Luis Suarez scored an equaliser and was just wide with what could have been a spectacular winner as Uruguay were held to a 3-3 draw by Costa Rica in a friendly.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's action:
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Yerry Mina's header secured Colombia a 1-0 win over Senegal in Samara on Thursday to clinch their safe passage to the last 16 as they finished top of Group H, while Senegal missed out to Japan on a fair play tiebreaker.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine, who has been reported for suspect bowling action again, is available for the contest against Rajasthan Royals but skipper Gautam Gambhir says they're still pondering whether to risk the Windies.
Luka Modric pulled one back for Zinedine Zidane's shellshocked side with a brilliant strike from distance early in the second half before substitute Vinicius Jr reduced the deficit to one goal.
Manchester City are top on goal difference, with Chelsea second and Liverpool dropping to third, two points ahead of Arsenal, who routed Fulham 5-1.
Former South Africa one-day international captain Johan Botha has had doubt cast on the legitimacy of his bowling action for the third time in his career and will have to undergo biomechanical analysis.
A stoppage-time goal by substitute Haris Seferovic gave Switzerland a 2-1 World Cup Group E win over Ecuador on Sunday.
Bayern Munich slumped to their first defeat for three months when the Bundesliga leaders suffered a shock 2-1 reverse at home to Mainz 05 on Wednesday.
A look at the winners of the 89th Annual Academy Awards.
A summary of the results of the football matches played across Europe on Sunday
Valverde's knowledge of Barca and his many years of experience of coaching in Spain saw him pip Argentine Jorge Sampaoli and Luis Enrique's assistant Juan Carlos Unzue to the top job.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday reduced by nine months former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova's two-year doping ban.
England's right-back Kieran Trippier is one of the World Cup's top performers.
David Moyes's bid to resurrect his career in La Liga ended in failure when Real Sociedad sacked him following a defeat at Las Palmas which left them hovering just above the relegation places.
'What he has done in half as many matches as Raul is incredible'
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their title defence against a formidable Mumbai Indians side in the opening match of the eighth edition of Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Cesc Fabregas struck the winner as an experimental Spain side came from behind to beat Costa Rica 2-1.
Coach Zinedine Zidane learned the lessons of predecessor Rafael Benitez's disastrous tactics in the last encounter and employed defensive midfielder Casemiro in favour of more attack-minded players, opting instead to sit and wait for Barcelona.
Neeraj Chopra scripted history by smashing the junior world record in javelin throw en route to a gold medal with a stunning effort of 86.48m at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
The 71st Emmy Awards have been announced, and there have been quite a few surprises and some expected nods.
Images from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Former Netherlands great Johan Cruyff has told Louis van Gaal he has no right to complain about the hectic holiday season programme.
Rediff.com takes a look at the minimum taxi fare in other big cities around the globe on a day when auto rickshaw and taxi fares have been hiked in Mumbai
"After feeling strange in the second half of the Burton game in September, I underwent a series of tests," he said.
'Raazi is being hailed for breaking the glass ceiling for Daughters of Bollywood Inc,' says Sunil Sethi.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi passed up the chance to net his 300th La Liga goal and instead put a hat-trick on a plate for team mate Luis Suarez with an outrageous penalty routine.
Sunrisers Hyderabad surprised quite a few by opting to release the fast bowling duo of Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn, while they also let go of England discard Kevin Pietersen.
Unheralded British youngster Kyle Edmund faces a Davis Cup baptism of fire when he makes his debut in the final on Friday against Belgium's David Goffin in the opening rubber.
'There have been a lot of ups and downs and I feel really happy, I've always kept belief'
Free-flowing France blew away in-form Switzerland with a three-goal first-half barrage en route to a thumping 5-2 World Cup Group E victory on Friday that virtually assures them qualification to the second round.
Approval comes 6 months after Swedish clothing giant applied for India entry; FIPB now to consider on Oct 18.
As Barcelona prepare to welcome back Pep Guardiola to the Nou Camp for Wednesday's Champions League game against Manchester City, check out how the club has evolved since the visionary coach departed in 2012.
It was a dramatic night at the Champions League as Barcelona's Anssumane Fati -- 17 years and 40 days old - became the youngest to net a goal in the competition. Last season's semi-finalists, Ajax were eliminated by Valencia while Napoli's coach Ancelotti was shown the door despite the team's progress. Here are Images from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Underlying tensions mean Luis Enrique will not be remembered with the same reverence as Pep Guardiola, even though he has delivered a similar trophy haul.
