France overwhelmed Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Sunday to lift the trophy for the second time in 20 years.
Russia's World Cup dream ended within agonising sight of the semi-finals as they went down 4-3 on penalties to Croatia on Saturday after another gallant performance in front of their fanatical fans which again belied their lowly ranking.
'When I used to shoot my friends or cousins, I used to tell myself: I want to make them look a better version of themselves.' 'That's how I started: "I don't care who you are or who you think you are. When you are in front of my camera, I'll make you look better than what you think you are".'
Borussia Dortmund have started transfer talks with Bayern Munich over attacking midfielder Mario Goetze's possible return to Westfalenstadion, according to a media report. Goetze won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund before joining Bayern in 2013 but failed to secure a starting place in three seasons under coach Pep Guardiola, who has since joined Premier League side Manchester City. The 24-year-old has also been linked in British media with a move to former Dortmund boss Juergen Klopp at Liverpool.
American tennis player Taylor Fritz and his doubles partner, Tik Tok personality Addison Rae, won the virtual Stay At Home Slam on Sunday as real-life tennis remains on hold because of the coronavirus crisis. The likes of the Williams sisters, Japanese stars Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori and the recently retired Maria Sharapova competed as their favourite characters from the world of Nintendo to raise money for charity.
From the protests in Belarus, to people in Beirut picking up the pieces after the deadly blast, to the Democratic National Convention held in Delaware in the United States, here are the top images from the week gone by.
Images from soccer matches played across different leagues in Europe on Sunday
A series of recent scandals engulfing officials working on the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Games
Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli needs surgery on a minor eye condition, first team coach David Platt said.
Italy striker Mario Balotelli was told he was to become a father hours before scoring twice against Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2012.
Indian gymnast Yogeshwar Singh finished 14th among 18 competitors in the men's individual all round event final in the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
The country of around 4 million people came to a standstill as Croatians watched the game on screens in squares and cafes.
Images from EPL matches played on Wednesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, failing to make it past the group stage of the competition for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
Sarmistha Sen, who was based in Plano, Texas, was randomly attacked and killed while jogging on August 1 near the Chisholm Trail Park.
For all those auto enthusiasts who thought Mahindra have only been manufacturing Jeeps and trucks in the '90s, Timeless Mahindra offers plenty of interesting surprises, discovers Rajesh Kareka/Rediff.com.
Maverick forward Mario Balotelli will be in line for an Italy recall if he can keep up his current scoring spree, coach Giampiero Ventura said on Monday.
Federico Valverde has already made over 100 appearances at senior level - while winning silverware and recognition both with his current side Madrid and country Uruguay, and showing the physical, technical and mental attributes to become one of world football's outstanding midfielders.
Bach's two-day visit to Tokyo is likely to bolster Japan's efforts to stage the Olympics, but will do little to assuage the concerns of a public deeply worried about the spread of the virus.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday
Germany waited for their last group match at Euro 2016 to field a proper striker in their starting line-up and were rewarded when Mario Gomez did just enough to give them a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Germany's Mario Goetze brushed off criticism of his lacklustre performances at Euro 2016 on Sunday and said players were used to being praised one day and knocked off their pedestal the next.
Germany bolstered their back line with the return of central defender Mats Hummels on Thursday but lacked penetration at the other end of the field as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Poland at Euro 2016.
Chelsea moved into the Premier League's top four as Mason Mount's superb first-half goal earned them a 1-0 win at champions Liverpool who suffered a club-record fifth straight home league defeat on Thursday.
Manchester City's Mario Balotelli escaped unhurt from a car accident in Manchester on Thursday with the striker having received the backing of his manager Roberto Mancini.
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli's agent has rejected talks of the player leaving Anfield to return to Italy this month.
Nine days after the death of George Floyd, protesters are still out on the streets of major cities across America, even with curfews now in place. The 46-year-old was killed when a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes while he lay handcuffed and pinned to the ground gasping for breath on May 25. As per latest reports, Floyd, the African-American had tested positive for the coronavirus in April, according to the medical examiner's report. Meanwhile, a Minnesota court has upgraded the charges against former Minneapolis police offcer Derek Chauvin who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck to second-degree murder and three other officers present during the incident have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. Soon after, Floyd's family issued a statement, saying, "This is a bittersweet moment. We are deeply gratified that @AGEllison took decisive action, arresting & charging ALL the officers involved in George Floyd's death & upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder." Former United States President Barack Obama too held a livestream event in which he urged young people to "stay hopeful" and take action. "Just remember, this country was founded on protest," he said. Raising his voice against the US president, former secretary of defense James Mattis slammed Trump as "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people," in a forceful rebuke of his former boss. "We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership," he said.
Mario Balotelli is tired of being in the eye of a hurricane, the president of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) said on Monday after the maverick international became embroiled in another row.
Borussia Dortmund missed a bagful of chances to draw 1-1 at home with Augsburg on Tuesday, as they squandered the opportunity to make up ground in the Bundesliga title race heading into the winter break.
In a major move that will benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals in America, the Biden administration has introduced an ambitious immigration bill in Congress which among other things proposes to eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based green cards.
Jubilant fans thronged central Belgrade, bringing traffic at the main Republic Square to a halt as they waved Serbian flags and hooted their car horns.
AC Milan scraped a 1-0 win over third tier Alessandria thanks to a Mario Balotelli penalty, his first goal for four months, in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.
As President Biden moves ahead with a new 'strategic concept' for China and Russia, the going is bound to get rough for the US and its G7 partners, notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Croatia came back after conceding in the opening minute to defeat Denmark 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out and earn a World Cup quarter-final berth, after the two sides drew 1-1 in the Round of 16 match on Sunday.
Portugal rested Cristiano Ronaldo and still overcame new-look Italy 1-0 in their opening Nations League match on Monday, giving visiting coach Roberto Mancini plenty to think about. Forward Andre Silva scored three minutes after halftime in the League A Group 3 game to give the Portuguese their first win over Italy in a competitive match since 1957.
Germany thumped Slovakia 3-0 with goals from Jerome Boateng, Mario Gomez and Julian Draxler to cruise into the Euro 2016 quarter-finals on Sunday and confirm their status as tournament favourites with a sparkling performance. Central defender Boateng, who had recovered from an injury, connected perfectly with a clearance in the eighth minute to volley in from 25 metres for his first international goal as the world champions took control from the start.
Maverick striker Mario Balotelli has been fined 10,000 euros for making a provocative gesture to rival Cagliari supporters after scoring against them in AC Milan's 2-1 win on Sunday.
Germany forward Mario Gomez, scorer of only one Serie A goal this season, struck twice in the first half hour to help Fiorentina beat Atalanta 3-1 in the Italian Cup on Wednesday.