Soccer also thrives on cunning and dirty tricks, hidden behind competitiveness. Even malice, at times, is part of the job

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Ten tricks and misdeeds between defenders and attackers

That fabulous and terrifying Viking Haaland complained about Mancini’s strategy which – verbatim – during Italy-Norway “touched my butt.” Oh dear. Provocations, instigations, dirty tricks, misdeeds, perfidious criminal gestures: this is also part of the noble and fair (ahem) challenge between defenders and attackers.