Arsenal FC’s latest signing, Jakub Kiwior has revealed why he joined the Gunners this January transfer window.

On the 23rd of January 2023, Arsenal confirmed the signing of Kiwior from Italian club Spezia.

Kiwior became Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta’s second January signing. In a £ 20 million deal, the Poland international moved to Emirates Stadium.

The 22-year-old, who has nine Poland caps, signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the North London club, with an additional year on the table.

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After joining Arsenal, Kiwior spoke with the club’s media to discuss his decision to join the league’s top team, admitting that their playing style had a significant role.

“When I saw my name on an Arsenal shirt for the first time, I just laughed!” Kiwior said.

“I was so happy to see my name on the shirt of such a huge club. For me, it is an incredibly happy moment and the pinnacle to play for such a big club.

“I have always dreamt of playing in the Premier League. I knew it would not be easy, and if I got the chance, then I knew I would have to make the most of it because it was one of my biggest dreams. For me, it is the best league. I am thrilled to be here.”

“It is huge for me that Arsenal were interested and that I am able to be here.

“I love passing the ball. I like teams that move the ball and try to create chances that way. So, I am happy that I have come to a team like that.”

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Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been appointed and given the whistle to officiate the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.

Marciniak becomes the first Poland native to be given the honour and will be joined by fellow Poles Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz on the sidelines.

He was heavily involved in the Champions League in 2021–2022, officiating four games in the group stage and two in the round of 16, before presiding over Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the quarterfinal and Liverpool’s victory over Villarreal in the semi–final—the first time a Polish official had ever presided over a significant European semi–final.

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Marciniak has presided over two games this winter, and he has already refereed matches involving both France and Argentina.

He was in charge of the whistle during the group stage as France defeated Denmark 2-1, issuing three yellow cards as Kylian Mbappe’s late strike gave Les Bleus the victory.

After that, Marciniak oversaw Argentina’s 2-1 triumph over Australia in the round of 16.

Thus, the 2022 World Cup final will be overseen by the Polish referee.

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Former Chelsea player Didier Drogba believes France has a key “advantage” over Argentina ahead of the World Cup final in Qatar.

On Sunday, France will take on Argentina at the Lusail Stadium in an effort to retain the World Cup title for the first time in 60 years.

The team led Group D and defeated Poland, England, and Morocco to advance to the knockout rounds under Didier Deschamps.

Argentina won Group C despite an unexpected loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening match and defeated Australia, Netherlands, and Croatia on their way to a sixth World Cup final.

In Lionel Messi’s final World Cup, Argentina will try to win the trophy a third time, while France will try to become just the third team to successfully defend the title.

With eleven members of France’s 2018 team and World Cup-winning manager Deschamps participating in Qatar, Drogba believes that France has an “edge” over Argentina due to their previous experience of not just reaching but also winning the final.

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‘France do have the advantage of being in the final and winning it four years ago,’ the former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker told BBC Sport.

‘You know how to handle the pressure, you’ve been there, but they have new players and it will be new for them.

‘It might be the first time some of them have played against Lionel Messi as well. The pressure will be there. This France team are very, very competitive, especially with Didier Deschamps as their manager. They want to win it back-to-back.

‘Argentina will know that the French team don’t like to receive a lot of knocks. Argentina are really aggressive and they won’t let Kylian Mbappe face the game.

‘They will try and block him because they know he is the main man. It is going to be difficult for them to handle Tchouameni, Griezmann and even Dembele.

‘We don’t talk about Dembele I think he has been helping Jules Kounde a lot. He has been working really hard.’

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Penalty spot kicks in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have been quite important. The best feeling in football has to be when you score a penalty in a hostile environment when the pressure is unbearable but the ice in your veins tells you that you can do it.

Few players can thrive under pressure and resist playing mind games with opponents or goalkeepers in order to win a decisive penalty for the team.

This World Cup has seen a lot of these situations, and the players that stood up to take the penalty will be remembered. Others who were pressed into action and missed it will be reflecting on their situation.

Here are the top five players who have missed decisive penalties that could have altered the outcome of games:

5. Marquinhos

The PSG defender will have a bad memory of that day because his rebound helped Croatia score an equalizer, and he also missed a crucial penalty that could have kept Brazil in the game. Marquinhos missed the final penalty of the shootout that sealed his nation’s exit from the tournament.

Marquinhos came up to take the fourth penalty with Brazil down 4-2 after the shootout, and if he had made it, it would have kept them in the match. However, the player’s shot struck the bottom right corner bar, agonizingly ruining Brazil’s hopes of winning a fifth World Cup.

Croatia qualified for the tournament’s semi-finals for the second time in a row thanks to the victory. In 2018, they reached the finals before losing to France.

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4. Sergio Busquets

He wasted his chance to keep Spain in the game by taking the third penalty rather than the first. Busquets had the chance to boost his nation’s spirits as Morocco had a two-penalty lead. But because of his lack of force in the penalty shootout, Bounou accurately predicted his penalty and denied Spain a spot in the shootout, sending Spain home from the World Cup.

The Barcelona midfielder was one of three players who failed to convert from the spot. After Spain was eliminated from the World Cup on penalties by Morocco, Sergio Busquets lamented a “cruel way to lose.” Busquets was one of three Spaniards to fail from the spot as La Roja crashed out of the competition in the last 16.

3. Robert Lewandowski

When one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Ochoa Mexican, anticipated Lewandowski’s shot and parried away his penalty against Mexico, he was named the best penalty taker in football. Poland advanced to the knockout stage when the match ended in a tie, although if they had won, they would have won the group and avoided playing a strong team in the round of 16.

Everything hinged on Poland’s final match against France, who eliminated them from the competition and allowed Poland to advance on goal differential.

Robert Lewandowski missed his first penalty for his country. With 76 goals overall, Poland’s all-time leading scorer has yet to record a World Cup goal.

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2. Andre Ayew

Ghana appeared more interested in vengeance than winning the game. But it all started well for Ghana when they were awarded a penalty and Andre Ayew, who was part of the 2010 World Cup when Suarez ruined their hopes by saving a shot with his hands and was given a red card, was given a red card and Uruguay won on penalties.

Ayew seemed to be suffering from a hangover from that match because Rochet saved his penalty. Uruguay took advantage of the break by scoring twice, but neither of them counted because South Korea’s goal in the dying seconds ensured that they would advance to the round of 16.

The outcome of the game would have been radically different if Ayew had successfully converted his penalty.

1. Harry Kane

This was Kane’s most important penalty miss, and it will torment the Three Lions captain for months to come because his penalty would have kept England in the game.

Mason Mount of Chelsea was pushed into the box immediately after coming on as France had a 2-1 lead. Nevertheless, the referee disregarded the decision. Referee Wilton Pereira indicated toward the penalty area when VAR requested another review, and it was a well-deserving penalty.

England were one penalty away from tying the game in the 82nd minute. Kane, who had scored the previous penalty, took the risk and appeared at ease. However, it appeared like Kane had capitulated under pressure and skied his penalty, resulting in jubilation from France’s fans and players as England was unable to find an equalizer and were knocked from the competition.

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It’s Coming Home or Allez. On Saturday night, as England takes on France in their World Cup 2022 quarterfinal, the sound of Les Bleus will reverberate throughout the Al Bayt Stadium at the final whistle.

The two nations are longtime rivals in Europe. For England’s World Cup quarterfinal match against France on Saturday, Gareth Southgate will make one of his most significant lineup decisions.

While the defending champions defeated Poland 3-1 to maintain their chances of winning back-to-back championships, the Three Lions defeated Senegal 3-0 without a response to proceed to the round of eight.

There are many similarities between these particular representations of England and France. Both teams have a wealth of young forward talent that is being watched over by managers who have a reputation for continuously keeping one foot on the handbrake.

• Team News:

The news of a break-in at the home of Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling, who travelled back to the UK over the weekend, overshadowed England’s triumph over Senegal. It is unknown if Sterling will be back in Qatar for the remainder of the tournament. Ben White of Arsenal is also still absent due to personal reasons.

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Declan Rice’s absence from training on Wednesday due to illness has given Southgate a tiny fright, though his illness is unlikely to keep him from playing on Saturday. Callum Wilson is also dealing with a minor injury, although he was never expected to start.

The 52-year-old has suggested that he will remain with the tried-and-true 4-3-3 system that has proven successful so far, allowing Henderson to once again connect with Rice and Bellingham in the middle. Many have predicted that Southgate will switch to a three-man backline for the upcoming match.

Mbappe, the leading scorer for the French team, missed practice on Tuesday because of ankle pain, but this was only a false scare as the 23-year-old was back on the practice fields on Wednesday and should continue in the starting lineup.

Amazingly, France has won all nine of the World Cup games in which Mbappe has started, while Giroud, who has scored three goals in Qatar, has the potential to tie the record of 38-year-old Roger Milla, who is the only player older than 36 to score four goals in a single World Cup.

If they receive yellow cards here, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde will both miss any potential semi-final, but Deschamps is unlikely to take any on-field infractions into consideration when assessing his best Eleven.

• Possible Lineup:

England’s possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Foden

France’s possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud

• Score prediction:

Prediction: England 2-2 France

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Kylian Mbappe tied Lionel Messi’s record for most goals scored at a World Cup as France defeated Poland 3-1 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout rounds.

With his first-half goal, Olivier Giroud surpassed Hugo Lloris as the top-scoring male player in the country’s history. Antoine Griezmann also set the record for most consecutive appearances for Les Bleus, and teenage Kylian Mbappe made the history of his own.

With his astonishing second-half brace, the 23-year-old equalled Lionel Messi’s World Cup goal total of nine surpassed Pele’s record of eight and beat Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s eight World Cup goals.

The fact that these nine goals have been scored in just 11 tournament appearances is what most people find astounding.

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It took Lionel Messi 23 games in five World Cups to reach that figure, while the only four players to have scored nine World Cup goals in fewer games are Eusebio (6), Ademir (6), Christian Vieri (9) and Vava (10).

9 goals in 11 World Cup games for Kylian Mbappe.

Reached that 9 goal mark in 12 less games than Lionel Messi and in 3 less tournaments.

Only 4 players to have scored 9 World Cup goals in less games are Eusebio, Christian Vieri, Vava and Ademir

— Jack Gallagher (@calciolovesjack) December 4, 2022

The legendary R9 Ronaldo averaged 0.79 goals per game whereas Mbappe is currently averaging 0.82, making him the player with the best goals-per-game record in the tournament.

The PSG star, who is only 23 years old, has once won the World Cup and, along with Pele, became the second-youngest player to score in a World Cup final. Thanks to his performance in Qatar, the current champions are now among the favourites to defend the trophy.

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Olivier Giroud made history as he became France’s all-time top male goalscorer with his strike against Poland at the World Cup.

On the verge of halftime, the seasoned Frenchman scored his pivotal 52nd goal for Les Bleus with an extraordinarily deft finish, turning the ball over Wojciech Szczesny for a 1-0 victory in the round of 16.

Importantly, the goal allowed him to surpass none other than Thierry Henry in the standings, allowing him to achieve the remarkable feat.

Giroud made his international debut with France in 2011, but he wouldn’t score his first goal for Les Bleus until February 2012, when he scored against Germany in a friendly.

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After 116 appearances, he currently holds the record for goals scored and, despite being 36 years old, still has the look of a striker of the highest calibre.

He was able to tie Henry’s record by scoring twice against Australia on matchday one of the Qatar World Cup, but he has since had to wait for the goal to grab the lead.

But, with France likely to go deep into the tournament and Karim Benzema out of the tournament, Giroud has a brilliant chance to extend his lead as France’s all-time scorer before the World Cup comes to an end.

It comes after a standout period at AC Milan. Giroud contributed significantly to the team winning their first Scudetto in ten years after joining in the summer of 2021, scoring 14 goals in all competitions. He has continued his prolific play into the 2022–23 season without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

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France defeated Poland 3-1 on Sunday to progress to the World Cup quarterfinals thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe.

Early on, Giroud appeared destined to score first as he approached a back-post cross from Ousmane Dembele into an open goal, but he was unable to make it in time. Giroud, however, would not be deterred, putting France in front after 44 minutes with a brilliant turn and shot.

It was his 52nd goal for Les Bleus and gave him the opportunity to surpass Thierry Henry as the nation’s all-time leading scorer for men.

In the 75th minute, Mbappe doubled France’s lead with a strong strike before adding a second with an incredible curling finish into the far top-right corner—his fifth of the competition.

Robert Lewandowski’s penalty gave Poland a late consolation goal. Lewandowski scored after Poland’s striker missed his first effort after referee Jesus Valenzuela demanded a second attempt.

The outcome means that France will meet the winners of England and Senegal, who play later on Sunday, in the quarterfinals to begin their World Cup championship defence.

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After Mbappe’s initial attempts failed to produce clear chances, France took control of the game before ceding it in an effort to carve out space behind the Polish defence.

Poland’s composure was almost rewarded when Lloris parried Piotr Zielenski’s oncoming shot in the 38th minute. Theo Hernandez blocked the midfielder’s second attempt as it then returned to his path.

The next player was Jakub Kaminski, but Raphael Varane stopped his shot inside the goal line. However, France’s strategy paid off with one minute remaining in the half.

Giroud was given an inch of space to clip the ball past Szczesny and score his third goal of the competition after Mbappe attracted the defence to him and slid the ball through into his path.

After scoring twice in the defending champions’ 4-1 victory over Australia in their opening Group D match, the 36-year-old Giroud, who went without a goal in Russia four years prior, had tied Henry for the group’s lead with 51 goals.

France was careless, especially Mbappe, but the striker produced a spine-tingling rising shot that slid under the bar before curling another jaw-dropping goal into the top corner one minute into stoppage time.

Mbappe scored his fourth and fifth goals in Qatar, becoming the first player to reach nine World Cup goals before turning 24. He now has as many goals as Lionel Messi of Argentina.

Dayot Upamecano’s handball offered Lewandowski a chance to score a consolation goal with a penalty, which Lloris initially saved before being retaken and scored because the goalie did not have his feet on the line.

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After tussling with Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup, Robert Lewandowski has revealed what he said in the Argentina superstar’s ear.

Two modern-day greats, who are captains of their respective nations, were all smiles before and after the crucial clash between Argentina and Poland in Qatar.

They did, however, lock horns at one stage in the midst of a contest that a star-studded South American squad edged 2-0, with Messi not taking kindly to seeing his shirt pulled by the striker who has helped to fill the attacking void his 2021 move to Paris Saint-Germain left behind at Barcelona.

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Current Blaugrana star Lewandowski has told BILD when asked what he said to Messi at the final whistle of a game that saw both teams progress to the last 16 in the Middle East: “We talked a bit and it was fun. I told Messi that he was playing more defensively than usual, but sometimes that’s what the team needs.”

Lewandowski added on the incident that saw Messi react angrily to being fouled by a fellow winner of the FIFA Best Award: “That was very strange, yes: I was in the centre of the pitch defending, but I knew I had to help the team.”

In Argentina’s match against Poland, Messi missed a penalty kick after Wojciech Szczesny made an incredible save, but goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez were enough to advance the Albiceleste as Group C champions.

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Poland’s number-one choice, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, has disclosed what transpired between himself and Lionel Messi in the game against Argentina.

The Juventus goalie was speaking at a press conference following the final group match between Argentina and Poland.

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He revealed to the reporter that he had a wager with Messi that VAR would never award Argentina a penalty.

He said;

We spoke before the penalty. I bet him 100 Euros that he (the referee) was not going to give it. So I have lost a bet against Messi. I don’t know if it is allowed at the World Cup. I am probably going to get banned for it. I don’t care about right now, I am not going to pay him either, he does not care about a 100 euros, come on.

He has been outstanding for Poland throughout the competition. In the round of 16 against France, Polish fans will be hoping he can maintain his current form.

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Following a fantastic and shocking moment during the ongoing World Cup game, Argentina star Lionel Messi has set another unique record.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner becomes the second player to miss 2 penalties in the World Cup.

In Argentina’s World Cup group stage match, Wojciech Szczesny of Poland saved Lionel Messi’s penalty, which many perceived as some form of vindication after the contentious penalty had been granted to the South American squad.

Asamoah Gyan became the first player to have two penalty kicks saved against him in World Cup history; Messi is now the second player to do so.

Argentina’s disputed penalty in their World Cup encounter against Poland confused the crowd. However, Lionel Messi’s penalty attempt was stopped by Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny, which some perceived as quick justice.

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Argentina players requested a review when Szczesny touched Messi while attempting to obtain a cross. After being brought over to the VAR monitor, referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot, but Messi was unable to capitalize because Szcezny dove in the proper direction to block his shot.

Argentina’s penalty kick was the second to be given out at the 2022 World Cup. Messi scored a penalty kick goal in the first game vs Saudi Arabia, but he missed a similar opportunity in the second game against Poland.

Before their encounter with Poland, the Ballon d’Or winner for 2021 contributed to two of his country’s three goals. He opened the scoring in a game against Mexico that needed to be won, and Enzo Fernandez added an insurance goal to overcome Tata Martino’s team.

The Argentine has a total of 8 goals in this World Cup, and he will be hoping to add to that total in what appears to be Messi’s final World Cup.

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Argentina superstar Lionel Messi claims that his missed penalty in Wednesday night’s vital World Cup victory over Poland galvanised the team, which was on course for victory as soon as Alexis MacAllister broke the deadlock.

Before kickoff, La Albiceleste, one of the pre-tournament favourites, was in jeopardy of a shocking group-stage exit and faced Robert Lewandowski’s Poland with nothing to lose.

It appeared to be business as usual when Messi converted a penalty for Lionel Scaloni’s club in the first half. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was attempting a first by scoring in his seventh straight Argentina appearance. Wojciech Szczesny, the goalkeeper for Poland, stood up to the challenge and confidently palmed the ball away.

“Having missed the penalty, the team came out stronger from that,” Messi told TyC Sports.

“The team was convinced that we were going to win, it was a matter of the first one coming in. Once we scored the goal, the game was going to be played the way we wanted.”

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After Mac Allister found the key first goal, Julian Alvarez eventually got the second.

Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez, who helped score the second goal, didn’t start any of the first two contests. However, they arrived to have a significant impact. Mac Allister, on the other hand, started back-to-back victories after missing the opening setback against Saudi Arabia.

Messi continued by praising the “strength of this group,” which enables that.

“We said it from the beginning. The players who come in know what they have to do and are always fully prepared. It is the strength of this group, the union and that when a player has to, he responds,” the 35-year-old explained.

With the group stage now over, Argentina will face a spirited Australian side that qualified from a very challenging Group D ahead of Denmark. That game will be played on Saturday.

“We know it’s going to be very tough,” Messi assessed.

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