The 30-year-old played 56 times for the national team, scoring 26 goals.

If not Neymar, then who? The answer to that question, often asked whenever doubts emerge around Brazil, is being delivered by Vinicius Junior at this World Cup -- perhaps without the attention he deserves, but certainly with greater conviction than ever before.

If observed closely enough, post-goal rituals can serve as a Rorschach test for a squad’s internal dynamics, occasionally revealing hairline cracks in the armour that a flashing scoreboard tries to hide.

Messi is not alone. Five other players in Argentina's squad trace their roots to Italy

More than four years after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, FIFA on Thursday indicated that it was opening the way for Russia to enter an international youth competition.

Advocaat also insisted his side still has plenty of energy despite Sunday's defensive effort.

Before Ancelotti took charge, Vinicius had scored a paltry six goals in 39 appearances for Brazil. Since the Italian‘s arrival, however, the picture has changed sharply as he has netted seven times in 13 games, and has found the net in every game of Brazil's World Cup campaign so far.

"I went to the locker room, all alone, and I shed a few tears," Neymar told reporters after Brazil finished top of Group C.

Nepal is currently ranked 175th in FIFA's world rankings. The women's national team ranks 88th.

Among the eliminated teams so far -- involving three Asian sides, one African and two from the North and Central America and the Caribbean -- Haiti leave with perhaps the most encouraging story.

From Lionel Messi rewriting history at 39 to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland relentlessly closing in, while Vinícius Junior leads Brazil’s charge with flair and authority, the battle to finish as the tournament’s top scorer is fast becoming one of the World Cup’s defining subplots.

With 50 matches still left to be played in North America, and the vast majority of Matchday 3 finales still ahead, this 161-goal opening salvo means the 2026 tournament is mathematically projected to shatter past the 280-goal milestone, setting a baseline that may not be touched for decades.

Due to the structural tree of the expanded 48-team tournament, a dream World Cup final between the two South American heavyweights - Argentina and Brazil - is mathematically impossible.

“There is a player more dangerous than Cristiano Ronaldo… it’s Cristiano Ronaldo who didn’t score in the previous match.”

The African team, playing in the tournament for the fourth time, finished second in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico, who had a perfect record of three wins out of three.

For years, football authorities have promoted technology as the answer to the game's biggest controversies. Goal-line technology, semi-automated offside systems and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) were all introduced in a bid to make the sport fairer and more accurate.

Brought on for the last 12 minutes with his team 2-0 up against the Czech Republicand cruising into the knockout phase as Group A winners, Ochoa lapped up the acclaim of fans at the Azteca stadium, the venue where he made his senior debut with Club America in 2004.

The controversy erupted in the 22nd minute after Scotland defender Jack Hendry hesitated in possession deep inside his own half. Vinicius pounced, won the ball and raced through before calmly finishing past goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Mateo Chavez gave Mexico the lead in the 55th minute and Julian Quinones took advantage of disarray in the Czech defence six minutes later to extend the lead.

South Africa had failed to advance from the group stage in their first three World Cup appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.