Author: Steven Sahiounie

LUSAIL, Qatar — It was nearly 2 a.m. by the time Lionel Andrés Messi, eyes wide and psyche weary, emerged to confront the final spotlight of his night. Cameras had chased him from the doorstep of Argentina’s team bus through the bowels of Lusail Stadium, from the serenity of privacy into the eye of the storm. They had captured his searching glances around this grandiose arena that became a madhouse on Saturday night. They zoomed in on a bearded face once incapable of hiding pressure. With midnight near, they’d broadcast his brilliance to the world, and now, hours later, they clamored for one last…

The US men’s national soccer team (USMNT) has been accused of “unethical” behavior ahead of its World Cup meeting with Iran in Qatar, after displaying an altered version of the Iranian flag on social media.America and Iran face off in a vital game at Al Thumama Stadium on Tuesday which is set to determine which of the two teams progresses to the knockout stages in Qatar.Ahead of the match, the USMNT social media account has stirred tensions by posting a graphic of the Group B standings featuring England, Iran, the US, and Wales.The Iranian flag is shown with its horizontal…

The World Cup 2022 schedule is locked in and the start to the tournament in Qatar has been sensational as action throughout November and December will capture the imagination of the world. Saudi Arabia, Japan and Morocco have already pulled off huge upset wins over Argentina, Germany and Belgium respectively as the tournament has got off to a flying start. From the USMNT drawing against England the day after Thanksgiving to Lionel Messi saving Argentina against Mexico in the group stages, Spain facing Germany and upsets galore, there are plenty of intriguing games in the opening round. MORE: World Cup…

In January 2006, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) interplanetary space probe, New Horizons, was launched and in 2015 became the first spacecraft to visit Pluto and explore the Kuiper Belt Orbit (KBO). The KBO – originally named Ultima Thule – is a disc-shaped region extending to the outer solar system. NASA has shared an astonishing image of the dwarf planet Pluto, taken by the international space agency’s New Horizons spacecraft. According to NASA, the photograph was taken at a distance of 22,025 miles (35,445 km) from Pluto. Earlier, NASA also released another photo of the “translated color image” of Pluto, taken…

Scientists believe that roughly 85 percent of the Universe is made of dark matter – a certain type of material that cannot directly be observed since it does not emit light or energy. An old gold mine and a vat containing liquid xenon are the key elements of an ongoing hunt for the elusive dark matter that is believed to make up about 85 percent of all matter in the Universe. This hypothetical form of matter doesn’t emit, absorb or scatter light, while existing almost everywhere in our Universe, making it undetectable in astronomical observations. In the hopes of solving this fundamental…

Canada’s brilliant start to both the World Cup and its second game was undone by experienced Croatia on Sunday, as the 2018 runners-up came back from an early deficit to win 4-1 in Al Rayyan. Alphonso Davies put Canada in front after just two minutes with a picture-perfect header of a Tajon Buchanan cross, but Canada’s defense was undone the rest of the way and the Croatian back line held firm in front of Dominik Livakovic. Andrej Kramaric had two goals and Ivan Perisic two assists in the win, as Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer also scored goals. Croatia overcame…

Costa Rica got a taste of redemption from its 7-0 loss to Spain by beating Japan 1-0 on a late goal from Keysher Fuller.  But while the Ticos were the team that picked up three points, Germany might be the real winner — former United States men’s national team players Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan explain why on “World Cup Now.” Why Costa Rica’s win is good for Germany Conrad: This result gives Germany a much more viable chance. Even if they lose to Spain, they could beat Costa Rica in the last group game and still go through [to the knockout round] on three points, which is pretty mind-boggling to think about.…

Group A in the 2022 World Cup will be intriguing, as hosts Qatar are joined by African champs Senegal, plus the Netherlands and Ecuador. [ MORE: Full schedule for 2022 World Cup ] This really is a wide-open group but the host nation got off to a terrible start as they were outclassed by Ecuador and Qatar are now out are losing to Senegal too. There’s no doubting that the Netherlands and Senegal are the favorites to advance as Virgil van Dijk will lead the Dutch as they look to make up for missing the 2018 tournament, but Senegal are missing main man…

With England, the USMNT, Wales and Iran placed together in Group B, this is an absolutely blockbuster group brimming with narratives. Can the Three Lions take care of business with minimum fuss? Or will the USMNT, Wales and Iran cause upsets as their solid units all have talented attackers who can win a game in just one moment? [ MORE: World Cup 2022 schedule, scores, hub ] From Harry Kane leading England to Gareth Bale leading Wales’ charge to Christian Pulisic primed to push the USMNT towards the knockout rounds and Iran’s hopes pinned on prolific forward duo Azmoun and Taremi, this…

With Argentina, Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia put together in World Cup 2022 Group C, this is an intriguing group of teams with very different styles of play. And the intrigue’s only increased with Saudi Arabia’s upset of Argentina. While Mexico and Poland battled to a 0-0 draw. [ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ] Can Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste get into the knockout rounds? Will Mexico and Poland push them all the way? As for Saudi Arabia, they eased through qualifying and have already delivered a shock at this World Cup? Almost everybody would’ve expected Argentina will advance from…