They can now dream of going one better than their third-place finish in 1998, which marked their first participation in the World Cup finals as an independent nation.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic says he will turn to his Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic for ideas on how to stop Argentina's Lionel Messi in Thursday's Group D match between the two teams.
IMAGES from EPL match played between Manchester City and Chelsea on Sunday
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Lionel Messi is back in the Argentina squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia after missing the last three due to injury in which his team have dropped seven points. Messi was named on Friday in coach Edgardo Bauza's 26-man squad and will captain Argentina away to arch-rivals Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Nov. 10 and at home against Colombia in San Juan five days later. Argentina have slipped down the South American group standings to fifth after a shock 1-0 home defeat by Paraguay and 2-2 draws with Peru and Venezuela, all without Messi.
Brighton & Hove Albion scored three times in the second half to fight back from two goals down and beat Manchester City
List of major transfers in the top Premier League ahead of the 2019-20 season (all transfer fees as reported by British media):
IMAGES from Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Chelsea reached the League Cup quarter-finals thanks to two own goals in a 3-2 win over second-tier Derby County on Wednesday as Frank Lampard's return to his former club ended in disappointment.
Twelve months ago Liverpool were ripping up the record books on the way to their first English top-flight title for 30 years but defeat by Everton on Saturday left them mulling a host of far less flattering statistics.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's action:
Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla has lost a court battle against shutting down public access to a beach popular among swimmers in northern California.
A dominant NorthEast United FC scored two late goals to beat Delhi Dynamos 2-0 in their Indian Super League football match.
Real Madrid midfielder Gareth Bale damaged a calf muscle in his left leg during Tuesday's 4-0 Champions League Group A victory at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, tests confirmed on Thursday.
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
Local media reported the team captain, a dressing-room heavyweight and a huge fan favourite, would earn 10 million euros a season after tax, making him one of the best-paid members of Real's expensively assembled squad
Messi scored twice with his stunning second strike settling a pulsating clash in the last minute of stoppage time, drawing Barcelona level with Madrid on 75 points at the top of La Liga, although Los Blancos have a game in hand.
Images from the Nations League matches.
Tears spilled as friends, family and strangers gathered in solidarity at Brussels' main square to hold vigils for loved ones lost in Tuesday's terror attacks.
With 11 million likes, Beyonce's maternity shoot pic tops the list of most-liked pics of 2017.
Liverpool blew a chance take a vice-like grip on the title race and Chelsea suffered their worst league defeat in 23 years.
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to help a second-string Argentina record an easy 4-0 away win over Guatemala in a friendly and overtake Diego Maradona's international goals tally.
The historic rivals will meet again twice in August in the Spanish Super Cup and this International Champions Cup match set the entertainment bar high, with Barcelona maintaining their 100 per cent record in pre-season.
The result also means second-placed Real Sociedad can reclaim top spot if they beat Eibar on Sunday.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane cursed his side's carelessness after the European champions threw away a two-goal lead against Legia Warsaw and needed a late equaliser from Mateo Kovacic to salvage a 3-3 draw on Wednesday.
If you want a reminder of just how gorgeous our universe is, then take some time to browse the winners of the 2020 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. French photographer Nicolas Lefaudeux took the top prize with a tilt-shift perspective on the Andromeda Galaxy. The winning images are part of an exhibition opening on October 23 at the National Maritime Museum in London and have been collected into a book. Cue some truly innovative an unexpected captures of galaxies, nebulae, planets, the Moon and even SpaceX satellites.
Barcelona finished three points behind Real Madrid last season but there is concern the gap between Spain's biggest two sides could be far larger this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 750th goal of his remarkable career in a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday
Inter Milan gave Roberto Mancini his first Serie A victory since returning as coach a month ago when they won 2-0 in soggy conditions at Chievo on Monday.
Sergio Aguero, in fine scoring form for Manchester City this season, looks set to lead Argentina's attack in next month's World Cup qualifiers after being recalled to their squad on Friday.
'What he has done in half as many matches as Raul is incredible'
Two late goals by Everton substitutes brought the Merseysiders a third successive win when they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Goodison Park in Sunday's only Premier League game.
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.
Real Madrid have enviously looked on as Barcelona claimed six La Liga titles in the last eight years, but Zinedine Zidane's side can take a huge step towards a first crown since 2012 with victory over their bitter rivals at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
Chelsea have signed Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world record 80 million-euro ($92.8 million) fee from Athletic Bilbao, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Casemiro headed an 89th minute winner to earn Real Madrid a barely deserved 2-1 victory at Las Palmas in La Liga on Sunday as they closed the gap on second-placed Atletico Madrid to four points.
A Sikh couple were struck and killed by a car driven by a suspected drunk driver on Thursday night in Menlo Park, California.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane reckons Cristiano Ronaldo is on top form as the Portuguese looks to increase his Champions League goals tally when they visit AS Roma in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.
