deolu akingbade

Riots in Rabat. Celebrations in Casablanca. Tears of joy in Tangier. Morocco has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time in its long-lived history. It would not be possible without the Herculean heroics of one Yassine Bounou. The Sevilla stopper kept multiple shots out of the Moroccan net, but it […]

Stadium 974 is one of the more talked about World Cup venues. Now, it faces deconstruction and transplant to a new location. The stadium is the first temporary stadium in World Cup history, and it marks a new age in soccer architecture. Builders used 974 recyclable shipping containers to construct it. The number lends its […]

Aliou Cissé embodies the Senegal spirit of teranga, or family and sharing. The former PSG midfielder had 33 caps for the national team, and he was the captain of a dangerous Senegal side that ran all the way to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup. At AFCON 2002, he infamously missed the final penalty […]

The face of a well-engineered PSV team poised to make a deep run in the Europa League, and a breakout star for the Oranje, Cody Gakpo is quietly becoming one of Europe's finest players. Before he led the World Cup field in goals scored (tied with a few others) and helped the Netherlands to a […]

Cameroon defeat Brazil thanks to Aboubakar's goal For a long time, it looked like Brazil's second team would go on to beat a fiery Cameroon side. United midfielder Fred was the catalyst for many of Brazil's chance, sending numerous shots and crosses to the Cameroonian net. Gabriel Martinelli was also a huge problem for Cameroon […]

Morocco moves on to play to Spain in knockout round thanks to clutch win Morocco entered Al Thumama Stadium knowing a draw against Canada would clinch a round of 16 spot. A win would give them first-place in a tight, highly-contested group. It was only natural Morocco came hunting for their three points. Canada looked […]

Khazri the difference for Tunisia in 1-0 win Tunisia's monumental victory over France was a sprinkle of good in a big dish of bad. Although the Carthage Eagles notched their first win against France in 51 years, they were eliminated thanks to Denmark's lackluster performance against Australia. Of course, it was not like Tunisia played […]

In a crucial do-or-die matchup with high stakes, Senegal did not disappoint. It took the Lions of Teranga some time to break through, but with their resilience and hunger for recognition, they powered through. Early in the matchup, Senegal tested Ecuador stopper Hernán Galindez multiple times, but their shots all flew away from the post. […]

Cameroon was winning. Then, it was losing. Then, it was winning again. The 3-3 shootout was a rollercoaster of emotions, to say the least. There were 28 total shots, four yellow cards and some of the biggest drama of the World Cup. It began with Jean-Charles Castellano's 29th-minute strike to give Cameroon an early lead. […]

Morocco’s surprising win over Belgium was not the biggest upset of the World Cup. In fact, it might not even be the biggest upset of the day. Yet, it figures to be one of the biggest upsets in Morocco history. It may also be one of the most influential ones as well. Morocco’s two second-half […]

Tunisia was the slim favorite in their game with Australia, but neither played like it. Australia firmly seized the game in the first half, while all Tunisia could do was watch in terror. Australia's first major chance, in the 23rd minute, was a reflection of the Aussies' tenacity. Craig Goodwin swung a cross in from […]

Senegal versus Qatar was a game of blunders. Sure, Senegal sent a couple of shots wide, and their keeper had to make a big save in the game's opening minutes. Qatar looked solid on defense and somewhat threatening on offense. But, that changed with the game's first serious mistake. Krepin Diatta sent a cross in […]

A new Google minigame, nicknamed the Mini Cup by its creators, is taking World Cup fans by surprise. Although simple in nature, the mobile doodle attracts tens of millions of players a day. How can you play? The Mini Cup is only available on mobile devices. By going to Google Chrome or the Google App […]

As Brazil handily dominated Serbia in front of a frenzied audience, fans can think of a lot of words to describe La Selecao. You can call them sensational, explosive; or even legendary. Yet the most accurate? Bees. The players, outfitted in their traditional bright yellow Nike jerseys, swarmed a responseless Serbian side that looked doomed […]

The 48th minute of Cameroon's 2022 World Cup opener is a perfect example of the thin line between victory and defeat. The Switzerland team (minus goalscorer Breel Embolo because he was born in Cameroon) celebrate in front of a frenzied crowd, relieved that the close-fought game is finally going their way. Only a few yards […]