Moscow (AFP) – Harry Kane's England held their nerve to win a dramatic shootout and reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday just when it appeared they were heading for yet more penalty heartbreak. Eric Dier scored the decisive penalty to win the shootout 4-3 and send Gareth Southgate's team through to a meeting with […]

Moscow (AFP) – Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said he had done his research on Colombia and that his "power and agility" helped save Carlos Bacca's penalty in a nail-biting shootout victory that saw England reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. The Everton player was criticised after conceding Adnan Januzaj's winner in a group-stage 1-0 loss […]

Moscow (AFP) – England edged Colombia 4-3 on penalties to halt a run of five successive shootout defeats at major tournaments and book a quarter-final clash against Sweden at the World Cup. Harry Kane fired England ahead with his tournament-leading sixth goal just before the hour in Moscow, converting a penalty after he was hauled […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Sweden's Emil Forsberg provided a rare moment of poise from a game badly in need of some inspiration to fire the Scandinavians into a first World Cup quarter-final for 24 years with the only goal against Switzerland on Tuesday. The RB Leipzig midfielder neatly worked space for a shooting opportunity on […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Sweden coach Janne Andersson insists his team are not finished yet at the World Cup after a 1-0 win over Switzerland on Tuesday sealed their place in the quarter-finals. Emil Forsberg's deflected shot proved the difference at the Saint Petersburg Stadium, where Sweden shaded a scrappy contest to reach the last […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – Brazil were given a boost in the build-up to their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium as Marcelo and Douglas Costa both took part in training on Tuesday. "Good news! Douglas Costa was released to return to training with the rest of the squad and took part in today's activity," said the […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Sweden reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 24 years after Emil Forsberg's deflected shot earned a scrappy 1-0 win over Switzerland on Tuesday. This was far from a classic at the Saint Petersburg Stadium and if Colombia or England's players were watching on from Moscow, they could […]

Brasília (AFP) – Jailed former Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decided to cease commenting on the World Cup for Brazilian television to avoid breaking election rules. The 72-year-old leftist politician was the front-runner for October's presidential elections until his incarceration in April after being convicted of accepting a bribe from Brazilian construction […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, the hero of Croatia's dramatic World Cup win against Denmark, has revealed he wears a T-shirt in honour of a friend who died after hitting his head on a concrete wall during a match. Subasic has been the focus of frenzied media attention since he saved three Denmark penalties […]

London (AFP) – Colombia's ambassador in London said on Tuesday it was "rather sad" that the Sun newspaper had used its front page to "stigmatise" the South American nation ahead of their World Cup clash. The popular tabloid, known for its provocative headlines, ran with a front-page picture of England captain Harry Kane and the […]

Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia) (AFP) – Streetwise and tough yet with a razor-sharp edge, Uruguay have moved serenely into the World Cup quarter-finals, side-stepping the chaos that has swamped former winners Argentina, Germany and Spain. Uruguay have shown in Russia they are extremely difficult to beat yet sometimes underwhelming — factors you could have predicted from […]

London (AFP) – Riyad Mahrez is set to secure a move to English champions Manchester City from Leicester for a reported fee of £60million ($79million) seven months after the Foxes turned down an offer from City, according to British media reports on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Algerian international — whose performances in Leicester's astonishing title win […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Diego Maradona wants to return to the position of Argentina coach and is willing to work for free, as Jorge Sampaoli faces pressure to resign following their World Cup travails. Speaking on his "Hand of God" television show, the 57-year-old Maradona, who coached Argentina for two years from 2008-10, said it […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic made four changes to his starting line-up for their World Cup last-16 match against Sweden on Tuesday. Two were forced as Johan Djourou and Michael Lang came into the defence, replacing suspended duo Fabian Schaer and captain Stephan Lichtsteiner. Steven Zuber was also preferred to Breel Embolo […]

London (AFP) – Former Newcastle United youth team coach George Ormond was on Tuesday found guilty of 36 sexual offences against young men and boys between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s. Ormond, who was a coach at the Montagu and North Fenham boys' club which fed players to the Premier League club, was found guilty […]