Japan beat 10-man Colombia 2-1 in Group H on Tuesday to become the first Asian side to beat a South American one at the World Cup.
The footballers heading to Carnival capital will hope to make fate walk their path. But there are some big names who couldn't make the big trip for some reason or the other. Rediff.com presents the top 16 players you won't be seeing in Brazil.
Louis Van Gaal said it would take him three years to transform Manchester United into a potential title-winning team when he became manager last summer, but judged by Sunday's loss to Southampton, he might have to wait a lot longer than that.
Monaco owe most of their recent success to their young guns, but when they face Manchester City looking to overturn a two-goal deficit in their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, they will turn to a more experienced player in Radamel Falcao.
A summary of results from matches played in the Italian Serie A and Ligue 1
Atletico Madrid took a big step towards the King's Cup semi-finals when Radamel Falcao set them on the way to a 2-0 win at home to Real Betis in their last-eight first-leg on Thursday.
Colombia's World Cup campaign roared back into life with a 3-0 win over Poland in Group H on a sweltering evening at the Kazan Arena which sent the Poles tumbling out of the tournament on Sunday.
The Brazilian football federation, (CBF) along with the country's footballers have raised $463,787 and the money will go to three organisations working in Brazil's densely-populated favelas.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United emerged from the transfer window with a rich icing and the brightest of cherries to decorate their cake but the suspicion remains that the team's base may crumble under pressure.
Allowing a lead to twice slip from their grasp in their last World Cup game could come back to haunt Senegal when they face Colombia in a decisive Group H clash in Samara on Thursday.
If reports are to be believed, it is a video posted online that has got the Portuguese's goat. According to the European press, Canal Plus, a French TV channel put up a video where Mourinho has questioned the quality of strikers in his Chelsea squad.
Defending champions Chelsea's season could be in trouble if striker Diego Costa is unavailable for long, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp said.
A controversial Radamel Falcao effort gave Porto a 2-1 win over Arsenal in their Champions League last-16 first leg but the English side will take heart from Sol Campbell's away goal on his return to the tournament after four years.
Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain struck twice as the Italian side produced a masterful all-round display to beat Monaco 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
A senseless pitch invasion by Serbian fans in last month's Euro 2016 home qualifier against Albania has cost the Balkan nation dearly and the team fear the ramifications ahead of Friday's match against Denmark, Nemanja Matic said.
Football legends Ryan Giggs and Hernan Crespo led from the front in Mumbai 5's and Kolkata 5's identical 4-2 wins over Chennai and Goa respectively, in the inaugural Premier Futsal League that got off to a grand start at the floodlight Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium in Chennai on Friday.
Colombia have scored more goals than Argentina and notched as many as the highly-rated Brazilians
Premier Futsal announced actress Sunny Leone as the co-owner and brand ambassador of the Kochi-based franchise Kerala Cobras.
Premier Futsal announced actress Sunny Leone as the co-owner and brand ambassador of the Kochi-based franchise Kerala Cobras.
Teenager Kylian Mbappe scored twice to give AS Monaco a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in a Champions League quarter-final first-leg match that was postponed following an attack on the home team's bus.
Manchester United's hopes of launching a New Year title challenge suffered a setback at the first opportunity on Thursday when they could only draw 1-1 at mid-table Stoke City in an all-action Premier League clash.
Containing Colombia's potent attacking game, even without injured striker Radamel Falcao, will be key to defensive-minded Greece's attempt to upset the World Cup Group C favourites on Saturday.
Sala, 28, had been flying from Nantes in western France to Wales on Jan. 21 to make his debut for Premier League team Cardiff City when the single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft disappeared over the sea.
Football superstars Ronaldinho, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes will showcase their skills in front of Indian fans when the Premier Futsal begins amid hype and anticipation in Chennai on Friday. The inaugural season of Premier Futsal, touted to be the world's first multi-national league, will kick off with some of most well known footballers rubbing shoulders will some of the leading futsallers in the world. The first match-day of the inaugural season will see Falcao's Chennai 5's go against Giggs' Mumbai 5's. The second game of the opening day would be Ronaldinho's Goa 5's vs Hernan Crespo's Kolkata 5's.
The 'Pass the message to kick out coronavirus' campaign calls for people around the world to follow five key steps to protect their health in line with WHO's guidelines.
Neymar lived up to expectations as he showed his class on his Ligue 1 debut on Sunday, scoring one and setting up another goal in Paris St Germain's 3-0 win at En Avant Guingamp.
Bikash Mohapatra takes a look the transfer market, wherein some clubs have made quality purchases without actually breaking the bank.
Colombia marked their return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence with an attacking display that earned a 3-0 victory over Greece on Saturday, and the early initiative in what looks to be a really tight Group C.
Lionel Messi struggled in the thin air of La Paz, fluffing a gilt-edged chance to end his goal drought against Bolivia, while Colombia marksman Radamel Falcao was kept scoreless in Venezuela on Tuesday.
Mateo Kovacic's late strike avoided embarrassment for Real Madrid as the European champions surrendered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3 with Legia Warsaw in an enthralling Champions League game played amid an empty stadium on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid made sure of at least a third-placed finish in La Liga and secured a berth in the Champions League group stages for next season with a 3-1 win away to struggling Celta Vigo on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid stayed hot on the heels of second-placed city neighbours Real Madrid when Radamel Falcao netted his 25th goal of the La Liga campaign in a scrappy 1-0 win at mid-table Sevilla on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid slipped three points behind second-placed Real Madrid after having two players sent off in a 0-0 draw at Getafe in La Liga on Sunday.
Manchester United dominated Europe's transfer activity as the transfer deadline window slammed shut on Monday, manager Louis van Gaal taking his summer spending spree to more than 150 million pounds.
Atletico Madrid set up a King's Cup final with city rivals Real after Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao scored in a 2-2 second leg draw at Sevilla on Wednesday, to progress 4-3 on aggregate.
India's protest against the controversial opening-round loss of boxer Sumit Sangwan (81kg) on Monday at the London Olympic Games has been rejected by the jury that reviewed his bout against Brazilian Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino.
Indian pugilist Sumit Sangwan was a bit unlucky to crash out of the London Olympics after a heart-wrenching opening-round loss to Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino of Brazil, in the men's light heavyweight category on Monday.
Indian athletes will be in action in various disciplines at the 2012 Olympics on Monday. Check out their time schedule.
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