All posts tagged: Footballs

Olise, Yamal, Cubarsi and a semi-final that previews football’s next decade

Olise, Yamal, Cubarsi and a semi-final that previews football’s next decade

Published by Webster

Behind France’s relentless attack is a 24-year-old conductor with dreadlocks and instincts that seem borrowed from another era. Behind Spain’s impenetrable defence is a 19-year-old whose composure belongs to a man twice his age. The France versus Spain semi-final in Dallas is many things at once: a tactical chess match, a collision of European giants, a game that deserved to be a final. Above all, it is a window into football’s future. Some of these players are already superstars. Kylian Mbappe is only 26, arguably not yet at his peak. But it is the names beyond Mbappe that hum with possibility, players who could fill the vast space Messi and Ronaldo, Modric and De Bruyne will eventually leave behind. ALSO READ | Deschamps’ magic square: How Mbappe, Dembele, Doue, Olise are crushing opponents Michael Olise is the fulcrum of France’s machine. Before this World Cup, he was known chiefly to European football devotees. Now he is unmissable, a playmaker of equal parts intuition and intelligence, running the French show with his passing, movement and energy. …

How a tiny boy became football’s ultimate predator

How a tiny boy became football’s ultimate predator

Published by Webster

Espen Undheim has clung on to clips of a 10-year-old Erling Haaland playing football at his first club Bryne FK. The pre-teen facsimile of the present-day Haaland captured for posterity in these grainy video clips does not quite have the same signature hairdo that the Norway star rocks these days. Back then, he was tiny too — tinier than others in his age group — Undheim pointed out. But there’s something that Haaland had at the age of 10 that he still possesses: his sense of timing and his positioning on the pitch. Early on Monday, Haaland used these skills to evade Brazil defenders and stab two goals into the net, thus sending Norway to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. In doing so, Haaland also propelled himself upwards in the Golden Boot race, where he now co-habits the top spot with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. “You can see the runs that he makes now. I have videos from when he was 10 and 11. You can see the same situation and the …

Game of the Century: How Italy and West Germany turned a World Cup semi-final into football’s greatest drama

Game of the Century: How Italy and West Germany turned a World Cup semi-final into football’s greatest drama

Published by Parlour News

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is around the corner, and, as in the previous few editions, we can expect a few humdingers. The tournament has repeatedly delivered thrillers, and some matches have even turned into goal-fests. Some games are remembered for their quality, while others are known for their significance. But only a few contests have managed to transcend both to script their place in the sport’s folklore. One such occasion came on June 17, 1970, under the floodlights of Mexico’s Azteca Stadium, where Italy and West Germany went toe-to-toe, and the result was so extraordinary that it became known as the Game of the Century. Italy defeated West Germany in the 1970 FIFA World Cup semi-final. (Football History Pics -X) On paper, it was a World Cup semi-final. However, in reality, it became something far greater. The players from both teams battled fatigue, courage, and desperation to create one of the sport’s most unforgettable spectacles. For 90 minutes, the match seemed relatively straightforward. Italy, the defending champions, took an early lead through Roberto Boninsegna …

Lamine Yamal enters debut FIFA World Cup with the sport at his feet; glory beckons for football’s most must-watch star

Lamine Yamal enters debut FIFA World Cup with the sport at his feet; glory beckons for football’s most must-watch star

Published by Parlour News

Replacing Lionel Messi on FC Barcelona’s right-wing and in its attack is a feat that should feel almost impossible. It is a credit to the immense talent, mentality, and quality of Spain’s Lamine Yamal that he has stepped into the role of being that player – all as a teenager, and now, one of the most recognisable faces in world football. Lamine Yamal has already led Spain to a EUROs championship. The FIFA World Cup is next on his bucket list. (AFP) Already having been the heart and soul of Spain’s run to the Euro Championships in 2024, Lamine is set to play a star role at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where he leads the line for a resurgent Roja squad seeking to find their second trophy after their 2010 success. Lamine will celebrate his 19th birthday the week before the Final at MetLife Stadium – as a player born for the big moment, he will want to give himself the greatest birthday gift imaginable. Lamine’s quality and talent is almost …

Indian football’s latest hope – can’t speak Hindi yet but communicates with the language of the Beautiful Game | Football News

Indian football’s latest hope – can’t speak Hindi yet but communicates with the language of the Beautiful Game | Football News

Published by Webster

4 min readApr 16, 2026 08:21 PM IST “No, I should learn, really, but it’s difficult,” says Ryan Williams after a little chuckle. The 32-year-old was asked whether he had learnt Hindi yet, an unusual question to ask someone who plays for India in any sport, but there is little that is usual about Williams. He is the first footballer in over a decade to have given up a foreign passport to play for India. Williams had to, in his words, “beat through the bushes” and make his own way. But once there, he straightaway became the fulcrum of the ailing Indian team’s midfield and forward line. Williams scored within the first four minutes of his debut in a 2-1 win over Hong Kong in India’s final AFC Asian Cup Qualifier in Kochi late last month and then went on to orchestrate several moves that gave the team a fluency up front that they’d sorely lacked in recent years. Clearly, it was the language of football that mattered, and the former Australian spoke it better …

Sulanjana Raul’s fight to belong on Asian Football’s toughest stage

Sulanjana Raul’s fight to belong on Asian Football’s toughest stage

Published by Webster

There are footballers who arrive with a plan. And then there are those who arrive with nothing but instinct and a stubborn refusal to disappear. Sulanjana Raul belongs to the latter. “I didn’t know how to survive,” she says, almost matter-of-factly, when she talks about her early days in Kolkata. “I had to face many problems… how to survive,” says the 18-year-old. The city that has built and broken footballers in equal measure did not welcome her with open arms. It demanded something first, resilience, adaptability, silence when words failed. She doesn’t dress it up. There is no attempt to romanticise the struggle. Just a quiet admission of what it takes to move, from a village in West Bengal, from fields where she played without expectation, into a system that demands clarity, confidence, and belonging. “In the beginning, I didn’t have any plan to play football,” she told The Bridge in an exclusive conversation. “But my father used to play… I would go with him, watch him, run alongside him. Slowly, I started liking it.” …

The evening Japan exposed Indian football’s reality

The evening Japan exposed Indian football’s reality

Published by Webster

When the scoreboard at the Perth Rectangular Stadium flickered to double digits on Saturday, Indian fans in the stadium seemed quieter than before. It was a heartbreak of epic proportions. As Elangbam Panthoi Chanu picked up the ball out of the net again, captain Sweety Devi looked up briefly before turning away. By the time the tenth goal went in, both of them were in tears. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 match against Nadeshiko Japan eventually ended with a sorry 0-11 loss for the Blue Tigresses. On the pitch, their opponents were magnificent. Right from the kick-off, Japan moved like a single organism, midfielders rotating, wingers drifting inside, defenders stepping forward into space. It took just four minutes for Yuzuki Yamamoto to curl a stunning strike into the top corner for her first senior international goal. Minutes later, Yui Hasegawa, the Manchester City playmaker, calmly slotted home after a precise delivery into the box. The pattern was already clear. They were orchestrating a humongous win. There was a ten-minute resistance from India after the …

The unassuming architect of Indian Football’s greatest underdog stories

The unassuming architect of Indian Football’s greatest underdog stories

Published by Webster

On the warm Saturday evening in Bhubaneswar, Khalid Jamil stood once again on the sidelines, watching as Jamshedpur FC fell to FC Goa in the Kalinga Super Cup final. A 3-0 scoreline. Another heartbreak. Just weeks earlier, his side had been knocked out in the dying minutes of the ISL semifinal by Mohun Bagan. Two painful exits. Two chances at glory, slipping through his fingers. But this has never been a story of trophies alone. Khalid Jamil is not the headline-maker with dramatic touchline antics or marquee quotes. He is the quiet craftsman — India’s first torchbearer in a league still largely defined by foreign tacticians. In the world of flash and fame, he remains the understated architect of belief. While foreign coaches have shaped the Indian Super League’s narrative, Khalid Jamil has led a silent revolution—one wrapped in resilience, humility, and an unrelenting love for the game. His story is rarely told. But it should be. A journey shaped by principles Khalid’s love for football began in Kuwait, though it wasn’t a career path …

Can VAR solve Indian football’s officiating woes?

Can VAR solve Indian football’s officiating woes?

Published by Webster

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season is approaching its climax and one of the most debated topics this year has been the quality of refereeing. The season has seen a staggering number of questionable decisions, overturned red cards, and controversial calls that have left fans and clubs frustrated. Even Odisha FC’s head coach, Sergio Lobera, found himself at the receiving end of a dubious red card, which was later overturned—highlighting that even coaches are not immune to officiating errors. The tipping point for Lobera came during Odisha’s match against Punjab on February 10, when Rahul KP was controversially sent off and Lobera openly criticized the officiating, stating, “It’s so painful for me to see what is happening with the level of referees.” With fans and clubs now demanding the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, the big question is this – can VAR solve Indian football’s officiating woes? More importantly, can AIFF afford it, and is it even worth implementing in Indian football? VAR: A double-edged sword At the outset, football was late …

Indian football’s downward spiral in 2024

Indian football’s downward spiral in 2024

Published by Webster

Indian football’s 2024 campaign was one of the darkest in recent memory. It was a year defined by plummeting performances, administrative controversies, and missed opportunities for both the men’s and women’s national teams. From an alarming decline in FIFA rankings to record-breaking failures on the field, the sport is in desperate need of a reset as the country enters 2025. Men’s team: A year of unrelenting disappointment For the men’s national team, 2024 was a disaster on every level. Under the old and new head coach, the team could neither find cohesion nor creativity. The statistics alone highlight the depths to which the team has fallen: 11 matches, 6 losses, 5 draws, only 4 goals scored, and 15 conceded. This is the first time since 2014 that India failed to win a single match in a calendar year. India started the year with a frustrating 1-2 loss to Afghanistan in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Things went from bad to worse at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, where India faced Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria …