Sports

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

Volgograd, Jun 26: Essam El Hadary, the oldest player ever to appear at a World Cup, marked his record achievement with one outstanding penalty save for Egypt but was powerless to stop a second in a 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia on Monday. The 45-year-old goalkeeper flew to his right to make a spectacular stop in the 39th minute from Fahad Al-Muwallad's spot-kick, awarded for handball, at the

Jun 26: Held by Iceland and humiliated by Croatia, Argentina's World Cup could already have been all but over, but Lionel Messi and the rest of Jorge Sampaoli's troubled squad have one final shot at redemption against Nigeria on Tuesday. Victory against the Africans, who Argentina have beaten in all four previous World Cup meetings, will secure qualification for the last 16 as long as Iceland don

Samara, Jun 26: Uruguay burnished their World Cup credentials with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Russia on Monday, finishing top of Group A with a perfect record while dampening the hopes of the tournament hosts, who had to settle for second. Luis Suarez grabbed his second goal of the tournament to open Uruguay's account with a free kick after 10 minutes and they doubled the lead with an own goal from

Manchester, Jun 25: Jos Buttler scored a dazzling unbeaten century to guide England to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Australia at Old Trafford on Sunday to seal an unprecedented 5-0 one-day series triumph over their old rivals. England were in a parlous position at 27 for four, chasing Australia`s total of 205 all out, when the gifted, powerful Butler came to the crease and played one

Jun 25: Substitute Keisuke Honda equalised with 12 minutes left as Japan twice pegged back Senegal in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday that leaves World Cup Group H wide open. All eyes will now be on the other group match later in the evening between Poland and Colombia following this stalemate at the Yekaterinburg Arena. As it stands, Japan and Senegal have four points after two games, with

Nizhny Novgorod, Jun 25: England's young and free-flowing team banished the ghost of past national failures with a record 6-1 thrashing of Panama on Sunday that included a hat-trick by Harry Kane and eased them into the last 16. England's biggest World Cup win, which included two penalties by Kane then a deflection off his heel, also guaranteed Belgium's berth in the next round. It left the shell