Horan: No more HQ gigs in peak season
Heartbreak for Japan as Chadli seals incredible late comeback
Roscommon/Armagh ties. That will mean Dublin will head to either Páirc Uí Chaoimh or Healy Park in Omagh for their second-round match, but Horan’s comments regarding protecting the integrity of the rules will ratchet up the pressure on limiting Dublin to just one match in Croke Park. The rules state that each team play one game at home, away and at a neutral venue. Kildare’s reward for their shock third-round win over Mayo is a second Championship clash with Fermanagh — it has been fixed for Navan on Saturday night at 7pm, 10 years after they met for the first time. That game will be the second of two to be broadcast live on Sky on Saturday with the tie of the round, in terms of traditional powers, pitching Cork against Tyrone, for a 5pm throwin at Portlaoise. Roscommon and Armagh will serve as the 3pm curtain-raiser to Cork/ Tyrone at O’Moore Park. Meanwhile, GAA president John Horan has vowed to put an end to the practice of Croke Park hosting non-GAA events in peak season. This Sunday’s Leinster hurling final replay between Galway and Kilkenny will be played in Thurles as a result of Croke Park hosting a Michael Bublé concert this weekend. While Horan was adamant yesterday that neither Kilkenny nor Galway had an issue with going outside the province to play the match — which will be live on RTÉ and has a 3pm throw-in — he intends that in future no non-GAA activity would take place at headquarters during July and August. ‘Unfortunately plans are made well in advance in terms of signing contracts for concerts but it is certainly something I want to change that the months of July and August will have no non-football or hurling events taking place in Croke Park. ‘Going forward, I would like to see that change,’ said Horan yesterday. The decision to hold concerts, which force ground-keeping staff to relay pitches in midseason, has prompted concerns on a number of occasions. Dublin manager Jim Gavin said recently that the hosting of concerts was making life challenging for groundkeeping personnel.
IF Kildare book a place in the Super 8s, they will be given the all-clear from the GAA to host Galway at St Conleth’s Park. GAA president John Horan gave a firm commitment that the Central Competitions Control Committee would not be revisiting last week’s venue chaos in the event of the Lilywhites overcoming Fermanagh this weekend to book their place in the Championship’s last eight. And should that happen they are scheduled to host Kevin Walsh’s high-flying Tribesmen — a game which would go ahead at Kildare’s restricted 8,200-capacity ground — in the second round of the new format on the weekend of July 21/22. ‘Yes, no matter who the opposition are,’ confirmed Horan, when asked whether Kildare would be guaranteed home field advantage. ‘It is in rule that each team in the Super 8s will get a home game and that will be stood over. ‘It was agreed at Congress and we won’t be turning back on that,’ added Horan. Yesterday morning’s draw put flesh on the bones of the Super 8s, clarifying which teams will make up each of the two four-team groups. Kerry and Galway will be joined by the winners from Fermanagh/Kildare and Laois/Monaghan, while in the other group Dublin and Donegal will face the victors from the Cork/Tyrone and
NACER Chadli’s dramatic 94thminute winner — going from one end to the other in 9.94 seconds — completed an incredible Marouane Fellaini-inspired comeback to break Japanese hearts.
Belgium, the huge favourites, had looked down and out at 2-0 down thanks to goals from Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui at the start of the second half. But the arrival of second-half substitute Fellaini turned the game around.
Jan Vertonghen started the fightback with a looping header for 2-1 before Fellaini made it 2-2 with 16 minutes to go.
Then, with only seconds remaining on the clock. Chadli arrived at the end of a classy breakaway move to clinch a quarter-final against Brazil.
What will hurt Japan the most is that the winner came so soon after Thibaut Courtois had saved a Keisuke Honda free-kick which almost won the game for his team.
But from the corner that followed, the Chelsea goalkeeper rolled the ball out to Kevin De Bruyne ,who ran half the length of the field in a classic counterattack which ended with Chadli gleefully firing home from a Thomas Meunier cross after Romelu Lukaku had dummied.
‘Well that’s what happens in the World Cup!’ said Belgium boss Roberto Martinez. ‘You get pushed in games and you have to congratulate Japan. They were so solid, frustrated us and good on the counter.
‘You have to see a reaction of the subs coming on and to win the game 3-2 in 90 minutes tells you everything about this group of players.
‘Today was about getting through, we did that and it’s a day to be proud of these players. Keep believing.
‘Sometimes in a World Cup you want to be perfect but in the knockout stage it’s about winning. The boys showed a winning mentality today.’
‘When we were up 2-0, I really wanted to score another goal and we did have opportunities,’ Japan coach Akira Nishino said. ‘We were to some extent controlling the game, but Belgium upped their game when they had to.
‘I am devastated. Yes we took the lead but we couldn’t win. It might have been a very small difference but I felt there was nothing in it. Maybe it was my decisions as a coach or my tactics, and we couldn’t keep up with Belgium, who upped their game.
‘My players can run if it is a long run or a number of sprints. Our players are strong but to exploit those sprints in the game is another matter. We need skills, tactics, how we are going to pass is more important.’
Belgium were back to full strength, making 10 changes from the ‘B’ team they put out to beat England in the last match of the group stage.
It included a first start at Russia 2018 for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany and his presence was a major boost for Martinez’s side. But Japan, despite being underdogs, held their highly rated opponents to 0-0 at halftime, defending well and utilising a high-energy press.
Lukaku almost opened the scoring from a 30th-minute Dries Mertens cross, only for the ball to get stuck under his foot eight yards from goal.Kompany then missed an even better chance.
But Japan almost stunned their rivals just before the break. Yuto Nagatomo suddenly surged forward and a surprised Courtois almost fumbled his weak, blocked shot into the net — pouncing on the ball just before it looked as if it would trickle over the line.
That should have been a wakeup call, but Belgium were 2-0 down within seven minutes of the restart.
The first came from a superb breakaway which ended with Haraguchi put through on goal. He coolly stopped for a second, took a breath and calmly beat Courtois.
Eden Hazard thumped a shot against the woodwork as Belgium almost equalised immediately. But then Inui struck home the second, a beautifully curled shot from outside the box beating Courtois.
This was now a huge challenge for Belgium, even with their firepower. But they were up to it.
Lukaku had already missed with a header when Verton-ghen looped home after keeper Eiji Kawashima had failed to clear his lines.
Then, with the Rostov Arena rocking, it was 2-2 as Fellaini rose to power home a header from Hazard’s cross.
Kawashima made a superb double save, first from Chadli and then Lukaku with minutes remaining, but he could do nothing about the lastgasp winner.