The 19th FIFA World Cup saw its first real goal-fest with Portugal pummeling North Korea 7-0 in a rain-soaked Group G match to bolster their campaign and eliminate the Asian side at Cape Town on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, playing his 6th FIFA World Cup, headlines the Portugal squad that has a glittering supporting cast that includes Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes.
Cristiano Ronaldo is 41, but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said age is only a number and that his captain is judged on current form and by the same standards as everyone else.
Ivory Coast convincingly beat North Korea 3-0 on Friday, but the comprehensive win was not enough to prevent the Africans from going out of the World Cup.
Portugal enjoyed their biggest ever World Cup victory when they overwhelmed North Korea 7-0 in Group G on Monday to end the Asian side's hopes.
The teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Portugal got their World Cup finals off to a stuttering start with a goalless draw against a spirited Ivory Coast on Tuesday, a match that saw the return of Didier Drogba only 11 days after breaking his arm. Semi-finalists at the 2006 finals, Portugal struggled to make a serious impact and made their job of advancing from a fierce Group G -- which includes Brazil and North Korea -- no easier in a fluid match that yielded only a handful of goalscoring chances.
Brazil and Portugal fought themselves into a stalemate on Friday but the 0-0 draw was enough for both teams to go through comfortably into the second round of the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally ended his dry spell for Portugal with a quasi-comical goal, but the real drivers behind Portugal's sumptuous 7-0 rout of North Korea on Monday were midfielders Raul Meireles and Tiago.
'The problem is that you invariably have no time to make complicated mathematical calculations when you face the goalkeeper of the opposing team. In any case, footballers are not intellectuals or scientists.'
'Winning gold for India was a dream I lived on that rink.'
Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz said Tuesday's second round match against Spain at Green Point Stadium will feel like a home game after his side routed North Korea 7-0 on the same pitch in the group stage.
Live updates from Friday's matches at the football World Cup in South Africa.
Quaison fires Sweden to extra-time World Cup playoff win over Czechs
Ivory Coast's Elephants face a challenge of jumbo proportions against Portugal in Group G on Tuesday in a game where the points may hinge on the fitness of their talismanic striker Didier Drogba.
Get the latest updates from all the action in South Africa.
Images and a round-up of all the World Cup qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
The bottom line is that one should stay invested and not get spooked out of one's equity holdings, says Akash Prakash.
A photo-feature on how some players celebrated after scoring at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The 2010 football World Cup draw pits Brazil with Portugal, Ivory Coast and N Korea in the same group.
Having started the year in the 129th position, the Sunil Chhetri-led team end the year at 105th spot in the FIFA rankings
The trigger that led Japan and the Philippines to ink the deal was because of the deteriorating security situation in the South China Sea. China's coast guard increased the frequency and intensity of incursions into Philippine waters, provoking the Philippines to take countermeasures to deter China, explains Dr Rajaram Panda.
Domestically, Indians are exploring popular beach destinations, the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the North-Eastern region as well.
Eight stadiums in Doha will host 64 matches at the World Cup.
Of the nearly 4.6 crore people living as slaves globally, two-thirds, or 3.04 crore, are in the Asia-Pacific region, with the highest number in India.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will again be duelling for the title of world's best footballer after their names once again headed the shortlist on Thursday for The Best FIFA Men's Player.
Indian football saw a big jump in the FIFA rankings on Thursday, rising 24 places to go up to 147 spot.
Following is reaction to the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw, which was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar on Friday.
The stakes are high and it is not certain that slow-moving foreign office bureaucracies can measure up to the challenges being thrown up, says Hardeep S Puri.
The top two teams in each group go into the last 16. In the case of teams finishing level on points, FIFA has put in place seven tie-breakers starting with goal difference and then the number of goals scored in all group matches.
The medal tally at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images and summary of all the World Cup 2022 qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Asia's representatives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going.
the countries assured of places in the 32-team field for next year's World Cup finals in Russia after Tuesday's qualifiers.
The Indian football team has re-entered the top-100 of the FIFA world rankings and is now placed at 99th at the latest chart released on Thursday.
How many of the 354 films Aseem Chhabra watched in 2017 have you seen?
Meet Cassie de Pecol, a 27-year-old traveller from Connecticut, United States, who visited 196 countries in 18-and-a-half months, making her the fastest person to visit every country in the world.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a 3-1 win over a dogged Leganes side on Sunday, creating one goal and scoring another to keep the Catalans five points clear at the top of La Liga.
