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Modric’s coolly taken 71st minute spot kick gave the scoreline a clear-cut feel, but the fact that Croatia failed to score on their own from open play was testament to some wayward shooting. While dominating for long periods, they struggled to penetrate the Nigerian defence and failed repeatedly to find the target with speculative shots from well outside the penalty area. The result puts Croatia

Moscow, Jun 17: Tiny Iceland made a stunning first-ever World Cup appearance on Saturday when they held 2014 runners-up Argentina to a 1-1 draw in a dramatic match where Lionel Messi blew his chance to win it when he had a penalty saved by Hannes Por Halldorsson. Sergio Aguero had given the twice world champions the lead after 19 minutes of the Group D match. However, Iceland, who stunned the

New Delhi, June 16: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has said that though Afghanistan are a good side, the International Cricket Council 's (ICC) decision to give them Test status at such initial stage was a `hasty` one. Azharuddin's comment comes in the light of Afghanistan's crushing defeat by an innings and 262 runs at the hands of top-ranked India in their maiden Test match at the M

Yekaterinburg, Jun 16: Jose Gimenez was the unlikely 89th-minute match winner as Uruguay defeated an Egypt side shorn of star man Mohamed Salah 1-0 in their World Cup opener on Friday. Uruguay's deserved last-gasp victory leaves them and Russia in early control in Group A after the hosts' 5-0 mauling of Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener on Thursday. A poor game looked likely to end in

Jun 15: Iran's players stormed the pitch at full-time as if they had won the World Cup rather than just their opening match after an own goal from Morocco's Aziz Bouhaddouz gifted them a dramatic 1-0 victory on Friday. Wasteful finishing looked to have consigned this compelling contest at the St Petersburg Stadium to a goalless draw but Bouhaddouz's mistake in injury-time means Iran emerge as the

Sochi, Jun 16: For three months, a whole nation feared it might not happen, but Neymar will take to the field with his Brazilian teammates when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland tomorrow. The world's most expensive player appears to have recovered fully from the fractured foot that required an operation in March, with the only slight concern being his possible lack of

Sochi, Jun 16: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick as Portugal snatched a 3-3 draw with Spain in a World Cup classic here Friday. Real Madrid star Ronaldo crashed in an 88th minute free-kick to snatch a point for Portugal after a second-half goal from Nacho put the Spaniards 3-2 ahead. Ronaldo's late equaliser capped a storming encounter which came after a chaotic few days which saw

Bengaluru, Jun 15: India beat Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs in the historic one-off Test match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Friday. Earlier in the day, India predictably exposed the serious limitations in Afghanistan’s batting with the visitors being skittled out for a paltry 109 in 27.5 overs at tea on the second day. With a huge lead of 365 runs, Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane

Bengaluru, Jun 15: All-rounder Hardik Pandya mixed caution with aggression en route his stroke-filled 71 as India finished their first innings on a commendable 474 against Afghanistan at lunch on the second day of the one-off Test here today. Last man Umesh Yadav also entertained the spectators with some lusty blows as his 26 off 21 balls also helped in beefing up India's total. Courtesy Pandya's

Bronnitsy, Jun 15: Lionel Messi's arrival in Bronnitsy, a quiet town with 20,000 residents some 50km southeast of Moscow, has brought an unprecedented level of attention to a place most renowned for its Archangel Michael cathedral. But as the euphoric shouts echoing around a temporary stand suggests, its selection as Argentina's team base camp has transformed it into one of the epicentres of the