Hello everyone, but especially to…
FRANCE
Two countries have repeated as World Cup champions: Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. France is one game away from joining this very exclusive group.
The Blues beat Morocco, 2-0, in a very entertaining semi-final and will face Argentina in the last Sunday.
- Theo Hernandez scored the first goal just five minutes after an athletic half-volley Kylian Mbappe‘s shot blocked.
- Morocco has been threatened on many occasions – including Jawad El YamikThe bicycle kick from hit the post – but couldn’t find a breakthrough.
- Substitute Randal Color doubled the Blues’ lead in the 79th minute, scoring a goal from close range, again after a Mbappé shot was blocked.
Far from their best effort, France showed the courage of a champion. Morocco had only allowed one goal in the entire tournament before Didier DeschampsThe team scored two. France also scored their first clean sheet of the tournament, and for that, Raphael Varane deserves huge creditwrites Jonathan Johnson.
- Johnson: “He rediscovered his old self in Qatar just in time for another title shot. Like Deschamps did with Antoine Griezmann, he also made it with Varane and brought his game back to basics and rebuilt one of his most trusted field lieutenants. … Varane brilliantly brought form and discipline to a largely unbalanced French defense given Theo Hernandezthe attack-oriented approach, Jules Koundeis clumsy as a last resort and Dayot Upamecanothe nervousness continues.”
Morocco, meanwhile, saw their dream race come to an end, but the Atlas Lions have shown that they belongwrites James Benge.
Now the final is set, and it’s a great game. Mbappe and Lionel Messi — two of the game’s brightest stars and teammates at Paris Saint Germain — will lead their respective attacks. We’ll have more preview content tomorrow, but rest assured: This has the potential to be an all-time grand finale.
Honorable Mentions
And not such a good morning for…
STEPHEN CURRY AND THE WARRIORS
The Warriors lost for the Pacers, 125-119last night to fall below .500 on the season, but the defending champions may have suffered a much worse loss than the scoreboard read: Stephen Curry appeared to injure his left shoulder in the third quarter and did not return. He’s going for an MRI today.
Although the Warriors struggled, Curry was great – Brad Botkin explained Curry’s dominance on Monday.
- He was on his way to another big gamewith 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists before going out.
- This season, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by seven points per 100 possessions with Curry on the court. JHey get outclassed 11.1 points per 100 possessions without him.
- Golden State also has has lost all three games Curry has missed this year.
Preview of the huge TNF game between the 49ers and the Seahawks 🏈
SATISFACTION
At the start of the season, you probably didn’t expect Brock Purdy – the final pick in the April draft – to be the starting quarterback for one of the best teams in the league and Geno Smith to have his team in contention for the playoffs while still achieving some of the best numbers in the league.
Still, here we are in week 15, and both are true as the 49ers visit the sea hawks in a crucial game.
purdy leaves a terrific performance in which he became the first quarterback to beat Tom Brady in his first career start (it also helped dominate the 49ers’ league-best defense). It was the 49ers best in league sixth consecutive victoryand, at 9-4, they have a 93% chance of winning the NFC West, according to SportsLine projections.
Smith and the Seahawks, meanwhile, have lost three of four but are still sitting at 7-6. With SportsLine giving Seattle a 57% chance of making the playoffs, tonight’s game kicks off a crucial streak: after the 49ers, the Seahawks face the Chiefs and the Jets before ending with Rams.
Deebo Samuel will be out for this one, but expect a big day from another San Francisco star, writes Jared Dubin.
- Dubin: “Christian McCaffrey has 41 touches for 299 yards and two scores in the Niners’ last two games, and Kyle Shanahan apparently delighted to move him into the lineup to create advantageous matchups. The opportunity to do so should be there for him again on Thursday night against a Seattle defense that has given up at least 161 rushing yards in each of its last four games and allowed the sixth-most receptions in the NFL. and the third most receiving yards to enemy running. back so far this season.”
NFL owners go on the defensive as Troy Vincent likens scouting to a ‘slave auction’ 🏈
Getty Images
Former NFL player and current executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent shared his thoughts on the scouting process at a league meeting on Wednesday, and several team owners aren’t happy. .
Vincent referred to the NFL combine as having the characteristics of a “slave auction”, several people who attended the meeting told CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Vincent’s comments came as he announced changes to the combine that would involve a less tedious medical evaluation process and more scrutiny of the questions teams ask potential applicants.
The slave auction comparison was was met with rejection from several team owners, including Arthur Blank of the Falcons, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, and Art Rooney II of the Steelers. As our Jonathan Jones explained, this isn’t the first time Vincent has gone brutally honest in hopes of improving the lives of players and coaches.
- Jonathan Jones: “The conversation wasn’t entirely new, as the combining process has been discussed and changed over time. But the tone of that discussion was remarkable. Vincent, a former Pro Bowler, has been with the NFL since 2014 as a leader in football operations, and he has addressed topics such as kneeling during the national anthem and coaching hiring discrepancies while serving, in the words he used in an interview with The Root, a ‘bridge builder’ from inside the league office.”
NHL Power Ranking: The Great Eight drives the Capitals up 🏒
CBS Sports
In 2006, his second year in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin was hit by a puck during a game and had to be helped off the ice. The next day in training, when asked about the injury, Ovechkin replied: “I’m fine. Russian Machine never breaks.”
All these years later, Russian Machine is still going strong. Ovechkin has scored seven goals in his last four games, including three on Tuesday when he reached 800 for his career — and his Uppercase letters won five in a row to move from 23rd to 16th place in our Austin Nivison’s latest power ranking.
- Nivison: “Just a few weeks ago, Ovechkin and the Capitals looked dead in the water. Injuries were piling up and the team was slipping in the standings. But in the face of adversity, Washington rose to the challenge… Will the Capitals be able to continue this hot streak? I do not know. Even if they get back into playoff position, can they be a real contender? I do not know. What I do know is that this team has become incredibly fun to watch as they come together to continue Ovechkin’s story, and that might be enough to make this season special.”
Ovechkin can equalize (or pass) Gordie Howe801 career goals – second in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky‘s 894 — tonight against the Stars. As for the top of the list…
- 1. Bruins (formerly: 1)
- 2. Maple Leafs (forward: 3)
- 3. Devils (prev: 2)
- 4. Lightning (prev: 4)
- 5. Hurricanes (before: 6)
What we’re watching on Thursday 📺
🏀 deer at Grizzlies8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 49ers at Seahawks8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Suns at Mowers10:30 p.m. on NBA TV