine team manager Sampaoli for his flawed tactics of not "pressing high or attack relentlessly". "He (Sampaoli) should be immediately sacked. His team selection is flawed," a player said on condition of anonymity, referring to his move of dropping Di Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo and lucas Biglia. Sampaoli instead chose Acuna, Mercado and Enzo Peres in a desperate bid to revive their campaign after a 1-1 stalemate against Iceland in their World Cup opener. "I stopped watching after sometime. It's really painful and what a disaster outing this has been," he said.