Messi reveals he wore lucky charm in Nigeria game

The unthinkable prospect of a World Cup without Argentina or Lionel Messi could move a step closer to becoming reality on Thursday as the South American giants prepare to face arch-rivals Chile in a crucial battle on the road to Russia 2018.

Argentina, who last failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1970, saw their progress towards next year's finals go awry in 2016 when back-to-back draws with Venezuela and Peru were followed by defeats against Paraguay and Brazil.

Although they bounced back to beat Colombia 3-0 in a home qualifier last November, they remain outside the automatic qualifying places in fifth place, with 19 points from 12 games.

A defeat against fourth-placed Chile on Thursday in Buenos Aires would leave Argentina further adrift of the automatic qualifying spots.

And if Colombia beat lowly Bolivia in their home game, as expected, Argentina could even finish the day further down the pecking order, outside of the fifth-place playoff berth they currently occupy.

With a trip to face Bolivia in the thin air of La Paz awaiting them next Tuesday -- where Argentina have rarely performed well -- it means the two-time World Cup-winners can ill afford to slip up against the Chileans.

Argentina defeated Chile in Santiago earlier in the qualifiers, winning 2-1 in March last year.

However since then Chile inflicted another soul-destroying defeat on the Argentines in a major final, winning the Copa America Centenario final on penalties last June, a year after an identical outcome in the 2015 tournament.

The Copa America Centenario defeat prompted the departure of Gerardo "Tata" Martino as Argentina coach in July, triggering the slump in form which has left their World Cup qualifying campaign in the balance.

The only consolation for new Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza is that opponents Chile are grappling with their own set of problems, notably the suspension of Arturo Vidal and a fitness concern surrounding Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

Sanchez trained with the team in Santiago this week despite suffering an ankle injury while on Arsenal duty last weekend.

Brazil on cusp

Thursday's other showpiece game in South America sees Brazil take on Uruguay in Montevideo.

Brazil have transformed their qualifying campaign with six straight victories since new coach Tite took over last year following the Copa America Centenario debacle, where the five-time World Cup winners were eliminated in the group stage.

The Brazilians are now motoring towards qualification for Russia, four points clear at the top of the standings from second-placed Uruguay.

A seventh straight victory on Thursday will all but guarantee Brazil's place at the finals in Russia.

Tite's biggest headache will be attempting to find an adequate back-up to Manchester City starlet Gabriel Jesus, who is injured. Jesus proved to be the catalyst for Brazil's resurgence last year, scoring five goals in six games.

Though there is no obvious like-for-like replacement, Tite still has plenty of attacking options with a strike force led by Neymar.

Liverpool duo Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho could also provide attacking thrust.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez admitted he would have his hands full dealing with Neymar.

Asked how he planned to shackle the Brazil star, Tabarez replied: "If I had a formula I certainly wouldn't share it."

Uruguay also have a problem in attack with Barcelona star Luis Suarez suspended.

That is likely to mean that Edinson Cavani will shoulder the goalscoring threat for Uruguay with support from Diego Rolan.

Elsewhere Thursday, Ecuador will attempt to maintain their place in the automatic qualifying spots as they travel to Asuncion to face Paraguay.

Bottom team Venezuela host Peru.

Argentina legend Diego Maradona wished Lionel Messi on his 31st birthday through an Instragram post. Maradona posted a picture of him with Messi and captioned the image with a short dedication that read `Happy Birthday, Leo Messi’ accompanied by two emoji gifts:  a cake and an arm with a closed fist, as a sign of strength.

Maradona Supported Messi on his last match against Croatia, where the Argentine playmaker came under intense criticism from his countrymen.

Messi’s team mates and friends also celebrated his birthday, he was presented with birthday cake by Argentina team-mates as some of them posted some pictures with Messi on social media. Sergio Aguero wished Messi a happy birthday with a post on his Instagram. The 31-year-old also took time out to meet some of his team-mates' children.

Argentina are gearing themselves up for their final group game against Nigeria which will be held tomorrow at 12 pm in Bangladesh time.

Can Croatia cross one final hurdle come Sunday night and become the ninth nation to win the World Cup? Standing in their way are France, whose sole ambition will be to claim that coveted piece of glory for the second time at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

As an independent nation, Croatia might not have a rich history as far as their participation in the biggest show on Earth is concerned but since their World Cup debut in 1998, eight years after being liberated from Yugoslavia, it has been a spectacular journey for them.

Coincidentally, it was also the year that France became the seventh nation to win the World Cup, which was on their home soil, by defeating Brazil 3-0 in the final.

More interestingly, it was France who shattered Croatia's dreams by defeating their first 'golden generation' in the semifinal of that tournament 2-1, thanks to two quick blows from Les Bleus defender Lilian Thuram after Croatia's Davor Suker had scored in the 46th minute.

Even in that defeat, Croatia became only the second team after Portugal to have the best finish as debutants. They were placed third following a 2-1 win over Holland in the position deciding game, where Suker scored his sixth goal to win the Golden Boot.

If that was a big statement by an up and coming footballing nation, then the exploits of their next generation, now marshalled by Luka Modric, is no less spectacular as they have reached the finals despite a below-par qualifying campaign.

Croatia launched their campaign in Russia with a 2-0 win against Nigeria before pulling off a magnificent 3-0 win against two-time winners Argentina. They beat Iceland in the last group league game to move into the round of 16 with the maximum number of points.

And in the last three knockout games, where they had to battle it out beyond regulation time, Croatia showed tenacity and the will to fight till the end.

Croatia's round of 16 game against Denmark was a classic example of their never-say-die attitude. After conceding an early goal, they equalised and took the game to extra time, where Modric missed a penalty. However, the Real Madrid midfielder showed courage and stepped up in the shootout to convert his spot kick.

In the quarterfinal against hosts Russia, which they won in the shootout after a 2-2 draw, they faced a similar scenario. This was also the case in the semifinal against England before Mario Mandzukic hit the winner in the 109th minute.

The Juventus forward might not be as prolific as Suker was on the big stage but he has the knack of scoring goals from out of nowhere. Croatia actually have individual winners in Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ante Rebic and Ivan Perisic, the Inter Milan forward who has been in fine form.

Croatia's last three games might have started slowly but gradually picked up with the progression of the game, which is a hallmark of a good team.

They also showed how athletically fit they are as they had to play for 120 minutes in all three previous games.

Against England at Saint Petersburg, many thought it would be impossible for them to survive if the game went beyond regulation time. Surprisingly though, it was England who slowed down as the game progressed. In addition, when the Turkish referee blew the final whistle, Croatia were heading for another crack at the goal.

France midfielder Paul Pogba previously said that he wants to earn his own star on the shirt on Sunday. However, the world will not be surprised to a see the birth of a new star.

France winning the World Cup trophy in Russia, Chinese kitchen and bathroom appliance maker Vatti Corp is now in the spotlight -- it is time for the company to deliver on a bold promise. 

Vatti, as a sponsor for the French national soccer team, said a month ago that if France won the title at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it would refund customers who made purchases of designated products between June 1 and July 3, based on invoice value.

Read more

WC celebrations rock Paris

On Monday, the Guangdong-based company said it had started the promised refund process, after the marketing campaign helped it net total sales of about 1 billion yuan ($150 million) during the promotional period, a year-on-year increase of over 20 per cent.

The sales of designated products, such as dishwashers and water heaters, which were listed in the refund initiative, hit around 79 million yuan, with online sales accounting for 29 million yuan and offline sales standing at 50 million yuan.

Vatti said the company will afford the refund of sales through its own online store, and its distributors and retail partners will be responsible for refunding offline sales and third-party online sales.

Also, total costs of the refund only include manufacturing and promotional cost, which is less than the combined sales price of 79 million yuan, thus exerting little impact on the company's bottom line, the company added.

"We chose to launch such a campaign to support the French team because the temperament of the French team is very compatible with our passionate, smart and fashionable brand image," Vatti said in an interview with China Daily.

The shares of Vatti surged as much as 9 per cent by midday on Monday before the rise narrowed to about 4 perc ent at closing, when share prices stood at 15.18 yuan.

Ma Bing, a 33-year-old bank employee in Beijing, bought a dishwasher in June after seeing Vatti's advertising post on an elevator.

"Well, my wife has been asking for a dishwasher for a long time. I am also a big fan of the French team. The dishwasher saved me from my wife's nagging when I stayed up at night for football matches. It was a good deal," Ma said, adding he has registered the refund information at a Vatti online store.

Vatti is one of a number of Chinese companies that are cashing in on the World Cup. Their combined spending on advertisements for this year's tournament hit $835 million, $400 million more than the next biggest spender, the United States, and easily exceeding that of host country Russia, according to market-research company Zenith.

Liu Buchen, an independent expert in the home appliances industry, said it is good for Chinese companies to experiment with creative marketing campaigns, but more effort is needed to ensure that enterprises do deliver their promises and consumers' rights are protected.

Copyright: China Daily/ Asia News Network

Spain's Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed a 21-month jail sentence and two-million-euro ($2.2-million) fine imposed on Lionel Messi for tax fraud, months after the Barcelona football star lodged an appeal.

Messi was sentenced in July 2016, but it is likely to be suspended as is common in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years.

More to follow...