As the World Cup advances towards its climax, there has been a constant exodus of fans from countries which have already been eliminated.

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.

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.

World Football's governing body, FIFA, on Sunday introduced FIFA match ball Al Hilm, translated as The Dream from Arabic, for the semifinals and the final.

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.

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

Morocco coach Walid Regragui said his side are “the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup” after the Atlas Lions became the first African team ever to reach the semi-finals with a stunning victory over Portugal on Saturday.

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.

While I may have started watching football during the time of the great Zinedine Zidane, understanding teams -- their strategies, styles, stars, et al -- came to me much later.

England's wait for a second World Cup title extended for at least another four years as Harry Kane missed a late spot kick in a 2-1 defeat against defending champions France at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night.

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.

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.