Sports

Kaliningrad, Jun 29: A brilliant strike by Adnan Januzaj lit up an otherwise insipid clash as Belgium beat England 1-0 to secure top spot in World Cup Group G in Kaliningrad on Thursday. Januzaj's superb second-half goal sent Belgium into a last 16 clash with Japan while England will now advance to a second round meeting with Colombia on Tuesday. By finishing second in the group, England have

Kazan, Jun 28: France and Argentina took different paths to the knockout stage but have much in common at this World Cup. Both teams are filled with big-name players, both like to play an entertaining style and both have failed to impress so far. Forty years after their last meeting at soccer's biggest tournament, the former champions meet on Saturday in Kazan for a spot in the quarterfinals

Moscow, Jun 28: The internet turned cruel for Germany fans on Thursday as online mockery swept the globe following the defending champions' shock World Cup elimination. A stream of memes and jokes flooded social media after a stunning 2-0 defeat to South Korea condemned Die Mannschaft to their earliest exit in 80 years. "Don't mention the VAR," was a common refrain, while Brazilian media gleefully

New Delhi, June 28: Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday shared a video on Twitter, urging fans to play the sport they love. Tendulkar also nominated Indian footballer Sandesh Jhingan, Hockey player Sardara Singh, cricketers Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj, along with badminton players Srikanth Kidambi and P. V. Sindhu to join in and motivate youth to engage in sports. Master Blaster took to

St Petersburg, Jun 27: When Lionel Messi ran to the corner and sank to his knees, the enduring image of Argentina scrambling into the World Cup's last 16 was set. Their number 10, in the blue and white stripes, his head tilted and fingers vertical, about to be swamped moments later by adoring team-mates. But all those cameras not positioned in Messi's corner of the Saint Petersburg Stadium quickly

Dubai, Jun 27: Cricket has over one billion fans globally, with the Indian sub-continent alone constituting more than 90 per cent of them, according to the largest ever market research into the sport conducted by the ICC. As per the results of the research, the average age of fans (in the surveyed age category of 16-69) is 34 with a demographic breakdown of 61 per cent male and 39 per cent female

Rostov, Jun 27: Croatia secured first place in Group D on Tuesday after a hard-fought 2-1 win over gallant Iceland in Rostov, setting up a last-16 tie with Denmark. While most eyes were on Argentina and their do-or-die match with Nigeria in Saint Petersburg, Croatia wrapped up top spot in Group D in Rostov-on-Don thanks to a slick second-half volley by Milan Badelj and a late strike by Ivan

Sochi, Jun 27: A stunning Andre Carrillo volley gave Peru their first World Cup goal in 36 years before captain Paolo Guerrero grabbed a second as the Andean nation condemned Australia to a 2-0 defeat in Sochi on Tuesday and an early exit from Russia. Guerrero set up Carrillo's 18th-minute wonder goal from the edge of the box with a delightful cross, then scored from a deflection five minutes

Saint Petersburg, Jun 27: Diego Maradona crossed his arms over his chest and pointed to the sky. Lionel Messi had needed just three touches to score but Argentina still took 86 minutes to defeat Nigeria. Marcos Rojo was the unlikely match-winner, an emphatic finish of which even his captain would have been proud, to ensure Jorge Sampaoli's disjointed, disorganised and, at times, desperate team are

Kaliningrad, Jun 26: Iago Aspas scored a VAR-assisted equaliser in injury time as Spain scrambled a 2-2 draw with Morocco on Monday in a dramatic finale to their Group B campaign. Aspas's winner, initially disallowed but awarded after intervention from the Video Assistant Referee, saw Spain stumbled into the last 16 as group winners. The Spaniards will now face World Cup hosts Russia in the second