France's golden age of soccer is over, perhaps not for good but certainly for now.
The World Player of the Year rallied France to a 2-1 victory in their opening Group B match.
The Dutch forward signed a one-year contract extension with champions Arsenal until the end of the 2004/5 season.
A Thierry Henry special and two trademark free kicks from Ronaldinho earned Barcelona a 3-0 win at home to Real Betis that put them within a point of leaders Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday.
Manchester United and Chelsea also won easily in the English Premier League.\n\n
A 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic sent Arsenal back to the top of the premier league.
The underdogs advanced through to the final on the away goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline against Arsenal.
He owes his place in the team in Qatar to Karim Benzema's absence and will start again when the defending champions take on England in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Franck Ribery, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious FIFA-Ballon d'Or award, was named French Player of the Year on Tuesday by France Football magazine.
Target man Giroud is level with Thierry Henry on 51 goals after scoring twice in their 4-1 win against Australia on Tuesday.
Cantona scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 156 Premier League matches for Leeds United and Man Utd, earning him the nickname "The King" among Man United fans.
A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2.
Jermain Defoe's childhood obsession with scoring goals has put him within reach of a top-five spot in the Premier League's all-time list
An overview of contenders in the race for top scorer at the 2022 World Cup.
Barcelona's Gerard Pique is envied. Not just for his footballing skills bout also his football jersey collection.
The number of assists is used as a tiebreaker to separate players who are level on goals scored. If they are tied on both counts, the winner is decided by who played the fewest minutes.
An ardent fan of F1 driver, Max Verstappen, Yuvraj keenly follows the Scuderia Ferrari Formula1 team.
France are looking to beat the Socceroos just like they did to kick off their 2018 journey in Russia.
'I have much more freedom here (than at PSG). The coach knows that there is a number nine like Olivier who occupies the defences. I can wander around, go into space, ask for balls.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
There's always been a degree of friendly tension between the two, with France regarding Belgium, and its French-speaking Wallonia region, as something of a poor cousin, while the Belgians often dismiss France as patronising and faux-superior.
What you must know about Anthony Martial, the world's most expensive teenage footballer.
Griezmann thankful for thankless role in France side
"They have experienced players. Obviously, Lewandowski is a stand-out player, one of the best strikers in the world. We should not underestimate them." said coach Didier Deschamps.
A goal, an assist and an all-round performance filled with menace from Kylian Mbappe was enough to help France to an emphatic win that left them top of Group D.
It took Giroud, who owed his place in the starting lineup to Benzema's absence, 115 international appearances to score his 51 goals, while Henry needed 123 from 1997-2010.
Actor Ranveer Singh, who is portraying the character of India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev in the movie '83', says he is excited to 'get into the skin of such a legendary player'.
Chelsea's Belgium forward won Eden Hazard England's PFA player of the year award ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea on Sunday.
Arsenal claimed their first Premier League win at Everton for six years as Leandro Trossard's second-half strike proved enough to secure the points at Goodison Park on Sunday.
City completed the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles, matching Manchester United's feat in 1999 and drawing comparisons with Guardiola's 2008-09 Barcelona team.
A summary of Saturday's action in the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship qualifiers.
The football fever reaches sky-high with all eyes on Euro 2016. Tournament host France will play the opener against Romania, which will be aired in India post mid-night on June 11. As the UEFA braces for the 15th edition of the European continental championship, the tournament organisers have revealed the all time XI to play in Euro's history.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Images from the FIFA World Cup match between France and Poland on Sunday.
If ever a fixture was made for striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic it is Saturday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, according to his former Barcelona team mate Thierry Henry.
Arsenal unveiled a statue of former striker Dennis Bergkamp on Saturday, the Dutchman becoming the fourth club great to be cast in bronze outside the Emirates Stadium in London.
India captain Virat Kohli, senior batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni and stylish left-handed batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, have found places in this year's ESPN World Fame 100 list that made its debut last year.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta continues rebuilding the side around goal machine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and younger talents like Bukayo Saka.
