Lionel Messi's World Cup dream was left hanging by a thread as Croatia powered into the last 16 with a 3-0 rout of Argentina yesterday.

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said he was concerned after a member of his staff was taken to hospital during the nail-biting 1-0 World Cup defeat to Spain on Wednesday.

England midfielder Dele Alli missed training on Thursday as doubts grow about whether he will be fit to face Panama in England's second match of the World Cup.

No one expected Egypt, Morocco or Saudi Arabia to win the World Cup but for all three to crash out on the same day was a disaster for

As part of Tite's rotational policy, Thiago Silva will don the captain's arm-band in Brazil's game against Costa Rica today.

England captain Harry Kane displays the same level of passion as Diego Maradona, the man who singlehandedly destroyed English hopes in the 1986 World Cup, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says.

Iceland midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson has not recovered from the calf injury he picked up against Argentina and is set to miss Friday's crucial Group D clash with Nigeria.

Serbia will attempt to wrap up qualification to the knockout rounds on Friday as they take on a Switzerland team brimming with confidence after grabbing a draw with Brazil.

Following a below-par performance in their opening match, Brazil will desperately be looking to bring their World Cup campaign back on track and for Neymar to fire when they take on Costa Rica in Saint Petersburg today.

Kylian Mbappe is the star as France earned a ticket to the 2018 World Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Peru in their Group C match at the Ekaterinburg Stadium in Yekaterinburg.

Kylian Mbappe is the star as France earned a ticket to the 2018 World Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Peru in their Group C match at the Ekaterinburg Stadium in Yekaterinburg.

Kylian Mbappe become France's youngest scorer at a World Cup when he put Les Bleus 1-0 ahead at halftime against Peru in their second Group C game.

Denmark coach Age Hareide admitts his side are fortunate to have four points from their first two World Cup Group C matches after a 1-1 draw with Australia in Samara.

No-one expected Egypt, Morocco or Saudi Arabia to win the World Cup but for all three to crash out on the same day was a disaster for Arab football.

For the first time in 37 years Iranian girls were allowed to enter the stadium and watch a game of football

Germany will need to transform from a schoolboy team to a fighting unit if they are to have any chance of progressing in the World Cup, midfielder Sami Khedira said.

Neymar had hobbled out of Brazil training session on Tuesday, setting off alarm bells ringing in the Brazil camp. The forward had a difficult game against Switzerland and the news from the Brazil camp was that he had a ‘painful right ankle’ having received so many fouls in the opening match.

Australia and Denmark play out a 1-1 draw in their World Cup Group C match at the Samara Arena.

Regardless of what happens to Argentina at this World Cup, Lionel Messi needs to free himself of the burden of being the Albiceleste’s only hope and play his own game – with the ferocity we have come to expect from the Barcelona great.

Real Madrid and Spain skipper Sergio Ramos hits back at Diego Maradona as he claims that Lionel Messi, his domestic rival at Barcelona is the best Argentine player in history.