La Roche-sur-Yon (France) (AFP) – The way Chris Froome's recently resolved 'salbutamol' dossier was handled has damaged cycling and may drive fans away from the sport, world champion Tom Dumoulin said on Wednesday. Dumoulin beat Froome to the world time trial title in Bergen in October, but came second to the Sky team leader at […]

Moscow (AFP) – The World Cup joke around Russia is that goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has the "Foot of God". Comparisons to the "Hand of God" goal Argentina great Diego Maradona scored against England in 1986 came naturally to Russians enraptured by the unlikely performance of their team. Akinfeev had already won admiration for stopping two […]

Marseille (AFP) – Dimitri Payet, who could have been preparing for a World Cup quarter final, will be absent on Thursday when Marseille start pre-season training because he is having dental surgery. Payet reinjured a thigh as Marseille lost the Europa League final to Atletico Madrid on May 16. When France coach Didier Deschamps announced […]

Moscow (AFP) – Safe, exciting, well-organised: Russian President Vladimir Putin has scored points by hosting the World Cup. But the soft-power dividend at home and abroad is limited, analysts warn. Despite the cold shoulder he usually receives from his rivals in the West, Putin has presided over a good-humoured tournament with gripping matches and street […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Mocked by Belgium's Thibaut Courtois for being too small for a top-class goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford stood tall when England needed a penalty shootout hero to end years of pain from the spot. On just his seventh international appearance, Pickford became the first England stopper in 20 years to save a penalty […]

London (AFP) – "Just Diernamite!" screamed the Sun after Eric Dier ended England's penalty hoodoo in Russia, slotting home the decisive spot-kick to beat Colombia and qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals. A bare-chested, grinning Dier was labelled the "Coolest Man in Moscow" by the Daily Mail, who added with a touch of hyperbole: "The […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – Asian teams weren't expected to make an impact at the World Cup but a record points haul and some stunning performances against top sides have lifted their hopes for Qatar 2022. South Korea's 2-0 dethroning of defending champions Germany could have been viewed as a one-off, if not for Japan's heartbreaking […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan captain Makoto Hasebe has announced his retirement from the national team, on the heels of the squad's heartbreaking ejection from the World Cup in a match against Belgium. "I have decided to end the chapter of my career with the national team with this tournament," Hasebe wrote on his Instagram account. […]

Shanghai (AFP) – At Xia Lugen's run-down, smoky betting shop in downtown Shanghai, hordes of young men cluster around banks of computers, as betting slips and a huge World Cup chart adorn the walls and a projector beams matches onto a makeshift screen. China may not have a team at the World Cup in Russia […]

Moscow (AFP) – England became the last team to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout as favourites Brazil and fancied France trained their sights on their last-eight opponents. England's victory against Colombia takes Gareth Southgate's team into what looks like a winnable match against Sweden, who edged out Switzerland 1-0 […]

London (AFP) – Fans packed into sweaty pubs in the heart of Harry Kane territory in north London celebrated England's dramatic 4-3 win against Colombia on penalties after a rollercoaster night. As the British capital swelters in a heatwave, supporters swung from ecstasy to despair and back again, scarcely believing their side had overcome their […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – While some of their biggest rivals have already fallen by the wayside in Russia, Brazil have been making serene progress towards the latter stages of the World Cup. After watching holders Germany, Spain and Argentina all exit the competition in the last week in various states of disarray, the Selecao eased […]

Moscow (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate said his team got the reward they deserved after edging Colombia 4-3 in a gut-wrenching World Cup penalty shootout to set up a quarter-final clash against Sweden. England looked to be heading into the last eight courtesy of Harry's 57th-minute penalty in Moscow, but the towering Yerry Mina […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Twenty-two years after Gareth Southgate missed at Euro '96, England's coach watched as his team beat Colombia on penalties to reach the World Cup's quarter-finals. When Eric Dier's shot feathered David Ospina's right hand before nestling in the bottom corner, Southgate arched back in relief and exhaled to the Moscow sky. […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Just eight teams remain from the 32 who started the World Cup in Russia. AFP Sport looks how each side are placed ahead of the quarter-finals on Friday and Saturday. Uruguay v France (Friday 1400 GMT, Nizhny Novgorod) Uruguay One of only two teams to win all four games so far, […]