Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic bemoaned indecision and a lack of courage but insisted a lacklustre World Cup stalemate with Morocco was “not a disappointment”.The 2018 runners-up controlled possession at Al Bayt Stadium yet were toothless in attack as their Group F opener ended in a forgettable 0-0 draw.An uneventful encounter containing few significant chances and played largely in the m...Full Story »

Croatia’s bid to emulate their World Cup exploits of four years ago began in stuttering fashion with a frustrating Group F stalemate against Morocco.The 2018 runners-up controlled possession at Al Bayt Stadium but lacked a cutting edge in a forgettable 0-0 draw against opposition with just two World Cup victories in their history.Nikola Vlasic went close to an opener in first-half added ti...Full Story »

Saudi Arabia put together one of the greatest World Cup shockers of all time when they beat Lionel Messi and co 2-1 in the group stage. Saudi Arabian fans erupted into wild celebrations after the win over Argentina One Saudi Arabian fan went so crazy he ripped a door off its hinges Saudi have sprung the biggest shock fo the World Cup so far Credit: PA Messi opened the scoring after just 10 m...Full Story »

Rashford's form had been fairly poor for several years up until the 2022/23 season. However, he returned to form under Erik ten Hag, just in time to grab a spot in Gareth Southgate's 2022 World Cup squad. England played their first game of the competition on Monday, smashing Iran 6-2. Rashford did not start the game but he did come off the bench to score a brilliant goal, chopping inside be...Full Story »

Lionel Messi said Argentina have "no excuses" for their astonishing 2-1 defeat to lowly Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, one of the greatest World Cup shocks of all time. The South Americans came to Qatar on a 36-match unbeaten run stretching back to 2019, and were considered by many to be the tournament favourites. But they got off to a disastrous start when the Saudis(opens in new tab), ranked 51s...Full Story »

Olivier Giroud equalled France’s all-time goalscoring record as his brace helped the holders recover from an early scare to make light work of Australia and begin their World Cup defence with a comfortable victory.A number of injures rocked the France squad heading into the finals and they were stunned as Craig Goodwin opened the scoring on nine minutes before rallying to record a 4-1 win....Full Story »

Everton's Geiger hopes boosted as Benfica drop interest Everton's pursuit of Hoffenheim midfielder Dennis Geiger has been given a boost as Benfica have dropped their interest in signing him, Record reports. The 24-year-old can leave the German side at the end of the season and the Toffees are said to have expressed an eagerness to sign him, while the Portuguese giants are not considering a mov...Full Story »

Gareth Southgate has warned England must improve their defending against the United States on Friday as Gregg Berhalter's side "will be coming full-throttle" in their Group B clash. England kicked off their World Cup campaign with a commanding 6-2 win over Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on Monday as Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka (twice), Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish ...Full Story »

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said questions must be asked over whether FIFA has behaved correctly in the row over anti-discrimination armbands at the World Cup in Qatar.The Dutch, who opened their Group A campaign with a 2-0 victory over African champions Senegal, were one of seven European nations who dropped plans to wear the rainbow-coloured ‘OneLove’ bands after FIFA threaten...Full Story »

ENGLAND fans have come up with hilarious ideas to smuggle booze into World Cup games. Qatar U-turned earlier this week and banned alcohol from being sold at all World Cup stadia. Fans suggested bringing in beer hidden by a Coca-Cola sleeve And it means that the ONLY official World Cup site where fans can have a drink will be the Doha city centre official Fan Festival - selling just Budweiser ...Full Story »

Erik ten Hag had to halt training due to Anthony Martial's bust-up Erik ten Hag's headaches at Manchester United look set to continue after Anthony Martial was reportedly involved in a bust-up with a youth player at Carrington. United's World Cup break has been far from quiet following Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan. And the Dutchman was seemingly forced to temporari...Full Story »

Qatar has become the first FIFA World Cup hosts to lose their opening game, but that was not the only major embarrassment as hundreds of spectators seemed to leave the game at halftime. Enner Valencia scored goals in the 16th and 31st minutes as Ecuador defeated the home team 2-0. And for some ticket holders, that was it. By the time the final attendance at Al Bayt Stadium was announced in t...Full Story »

Callum Robinson scored his first international goal in a year as Republic of Ireland ended 2022 with a narrow friendly victory in Malta.Robinson’s 55th-minute strike secured a 1-0 win on a night when Ireland were once again frustrated for long periods, this time by a side sitting 119 places below them in the FIFA rankings, to leave manager Stephen Kenny with more questions than answers ahe...Full Story »

The 29-year-old wore a tight ripped top showing off her curves with her country's name written on it. Paige Spiranac stunned fans in a USA tight top Credit: Twitter / @PaigeSpiranac Paige posted this selfie recently as she joked that Twitter was going to end Credit: Twitter: @PaigeSpiranac The snap of her has gone viral online amassing 5,000 likes in a matter of hours. She captioned her Twit...Full Story »

Head coach Scott Lindsey could not believe his Swindon team failed to find the back of the net in their 1-0 defeat against Crewe.Daniel Agyei’s first-half penalty ended Swindon’s five-match unbeaten run.Lindsey said: “I don’t think I have been in a more frustrating game than that for a long time, we had all the ball, all the chances, we did everything but put the ball in ...Full Story »

Padraig Amond struck a stoppage-time equaliser to earn Woking a point from a 1-1 draw at home to Altrincham.The fourth-placed Cards, beaten by Oxford in the FA Cup in midweek, were breached for the first time in five Vanarama National League matches when Elliot Newby put Altrincham ahead three minutes into the second half.Newby looped his header from a Ryan Colclough cross over Woking goalkeeper...Full Story »

Freddie Ladapo netted his fifth goal in five games to keep up Ipswich’s promotion challenge after they secured a 2-0 win at Exeter.The striker stooped to head the opener after being teed up by fellow striker Marcus Harness in the 11th minute.Harness went from provider to goalscorer after the break when he headed home Leif Davis’ corner to seal Ipswich’s seventh away win of the ...Full Story »

German football association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf has criticised FIFA for its attempts to restrict national teams' political activities when it comes to human rights. Speaking at Germany's first news conference in Qatar ahead of the World Cup, Neuendorf said on Friday he was particularly annoyed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino's letter two weeks ago urging teams to "focus on the fo...Full Story »

The Italian's brother Alessandro has revealed that the 21-year-old turned down a move to Old Trafford as he was not ready for a move away from home. Nicolo Fagioli turned down a move to Manchester United Credit: EPA The Red Devils were reportedly interested in signing Fagioli during his time at Cremonese before he moved to Juventus. When asked about how the Old Lady signed him, Alessandro bro...Full Story »

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley claimed his side’s 0-0 draw with Derby looked worse because of other recent results.Pompey have been held in their last four Sky Bet League One matches to stunt their promotion push.Despite not being beaten at home since January, they have won once in nine league fixtures.They enjoyed the better of things at Fratton Park against Derby, who are level on point...Full Story »