Argentina vs France World Cup final on Dec 18 as Morocco’s dream shatters

News Network
December 15, 2022

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France ended Morocco's World Cup dream as goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani gave the holders a 2-0 win in their semi-final clash and set up a showdown on Sunday with Lionel Messi's Argentina.

It looked like France might make short work of their opponents when Hernandez scored inside five minutes at Al Bayt Stadium, despite having a hostile crowd against them.

But Morocco, the first African and Arab team ever to reach the last four at a World Cup, fought on despite losing key players to injury only to see substitute Kolo Muani seal victory for Les Bleus with a late second.

It will be France's fourth World Cup final in seven editions and they are hoping to become the first team since Brazil 60 years ago to retain the trophy when they take on Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.

That will be billed as a showdown between Messi and his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe, but this match was not about the latter's individual brilliance.

Instead France's victory was down to a team effort against a Moroccan side who will now face Croatia in Saturday's third-place play-off.

Morocco had reached the semi-finals after beating Belgium in the group stage and then knocking out Spain and Portugal.

But whether they could repeat the feat against the holders was another matter, and coach Walid Regragui's plans were left in turmoil by a slew of injuries.

Having missed the quarter-final, centre-back Nayef Aguerd was recalled only to withdraw at the last minute, with Achraf Dari stepping in.

Then fellow defender and captain Romain Saiss had to abandon his teammates after just 21 minutes, and by then Morocco were behind.

France were met by deafening whistles when in possession from the huge Moroccan support but they silenced the crowd with the early opener, Hernandez netting with an acrobatic volley at the back post after Mbappe's shot was deflected.

Remarkably it was also just the second goal conceded by Morocco at this World Cup and the first scored by an opposition player.

If the excellent Azzedine Ounahi forced a fine save from Hugo Lloris soon after, there was the feeling that the evening could quickly turn into a rude reality check for them.

When Saiss let a simple forward ball bounce over his head, Olivier Giroud broke away but his shot hit the post.

Then when Saiss came off Regragui abandoned his back three and matched France's 4-3-3.

Morocco finished the half strongly and nearly drew level when, following a corner, defender Jawad El Yamiq saw his overhead kick tipped onto the post by Lloris.

The Atlas Lions then also lost Bayern Munich left-back Noussair Mazraoui at half-time, but France had not been saved from fitness worries themselves.

Two of their starters in the quarter-final win over England, Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano, were missing due to illness.

Les Bleus have been used to playing semi-finals on a knife-edge and their previous three wins at this stage -- in 1998, 2006 and 2018 -- had all come by a single goal.

Coach Didier Deschamps took off Giroud and replaced him with Marcus Thuram -- son of Lilian -- as Mbappe moved inside.

Kolo Muani then came on for Ousmane Dembele, and with 11 minutes remaining he scored from his first touch, tapping in after another Mbappe shot had been deflected.

The Moroccan players knew then it was game over, and so did French President Emmanuel Macron, standing to applaud in the crowd. 

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News Network
November 27,2025

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday announced that he will convene a high-level meeting in New Delhi with senior leaders — including Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar — to resolve the escalating leadership turmoil in Karnataka and “put an end to the confusion.”

Kharge said the discussions would focus on the way forward for the ruling party, as rumours of a possible leadership change continue to swirl. The speculation has intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, reviving talk of an alleged 2023 “power-sharing agreement” between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

“After reaching Delhi, I will call three or four important leaders and hold discussions. Once we talk, we will decide how to move ahead and end this confusion,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru, according to PTI.

When asked specifically about calling Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi, he responded: “Certainly, we should call them. We will discuss with them and settle the issue.”

He confirmed that Rahul Gandhi, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and other senior members would be part of the deliberations. “After discussing with everyone, a decision will be made,” he said.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah held a separate strategy meeting at his Bengaluru residence with ministers and leaders seen as his close confidants, including G. Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi, H.C. Mahadevappa, K. Venkatesh and K.N. Rajanna.
Signalling calm, the Chief Minister told reporters, “Will go to Delhi if the high command calls.”

Shivakumar echoed a similar stance, saying he too would head to the national capital if summoned by the party leadership.

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News Network
November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Assembly Speaker and local MLA U.T. Khader has initiated a high-level push to resolve one of Mangaluru’s longest-standing traffic headaches: the narrow, high-density stretch of National Highway-66 between Nanthoor and Talapady.

He announced on Tuesday that a formal proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) seeking approval to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the widening of this crucial corridor.

The plan specifically aims to expand the existing 45-meter road width to a full 60 meters, coupled with the construction of dedicated service roads. Khader highlighted that land for a 60-meter highway was originally acquired during the initial four-laning project, but only 45 meters were developed, leading to a perpetual bottleneck.

"With vehicle density rising sharply, the expansion has become unavoidable," Khader stated, stressing that the upgrade is essential for ensuring smoother traffic flow and improving safety at the city's main entry and exit points.

The stretch between Nanthoor and Talapady is a vital link on the busy Kochi-Panvel coastal highway and connects to major city junctions. The move to utilize the previously acquired land for the full 60-meter width is seen as a necessary measure to catch up with the region's rapid vehicular growth and prevent further traffic gridlocks.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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