MOSCOW, July 14 (Xinhua) -- France goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris has lauded Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps for guiding the team to the World Cup final against Croatia on Sunday.Photo: XinhuaIn addition to some fine performances from forwards Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann at Russia 2018, France have been resolute in defence, keeping clean sheets in each of their

Soccer fans are frequently seen waving colorful flags to support their favorite teams at the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup matches in Russia. Among the various flags, about 5 million of them were manufactured by a local enterprise in Qingdao, East Chin

(Photo: AP)Croatia has beaten host Russia 4-3 in a penalty shootout to advance to a World Cup semifinal against England.The quarterfinal at Sochi was tied 1-1 after regulation and 2-2 after extra time, forcing both Croatia and host Russia to a shootout for the second consecutive game.Ivan Rakitic scored the winner from the spot as Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev dived

England’s Harry Maguire celebrates after scoring his side opening goal during the quarterfinal match between Sweden and England at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Samara Arena, in Samara, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (Photo: AP/Francisco Seco)England achieved something David Beckham’s generation never managed: It reached the semifinals of the World Cup.Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored with headers

Belgium has beaten Brazil 2-1 to reach the semifinals of the World Cup for just the second time. The Belgians led 2-0 at halftime and withstood late pressure from the five-time champions after Renato Augusto cut the margin with a header in the 76th minute.Belgium, which last reached the semifinals in 1986, will next face 1998 champion France in St.

France’s Antoine Griezmann scores his side’s second goal during the quarterfinal match between Uruguay and France at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Friday, July 6, 2018. (Photo: AP/Ricardo Mazalan)A shot that flew directly at the hands of the opposing goalkeeper turned into a World Cup goal for Antoine Griezmann.The France striker

(Photo: CGTN)Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB), Germany’s football association announced on Tuesday that Joachim Loew will remain as the manager of the country’s men’s national football team after they were knocked out from the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the group stage.As the defending champion, Germany was in Group F but ended their trip in Russia with only one win and two

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was England's hero in the penalty shootout. (Photo: AFP)The World Cup hit the pause button on Wednesday as the eight remaining teams geared up for the quarter-finals after England became the final side to qualify following a penalty shootout win against Colombia.Neymar's Brazil are the favourites to win a record-extending sixth World Cup at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium

England ended its long run of penalty misery and reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years, beating Colombia 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.Eric Dier scored the decisive kick after a 1-1 draw.England will play Sweden in the quarterfinals in Samara on Saturday. It is the furthest England has progressed in any tournament since the

GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Switzerland. Forsberg firesSwedenahead in the 66th

A Chinese teacher at Shenyang Tourism School in Liaoning carves watermelon busts of football players, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

(Photo: AP)Belgium has rallied from 2-0 down to beat Japan 3-2 with a goal in the dying seconds and advance to a World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil.Nacer Chadli finished off a length-of-the-field movement late in stoppage time for the clincher on Monday night at the Rostov Arena. It’s the first time since 1970 that a team has rallied to

The shot in target at 51mns. Brazil win a goal, 1-0 Mexico at the

Spain's World Cup roller-coaster ride finally ground to a halt on Sunday and the finger-pointing began after their third consecutive failure at a major tournament.Following humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands in 2014 and a limp defeat to Italy at Euro 2016, this was perhaps the most galling exit of all, given it came at the hands of Russia,

Danijel Subasic made three saves in the shootout as Croatia beat Denmark 3-2 on penalties to advance to a World Cup quarterfinal against Russia.Luka Modric missed a chance to win it for Croatia four minutes before the end of extra time but his penalty kick was saved by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to preserve the 1-1 score and send the

(Photo: AP)Russia shockingly eliminated Spain from the World Cup, surviving two hours of dominance by the 2010 champions in a 1-1 draw and then winning a penalty shootout 4-3.Russia’s captain and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saved spot-kicks from Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion and Iago Aspas, and four of his teammates all scored.Spain dominated the ball during the game — completing more than

Edinson Cavani has scored twice to lead Uruguay to a 2-1 win over Cristiano Ronaldo and European champion Portugal in the round of 16 at the World Cup.It means Ronaldo followed Lionel Messi out of the World Cup on the same day. Uruguay advanced to a quarterfinal against France, which beat Argentina 4-3 earlier Saturday.Cavani opened the scoring for Uruguay

Teenager Kylian Mbappe struck twice inside five second-half minutes to ensure France beat Argentina 4-3 and became the first team to qualify for the World Cup quarterfinals.Following an exhilarating display between two former champions, France came from behind to defeat Lionel Messi’s Argentina.And Les Bleus owed their triumph to the 19-year-old Mbappe. Always a threat to Argentina with his speed

(Photo: VCG)Just weeks before the start of the World Cup, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic identified a major problem with his team, their obsession with France 1998."Croatia haven't done well in a World Cup since France 1998, and going on our quality, we should have," Dalic toldone of the country's main news programs, Dnevnik Nove TV."We have a brilliant generation of