The thought of Neymar tearing your team into pieces might be enough to give some coach's nightmares, but Croatia's Niko Kovac isn't losing any sleep over the threat posed by the Brazilian phenom ahead of Thursday's World Cup opener.
After thrashing an accommodating Ireland side 4-0, holders Spain may find Croatia a tougher nut to crack when they meet in Gdansk on Monday in a game that will decide who tops Euro 2012 Group C.
Meanwhile, Sumit Nagal was trailing in his second round men's singles match against Holger Rune of Denmark, when rain led to a suspension of the contest.
Images from Day 4 of the Wimbledon Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Thursday.
IMAGES from the Euro 2020 qualifiers played on Thursday
Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura endeared himself to Brazil fans with a contentious penalty award in the World Cup opener on Thursday, as Neymar put away the spot kick to give his side a 2-1 lead against Croatia late in the Group A opener.
Chile, Austria, Croatia, Israel, Romania and the Netherlands secured places in the World Group of the Davis Cup for 2009 after completing playoff victories in the reverse singles on Sunday.
Reigning world champions Argentina continue to top the chart followed by 2022 World Cup runners-up France, England, Belgium and Brazil.
India's first and only tennis medal in the history of Olympic Games came way back in 1996, when Leander Paes claimed the singles bronze in Atlanta.
Ireland led the way on Friday as they and Croatia reeled off convincing away wins to move within reach of booking their places in the Euro 2012 soccer finals. Ireland won 4-0 in Estonia in the first leg to erase memories of previous play-off disappointments while Croatia crushed Turkey 3-0 in Istanbul.
Last week Anita Rao Kashi wrote about 9 reasons to visit Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Here are 10 more reasons why you must visit the country
Bellingham, who became the first European player to make an appearance at three major international tournaments before turning 21, looked nothing like a 20-year-old.
A summary of the day's tennis action at Roland Garros.
Juan Ignacio Chela held his nerve to seal a 3-2 victory over holders Croatia to enter the Davis Cup semi-finals.
Russian chess great Garry Kasparov has expressed hope that his "little joke" on Indian politics does not pass for "advocacy or expertise" after his cheeky social media post on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's love for the game went viral.
Goals by Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic earned hosts Croatia a 2-0 friendly win over Israel in Osijek on Wednesday in a free-flowing match containing several missed chances.
The duo lost their second round men's doubles match to Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia at the Australian Open.
IMAGES from the Euro 2024 qualifiers played on Tuesday.
Bora Gojo and Marin Cilic gave Croatia a 2-0 lead over India, winning the opening singles, in their Davis Cup qualifier in Zagreb on Friday. Gojo, ranked 277th, put the hosts ahead with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over world No. 132 Prajnesh Gunneswaran while world No. 37 Cilic was taken to two tie-breakers before prevailing over 182-ranked Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6(8), 7-6(8).
India's tryst with fourth-place Olympic heartbreaks
The coaches of bitter Balkan rivals Serbia and Croatia were confident their teams would reach the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil after they were drawn together in a tough European qualifying Group A.
James Rodriguez scored one goal and set up two more as Colombia thoroughly dismantled Panama in a 5-0 win at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday to march into the Copa America semi-finals.
Croatia showed they are well-equipped to make a serious bid for the Euro 2008 title when their reserves swept aside Poland 1-0 in their final Group B game on Monday.
Gritty Croatia came back from 1-0 in extra-time to claim a 4-2 penalty shootout victory and with it a spot in the semi-finals.
Slaven Bilic's relished Croatia's stunning 2-1 victory over Germany which left his team in the driving seat in Euro 2008's Group B and gave him a glorious feeling of deja vu. The Croatian coach played as a central defender in their 3-0 1998 World Cup quarter-final defeat of the Germans but was at a loss in the aftermath of Thursday's repeat win over this year's favourites, which of the triumphs mattered more to his country.
Following a virtual meeting on June 16th, 2024, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced a change in leadership for the Senior Men's National Team.
The 33-year-old centre back Lovren has faced Neymar on three occasions and lost every time, with the unstoppable Brazilian scoring four goals against him.
American Masai Russell won the Olympic 100 metres hurdles title in a blanket finish on Saturday.
England's Euro 2008 hopes finally disappeared at Wembley on Wednesday when they lost 3-2 to already-qualified Croatia.
A preview of the Euro 2024 Final between England and Spain
In a bold decision, Underdogs India have preferred Ramkumar Ramanathan over No. 1 singles player Sumit Nagal for their Davis Cup qualifier against top seeds Croatia, beginning in Zagreb on Friday.
Spain must continue this improvement in order to beat Croatia in the final in Rotterdam on Sunday, Manchester City midfielder Rodri said.
Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic grabbed hat-tricks as Croatia achieved a record win as an independent nation by demolishing San Marino 10-0 in their final Euro 2016 warm-up match in Rijeka.
'That's something that you don't see very often because the wounds of the war are still fresh and we are very happy with the way these people showed their support. They fully deserve to have this event'
Croatia, helped by a mistake by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, held Italy to a 1-1 away draw on Sunday, but their evening was ruined by their fans who twice interrupted play by throwing flares onto the pitch.
In another life, Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano could have been Italy's leading comedy double act but their attacking partnership on the field is under threat ahead of the Euro 2012 Group C clash with Croatia on Thursday.
Coming into the do-or-die match, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes, with a combined age of 86, won 6-3, 6-7(9), 7-5 after two hours and 21 minutes against Pavic and Skugor, ranked 15 and 32 respectively.
While the tournament saw the emergence of young stars, the usual suspects, the big names flattered to deceive.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna won the decisive mixed doubles to snatch a 2-1 victory in the Hopman Cup.
Spain's bid to become the first team to win three successive major international titles began in unconvincing fashion after Italy repelled Iberian flair with Latin artistry to earn a 1-1 draw at Euro 2012 on Sunday.
