Morocco’s unexpected march to the World Cup semi-finals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni believes the never-say-die attitude his team showed in their quarter-final against the Netherlands will hold them in good stead as they move forward to a last-four meeting with a similarly resilient Croatia.

For large parts of his career, Lionel Messi has painted an image of himself as a calm individual, leaving his boots to do the talking, trying his best to deflect attention. He hardly ever attends press conferences and avoids making controversial remarks. On the pitch, his goal celebrations often remain restrained and his remonstrations with match officials minimal.

Croatia can be hugely proud of eliminating tournament favourites Brazil on penalties to reach the World Cup last four but they are now in a state of limbo, coach Zlatko Dalic said on Saturday.

Close to a hundred years after Uruguay hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the South American nations have united in their bid to bring the Greatest Show on Earth back to its birthplace to mark the centenary edition.

Yet another World Cup has ended in tears for Neymar, with football’s most expensive player hinting he may not pull on the Brazil shirt again following a painful defeat to Croatia.

Manager Erik Ten Hag said Manchester United are looking to bring in a new forward to plug the gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo after his departure from the Premier League club in the wake of an explosive interview with TalkTV.

Neymar said Saturday he was "psychologically destroyed" by Brazil's elimination from the World Cup in a penalty shootout defeat to Croatia and admitted it hurt more than any other loss in his career.

Portugal players Pepe and Bruno Fernandes lashed out at the Argentine referee in charge of their 1-0 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Morocco on Saturday, claiming his nationality impacted the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo left the World Cup in tears on Saturday, walking off down the tunnel with his dreams of winning the trophy in tatters.

French police fired tear gas on the Champs Elysees in Paris as fans were celebrating victories by France and Morocco in the World Cup, sending them to the tournament’s semi-finals.

England skipper Harry Kane said he will have to live with the penalty miss that condemned his team to a World Cup quarter-final exit against reigning champions France on Saturday.

A brilliant Olivier Giroud header 12 minutes from time kept France on course to retain their World Cup title with a 2-1 win over England in a tight last quarter-final on Saturday.

A rejuvenated Mohammedan began their Bangladesh Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Muktijoddha Sangsad while title contenders Sheikh Russel were stunned 1-2 by Bangladesh Police FC in yesterday’s other encounter.

 Morocco wrote World Cup history on Saturday night as the first African and Arab country to reach the tournament’s semi-finals, continuing their surprise run in Qatar with a shock 1-0 victory over the highly fancied Portugal.

Pele urged Neymar to "keep inspiring us" on Saturday after the Brazil forward dropped a retirement hint following his team's shock World Cup defeat to Croatia.

Iconic World Cup stadiums have long lived in the memory of those who played in and attend the tournament, often standing as a beacon in the backdrop of the host city, but Stadium 974 which held seven games in Doha will soon cease to exist.

Cristiano Ronaldo starts on the bench once more in Portugal's World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco on Saturday.

Bayern Munich suffered a major blow on Saturday with their iconic goalkeeper Manuel Neuer announcing he will be out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg skiing.

The football junkies started arriving an hour before the World Cup ticket centre opened on Saturday even though loud speaker announcements proclaimed there is nothing to sell.