Argentina dominated the opening stages and earned the penalty when Di Maria was fouled by Ousmane Dembele, with Messi sending France keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way to move to the top of the goalscoring charts in Qatar.
Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe suffered an ankle sprain in Friday's French Cup final win over St Etienne and his injury will be reassessed in three days' time, the Ligue 1 champions said on Saturday. A rough tackle from Loic Perrin saw the St Etienne defender catch Mbappe on the ankle and the 21-year-old collapsed on the pitch in pain before he was substituted. Perrin was sent off for the challenge as PSG won 1-0.
The 2024 European Championship will be held in Germany from June 14-July 14. Following are the teams who have qualified for the tournament:
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric came off the bench to net a stunning strike from the edge of the box late in the second half to secure a 1-0 home win over Sevilla on Sunday and stretch their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points.
Pochettino, who is well aware of Messi's game-changing abilities having worked with the 35-year-old last season, said he was still the best player in the world.
Lionel Messi has surpassed Diego Maradona as the greatest player of all time, Argentina's World Cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni said.
IMAGRS from the soccer matches played across European leagues on Friday
Thunderstorm could not dampen the rousing victory parade as Manchester City celebrated completing the long-awaited treble.
The France forward, whose current contract expires on June 30, had been widely tipped to join Real Madrid.
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.
Galtier said all other players returned as per the schedule and will be available for Wednesday's game, including France striker Kylian Mbappe.
"We woke up too late. We showed a real strength of character but when you get to penalties it's 50-50," said disappointed French fan Jordan Tambutte.
Having become the first African team into the semis, Morocco now face Croatia in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
'Messi's departure is a move that helps Florentino. Imagine that (Kylian) Mbappe now signs for Real Madrid.'
The former Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos striker posted a picture of his face projected on a building in Qatar, where the World Cup is being held, next to a message saying "Get well soon".
Man United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage.
France striker Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday fell short of saying he would leave Paris St Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season.
A summary of the opening day's action in the UEFA Champions league on Tuesday.
Here are the list of awards handed out after the FIFA World Cup
Real Madrid on Wednesday denied media reports they have made a bid for Paris Saint-Germain's teenage striker Kylian Mbappe, who is emerging as one of the biggest stars of the Russia World Cup.
Paris St Germain believe they can learn from their run to the Champions League final and become European champions after coming closer than ever in Sunday's 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
The precocious Kylian Mbappe could be one of the pillars of a French team with the potential to dominate the world game in the way Pele and his team mates did from the late 50s through to 1970.
Images from football matches held across Europe on Saturday
Kylian Mbappe became France's youngest scorer at a World Cup when he put Les Bleus 1-0 ahead at halftime against Peru in their second Group C game on Thursday.
France's probable starting line-up for World Cup final
The match was turned on its head when substitute Mario Gavranovic snatched a 90th-minute equaliser and force extra time.
Messi named FIFA player of 2022, England women rewarded for Euro campaign
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United on Tuesday after a controversial interview in which he said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. With the January transfer window close, what is his next move?
Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almeria on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Toure.
'Historically, Qatar has done wonders as I don't think this will ever be possible with the new format of the World Cup.'
Roundup of Champions League matches played on Wednesday night
Loic Perrin's rough tackle in the 26th put Kylian Mbappe out of the game.
Should the Portugal forward triumph, he will equal the record of his great rival and five-time winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona, who is also nominated.
By winning the World Cup on Sunday, the Argentine football team asserted its ability, but Martinez also proved that the Argentines can be bad sportsmen.
Brazil soccer great Pele was hospitalised in Paris late on Tuesday with a strong fever but his condition is not life-threatening, RMC Sport reported. The 78-year-old was admitted as a precaution after attending an event in the French capital with France's World Cup-winning youngster Kylian Mbappe.
With Brazilian striker Neymar on the verge of a record-breaking move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain, according to the player's agent, Mbappe would represent an ideal replacement at the Catalan club should that transfer go ahead.
IMAGES from the Euro 2024 qualifiers played on Tuesday.
Messi's image is everywhere, adorning the sides of buildings.
'We have to look at the whole team, not just one player. If we play together, and stay compact we can do well. I would not target a single player.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances