Moscow (AFP) – Roberto Martinez revealed that Romelu Lukaku is an injury doubt for Belgium's World Cup blockbuster tie against England after the in-form striker picked up an ankle injury on Saturday. Lukaku and Eden Hazard both netted twice as the Red Devils routed Tunisia 5-2 to leave them top of Group G and on […]

Yekaterinburg (Russia) (AFP) – Sadio Mane said Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah has the mental strength to bounce back from injury and World Cup heartache, revealing Saturday that he sent him a message of support. Salah and Egypt are already out of contention in Russia with a group game still to play. Liverpool's top scorer last […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – Germany could face a humiliating first-round exit from the World Cup in Russia unless they rediscover the form that propelled them to glory in Brazil in 2014 in a crunch match against Sweden on Saturday. Joachim Loew's defending champions slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Mexico in their opening match, paying […]

London (AFP) – Nigerian international goalkeeper Carl Ikeme says he is on the road to recovery after undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia. The 32-year-old English-born star — capped 10 times — posted on Instagram that he still faced obstacles but things were looking far more positive than a year ago when he was diagnosed with the […]

Rostov-on-Don (Russia) (AFP) – Mexican supporter Javier Amador was all set to join his mates on an epic Russian World Cup adventure before crying off at the last minute. Disappointed, his friends decided that Javier would accompany them in Russia after all — in lifesize cardboard cutout form at any rate. And to make him […]

Moscow (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku drew level with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the World Cup goalscoring charts on Saturday, scoring twice as Belgium moved to the brink of the last 16 after a 5-2 romp against Tunisia. The victory leaves the Red Devils top of Group G with two wins ahead of their […]

Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia) (AFP) – Panama will name an unchanged line-up for the World Cup Group G clash against England in Nizhny Novgorod, veteran coach Hernan Gomez confirmed on Saturday. The Colombian, who previously coached his home country and Ecuador at the World Cup, said he was opting for experience in his team selection. "The […]

Yekaterinburg (Russia) (AFP) – Japan plan to hound Senegal star Sadio Mane out of Sunday's pivotal World Cup encounter and are prepared to put three men on him if necessary. The Asian giants, who drafted in Akira Nishino as coach just weeks before the World Cup, find themselves surprisingly top of Group H after beating […]

Yekaterinburg (Russia) (AFP) – Southampton and Japan defender Maya Yoshida reserved special praise Saturday for the country's fans after they were pictured clearing up their rubbish at the World Cup. Following Tuesday's shock 2-1 victory over Colombia — the first by an Asian country over a South American one at a World Cup — footage […]

Moscow (AFP) – A quiet pedestrian street leading off from Red Square, Moscow's Nikolskaya Street has unexpectedly become the party zone of choice for thousands of international World Cup fans, to the bemusement of locals. During the day but even more so at night, the 700-metre-long street with elegant stucco facades is packed to bursting. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid have signed 19-year-old goalkeeper Andriy Lunin from Zorya Luhansk, the European champions announced on Saturday. "He is distinguished by his size, 1.91 metres (6'3"), and has signed for six seasons," Real wrote on their website, adding that Lunin was "young but experienced," having already made his international debut. According to […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Serbian papers slammed what they labelled "shameful provocation" by two Switzerland players of Kosovo origin who used political gestures to celebrate their goals in the 2-1 World Cup victory. Xherdan Shaqiri's last minute winner capped an impressive comeback for the Swiss in Kaliningrad on Friday after Granit Xhaka levelled following Aleksandar Mitrovic's […]

Bronnitsy (Russia) (AFP) – Lionel Messi and Argentina hit the training ground on Saturday with renewed hope of qualifying for the World Cup last 16. Argentina were on the brink of elimination after a humiliating 3-0 loss to Croatia, but Nigeria's 2-0 win over Iceland on Friday offered the two-time world champions a lifeline. Victory […]

Kratovo (Russia) (AFP) – Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho was missing from Portugal training on Saturday, leaving his status for their final World Cup group game against Iran in doubt. Moutinho sat out Friday's session due to illness and was again absent 24 hours later with the European champions due to face Iran in Saransk on […]

Volgograd (Russia) (AFP) – Leicester City's out-of-favour striker Ahmed Musa wrote himself into the World Cup record books by scoring twice to fire Nigeria to their first win in Russia against Iceland. The 25-year-old produced two virtuoso second-half finishes to keep the Super Eagles in the hunt for a place in the last 16 on […]