Images from the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches on Sunday night.
Roger Federer said his 'lethargic' countrymen got what they deserved at the World Cup after they were beaten 1-0 by Sweden in the Round of 16.
India's national football coach Stephen Constantine on Friday anointed towering goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as captain for Saturday's international friendly against higher-ranked Puerto Rico at the suburban Andheri Sports Complex ground in Mumbai. "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will captain the team on Saturday against Puerto Rico," Constantine announced at the fag end of the pre-match media conference to give a huge boost to the 24-year-old, one of the youngest players to lead the national football team.
His 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Belgium's David Goffin in the O2 Arena followed Monday's tense three-set win over Dominic Thiem when he became the first Bulgarian to take part in the elite tournament for the top eight players in its 48-year history.
Stimac was part of the Croatia team that sensationally reached the semi-finals of the World Cup at the first attempt in 1998 and he is looking to his India squad to similarly buck the odds in Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Laggards in international rankings, India finally made their presence felt by pulling off an impressive under-17 World Cup that drew all-round praise even though the country was eliminated in the very first round.
The group stage Asian Cup exit turning out to be one bitter pill that he found too hard to swallow.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
Australia made the worst possible start to the defence of their Asian Cup crown on Sunday as Graham Arnold's Socceroos were handed a 1-0 defeat by unfancied Jordan.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first Indian footballer to play for a top-tier European club after the custodian made his debut for Stabek FC in a Norwegian Cup tie against Runar on Wednesday.
India has a population of 1.3 billion but the nation's obsession with and success on the cricket pitch has left it a massive underachiever on the football field.
Germany defender Nico Schulz scored a late winner as their new-look side snatched a 3-2 win away to the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 Group C qualifier on Sunday, an absorbing clash that swung in fortunes from one side to the other.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi pulled his side level in the 57th minute after a handball by Paraguay's Ivan Peris which no-one on the pitch appealed for but was spotted by a VAR review.
National football team captain Sunil Chhetri and Women's national team striker Bala Devi, were named the 'AIFF 2014 Player of the Year' and '2014 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year', respectively.
Indian football team's hopes of rising in FIFA rankings have been dashed with cancellation of two international friendlies against Philippines and Malaysia owing to rescheduling of the SAFF Cup.
Not focussing on grassroot development over the years has led to the players learning the basics only late in their career, says national coach Stephen Constantine.
World champions Germany are to meet Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland in Group C.
'We have played just two matches, and we have played well, that too against two powerful teams. It gives us that added motivation and confidence that in football, anything is possible'
India held a dominant Nepal to a goalless draw in their 2018 FIFA World Cup football qualifying Round 1 second leg match to advance to the second round on a 2-0 aggregate in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Indian senior national football team will play their home match of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium at Sajusarai in Guwahati.
The Indian football team broke a 12-year-old jinx of not winning a match away from home as they beat lower ranked Cambodia 3-2 in an international friendly in Phnom Penh.
Spain captain Iker Casillas has said he finds it strange that the format of the draw for the World Cup finals allowed the holders to be placed in the same group as Netherlands, the team they beat in the final in 2010.
Analysis of the eight groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia.
Many Indian footballers have improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the exposure of playing in the Indian Super League in the last three seasons.
After Central defender Harpreet Singh headed the first one in the 37th minute, two goals in two minutes immediately after resumption took the issue beyond Yemen's reach.
Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia said not slotting international friendlies has got nothing to do with ISL dates. "We haven't slotted any international matches, and this has nothing to do with the ISL, nor are we giving importance to it. Instead, we had prioritized the national team to stay together for a one-month camp before they disperse to play ISL," Bhutia told reporters. Bhutia was in the city for the closing ceremony of Bhaichung Bhutia Champions Cup at Harvest International School.
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.
Belgium have retained injured Vincent Kompany in their final World Cup squad but put fellow defender Laurent Ciman on standby in case the Manchester City skipper is not fit for their opening match in Russia.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A gritty India survived waves of attacks from Qatar to hold the reigning Asian champions to a goalless draw to steal an unexpected point from their away match of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
India overcame stubborn resistance to beat a spirited Maldives 3-2 and enter the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championships for a record 10th time after the in-form Jeje Lalpekhlua struck twice in a thrilling semi-final, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday.
Ending speculation around the merger of Indian Super League with I-League, the All India Football Federation on Tuesday virtually recognised ISL as the country's premier league as per a new roadmap, which will have three more seven-month leagues in a hierarchical system from 2017 onwards.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Stephen Constantine said he has accepted the contract extension offered to him by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which will make him the longest serving national coach in the history of the sport.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa inaugurated the refurbished Cooperage stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday and said hosting the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 will boost development of the game in the country. The refurbishing of Cooperage was done under FIFA's 'Win in India, With India' project.
'Till a new road map is decided the old one continues. Why is somebody complaining? You cannot complain on a hypothetical situation. But if they want to shout let them shout, we are not going to be intimidated'
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