Croatia are hoping Argentina's bad-tempered World Cup quarter-final qualification over the Netherlands with 16 yellow cards and one red will not spill over into Tuesday's semi-final, coach Zlatko Dalic said on Monday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes the stars are aligned for Lionel Messi to finally capture that elusive World Cup trophy, the AC Milan forward told reporters in Dubai on Monday.

Brazil legend Ronaldo defended Neymar and opined that the future of the Brazil national team was very bright after Croatia eliminated the five-time champions in the 2022 World Cup.

Lionel Messi and Argentina’s World Cup dream remains alive but an indefatigable Croatia side inspired by the enduring brilliance of Luka Modric stands in their way in Tuesday’s semifinal in Doha.

"What are you looking at, fool? Get lost!" Lionel Messi's World Cup taunt of Dutch player Wout Weghorst has delighted Argentina, where the phrase has made its way onto mugs, shirts and other products.

With a place in the World Cup final at stake, a few key areas can be looked at that can determine the outcome of the game at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.

Former Nigerian midfielder Sunday Oliseh said there is a big impact of the mothers behind Morocco's run to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina will trust their system when they face Croatia in the World Cup semifinals and believe they have worked out how to hurt the 2018 runners-up, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Monday.

Having already sent one South American side home from the World Cup, Croatia will be aiming to reach back-to-back finals when they lock horns with Argentina in Tuesday’s semifinal at the Lusail Stadium.

France are fully aware that Morocco are much more than a strictly defensive team as they prepare for their unexpected World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday.

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final on Tuesday with 2018 runners-up Croatia, who proved too much for the other title contenders, Brazil.

Neymar departed in tears. The Brazil No 10 cried inconsolably, only to be lifted off the pitch as the pre-tournament favourites were knocked out on penalties by Croatia in the quarterfinals at the Education City Stadium on Friday night.

Lionel Messi wasn’t available at the pre-match press conference for Argentina’s World Cup semifinal against Croatia on Monday. He wasn’t, in fact, expected to be; the PSG talisman hardly ever attends a press conference.

There is alliterative appeal in talking about Messi, Mbappe, Modric, and Morocco, and each of the four does present a strong story for the semi-finals. I do, however, want to take some time to talk about a certain Didier Deschamps. This is a man who has won both the World Cup and the Euros as captain, and the Nations League and the World Cup as manager.

The health of Brazilian soccer great Pele was improving but there was still no forecast for when he could be discharged from hospital after being admitted there late last month, according to a medical report released on Monday.

New Spain coach Luis de la Fuente defended his appointment after criticism he lacked experience at the top level, during his presentation on Monday.

Croatia and Morocco are the surprise guests in the World Cup's final four but, as the Croatians discovered in 2018 and many other long-shot semi-finalists have before them, the two remaining steps to become world champions can be the steepest.

The FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly one of the biggest sporting events in history and is currently the talk of the town. With so much glory surrounding this magnificent tournament, the iconic trophy that is football’s biggest mark of honour has a host of interesting stories captivated within it — most of which you probably never heard of.

In a matter of three days, five-time champions Brazil got to see both sides of the coin as they came into their quarter-final clash against Croatia on the back of a 4-1 mauling of South Korea but then had to taste a bitter defeat against the 2018 runners-up that put an end to their mission Hexa.

Football, as we know it, is quite possibly one of the most intense sports out there. The rivalry between athletes and the immense pressure of winning means that sportsmanship often takes a backseat while gamesmanship is all that matters. Despite the fierce competition, however, we have witnessed some truly amazing moments of generosity in football history. Here are some of the times when kind-hearted acts by the players left us in awe.