Syed Ashfaqul Haque

We never take one unique medicine for all illness. Do we? Never. Because it invariably would compound the illness and wreak havoc on the delicate human body, causing death even.

From Russia, with no surprise!

Lady Luck plays a small but significant role in a World Cup that runs over a month.

Warriors! That is the word that describes Croatia the best.

Here comes a game that no one wants to be involved in. What glory can two losers achieve from a third-place deciding game? For teams, nothing but the World Cup matters. It's just cruel to ask one of the losing semifinalists to lose again.

Sorry, England! It's not the World Cup, but the footballers who are coming home.

France won the match, but not the hearts. The first semifinal between the two best sides of the World Cup failed to live up to its Battle Royale billing. It was a good match but could have been great had France not played negative football. There was no reason for France to play defensively.

France, Belgium face off. The two best teams of this World Cup lock horns tonight. A dream match that has every potential to live up to its billing as a Battle Royale.

Football is played in cycles, although they do not change often.

Heartbreak for hosts, but Russians were heroes. Ranked 70th in the world and playing in this World Cup by virtue of being the host nation, Russia were taken on neither seriously nor respectfully by rivals and pundits. But what a gallant run the elderly Russian players had in this tournament.

What a match it was Friday midnight! A cracker of a contest that was fought hard till the end.

Four years ago, Brazil were hit by a tragedy bigger than a tsunami. A 7-1 thrashing by Germany was beyond the wildest imagination of the proud football nation.

France's Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly fast.

The World Cup in Russia shifts up another gear.

Japan were just incredible!

It's been a strange World Cup so far in Russia: smiles for also-rans and tears for big guns.

It was a Black Saturday that saw the fall of the two most glittering stars of world football.

With hands on hips, eyes bleary and lips quivering, he looks on after losing another crunch match.

It's time for some tearful goodbyes as the World Cup goes down to wire.

It’s now crunch time, as the World Cup in Russia reaches the knockout round. For fans, tonight holds the most crucial hours of tournament, when two of the four leading football nations -- Argentina or France and Portugal or Uruguay -- will head home with broken hearts.