Borna Coric and Marin Cilic put Croatia in complete control of the Davis Cup final on Friday, leaving hosts and defending champions France facing what looks like mission impossible.
Croatia had shown glimpses of their potential at the last European Championships in France two years ago when they beat Spain but went out in the second round to eventual winners Portugal after conceding in extra time.
Spain and England have experienced very different journeys to Sunday's Euro 2024 final. We look at their path to Berlin below.
Turkey coach Fatih Terim was left to rue a missed chance in the first half of their Euro 2016 Group D defeat by Croatia, which he believes would have changed the outcome of Sunday's match.
Images from Day one of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica in Madrid on Monday
China delivered their best performance at a Summer Olympics since the 2008 Games on home soil
There was no farewell goal but plenty of pride and appreciation as Wayne Rooney made his 120th and final appearance for England in a 3-0 win over the United States in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday.
Top-seed Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) led the field at the end of the Rapid with 11 points. He is followed by Giri, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Duda and Saric on 10 points.
Croatia will be focussing on containing Cristiano Ronaldo as well as bidding to score a first ever goal against Portugal when they meet in the last 16 at Euro 2016 on Saturday, coach Ante Cacic said.
A brief history of previous World Cup semi-final appearances by England and Croatia, ahead of their last four match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.
Diogo Jota and Joao Felix both scored their first international goals in the second half before Bruno Petkovic pulled one back and Andre Silva then added a fourth.
Croatia pulled off a memorable 2-1 win over Group B favourites Germany on Thursday to move to the brink of a place in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals.
Skipper Darijo Srna is leaving Croatia's Euro 2016 squad following the death of his father.
The Asian Football Confederation tweeted, "94 International Goals. Carried the hopes of a nation! Thank You Asian Football Icon, Sunil Chhetri."
Croatia made a flying start to Euro 2012 after pouncing on sloppy defending to beat Ireland 3-1 in their Group C opener on Sunday.
Croatia progressed to the semi-finals of the World Cup after a second successive penalty shootout on Saturday but their inability to put away another unimpressive team over 90 minutes and extra time is a major worry for the Balkan side.
Portugal will benefit from the wealth of experience veteran Cristiano Ronaldo brings to their squad, manager Roberto Martinez said ahead of this month's European Championship in Germany.
Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic believes his country are now one of the favourites at Euro 2016 after beating Spain to win Group D.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic says he will turn to his Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic for ideas on how to stop Argentina's Lionel Messi in Thursday's Group D match between the two teams.
'This is a miracle. Only great teams can be as brave as we were and fight back from a goal down against teams like England'
A diving header from Mario Mandzukic took a deflection off the Nigerian midfielder and crept into the goal for a deserved lead as Croatia dominated the count of chances created in the first 45 minutes.
Sachin Khilari's silver is the 11th medal from athletics at the Paralympics.
France earned a rollercoaster 4-2 home win over Croatia in an entertaining top-tier Nations League Group 3 match, while England were held to a 0-0 draw by Denmark in an uninspiring game.
A collection of stunning pictures from the Paris 2024 Games
Holders Spain lost for the first time in 15 matches at the European Championship finals on Tuesday when Croatia beat them 2-1 to win Group D at Euro 2016.
El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo and his Croatian partner Mate Pavic beat Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5 6-3 in the final.
Here is a look at some of the key head-to-head duels which could prove decisive.
Classy Croatia handed Argentina a 3-0 drubbing to claim a place in the World Cup knockout stage thanks to goals by Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in their Group D match on Thursday.
'There are a number of things we still have to improve because we thought we were better than we were in too many situations.'
Croatia have no major injury concerns going into Sunday's World Cup final despite having played three 120-minute matches
Dark horse Croatia take on spirited Nigeria in a World Cup opener on Saturday that could leave one side fighting for their tournament lives in the Group of Death.
Croatia have set a simple target of qualifying for the knockout phase from a group expected to be dominated by holders Brazil.
Several players across the continent are poised to make a name for themselves on the international stage.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Riccardo Calafiori's second-half own goal earned dominant Spain a 1-0 victory over defending champions Italy on Thursday to qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2024 as Group B winners.
Germany defender Nico Schulz scored a late winner as their new-look side snatched a 3-2 win away to the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 Group C qualifier on Sunday, an absorbing clash that swung in fortunes from one side to the other.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Here is a quick guide to the eight games which get underway on Saturday.
Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in its fan zones for outdoor viewing, including on a long stretch of turf laid out in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
The medal tally at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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