There have been three dismissals in three previous World Cup finals matches -- 1938 Brazil v Czechoslovakia, 1954 Brazil v Hungary and 1998 Denmark v South Africa.
When Russia and Saudi Arabia meet on Thursday form will be irrelevant as the world's biggest sporting festival explodes into life in Moscow.
Belgium hammered the final nail into Egypt's halting World Cup warm-up campaign with an assured 3-0 win in Brussels on Wednesday that settled some nerves among the fancied hosts.
Lionel Messi broke the deadlock and Luis Suarez scored twice in the second half to give Barcelona a typically emphatic 3-0 win over River Plate in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Holders Brazil landed a tricky draw for the Copa America on Wednesday as they were thrown into Group B along with Mexico, Ecuador and Chile.
Four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi would soon face trial for alleged tax evasion; a Spanish judge has ruled and might face a six year jail term if convicted.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Neymar lived up to expectations as he showed his class on his Ligue 1 debut on Sunday, scoring one and setting up another goal in Paris St Germain's 3-0 win at En Avant Guingamp.
Marcus Allback's equalising goal for Sweden in the Group B match against England was the 2,000th in World Cup finals history.
Here is a terrific quote that is doing the rounds from Chile's coach, Jorge Sampaoli.
The US-based Indian player advanced into the final round of the US Open qualifiers on Thursday.
Major world record deals are here.
Luis Suarez is likely to play his first competitive game for Barcelona in La Liga's "Clasico" against Real Madrid later this month and he says it is no coincidence his four-month biting ban expires the day before one of biggest fixtures in world soccer.
Luis Suarez said he had missed linking up with his insatiable strike partners Neymar and Lionel Messi after Barcelona's 'MSN' attack scored six goals in their 7-0 record rout of Celtic on Tuesday. Messi scored a record sixth European Cup hat-trick while Neymar became the first player in Champions League history to provide four assists and score in a game, curling in the third from a free-kick.
'You realise the fear when Barcelona could get knocked out. It would hurt UEFA a lot. I don't know what they have to do for someone to send one of them off'
India, hosting its first ever FIFA tournament in the U-17 World Cup, will set the record of having the farthest distance between two venues in the event's history.
Edinson Cavani enjoyed a memorable comeback after spending four weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury as he scored in Paris St Germain's 2-0 win over Olympique Marseille on Sunday to help his side move eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
This week's collection of unbelievably unusual images from across the world
Morientes was one of four Liverpool players named in the 22-man squad for a friendly against Uruguay.
Barca are now second on 66 points, two behind Real who have a game in hand as they chase a first title triumph since 2012.
Luis Suarez played a part in all three of Barcelona's goals in a scrappy 3-1 victory at Granada.
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi had nothing to do with his own tax affairs and should not be included in an investigation into an alleged fraud, his father Jorge has insisted.
After more goals came from set-pieces in this World Cup's group stage than any other, dead-ball strategy has continued to have a huge impact in the knockout phase, with five of the 11 goals scored in the quarter-finals coming from free kicks or corners.
Angel Di Maria unleashed a stunning long-range strike in the 41st minute to draw Argentina level at 1-1 against France at halftime of their round of 16 World Cup clash on Saturday.
After not much action barring the 2-2 draw against Bangladesh in an international friendly in March this year, India slipped eights places to be ranked 158th in the latest FIFA rankings headed by World Champions Germany.
A piece of the original World Cup trophy, which was stolen in Brazil in 1983 and never recovered, has been found in a basement at FIFA's headquarters.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Five-times world champions Brazil plummeted further down the FIFA rankings as they hit a record low of 22nd place on Thursday, leaving them sandwiched between Ghana and Mali.
Costa Rica's World Cup goalkeeper Keylor Navas and United States women's team striker Abby Wambach were named CONCACAF's Players of the Year for 2014 on Tuesday.
Barcelona's five-time soccer World Player of the Year Lionel Messi went on trial on Tuesday along with his father on accusations of defrauding the Spanish state of millions of euros (dollars).
The United States government has expanded trade preference benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences to cover about $900 million more imports a year from India.
the countries assured of places in the 32-team field for next year's World Cup finals in Russia after Tuesday's qualifiers.
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