Mesmerising Messi leads Argentina past Croatia to World Cup final

A dazzling performance from Lionel Messi led Argentina to their sixth World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium. Messi now gets one last chance to win the piece of silverware that has eluded him in his trophy-laden career, but 22-year-old striker Julian Alvarez also shone as Argentina ensured they will return on Sunday to face either France or Morocco.

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Livakovic the hero as Croatia beat Japan on penalties

Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was the hero, saving three penalties in the shootout, as Croatia edged past Japan with a 3-1 victory to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. After a 1-1 draw at extra time, Livakovic kept out the first two efforts before stopping Maya Yoshida’s kick, then Mario Pasalic tucked his penalty into the corner to take his side through.

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Roberto Martinez resigns as Belgium manager

Roberto Martinez ended his tenure as Belgium coach following the team’s early exit from the World Cup. The Spaniard, 49, was appointed in 2016 and was out of contract after the World Cup. Belgium, who claimed third place in 2018, went into the tournament as the world’s second-ranked team.

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Belgium crash out as Croatia trundle on

Belgium have been knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage as Croatia progressed at their expense with a goalless draw in Qatar. Roberto Martinez’s side, who finished third in Russia four years ago and are ranked second in the world, have had a disappointing tournament with just one win and one goal in their three matches.

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Croatian comeback sends Canada packing

Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first ever World Cup goal, but it was not enough to stop them being knocked out of the tournament following a defeat by Croatia. Davies’ second-minute opener gave Canada hope, but they ended up second best and have suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two group matches.

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