Portugal's Goncalo Ramos was as surprised as anyone at being named in the starting lineup for Tuesday's 6-1 hammering of Switzerland in the World Cup last-16 and managing to score a hat-trick was beyond his imagination.

Morocco's Yassine Bounou put his World Cup penalty-saving heroics against Spain on Tuesday down to a mixture of luck and intuition.

Moroccans wildly celebrating their team's historic World Cup knockout victory over Spain on Tuesday were joined by people across the Middle East and North Africa ecstatic at what they saw as a victory for the entire Arab world.

Goncalo Ramos scored a stunning hat-trick as a slick Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 on Tuesday to storm into the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos benched skipper and all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo for their World Cup last-16 clash against Switzerland on Tuesday, with veteran defender Pepe taking the captain's armband.

Achraf Hakimi struck the decisive penalty to send Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time, winning 3-0 in a shoot-out on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw.

Brazil finally came to the party. They caressed the ball, dribbled it with playful mirth and passed it around with precision before burying it in the back of the South Korean net. Not once, but four times in a small matter of 36 minutes, turning Monday night’s World Cup Round of 16 contest into a cakewalk.

Many supporters were up in arms at the idea of the World Cup taking place in a conservative country like Qatar where the sale of alcohol is highly restricted, but for some female fans it has led to a safer experience at the tournament.

A deep tradition of footballing rivalry dictates that I should not be particularly fond of Roy Keane. The former Ireland captain and Manchester United legend was a particularly prickly thorn during his playing days for us Liverpool supporters.

Achraf Hakimi calmly converted a penalty to send Morocco through to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time with a 3-0 shootout win over former champions Spain after a cagey last-16 clash ended goalless on Tuesday.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos has been boosted by news that key midfielder Otavio should be fully fit and ready to play in their World Cup last-16 match against Switzerland on Tuesday.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic called Brazil's squad "scary" but says his team are not big underdogs in Friday's quarter-final against the World Cup favourites.

Moroccans have been flying into Qatar for their team's knockout World Cup match against Spain on Tuesday even as fans already in the country have been scrambling for tickets, adding to demand for seats in a potential challenge for the organisers.

Spain suffered a setback against Japan in their last group-stage match that almost sent them packing but Luis Enrique's side despite that shock in still a real force to be reckoned with, if and when they get into their groove.

My support for Spain started from around 2018, when they had been passing a rather bad time. They crashed out of the world cup of 2018 rather meekly and the whole team seemed in shambles. From then on, I started following the team closely and could identify with them the way they came back from years of slumber and are becoming a force to be reckoned with, reaching the semi-final of Euro 2020 and the final of nation’s league, and making a strong case for this year’s World cup.

There is one thing Cristiano Ronaldo is famous for other than being one of the best players in the world and winning several titles to his name – being a fitness freak! Who else would make headlines for removing Coca-Cola bottles with international spectators watching? Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey in football is well-known, but in the process, he has also garnered a lot of attention for being a fitness enthusiast. Albeit he has been training for football since a young age, has he always pushed himself to reach peak fitness? How did he get here?

The picture of Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi interacting with his mother caringly after his team beat European giant Belgium, has to be one of the most endearing photos of this world cup so far. This poignant moment showed to us just how emotionally invested players like Hakimi are with this beautiful game. As a rising football star for years, Hakimi has garnered quite the fan following. So, let’s take a look at five things we love about Achraf Hakimi.

Australia midfielder Cameron Devlin did not play a minute of the World Cup but left Qatar with one of its biggest prizes after exchanging jerseys with Argentina's Lionel Messi after their round of 16 match.

Australia midfielder Cameron Devlin did not play a minute of the World Cup but left Qatar with one of its biggest prizes after exchanging jerseys with Argentina's Lionel Messi after their round of 16 match.

The first winter FIFA World Cup to be held in a dessert nation is now on full swing. Perched on a small peninsula in Persian Gulf of the Middle East, Qatar is featured by a tropical dessert climate and one of the hottest-rated countries on Earth. Even in winter, the highest temperature can reach to 30 degree Celsius.