Luka Modric signed off his World Cup career with the consolation prize of a Qatar 2022 bronze medal as Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the third-place match on Saturday.
Goals of real wonder from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic meant the runners-up from four years ago in Russia finished this campaign on a high, following the blow of losing to Argentina in the semi-finals.
Croatia are hopeful captain Modric, at the age of 37, will decide to play on and take part in their Euro 2024 campaign, but this was a World Cup farewell for the Real Madrid midfielder.
Gvardiol gave Croatia a seventh-minute lead at Khalifa International Stadium. Although Achraf Dari swiftly brought Morocco level, Orsic s brilliant finish just before half-time proved to be the match winner.
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Sweden will host Wales in Stockholm for what will be the two sides final preparation match ahead of Euro 2016.
The nations will meet on June 5 in a last chance to fine-tune their players condition ahead of the competition in France.
Wales first game of the tournament is on June 11 against Slovakia, while Sweden, who are captained by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, open their campaign against Republic of Ireland two days later.
Manager Chris Coleman was delighted to seal a fixture against the Swedes, telling the Football Association of Wales official website: This will be our final warm-up game ahead of the Euros.
It will be just a few days ahead of our opening match against Slovakia in Bordeaux.
Sweden are a side full of quality and experience who over th…
Chris Coleman believes Wales can go beyond the group stage at Euro 2016 as he gears up to lead his country at their first major finals since the 1958 World Cup.
Wales were impressive in qualifying for the upcoming tournament in France, with a haul of 21 points from 10 matches enough to see them through their pool in second place behind Belgium.
Coleman feels four points from three Group B games against Slovakia, England and Russia will suffice for Wales to reach the knockout rounds, and he is determined to get three of those on the board from their opening fixture with Jan Kozak s team.
We re probably going to need four points to get through. Is that possible? Absolutely. Is it difficult? Yes, the Wales manager told Omnisport.
The first game is Slovak…
Cristiano Ronaldo insisted everything else is just noise in an apparent swipe at his critics after ending his goalscoring drought in Manchester United s win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Portugal international had gone six games without finding the net in all competitions – his worst run at club level since a run of seven games ending in January 2009 – prior to drilling home United s opener in Tuesday s Premier League contest.
Bruno Fernandes added a late second to seal a 2-0 win for United at Old Trafford, ending what has also been a poor run for the Red Devils, having drawn their previous two league games and been knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough.
Those results and Ronaldo s loss of form led to reports that the five-time Ballon d Or winner wi…
Christian Eriksen says Denmark captain Simon Kjaer will defy FIFA and wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup regardless of the consequences.
Captains of 10 European sides are expected to wear a distinctive heart-adorned armband in Qatar, promoting diversity and inclusion in a country where same-sex relationships are prohibited.
On Saturday, FIFA announced its own armbands will feature a different social campaign, including Save the Planet and Bring the Moves , throughout each round of the tournament in the Middle East.
Eriksen confirmed Denmark will stick with the OneLove initiative as Kasper Hjulmand s side prepare for Tuesday s Group D opener against Tunisia.
I think we as a country are wearing it, our captain will be wearing the OneLove armband and t…
England defender Lucy Bronze is helping the “shy” and “misinterpreted” Lauren James navigate the increasingly bright spotlight shining on the 21-year-old after her historic turn at the World Cup.
The Chelsea forward became the first England player to be involved in five or more goals in a match at either a men’s or women’s World Cup when she scored twice and added three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China on Tuesday.
Bronze, one of just two England players to have featured in the last three World Cups, has found a kindred spirit in inquisitive debutant James who is a decade her junior.
Group stage
New focus. Same energy.
We move forward – together
— Lionesses (@Lionesses)
She said: “When she came int…
France earned a deserved 1-0 extra-time victory over the Netherlands on Saturday to eliminate the reigning champions and reach the semi-finals of the Women s Euros for the first time.
The Netherlands had won eight of their past nine games in the competition, a run that took them all the way to glory five years ago, but they were outclassed by France at the New York Stadium in Rotherham.
Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar produced a number of fine saves to frustrate Les Bleues, the best of which saw her deny Wendie Renard from the final act in normal time.
But France found a breakthrough in the 102nd minute through an Eve Perisset penalty, awarded following a VAR check after Dominique Janssen clearly brought down Kadidiatou Diani.
Van Domselaar got fingert…
Champions League football returns this week with delicately poised ties in the quest to reach the quarter-finals.
Eyes will firmly be fixed upon Bayern Munich s hosting of Paris Saint-Germain, where the Bundesliga giants hold a narrow 1-0 lead from the first leg in the French capital and are aiming to inflict further continental disappointment upon their visitors.
Meanwhile, Tottenham welcome Milan to north London on the back of a disappointing defeat to Wolves in the Premier League and a surprise exit from the FA Cup at Sheffield United, now needing to come back from a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Italy to retain any hope of avoiding another season without a trophy.
Using Opta data, we ve taken a close look at some of the key facts and stats for both fixtures.
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Cristian Stellini declared himself responsible as Tottenham s hopes of a top-four Premier League finish were left hanging by a thread after a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United.
Spurs found themselves 5-0 down after 21 minutes during a stunning start at St James Park, with Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak scoring two apiece and Joelinton also netting for the rampant hosts.
Only once in Premier League history had a team gone 5-0 up at an earlier stage of a game, with Manchester City doing so inside 18 minutes in an 8-0 win over Watford in 2019.
Though Harry Kane pulled one back after the break, Callum Wilson tapped in a sixth as Newcastle moved six points clear of Spurs in the race for a top-four finish – still with a game in hand.
The latest humi…
Brighton and Liverpool both saw their long scoring streaks ended on Sunday, leaving Tottenham to chase the Premier League’s records.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how the trio compare to the best of the Premier League era.
Brighton’s wings finally clipped
A remarkable scoring streak comes to an end
A run to be proud of,
— Premier League (@premierleague)
The Seagulls’ 2-0 defeat to Arsenal ended a 32-game scoring run and a Premier League record 20 consecutively in which they had both scored and conceded.
The latter sequence covered every fixture this season and the final four of last term, since their clean sheet in May’s 3-0 win over the Gunners.
The last time they had failed to score was way back in February, a …