Coach Didier Deschamps said France beat a good England side with their “heart and guts” on Saturday to move into the World Cup semi-finals and keep alive their hopes of back-to-back titles.

England's hopes of lifting the World Cup might have been dashed but Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones did not want to leave Qatar completely empty handed -- hence they will be taking home a stray cat befriended by the team at their training base.

Yassine Bounou has learned to be patient in his career, but the Morocco goalkeeper with a show-stopping nickname is proving he more than belongs on the big stage at this World Cup.

Lionel Messi and Argentina's bid for a third World Cup crown is being boosted by hordes of travelling fans that have transformed each of their matches in Qatar into virtual home games.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said his team’s history-making World Cup campaign can show future generations from his country that they can create miracles.

When Cristiano Ronaldo walked down the tunnel in tears at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, it must have felt surreal for millions of his and Portugal fans around the globe.

Croatia will not attempt to stop Argentina superstar Lionel Messi by man-marking him but instead will focus on immobilising the entire team in their World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, they said.

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday "there's no point in reacting in the heat of the moment," as he responded to Portugal's World Cup elimination.

As the World Cup advances towards its climax, there has been a constant exodus of fans from countries which have already been eliminated.

For me, the best thing flowed on the internet yesterday was footage of Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal dancing on the pitch with his mother in celebration after his team’s famous victory over Portugal in Saturday’s quarter-final game. The short clip encapsulates so much of what is good about the sport in general, and this World Cup in particular.

Morocco’s unexpected march to the World Cup semi-finals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success.

World Football's governing body, FIFA, on Sunday introduced FIFA match ball Al Hilm, translated as The Dream from Arabic, for the semifinals and the final.

Cristiano Ronaldo left the World Cup in tears on Saturday, walking off down the tunnel with his dreams of winning the trophy in tatters.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui said his side are “the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup” after the Atlas Lions became the first African team ever to reach the semi-finals with a stunning victory over Portugal on Saturday.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni believes the never-say-die attitude his team showed in their quarter-final against the Netherlands will hold them in good stead as they move forward to a last-four meeting with a similarly resilient Croatia.

For large parts of his career, Lionel Messi has painted an image of himself as a calm individual, leaving his boots to do the talking, trying his best to deflect attention. He hardly ever attends press conferences and avoids making controversial remarks. On the pitch, his goal celebrations often remain restrained and his remonstrations with match officials minimal.

Croatia can be hugely proud of eliminating tournament favourites Brazil on penalties to reach the World Cup last four but they are now in a state of limbo, coach Zlatko Dalic said on Saturday.

Close to a hundred years after Uruguay hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the South American nations have united in their bid to bring the Greatest Show on Earth back to its birthplace to mark the centenary edition.

Yet another World Cup has ended in tears for Neymar, with football’s most expensive player hinting he may not pull on the Brazil shirt again following a painful defeat to Croatia.

Neymar said Saturday he was "psychologically destroyed" by Brazil's elimination from the World Cup in a penalty shootout defeat to Croatia and admitted it hurt more than any other loss in his career.