Free shots every time neymar falls
RIO DE JANEIRO: A Rio de Janeiro bar has invented a new drinking game: free shots every time Brazil's superstar Neymar falls down during a crucial World Cup group game against Serbia on Wednesday. "At each Neymar fall, it's a round of shots on the house!" the Sir Walter Pub in northern Rio posted on its Facebook page. The offer is the latest twist in Brazil's new national sport: making fun of the talented but divisive Paris Saint-Germain striker. In Brazil's first two games he disappointed many fans and inspired online mockery of his frequent dives. Against Costa Rica, he won a penalty after falling dramatically in front of the goalmouth but saw it annulled after VAR analysis showed he had exaggerated the incident. However, the world's most expensive player can point to stats showing that he comes in for unusually rough treatment from opposition teams. He easily leads the table at the World Cup for number of fouls against him.
Iranian fans disrupt Portugal's sleep
SARANSK: Hundreds of Iranian fans spent several overnight hours surrounding the hotel where Portugal's national team is based, making loud noises in an attempt to disrupt their opponents' sleep before a decisive World Cup match. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was filmed by Portuguese TV RTP late at night by the window using gestures to ask the Iranian fans to be silent, but Monday morning there were still a few dozen of them playing loud music near the hotel in the Saransk city center. Saransk police said they received their first calls about the noise about 11 pm on Sunday, when a first wave of Iran fans arrived and started singing outside the hotel. That forced Ronaldo to show up, which convinced supporters to leave. Then a second wave came and did not stop making noise for several hours. Police then blocked roads nearby, but the main avenue across the hotel was still open, which allowed Iran fans to keep their effort in smaller numbers.
Durmaz condemns racist abuse
KRASNODAR: Sweden midfielder Jimmy Durmaz says the racist abuse aimed at him over social media following the 2-1 loss to Germany at the World Cup has been "completely unacceptable." After coming on as a substitute, Durmaz gave away the free kick that led to Toni Kroos curling in an injury-time winner in Saturday's group game. Durmaz has since been subjected to online abuse, including threats to his family. Before a training session on Sunday, Durmaz - standing in front of the rest of the Sweden squad and beside coach Janne Andersson - read out a statement to the media from a mobile phone. "When you threaten me, when you call me 'Arab devil,' 'terrorist,' 'Taliban,' then you have gone far beyond the limit," Durmaz said in the statement, which was published on the Swedish Football Association's website. "And even worse, when you go after my family, my children, threaten them. Who does such a thingIJ It is completely unacceptable.”
Eng TV audiences beat royal wedding
KAlININGRAD: A peak television audience of more than 14 million saw England beat Panama 6-1 in the World Cup, again beating viewing figures for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the BBC figures said on Monday. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in Sunday's match as Gareth Southgate's men secured their place in the last 16 in England's largest ever win at a World Cup finals. The BBC said 14.1 million people watched the match on its main terrestrial BBC One channel - a UK audience share of 82.9 percent - with 2.8 million live stream requests on its online platforms. BBC chiefs said the average match audience was 12.8m. It was 16.6m for England's opening match of the World Cup, the 2-1 win against Tunisia. The royal wedding on May 19 had an average audience of 11.5 million. The figures do not include the audience for the build-up and post-match coverage, and do not take into account those watching in pubs or on public screens.
Scottish DJ stoked by Kane’s nod
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Harry Kane led England into the round of 16 at the World Cup then gave a nod to Scottish DJ Calvin Harris. Kane was asked after England's 6-1 victory over Panama to pick a song to play on a Brazilian program as reward for his hat trick in the victory. Caught off guard by the request, the striker mulled the question from the Brazilian reporter. "I'll go 'One Kiss' by Calvin Harris and Dua lipa," he offered Sunday. Dua lipa is British, and both she and Harris were thrilled with Kane's selection. "Yes I'm Scottish but I don't care the legend Harry Kane picked our song," Harris posted on Twitter with a clip from Kane's post-match news conference. Dua lipa acknowledged the shout-out by reposting a tweet about Kane's selection. Fans of both the football player and the artists also flooded social media supporting Kane's song choice.