The Welsh sit bottom of Group B on one point
At least two of the eight first-round groups of four produced tough obstacles for their participants to progress to the knockout rounds.
Portugal charged into the knockout rounds of the under-20 World Cup on Saturday with a 3-1 defeat of Colombia while Serbia also advanced after sending Mexico crashing out of the tournament.
Both the teams have won their respective opening matches with Germany getting past Costa Rica 2-1 and Iran beating Guinea 3-1 last Saturday.
In the Russian president's eyes, it sends a message of defiance to the world and his own people which fits his favoured storyline: Russia is succeeding despite Western efforts to hold it back.
Honduras qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil on Tuesday by clinching the last of the automatic qualifying spots in North and Central America and the Caribbean, while Mexico stayed in contention by claiming the playoff spot after Panama suffered a heartbreaking loss to the United States.
While Canada may have been humbled, coach John Herdman remained unbowed making no apologies for his incendiary remarks - which caused a stir in Croatia.
European powerhouse France rallied from a goal down to hand a 5-1 drubbing on Honduras and qualify for the knockout stage as group toppers in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Guwahati.
Brazil became the second team to qualify for the knockout round of the women's World Cup on Saturday and England picked up a big win, but France suffered a shock defeat that could make their life at the tournament tougher.
Morocco's Bounou felt dizzy but will play against Canada, says team doctor
Sunil Chhetri's return from international retirement at 40 highlights the lack of quality strikers in Indian football.
Switzerland finished with six points, level with Group G winners Brazil but behind on goal difference. Serbia, who needed a win to give themselves a fighting chance of advancing, finished bottom of the group with only one point.
Japan twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Senegal in their World Cup Group H encounter on Sunday.
Two brilliant strikes from Isco and a late goal from Alvaro Morata gave Spain a spectacular 3-0 win over Italy, their nearest challengers in Group G, to move into the driving seat for automatic qualification to the 2018 World Cup.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar.
An inspired performance from Douglas Costa helped Brazil to a 3-0 win over Peru on Tuesday and lifted them into third place in the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Chhetri also added that India will rely more on teamwork than individual flair to give a tough fight to their rivals.
Marcelo Lippi's first game as China coach ended in a 0-0 draw with Qatar in a World Cup qualifier in Kunming on Tuesday, seriously damaging both team's hopes of reaching the finals in Russia.
England coach Gareth Southgate's last two tournament near misses were accompanied by criticism of his conservatism in selection but a relatively radical switch to bring in Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden paid off handsomely in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Wales.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group A match between Qatar and Senegal on Friday.
The Indian football team moved a place up to 168 in the latest FIFA rankings issued on Thursday.
A round-up of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers played on Thursday
Lionel Messi has more than proven his worth for the league and his team at a vitally important time for the sport in North America, where the FIFA World Cup will be staged in 2026.
Last year, Saudi announced the opening of an alcohol shop in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh to combat the black market and illegal imports. The store is only for non-Muslim diplomats, who must present diplomatic identification before they buy.
Paraguay continued to shine and recorded their third win on the trot when they thrashed a struggling Turkey 3-1 in a Group B match of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Navi Mumbai.
India suffered one of its most embarrassing defeat in recent years despite Sunil Chhetri's 94th international goal in his 150th match.
Rank outsiders India ended their maiden FIFA Under-17 World Cup campaign in a cry of pain and agony as they were handed a 0-4 thrashing by two-time champions Ghana in their final group match in New Delhi on Thursday.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) strongly refuted allegations made by former head coach Igor Stimac, calling them a deliberate attempt to tarnish the federation's reputation.
Stimac had earlier also said that the results against Kuwait and Qatar in June will be the real indicator of the Indian football team's prospect of making a maiden appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Fresh off a dominant title-winning campaign, Liverpool kick off the new Premier League season on Friday as the team to beat, as the Reds have transitioned from Juergen Klopp's high-octane chaos to a more measured possession-based style under Arne Slot.
Rubiales has said it was consensual and scoffed at critics in the aftermath, but Hermoso said she felt a victim of aggression and had pressure put on her to sign a statement exonerating him, which she said she refused to do.
An injury time own goal from England defender Laura Bassett put Japan into the World Cup final with a 2-1 victory, setting up a title rematch with the United States.
Doan equalised in the 75th minute before Asano showed lovely control and smashed the winner in from a tight angle -- causing an explosion of joy among the Japan bench and head shaking among German fans used to watching both players ply their trade in the Bundesliga.
An extra-time goal from Roberto Firmino gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Brazil's Flamengo to win the Club World Cup at the Khalifa International stadium on Saturday. It is the first time Liverpool have won the competition, which features each continent's champions, and they became only the second English team to lift the trophy after Manchester United in 2008.
Head coach Juergen Klopp said last week a potential change in Liverpool's ownership would not affect his commitment to the club and played down talk of a sale.
A former employee of Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid has accused FIFA investigators of violating confidentiality promises made when she agreed to provide evidence of alleged corruption related to the bid.
Having won all their three group matches with ease, South American giants Brazil will start clear favourites when they take on the unfancied Honduras in a pre-quarterfinal match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in Honduras.
World Cup-winning Captain Lionel Messi received a king's welcome in Paris on Wednesday.
The Indian football team continued to paint a grim picture as they are languishing down at 156th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.
Midfield lynchpin Suresh Singh feels India would need to improve their final pass, but an improvement in department would not be enough against Colombia's all-round superiority.
