Author: Champe

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Lewis Hamilton came out on top in a very dramatic English Grand Prix at the Silverstone racetrack.

Having qualified in 2nd place behind teammate and pole-sitter, George Russell and fellow Englishman, Lando Norris, the English spectators were in for a special treat, and I’m not just talking about Hannah Wadingham’s iteration of the English National Anthem. It was the first time in history that 3 English drives had qualified in all 3 podium positions at their home race.

The race was made tricky from the onset, as the expectancy of rain showers meant that the teams had to carefully strategize how they would handle the change in track conditions. By the 16th lap (of 52), the rain had begun invading the track and the drivers had started to become weary. It, however, wasn’t strong enough rain to demand a change of tyre strategy.  A lesson that Charles Leclerc of Ferrari learnt the hard way. Still, the conditions made it so the drivers who were comfortable getting a little wet could thrive. This was exactly the case with the McLarens as both Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri began gingerly moving up the order. By the time the showers had faded away, some 10 laps later, they were comfortably at the front of the track.

This wasn’t the end of the chaos though as, again, the conditions changed for the wetter, this time prompting the drivers to change their tyres. Max Verstappen had some foresight to change up earlier, giving him a one lap advantage on the track over the other drivers. McLaren’s Piastri stayed out too long in the rain which meant he dropped from the front of the pack to 6th position while George Russell had the most ironic retirement in all of Motorsport as he had to retire the car due to “trouble with the water system“.

Round and round they went, this time with Norris in first, Hamilton in 2nd and Verstappen in 3rd. As they conditions became drier yet again, and they needed to switch back to dry tyres, Norris made a judgement call error as he opted for the wrong tyre choice. This, coupled with a poor pitstop from the McLaren engineers, meant that both Hamilton and Verstappen would hunt him down and, eventually, overtake him.

It all came down to Hamilton vs Verstappen for the victory, somewhat of a blast from the past, and despite Verstappen having superior pace in his Red Bull, it wasn’t enough to take first place from Hamilton in his Mercedes. Norris came finished the race in 3rd position, while his teammate got, Piastri, himself back up to 4th place. Carlos Sainz, the other Ferrari driver, took the fastest lap award on the final lap, finishing in 5th.

Definitely one of the more thrilling races of the 2024 season.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Argentina faced a stern test when they came up against a determined Ecuador side. Argentina, fresh off attaining the Holy Grail of international, if not World, football, were looking to maintain their course and progress into the final stages of yet another major tournament. Ecuador, however, fresh off of topping their group with maximum points were not going to just lie down for Messi and co. to do as they please.

It was a first half effort from Manchester United Centre back, Lautaro Martinez, that gave Argentina the lead deep into the first half as Ecuador had trouble dealing with a corner kick, allowing Martinez to sneak in at the back post for a relatively easy tap in. Heading into the halftime break with the lead, the ball was firmly in Argentina’s court.

Ecuador came out flying in the second half and really took the game to Argentina. Their efforts granted them a chance to equalize from the penalty spot, in the 61st minute, after Rodrigo de Paul was judged to have handled the ball in the penalty box. Up stepped captain Enner Valencia and though he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, his effort could only bounce back off the post.

They kept pushing and pushing and only in the 1st minute of injury time (90+1) did their efforts bear any fruit, substitute Kevin Rodriguez rising highest to nod goalwards after a cross came in from the right-hand side. Onto penalties then, where the most unexpected thing happened.

Captain Lionel Messi stepped up to take the first penalty. Leading his country by example. Obviously, a formality for one of football’s most prolific goal scorers. It was a shock then to see him attempt a “Panenka” penalty- where you chip the ball down the middle in mockery of your opponent. What was even more shocking than seeing him attempt such an audacious move in such a tense situation, was seeing his effort casually rebound off the cross bar and bounce straight back into his arms. Immediately one of the highlights of the game. Lucky for him, goalkeeper Emi Martinez was in one of his moods again, saving 2 Ecuadorian penalties before dancing in front of the crowd. With all other penalties converted it left veteran Nicolás Otamendi with the task of sealing the victory, which he did.

Argentina won the shootout, and the game by extension, booking their place in the Copa América semi-finals.

by Ben Ayuko

{contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

{image by Getty Images}

The Footballing World is about to be treated to some of the best clashes we have seen in recent years. The best of the best in the world are about to collide and when the dust settles, there will be those who progress and those who are sent home.

In the European Championships, we have 2 heavy clashes with Spain taking on Germany while Portugal meets France. There are going to be many intriguing on-field battles, for instance Jamal Musiala vs Dani Carvajal, Nico Williams vs Joshua Kimmich, Cristiano Ronaldo vs Kylian Mbappe, Joao Palhinha vs N’golo Kante. And of course, the winners of either tie are going to end up facing each other in the semi-final. So, in actuality, out of these 4 mammoth teams, only one is going to make it out unscathed.

On the other side of the draw, lackluster England come up against an inspired Switzerland side. The likes of Declan Rice in midfield will have to be on the top of their game in midfield to keep in form Swiss captain, Granit Xhaka quiet on the day. Netherlands, who had the worst run in the group stage out of the 8 teams, will probably feel like they got the “best” draw coming up against Turkey. Although, with captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu back from suspension and young talent Arda Güler in hot form, Virgil van Dijk and co. will have to be at the top of their game to put them to bed. They will, no doubt, be relying on Cody Gakpo to keep his goal scoring form and stay in the hunt for the top scorer award.

Elsewhere, the Copa America is also keen to serve up some key clashes in the quarter finals, with Argentina taking on a rampant Ecuador, Colombia taking on Panama, Venezuela taking on Canada and perhaps most notably Brazil taking on Uruguay. Seeing stars like Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paqueta, Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez, Alexis MacAllister, Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Alphonso Davies, Lionel Messi, etc. all come up against each is a very delectable prospect.

Also worth noting that this may be the last time we see Ronaldo and Messi play on the same weekend.

What a weekend it’s going to be.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Turkey just about managed to get over line and send Austria home while booking themselves a place in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.

Maybe feeling like they had to make up for their captain, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, missing the game through suspension, Turkey came out of the blocks with intent. An early corner, as in barely a minute into the game early, couldn’t be dealt with properly by the Austrian defense leaving a gap open for Merih Demiral to take full advantage and give Turkey the lead inside a minute. The rest of the half was predominantly spent in the Turkey half of the pitch as Austria tried to penetrate their well organised defense.

In the 2nd half, Austria stepped up their efforts as they were able to transition a lot more smoothly on the pitch and knock the ball about for fun. They were playing a very entertaining brand of football with quick, sharp moves and effortless passes aided by their high press to win the ball back quickly and efficiently. It was therefore a bit of a shock when, in the 59min, Merih Demiral rose highest in the Austria penalty box to meet Arda Güler cross and, again, score for Turkey and extend their lead even further. The Austria faithful looked stunned as, truthfully, at the time it was Austria who looked more likely to put the ball in the back of the net. Turkey’s celebrations began early but they didn’t last for long as through a corner of their own, Austria managed to pull one back through Michael Gregoritsch who found himself unmarked at the far post after a flick on from Stefan Posch.

Austria kept huffing and puffing throughout the remainder of the half and with some better finish from the likes of captain, Marko Arnautovic, they could’ve actually drawn level. But they never gave up. Right up until the last kick of the game when Christoph Baumgartner found himself free in the box and nodded a header toward goal only for goalkeeper, Mert Günok, to pull off what is probably the save of the tournament so far to secure the win for Turkey.

2-1 it ended, setting up a quarter final meeting with the Netherlands.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

Romania (no. 47 in the FIFA world team rankings), who qualified in 1st place in the group stage, would’ve thought that they were guaranteed smooth sailing in the round of 16. Netherlands (no. 7 in the FIFA world rankings), on the other hand, who qualified in 3rd place, would’ve anticipated having one of the tougher draws in this stage. So their relative emotions were definitely filled with confusion and bemusement as hey drew each other. And Netherlands were not going to look this gift horse anywhere, let alone on the mouth.

At the start, the game was more of a tentative affair as both teams took the time to feel each other out and get a gauge on what to expect from each other. It wasn’t until the 20th minute when Cody Gakpo, who had been relatively quiet in the game until then, took everybody by surprise after receiving the ball on the left wing. He cut inside passed the defender and rifled a low hard shot to the goalkeeper’s near post. This proved to be the shot in the arm that the Netherlands team needed as they immediately responded by stepping up a gear and firmly taking control of the game. It was as if Gakpo had given them the confidence to actually show their quality on the pitch. Other players in the team who went on to have a good game include Tijjani Reijnders and Xavi Simmons. Denzel Dumfries was also a constant threat down the right wing.

In the 2nd half, Romania seemed to realize what was happening and opted to hit Netherlands on the counter. A tactic that almost came through in the end if not for some dogged defensive intervention from the Netherlands’ defensive line. Halftime substitute Donyell Manel added some speed and trickery to the Netherlands front line and it was he who, in the 83rd minute, secured Netherlands’ progression into the quarterfinals with a relatively easy tap in from point blank range after some fine work from Cody Gakpo down the wing, that is, beating 2 defenders and the goalkeeper to put it on a plate for Malen.

It was now a formality until the final whistle, but not before Donyell Malen scored another in his own right with the last kick of the game. Picking up the ball in his own half, he carried it down the pitch in a sort of one-man counter attack after captain Virgil van Dijk had the cleared the ball from a Romanian corner kick. He dribbled past the last defender and the wrong footed the goalkeeper with an expert finish.

3-0 the game ended with the Netherlands headed into the quarter finals in rejuvenated fashion as Romania bowed out unceremoniously.

Oh, and Gakpo deservedly won the Man of the Match Award for his contributions.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AFP}

France and Belgium duked it out for a spot in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.

Or at least, that’s what it was supposed to be. Truly it was a long-drawn-out affair in which neither team really possessed the quality to finish the job on the day. Chance after chance, they missed and missed. Of a total of 24 shots between the 2 sides (more from the French), only 4 were on target. And they were relatively routine saves.

In the 2nd half, France really upped the pressure. Suffocating Belgium in their own box looking for a way in. Chance after chance fell for French forward Marcus Thuram, but he couldn’t compose himself enough to take any of them. This led to French manager Didier Deschamps, making a change, bringing in the prospect Kolo Muani. 

He, combining with French talisman Kylian Mbappe, did their best to stabilize the Belgian defense, but couldn’t get any change. On the other end of the pitch, Belgian Centre forward, Romelu Lukaku, struggled to influence the game, in part because of the new formation Belgium adopted for this game, pushing Belgian talisman, Kevin de Bruyne deeper into midfield and further from the attacking line. They only linked up once, after a formation change pushed de Bruyne higher up the pitch. Lukaku held off the defender with his noteable strength and teed up de Bruyne from the edge of the box. His shot drew a decent save from the keeper.

Just as it started to seem like the game was destined for extra time, and possibly penalties, the deadlock was broken. After receiving a pass from the returning N’golo Kante, substitute Kolo Muani spun around inside the box onto his right foot, looking to send a pass across goal, presumably looking for Mbappe. However, the pass deflected violently off of Belgian Centre back, Jan Vertonghen, and bounced over the helpless Belgian Goalkeeper, Koen Casteels, who had dived for the ball’s initial trajectory in anticipation.

Belgian left winger Jérémy Doku had a good game up against French right back Jules Koundé. Their battle was the best part of the game as they constantly sized each other up and tested each other’s limits. With France having won the game, Koundé was the one chosen for the Man of the Match award.

1-0, the game ended, with France securing their spot in the quarterfinals, and with Belgium sent packing with a feeling that they may have had more to offer.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AFP}

Portugal vs Slovenia turned out to be more dramatic than anyone might have thought it would be. When the draw first happened, it seemed like it would be just another stepping onto the ultimate goal for Portugal. Nobody expected the game to be somewhat of an exhibit showcasing Ronaldo battling some inner demons.

The first 90minutes was more of a tale of some missed chances and decent saves as Portugal struggled to find a way past Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Slovenia’s defense also looked very inspired, particularly Vanja Drkušić who was having quite a good game against the notorious Cristiano Ronaldo. With the score tied at 0-0 after 90min, we ventured into extra-time. This is where the drama really started.

First came the penalty. Portuguese substitute Diogo Jota picked up the ball from the halfway line before carrying it all the way into the Slovenia penalty box, where he was then brought down by the aforementioned Drkušić. This would kick off a domino effect whereby previously known heroes would turn into momentary zeroes. First, it was Drkušić for giving away the penalty. Next came Ronaldo, ready to routinely tuck away the spot kick and ensure safe passage for Portugal into the quarter finals. Except, he missed. Or should I say Oblak saved it. Either way, it didn’t enter. And Ronaldo couldn’t hold back the tears as he felt the weight of his country’s disappointment on his shoulders. The 2nd zero.

Still, we had 15min to go in extra time, and anything could happen.

And it very nearly did. A mistake from Portuguese veteran, Pepe, the 3rd zero, let Benjamin Šeško run through on goal, one on one with Diogo Costa, the Portuguese goalkeeper. Sesko, the young jewel of Slovenian football, would add himself to the list as the 4th zero, as he missed the opportunity to secure qualification for his country. Or should I say the keeper saved it. Either way, it should’ve been a goal, but it wasn’t. Extra time was now up. It was time for the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Now, this is where everything changed. Because, as close as the game actually was, the gulf in quality between the 2 sides shone brightly here. Up stepped the Slovenian heroes, Josip Iličić, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbič vs Diogo Costa. 3 penalties they took and 3 times they missed, Costa saving each penalty with relative ease. 3 more zeroes.

On the other side, Ronaldo stepped up first, seeking redemption, which he got after slotting the kick passed Oblak and then turning to the crowd and begging for forgiveness for his earlier miss quite earnestly. Next was Bruno Fernandes, who made a mockery of the tense affair, then Bernardo Silva sealed it with an expertly taken shot.

Portugal safely through, Slovenia sent packing, but not before giving us one of the more memorable cup ties of the competition.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by TSN}

Before we get into it, I just want to say, it was a thoroughly entertaining battle. Both drivers wanted to win, and they drove each other to the limit in order to earn the victory. Unfortunately for them, they both lost out on the victory. Fortunately for us, we may have just witnessed the beginning of a rivalry.

Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principle, was quoted as saying “Lando Norris kept divebombing Max…. He was a little too over eager” A sentiment shared by Max Verstappen. Lando Norris was quoted as saying, “He knew what he was doing. He was on the Wrong.” Which brings us to the topic at hand. Who actually was on the wrong?

Max Verstappen is obviously notorious for his aggressive, uncompromising, elbows-out style of driving that often leads to incidences on the track. That is to say, this isn’t the first time we have seen him get into such an altercation in a race, the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2021 being a very good example of this. However, did he actually break any rules? Are Formula 1 drivers allowed to be so aggressive in defense of their track position?

The rules of attack/defense on the track are as follows. When defending, you, as a driver, are not allowed to move more than once. Which means, you have to predict which direction you think the driver behind you is going to go, and then time your move strategically and commit to it. Once committed, you cannot then move to the other side. Another rule states that you are not allowed to force another driver off the track, whether in attack or defense. Lastly, you are not allowed to leave the track in order to gain an advantage, whether attacking or defending.

Now, these 2 drivers battled for the lead of the race for nigh on 7 laps. And in every lap, these rules were being pushed further and further. Too Norris’ credit, he chose to be quite the gentleman and gave Verstappen fair room to manoeuvre around and even let him take the lead back ahead after he masterminded an overtake from off the track. Verstappen, however, as we all know by now, does not take any prisoners and he ensured that Norris would have to almost physically take the position from him if he wanted to take the lead. He would genuinely risk crashing out of the race rather than surrender the position. Some would say it is dirty driving. Others would argue it is only the mark of a winner who cannot stand to lose, a la Michael Schumacher and Ayton Senna.

One argument gaining a lot of traction states that it has been too long since Verstappen actually had to fight anybody on the track and the sudden pressure put on him by Lando Norris was a lot for him to cope with on the day. And as much as he seemed to have evolved into a more levelheaded and tactical driver, this showed that he was still the same old bullish Max Verstappen.

There is also an argument to be had that Lando Norris was a little too naive when attempting to overtake him. Verstappen may have been overly aggressive, but Norris should have known better than to simply expect him to willingly give up the position, as has been the case in earlier incidents when the roles were reversed.

At the end of the day, all we can say is, more of the same please. Red Bull and Verstappen have had a strangle hold on the game for far too long now. It is refreshing to see things shaken up a bit.