The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Defense Rules the Day
Connecticut topples Rhode Island in revived Governor’s Cup
NEW BRITAIN — Two weeks is hardly enough time to install an intricate offense, especially when that offense requires precision and a rhythm from its passing attack. It becomes even tougher when an all-star quarterback gets knocked from the game.
On defense on the other hand, once the coverage strategy is established the players can just pin their ears back and play.
While offense made its presence felt early, defense nabbed the spotlight in Connecticut’s 28-7 victory over Rhode Island in the revival of the Governor’s Cup Senior All-Star football game on a sweltering Saturday at New Britain’s Veterans Stadium. The victory was Connecticut’s 11th straight in the series, which returned this year after a five-year layoff. Team Connecticut now leads the overall series 12-3.
“That’s the thing with these all-star games, they want to gear the rules toward the offense,” said Xavier’s Andy Guyon, the head coach of Team Connecticut. “But the offense has to get clicking. It has to get its timing right. There’s a lot to it.
“With defense, it’s much easier to get ready.”
Bulkeley’s Dyjion Washington broke a 7-7 tie with an 18-yard interception return touchdown to give Connecticut the lead for good in the second quarter.
With the game still in doubt in the fourth quarter, Hartford Public’s Leon Campbell forced a fumble that Shelton’s Mike Casinelli recovered, which set up the clinching touchdown.
“We talked to them at halftime about finishing,” Guyon said. “I give (Rhode Island) credit for coming out and making us coach and making our guys play. They didn’t roll over they came out and played hard. It wasn’t easy.
“At halftime, the message was, for the rest of your lives you’ve got 24 minutes, for the state of Connecticut, for your family and for your school and what are you guys going to do with it? They came out and did a pretty good job.”
With Norwich Free Academy’s Shea McManaway getting knocked out early in the second quarter, Capital Prep quarterback and Central Connecticut State signee Kyle Zajack played the remainder of the game. He wound up throwing three touchdown passes to earn Connecticut’s Offensive MVP.
“It was unexpected, you obviously don’t want to see someone go down like that,” Zajack said. “It sucks that it happened. But at the end of the day, we still had to finish business that we had here and give Connecticut a win.”
Zajack’s first touchdown was a 64-yard strike to Simsbury’s Ralph Gilliard early in the second quarter. It was Connecticut’s answer to Rhode Island’s first score: a 49-yard touchdown pass
at the heart of France’s often-breathtaking display, particularly in the middle of the second half.
He became the second teenager to score multiple goals in a knockout match at the World Cup. Pele was the other, doing it twice at 17 at the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
“It is flattering to be the second one after Pele but let’s put things in context. Pele is another category,” Mbappe said. “But it’s good to be among the players to score in knockout matches.”
With the score 2-2, Mbappe got his first goal with a cool finish from a tight angle in the 64th minute, his low shot going under Argentina goalkeeper Franco Armani. Four minutes later, he slotted past Armani again after he was put through on goal by a deft pass from Oliver Giroud.
Mbappe also helped France to its first goal. Following a sustained period of early pressure, he won a penalty after a 40-meter burst of speed that ended with him being brought down by Marcos Rojo. Antoine Griezmann then scored from the spot in the 13th minute, sending Armani the wrong way.
“Our team is much younger,
but we are there. We answered the call,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “It was not easy because we were leading and then there was an equalizer. Then they led 2-1, but we kept fighting. There is an excellent mentality in this group and we did everything to go further. We couldn’t miss it and we did win it.”
Mbappe was born a few months after France won the 1998 World Cup at home, its only title at the tournament. Deschamps was the captain of that team and Zinedine Zidane scored two goals in the final.
“People remember more the World Cup victory than the year I was born,” Mbappe said. “It is normal (because) it was the time we were World Cup winners, so that is obviously what they remember.”
France will next face Uruguay in the quarterfinals on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod. Blaise Matuidi will miss the match after receiving a second yellow card of the tournament.
Argentina briefly took the lead in the 48th minute at Kazan Arena, but France defender Benjamin Pavard equalized nine minutes later with a superb strike from outside the area.
“It is too soon to analyze concrete mistakes we might have made,” Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said. “I am sure there might have been mistakes.”
Argentina got its goals from Angel Di Maria, Gabriel Mercado and late substitute Sergio Aguero. Messi set up the latter two, first sending a shot on goal that Mercado deflected into the net in the 48th.
With time winding down, Messi gave Argentina a bit of hope with a cross to the left that Aguero headed into goal in stoppage time.
Di Maria’s goal was one of the best of the tournament. Following a throw-in, he hit a hard shot from 30 yards that curled into the top right corner, beyond the dive of France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
“We played against a team that was very, very fast in transitions,” Sampaoli said. “We were able to turn around the match but after a very short time during a very strange play, we lost our advantage.”
For Argentina, it was the first time the team has scored three goals in a competitive match and lost.
For Messi, it means he still has never won a major international title with Argentina.
URUGUAY 2, PORTUGAL 1
In Sochi, Russia, Edinson Cavani upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo, first with his head and then with his right foot, and sent Uruguay to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Cavani scored twice and Ronaldo none Saturday to
give Uruguay the victory.
On the same day Lionel Messi was sent home in Argentina’s loss, the other “GOAT” at this tournament was also eliminated. It was two weeks ago that Ronaldo scored a hat trick in the same stadium against Spain, stroking his chin after the first goal to imply he was the “greatest of all time.”
There was no goal from Ronaldo this time. Everywhere he went, the Portugal great was hounded by two or three Uruguayan defenders.
It was Cavani who instead took the spotlight. He combined with Luis Suarez to compete a series of precision passes to give Uruguay the early advantage with a header in the seventh minute. And after Portugal equalized on Pepe’s header in the 55th minute, it was Cavani again finishing a perfect Uruguay counter in the 62nd with a shot from just inside the penalty area that caught Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio slightly out of position and curled inside the far post.
“The truth is, it was really exciting,” Cavani said. “There aren’t words to describe this.”
Cavani now has three goals at the World Cup, but limped off in the 70th minute with an apparent injury and had to be replaced. He was helped to the sideline with his arm around Ronaldo’s back.
Uruguay, a two-time champion that reached the semifinals at the 2010 World Cup, will next face France on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod.
Portugal had chances in the second half, including a frantic final few minutes of stoppage time with claims of a possible handball in the penalty area from a late corner kick. But there was no late video review to benefit Portugal as Ronaldo’s fourth World Cup came to an uneventful end.
Like Messi, Ronaldo has never scored in a knockout round match at the World Cup.
Ronaldo had one clean shot the entire 90 minutes and it came in the opening moments of the match, directly into the arms of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. His shadows were Uruguay defenders Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who know Ronaldo quite well from their clashes between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league.
Ronaldo was involved somewhat in Portugal’s goal, even if he didn’t come close to getting a touch on the cross. Ronaldo ran in front of Pepe and drew the attention of both Gimenez and Godin. Pepe came in behind and Uruguay finally surrendered its first goal of the tournament in the 55th minute.