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Residents of the Mangueira favela or slum, which overlooks the Maracana Stadium where the 2016 Olympic opening ceremony was held, expressed a mix of pride and disappointment as the Games opened in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
Pop star Shakira will perform before the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro on July 13, headlining a closing ceremony that includes guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana and rapper Wyclef Jean.
Colombian star Shakira wowed the crowd with her performance of "Dare (La,La,La)" during the World Cup closing ceremony at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night.
A bit of melancholy and unbridled joy converged at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympics on Sunday as Brazil breathed a collective sigh of relief for having pulled off South America's first Games.
France have surprised many by emerging as World Cup contenders but face their toughest test yet against nemesis Germany in a quarter-final clash of European heavyweights at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium on Friday.
Photos of the World Cup match between France and Ecuador
With a September friendly looming for Argentina against their World Cup final conquerors Germany, coach Alejandro Sabella is aware of the urgency of a decision on his future.
Photos of the World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina.
Photos of the World Cup closing ceremony
Argentina winger Angel Di Maria trained lightly on Thursday in the hope of being able to play a part in the World Cup final against Germany on Sunday despite suffering a thigh injury just days ago.
Photos of the pre-quarterfinal match between Colombia and Uruguay
Photos from the World Cup match between Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It was rain of footballing gods as former stars Pele, Kaka, David Beckham and Carles Puyol graced the final.
But can Lionel Messi secure a place among the game's greats with a World Cup triumph? But for now on a lighter note we bring Messi's better half, Antonella Roccuzzo.
Lionel Messi can secure his place among the game's greats with a World Cup triumph after Argentina defeated the Netherlands on penalties on Wednesday to reach the final.
The Netherlands are one win away from a second straight World Cup final while opponents Argentina head into Wednesday's last-four clash looking to end their 24-year wait for a place in the biggest game of all.
Germany reached their fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final after defender Mats Hummels's first-half header gave the three-time winners a 1-0 victory over France at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana on Friday.
With the loser likely to face hosts Brazil in the next round, the Netherlands and Chile will go all out for victory when they meet in their Group B match on Monday, even though both teams are through to the last 16.
And so it was official. The reign of Spain was not merely on the wane - it was over.
Images from the World Cup match between Spain and Chile at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janerio.
Defending champions Spain will face the 'suicidal' attacking style of Chile at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday aiming to get their World Cup bid back on track and avoid an embarrassingly early exit.
Colombia head to Copa semis after penalties win over Uruguay
Fourteen-time grand slam singles tennis champion, Rafael Nadal, will carry Spain's flag at the opening ceremony for this year Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he said on Wednesday.
Twenty four teams have gone and only eight remain in the hunt to win the World Cup. Some have romped to the last eight, while others have limped. We take a look at the state of the remaining eight sides left in the tournament and their chances of lifting the famous gold trophy at the Maracana in Rio de Janiero on July 13.
Lionel Messi finally made his mark on the World Cup and lit up the Maracana with his first goal in the finals for eight years but Argentina had to battle hard for a 2-1 win over debutants Bosnia in their opening Group F match on Sunday.
As Brazil gears up to host the FIFA World Cup 2014 starting on June 12, lets take a closer look at the biggest football tournament.
Brazilian striker Neymar was named as the best player of the Confederations Cup after his fourth goal of the tournament helped Brazil seal a 3-0 win over world champions Spain in the final at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday.
Facts and figures following Brazil's 3-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup final at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday.
With the England team already in Rio de Janeiro, the injunction came as a shock and threatened to scuttle the first game between England and Brazil in three decades at the stadium that is regarded as the spiritual home of Brazilian soccer. England won only one of five encounters there.
Spain's 3-0 reverse to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final was a mere "blip" and they will be back in Brazil next year confidently chasing a second straight World Cup triumph, according to forward Fernando Torres.
The Confederations Cup in Brazil has been met with a lot of protests over the last four days, but the fans of the beautiful game are still thronging the stadiums in numbers. Right from their fancy attire to their creative placards, the excitement among supporters is palpable. Rediff.com gives you a quick glance through the action in the stands.
Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo's role as a deep-lying playmaker is an alien concept in Brazil, where any midfielder who sits just in front of the defence is expected to perform a purely destructive role.
Brazil took another step towards recovering their once famous invincibility when Paulinho scored with a late header to seal a 2-1 win over Uruguay and take the hosts into the Confederations Cup final.
Former Brazil striker Romario, having slammed his country's preparations to stage the 2014 finals, adopted a more conciliatory tone on a visit to the Local Organising Committee on Friday.
Divock Origi's late strike earned Belgium a 1-0 Group H win over Russia at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday to seal a spot in the knockout round of the World Cup.
The battle for Olympic medals will take place in 32 venues in Rio de Janeiro.
Pele's doctors have given him the go ahead to light the Olympic cauldron on Friday, but muscle pains may bar the Brazilian soccer great from the torch ceremony that opens the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Rogerio Ceni tied Pele's mark for most appearances at a Brazilian club on Wednesday but his 1,115th game in goal for Sao Paulo was not one to savour as his side went down 3-1 to Ponte Preta in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semi-final.
Quaison fires Sweden to extra-time World Cup playoff win over Czechs
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