Messi beaucoup! | Sports Daily Newsletter
A World Cup classic before another Eagles win.
Well, if you’re new to soccer but wanted to check out the World Cup, at least for the final and perhaps to warm up before the Eagles game, you picked a good one to start with. Lionel Messi led Argentina to a win over France, with 3-3 the final score and a nail-biting penalty kick showdown of 4-2.
The game had everything — skills and movements of the ball on the highest level, moments of pathos as what seemed like an assured win for Argentina evaporated into a dogfight, drama with multiple penalty calls and a hand ball, a redemption arc, and a flood of tears at the final whistle.
It was worth a debate on whether it was the best World Cup final ever, men’s or women’s. Admittedly, we have not seen every World Cup final in history (no one living has), but of the ones we’ve seen, this one was up there.
—Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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The wind chill at Soldier Field on Sunday was 3 degrees, and it took the Eagles juggernaut time to warm to the task against the Bears. No worry: Jalen Hurts shook off two first-half interceptions and still passed for 315 yards in a 25-20 victory that improved the Eagles to 13-1. Hurts also rushed for three touchdowns.
It wasn’t all that easy for Hurts, who took a physical beating from the Chicago defense but kept rising from the turf. “I couldn’t feel my hands,” Hurts said. “It was very cold. Didn’t have really good vision on the field, personally.”
Don’t let him fool you on that last point. His vision was good enough to find DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown repeatedly, to the tune of a combined 307 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, Haason Reddick had two more sacks, giving him 12 this season, and was all over the field, forcing a fumble, recovering another, and harassing Bears QB Justin Fields all day.
Next: The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve (4:25 p.m., Fox29).
Tyrese Maxey has not been on the court with the 76ers as he works to return from a fractured foot. But that hasn’t changed his spirit or good-natured approach to the game.
Since Maxey doesn’t need to shower after games, he has started a new ritual. He leaves the locker room before his teammates, but not before stopping at each player’s locker and shaking his hand. “Same guy,” reserve big man Montrezl Harrell said. “Comes in and smiles every day.”
The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell provides that and other nuggets inside the Sixers’ week.
Next: The Sixers host the Toronto Raptors at 7 p.m. Monday at the Wells Fargo Center (NBCSP).
The Flyers have lost 17 of the last 20 games. They have not been able to put together back-to-back wins since early November. Getting a bit frustrating, eh?
Scott Laughton, the team’s lone alternate captain this season, answered that question with a simple but resounding “Yeah.”
Giana Han reports on the frustrated Flyers: John Tortorella is trying to build for the future, but the same young players he will depend upon are slogging through loss after loss.
Next: The Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. Tuesday (NBCSP).
The World Cup is over, but not only is the next one around the corner in the summer of 2023, when the U.S. women will try to defend their title, but the next men’s World Cup will be played partly in Philadelphia. Union fans could see a number of former players on that squad alongside Hershey’s own Christian Pulisic. The future is full of possibilities.
However, Bob Ford wonders if that bright future is fool’s gold, and, fundamentally, the United States faces numerous hurdles in the quest to be a force at the world’s biggest men’s competition.
Worth a look
Wildcats fall: The Villanova women’s team took on a ranked opponent and came up short, even as Maddy Siegrist scored 32.
Division decision: Some might consider a move to Division III from Division I to be a downgrade, but for one athlete, it came with a life upgrade.
St. Joe’s knows: The Hawks learned important lessons from a loss to Villanova this weekend.
On this date
In 1948, the Eagles won their first NFL championship, 7-0, over the Chicago Cardinals. Legendary Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren scored the game’s only touchdown.
More on Hurts vs. Prescott
Readers continue to weigh in on this question: Who’s the better quarterback, Dak Prescott or Jalen Hurts? Among your responses:
Most definitely Jalen Hurts. And I’m a die-hard Cowboy fan. But we just don’t have that kind of great quarterback that we need to get to the Super Bowl and will probably get beat in the playoffs by the goat in Tampa. — Jessie G.
Dak Prescott easily!! Hurts only has one decent year,that’s it! Everybody’s trying to put him in the H o F! And Dallas D is a lot better. America’s Team will prevail! — Jrloyalbeatles
Jalen hurts. And I’m a cowboys fan since 1980. Prescott will let us down. Yes, he has the stats, but that’s it. He can’t lead us in the big games, he just don’t have what it takes. Still late on his throws and still takes a sack. When we get a real general manager who gets leaders for coaches , not puppets. Then we’ll go somewhere. Hurts will hurt us. — Steve C.
Jalen hands down. — Ellen G.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, Andrea Canales, Bob Ford, Aaron Tully, Isabella DiAmore, Meghann Morhardt, Giana Han, Gina Mizell, Josh Tolentino, Mike Sielski, and Jeff McLane.