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A great goalkeeper, a magician and a bit of luck: why the futsal Blues have everything to dream of the title

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How far will the Blues go in their first participation in the final phase of a World Cup? This Monday in Bukhara (Uzbekistan), the French futsal team achieved a huge performance by defeating Paraguay (2-1) in the quarter-final. This new feat was made possible thanks to the almost perfect performances of Abdessamad Mohamed and Francis Lokoka added to a touch of success at the end of the match. A cocktail that will be necessary this Thursday to beat Argentina and reach the World Cup final.

Abdessamad Mohamed, the captain

Initiator of a first goal against Paraguay thanks to a subtle dive pass for Souheil Mouhoudine then author of the second decisive goal following a long shot into the top corner, Abdessamad Mohamed was the great architect of the historic qualification of the French team for the semi-finals of the World Cup. Considered the best French player for several years, the 33-year-old pivot is at the peak of his career. After a lackluster group stage, the Laval player is gaining momentum in the competition. He had already produced a dazzling performance in the round of 16 against Thailand (5-2).

“I was not happy with my start to competitions,” admits the person concerned. I felt that I had been studied well by our opponents, I was unable to produce my game, to let go. These meetings where the outcome is at stake galvanize me. » Elected man of the match by Fifa, Abdessamad Mohamed was congratulated by his coach at a press conference. “It’s the competition of his life!” I want him to score goals and be decisive, says Raphaël Reynaud. Today we can count on a great Abdessamad Mohamed and that’s so much the better for the France team. »

Francis Lokoka, the acrobat

It is not for nothing that his teammates in the French team nickname him “Magic Lokoka”. Like his group match against Venezuela (7-3) then his round of 16 against Thailand (5-2), the 31-year-old Blues goalkeeper was once again heroic in the French goal . In the second half, he kept his team ahead with several phenomenal saves.

“I am proud and happy with Francis’ performance. It’s been Magic Lokoka for two – three matches! He lives up to his nickname, praises Raphaël Reynaud. The goalkeeper in futsal is 50% essential for the result. Francis brings us not points but qualifications. There are times when I tell myself that’s the goal, let’s move on to other things and in fact there is no goal. Today, I am lucky to be able to count on an exceptional trio of goalkeepers (Thibaut Garros and Louis Marquet). » READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Very explosive on the line, the goalkeeper of Ile-de-France origin playing in Nantes has almost no flaws on the line and excels in face-to-face encounters with opposing players. “With Francis, we are lucky to have an exceptional goalkeeper,” insists Abdessamad Mohamed. Often, we struggle a little but I congratulate him because today it’s me who is put forward but it could have been him the man of the match. He wouldn’t have stolen it. »

Champion’s luck?

At the last second, a final shot from Paraguayan Baez crashed onto Francis Lokoka’s bar before bouncing off the line. After the intervention of the Var, the referees declared that the ball had not entered. “I felt enormous remorse for losing the ball a few minutes from the end. The moment between the shot and the referee’s decision seemed like an eternity to me, says Abdessamad Mohamed. I tell myself that if there is a goal, it will be very complicated for the whole team to leave. I am worried before I am relieved. It’s a good lesson, it won’t happen again. »

The adventure continues for the Blues who enjoyed maximum success in the second half. By opting for this more favorable part of the table (Thailand then Paraguay rather than Morocco and Brazil) thanks to their defeat against Iran (1-4) during the last group match and their 2nd place in group F, the Blues put take advantage of their chance to last in their tournament. Like Colombia in 2012, they reached the semi-finals on the occasion of their first participation in a World Cup. We have the impression that nothing can happen to this France team, even in difficult times.

Wouldn’t she benefit from “champion’s luck”? “This little extra thing is essential and that’s what we had today,” recognizes Raphaël Reynaud. We must cultivate it in this collective and with all the players and staff. » Until Sunday evening during the final against Brazil?

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NFL | The best was yet to come, and then no

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In February 2022, the Bengals missed the Super Bowl by three small points, but regardless, the future seemed bright in Cincinnati.


Posted at 1:13 a.m.

Updated at 7:00 a.m.

In any case, that’s what we, the most seasoned experts in American football, believed, capable of seeing the future each season, often in a very impressive way; for example, this column has been predicting since 1970 that the New York Jets are not going to win the Super Bowl, and that’s still exactly what happens.

The Bengals have never won anything, but their presence on the big stage two years ago suggested that, a bit like the Nordiques in 1990, the best was yet to come.

Well, no.

As of this hour, the Bengals are a dismal 1-4, and even then, their only win came against the Carolina Panthers, who are about as bad as they are.

The good news for the Bengals is that this “landing” is fairly easily explained: their defense is pretty awful. The less good news is that it is probably already too late to try to solve this problem.

In five games, the Bengals have allowed a total of 145 points, which gives a pretty staggering average of 29 points per game. No one else in the American Association looks this bad, and in the league as a whole, only the Carolina Panthers are even worse in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are wasting the best years of Joe Burrow, who turns 28 in December. He wouldn’t be the first quality quarterback to waste his talent in this uniform.

Is it necessary here to remember that in American football, as in life in general, there is never anything certain? This reality reminds us of this sublime quote from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who once wrote that “supreme happiness is a hundred times sweeter to hope for than to obtain”.

Rousseau must have been a Bengals fan, obviously.

You are probably aware that the New York Jets fired their coachbut that’s not the worst. The worst part is that poor Robert Saleh would have been escorted to the door like a pauper by security agents.

PHOTO MIKE STOBE, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh

It’s undoubtedly one of the worst moments in the history of a club that collects the worst moments, from Mark Sanchez dropping a ball on his lineman’s pussy, to a visibly hot Joe Namath trying to to kiss a reporter live on TV (we’re going to move on to the naughty photo of Brett Favre because there are children here).

We can never repeat it enough: in football, as in life, everything starts from the top. The leaders of the Jets, who display a level of competence similar to that of the inventors of Pepsi Crystal, thus opted for the easy way, instead of realizing that their ground game is non-existent, and that their quarterback who hears voices in his head is finished.

In addition, barely installed, new coach Jeff Ulbrich decided to give control of the attack to assistant Todd Downing, who will call the plays from now on. This is not a detail because this task previously fell to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, close and confidant of Aaron Rodgers.

It’s obvious that this is going to end very badly. As per usual.

Someone whispers in my ear that the inbox is overflowing again, so let’s get to it right away.

First, Luc Girouard from Sept-Îles sends us this timely little comment: “Would Prince Rodgers have plotted to kick Robert Saleh out in order to take his place? »

We all see what you did, Luc.

Then, there is a certain Nicolas B. from Laval who sent this: “Hi Richard. Great weekly column on football. Really entertaining. In addition, you allow my teenagers to read about football in French, which is still a challenge […] If you ever make a reference to my comment, my sports travel gang is buying me a beer on our next trip. »

You will demand a micro beer, Nicolas. Finally, there is Marco Campanozzi who can no longer hear about “mixing” and the right chair: “I can’t do it anymore!!! »

We are Marco.

It will be another great opportunity to lock yourself in front of the TV while pretending to do something constructive, because Sunday’s menu is particularly spicy.

Thus, Commanders in a state of grace will go to Baltimore to prove that they are serious, the Chargers will go to Denver in the hope of recovering after two defeats in a row, and the Cowboys will host the Lions, in a match that they can’t really let slip away, just to build something following the little miracle last Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Don’t forget to check out the colors during halftime.

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A young badminton player realizes his deceased father’s dream

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Only 13 years old, badminton-player-honors-fathers-dream-at-nationals/” title=”13-year-old Saskatchewan badminton player honors father’s dream at nationals”>Gautham Sumesh is preparing to realize the dream of his father, who died six months ago: he will soon participate in the National Badminton Championship.

My father was really addicted to badmintonrecalls the Saskatchewan teenager. He really liked that I played.

Gautham Sumesh has been playing badminton since he was old enough to handle a racket. The first time he managed to beat his father, Sumesh Pulavathil, he was offered a drink to celebrate the event.

Sadly, Sumesh Pulavathil died in a road accident near Estevan last October.

Despite the tragedy, the teenager continues to carry his family’s dreams: Gautham Sumesh won the provincial championships this year and is preparing to participate in the National Championship in New Brunswick.

He would be really happyhe believes.

Dreaming of badminton

The young player’s parents left India in 2022 in the hope that their son would become a top badminton player.

: Gautham badminton”,”text”:”When we moved to Canada, we only had one thing in mind: Gautham badminton”}}”>When we moved to Canada, we only had one thing in mind: Gautham badmintonexplains the latter’s mother, Gayathri Ramdas. It is the foundation of our family life.

Her husband put everything in place to help his son play. He bought him shoes and racquets, in addition to devoting many hours to coaching him and other children.

Sumesh Pulavathil (front) was an avid badminton player. (Archive photo)

Photo: Provided by Gayathri Ramdas

Although the family was devastated by Sumesh Pulavathil’s death, there was never any question of the teenager quitting badminton. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Since the death of his father, Gautham Sumesh has undergone intensive training, particularly in preparation for the provincial competition which took place in April.

He remembers that no one knew him when he started competing provincially, but that changed after his victory at the provincial championship.

: “Hey, good job!” Everyone started talking to me and becoming friends with me”,”text”:”After I won, everyone said to me: “Hey, good job! “Everyone started talking to me and becoming friends with me”}}”>After I won, everyone said to me: “Hey, good job!” Everyone started talking to me and becoming friends with meexplained Gautham Sumesh.

A portrait of Sumesh Pulavathil (far left) and his family.

Photo: Provided by Gayathri Ramdas

Despite his son’s success in the championship, Gayathri Ramdas believes the victory was bittersweet due to his father’s absence.

Despite everything, she watched her son grow up and demonstrate the values ​​of sportsmanship and good play that she and her husband wanted to instill in him, as he harbored ambitions of becoming a professional badminton player.

I’m little by little catching up on all the dreams we had.

With information from Janani Whitfield

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Our Expert’s Pick of the Day: Bet on the Steelers and Lions

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Are you ready for two NFL betting suggestions for Week 6?

CHOICE #1

My first choice is the game between the Pittsburgh Raiders defeated Chargers in final play in overtime”>Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders. In this game, I’m betting on the first half point spread in favor of the Steelers.

I like the Pittsburgh club’s chances in this matchup, but a three-point spread for the entire game doesn’t reassure me much. It’s hard to bet on a team that has averaged 18.4 points per game and is favored by three points in an away game. For this reason, I chose to bet on the lead in the first half.

The Raiders are a disaster. Wide receiver Davante Adams has asked to be traded, and there are rumors that some players are unhappy with their coach, Antonio Pierce. Maxx Crosby played through a sprained ankle last week, but the team will be without Christian Wilkins on Sunday. Additionally, three of their offensive linemen are currently questionable cases.

After surprising the NFL world by beating the Baltimore Ravens, the Raiders followed with a horrendous 36-22 loss at home to the weak Carolina Panthers. They then took advantage of DeShaun Watson’s largesse to win, before losing 34-18 to the Denver Broncos last week.

For me, it comes down to the fact that Pittsburgh’s defense is much better than Vegas’. The Steelers weren’t very impressive on offense against the Dallas Cowboys last week, but things will be easier against the Raiders.

The state of mind is probably much better on the Pittsburgh side. After starting the season 3-0, they lost their last two games, and I think they will get back to winning ways this week. They will start strong against a rusty Aidan O’Connell, who will make his first start in 2024.

CHOICE #2

We have a great NFC game taking place at the beautiful AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In this game, I am betting on the Detroit Lions.

Jared Goff lacks mobility, so he tends to struggle under pressure. When he has time to analyze the field, he dissects the defense.

Knowing this, who will put pressure on Goff in this matchup? The Cowboys will be without their two best quarterback hunters, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Even defensive end Marshawn Kneeland will not be in the game. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Linebacker Eric Kendricks made a big impact in his first month with his new team. However, he is hampered by calf and shoulder injuries, so he could be sidelined. It would be a big blow for this defense.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s offense is healthy, while their defense will have safety Brian Branch back.

I’ve read statistical reports that show that elite teams after their bye week tend to perform well. In other words, they really benefit from the extra time. Also, the away favorites after their bye week beat the point spread at a high rate.

The Lions meet both of those criteria, so I like our chances of winning this bet.

The little extra is the “revenge” factor. Do you remember last year’s meeting between these two teams? The Lions scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left and trailed by one point. Instead of attempting the extra point to send the game into overtime, they decided to attempt a two-point conversion.

Offensive lineman Taylor Decker caught a pass on what appeared to be the game-winning play, but he was ruled ineligible as a receiver. The video shows him talking to the referee before the play, so it looked like a bad call. Coach Dan Campbell still seems upset about the game, which should add some extra motivation.

I also think the Cowboys will play under pressure. After winning 16 straight home games, they lost their first two home games this season.

Detroit’s offense wasn’t in great shape through the first three games, averaging 18.7 points scored per game. But they ultimately exploded for 42 points against the Seattle Seahawks, so I think they’ll continue that momentum. I don’t think Dallas can stop them with all these missing pieces on defense.

Have a great and lucrative weekend, my sports bettor friends!

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