Alex Baker

  • What are reasonable expectations in Arsenal’s first post-Wenger season?

    With the new Premier League season rapidly approaching, there’s a nervous sort of excitement building around Arsenal, as the North London outfit prepares to embark on its first season since 1996 without Arsene Wenger in charge. Although the cautionary tale that was David Moyes’ appointment at Manchester United immediately following Sir Alex Ferguson's 26-year reign may give some Arsenal fans cause for concern.

  • French players teach president how to dab - Watch

    French President Emmanuel Macron was on-hand Sunday at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium as Les Bleus bested Croatia in the final to claim their first World Cup triumph since 1998. Macron was in a visibly jubilant mood as France stormed to a 4-2 win over a spirited Croatian team. Afterward, the president looked emotional as he individually congratulated each member of Didier Deschamps' World Cup winning side and offered special congratulations to Kylian Mbappe, who garnered the award for best young player at the tournament.

  • Croatian wins MVP at World Cup despite losing final to France

    Despite seeing his team bested in the World Cup final in a 4-2 loss to France, Croatia's Luka Modric was awarded the Golden Ball trophy for best player at the tournament. Modric was the key cog in a Croatian midfield what was arguably the best we saw in Russia. In seven matches at the 2018 World Cup, the Real Madrid midfielder registered two goals and one assist while completing 368 passes.

  • President Trump congratulates France ... and Vladimir Putin for World Cup

    As France beat Croatia by 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final to claim its second World Cup, congratulations and accolades poured in from around the world. Including one tweeter-in-chief.

  • Awful goalkeeper blunder gifts Croatia a goal in World Cup final

    Trailing by four goals to one, Croatia looked to be completely on the ropes in the 69th minute of the World Cup final when a horrible blunder from France's keeper gave it a possible lifeline.

  • Pussy Riot claims responsibility after fans invade pitch during World Cup final

    The World Cup final between France and Croatia was briefly halted in the second half after four fans ran onto the pitch during play.

  • Watch: France scores on free kick after controversial dive

    France took an early lead against Croatia in the World Cup final after a well-placed free kick from Antoine Griezmann took an unfortunate deflection off the head of Croatia's Mario Mandzukic.

  • Belgium beats England to claim third place in the World Cup

    Belgium put two unanswered goals past England in the third-place game at Kretovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg on Saturday to achieve its best-ever World Cup finish. The Belgians grabbed an immediate lead through Thomas Meunier who netted the go-ahead goal inside the match's first five minutes, before doubling their lead in the game's final stretch through Eden Hazard.

  • England cop $70,000 fine after World Cup loss

    Football isn't coming home after all, and to add insult to injury, the English Football Association has been hit with a $70,000 fine by FIFA.

  • What to watch for in Sunday's World Cup final between France and Croatia

    The 2018 World Cup final is this Sunday, July 15, with France set to meet Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

  • Photographer gets dog-piled as Croatia celebrate winning goal against England

    The Croatian World Cup squad was understandably elated after Mario Mandzukic blasted in a goal deep into extra time, giving Croatia a 2-1 lead over England that put it in position to advance to Sunday's World Cup final. The score was tied 1-1 in the 109th minute when the burly striker latched onto a ball from Ivan Perisic and burst into the six-yard-box to lash a shot past England keeper Jordan Pickford, breaking English hearts and sending the Croatian team and its fans into ecstatics.

  • England fined $70K after players wore 'unauthorized socks'

    Football may or may not be coming home, but the English Football Association has been hit with a $70K fine by FIFA, after players representing the Three Lions at the World Cup were seen wearing "unauthorized" socks.

  • Fiat workers call for strike over Ronaldo transfer

    The Portuguese superstar will be moving to the Italian giant on a $117M transfer. But not everyone in Italy is happy about it.

  • Could Mick Jagger 'jinx' derail England's World Cup hopes?

    Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger was on-hand for France's World Cup semi-final triumph over Belgium on Tuesday.

  • France through to World Cup final after edging Belgium in cagey semifinal

    France punched a ticket to its third-ever World Cup final after a second-half goal from Samuel Umtiti.

  • Raheem Sterling: England's tireless workhorse divides opinions

    In soccer, the two most high-profile positions to be in when it all goes wrong are goalkeeper and goal-scorer. To the unstudied observer, you can make a serious error almost anywhere else on the pitch and it will likely soon be forgotten if it's even noticed at all. But when a goalkeeper blows a save? Or when a forward fluffs a goal scoring opportunity in a World Cup? It can lead to something that's not unlike a national inquest. Just ask England's, Raheem Sterling.

  • Likable Croatia's checkered past rears its head leading into England clash

    With no United States Men's National Team to cheer for and many of international soccer's usual heavyweights having fallen short, neutrals have been looking for likable teams to glom onto at this summer's World Cup.

  • Croatia fined by FIFA for violating marketing rules

    FIFA has fined the Croatian soccer federation over $70,000 for violating media and marketing rules at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. According to a statement from the FIFA press service, the fine is related to an incident in which members of the Croatian national team were seen drinking "non-authorized beverage products," that is, drinks that were not officially approved as part of the sponsorship deal for the World Cup.

  • Watch: England fans trash an Ikea following win over Sweden

    Exuberant celebrations are part of what makes the World Cup such an engaging spectacle. In-your-face celebrations and good-natured rivalries, like the one that saw former Sweden great Zlatan Ibrahimovic challenge ex-England great David Beckham to a bet on social media, add spice to contests like Saturday’s quarterfinal meeting between Sweden and England.

  • Sweden's frustration summed up in one photo

    Sweden was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup on Saturday after suffering a 2-0 loss to England at Samara Arena.