Croatia and Morocco are the surprise guests in the World Cup's final four but, as the Croatians discovered in 2018 and many other long-shot semi-finalists have before them, the two remaining steps to become world champions can be the steepest.

In a matter of three days, five-time champions Brazil got to see both sides of the coin as they came into their quarter-final clash against Croatia on the back of a 4-1 mauling of South Korea but then had to taste a bitter defeat against the 2018 runners-up that put an end to their mission Hexa.

There have been five red cards at the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar so far. The first sending-off came for Wales when they played Iran in their Group B clash. Wayne Hennessey was shown a red card for clobbering Mehdi Taremi in the last 10 minutes of their second game.

African teams have claimed several giant-killing results at World Cups but nothing like the unprecedented run of Morocco in Qatar that will fuel hopes of more representation at future tournaments.

India batter Virat Kohli backed his inspiration Cristiano Ronaldo as he backed his role model after Portugal crashed out of the World Cup quarter-final against Morocco on Saturday.

Real Madrid stalwart Luka Modric after yet another fine performance against Brazil in the quarter-final of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar revealed that he sees glimpses of his club mentality in the Croatian side.

Croatia striker Bruno Petkovic says the team's mental strength that has propelled them to two penalty shoot-out wins at the World Cup has deep roots in the country's struggle for independence.

Cristiano Ronaldo running to the tunnel in tears and as desolate as the football world has ever seen him will be the lasting image for Portugal fans looking back on the World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo, a five-times Ballon D’Or winner, arrived with a mission to prove he could still make a difference.

Gareth Southgate said he would take his time before he makes a decision over his future as England coach after the bitter disappointment of their World Cup quarter-final defeat against France.

In his fourth year as Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni has transformed his side as hot-favourites leading up to the ongoing World Cup. But those aspirations soon took a hit with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening group-stage fixture, ending Albiceleste’s 36-match unbeaten run.

As the world heads into the final week of the Qatar 2022 with only four matches left, including an irrelevant one involving the third-place decider, the focus will be on whether Kylian Mbappe can lead the French to a consecutive World Cup title or whether Lionel Messi can end Argentina’s 36-year wait for a third world title.

Coach Didier Deschamps said France beat a good England side with their “heart and guts” on Saturday to move into the World Cup semi-finals and keep alive their hopes of back-to-back titles.

England's hopes of lifting the World Cup might have been dashed but Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones did not want to leave Qatar completely empty handed -- hence they will be taking home a stray cat befriended by the team at their training base.

Yassine Bounou has learned to be patient in his career, but the Morocco goalkeeper with a show-stopping nickname is proving he more than belongs on the big stage at this World Cup.

Lionel Messi and Argentina's bid for a third World Cup crown is being boosted by hordes of travelling fans that have transformed each of their matches in Qatar into virtual home games.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said his team’s history-making World Cup campaign can show future generations from his country that they can create miracles.

Croatia will not attempt to stop Argentina superstar Lionel Messi by man-marking him but instead will focus on immobilising the entire team in their World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, they said.

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday "there's no point in reacting in the heat of the moment," as he responded to Portugal's World Cup elimination.

For me, the best thing flowed on the internet yesterday was footage of Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal dancing on the pitch with his mother in celebration after his team’s famous victory over Portugal in Saturday’s quarter-final game. The short clip encapsulates so much of what is good about the sport in general, and this World Cup in particular.

South America's football chief said Sunday that FIFA should honour the legacy of Pele and Diego Maradona by awarding the centennial 2030 World Cup to the continent.