India began the year on 97 in FIFA rankings, but after two wins, four draws and seven losses, the country ended 2019 at 108
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The top four European leagues will each have four guaranteed places in the Champions League group stage from 2018/19 under changes announced by European soccer body UEFA on Friday.
Former Manchester United star and Indian Super League side ATK's coach Teddy Sheringham said it was unusual to finish a football game post midnight, something that he had never experienced in his long association with the game.
World champions Germany are to meet Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland in Group C.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal created history by earning a direct spot for India in the World Cup
When Michel Platini revamped the European Championship, turning the finals from a tough, lean 16-team tournament in 2012 into a flabby, 'roll up, anybody's welcome' 24-side affair in 2016, it was not surprising he ran into a blizzard of rebukes.
Argentina start as hot favourites to beat Iceland in their opening World Cup Group D match on Saturday but the toughest opponent for the runners-up four years ago may be themselves rather than the tiny tournament debutants.
"Since 2008 we have never gone beyond this first knockout game and it was very important for us to get that monkey off our back," Modric said.
After going two games without a goal and being booed off the field by their own fans, the Brazilian men's soccer team found their scoring touch at the Rio Olympics on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over Denmark that sealed their place in the next round.
As we prepare to cruise into the New Year, Rediff.com gives you a glance back, through photos, into all the sporting moments that made the last 12 months memorable.
Wales will move higher than their richer rivals and neighbours England when the new FIFA rankings are announced after Euro 2016, the first sign for what, many predict, will be a bright future after they made history at the tournament. Playing in their first finals since 1958, the Welsh reached the last four of a major tournament for the first time and are expected to move up close to the top 10 countries in the world rankings.
Germany will retain their World Cup title in Moscow to equal Brazil's record of five wins in the tournament, according to a Reuters poll of financial specialists more used to predicting market moves.
England's captain made a television appeal urging fans not to damage the country's chances of reaching the Euro 2004 finals.
Analysis of the eight groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia.
Didier Deschamps, who captained France to both World Cup and European triumphs, shared some of his sports psychology secrets on Saturday on the eve of his French side's Euro 2016 final against Portugal.
The smallest country ever to compete at the Euros surprised soccer fans around the world after comfortably knocking out England, the overwhelming favourites in the last 16 match with a 2-1 victory to set up a dream tie with hosts France.
Jezreel Pannikot reveals life lessons the stars of the 2018 World Cup taught us.
Cavani, 31, scored two goals in the Round of 16 win over Portugal, then limped off with a calf injury and has been fighting to get fit in time for the showdown in Nizhny Novgorod.
Roberto Firmino's goal gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over Chile in a feisty friendly at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday, their eighth successive win since last year's disappointing World Cup campaign.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Australia cricketer Moises Henriques will not waste any time dreaming of a possible return to the national side as he continues to flirt with the fringes of the team and instead just concentrate on trying to improve his game. Henriques made his debut for the Australian one-day side in 2009 and then became just the second test cricketer born in Portugal when he broke into the side during the team's tour of India in 2013. He made an impressive test debut when he scored 68 and 81 not out but fared poorly in the next two matches and has failed to make a comeback in the longest format. He has since been on the fringes of the limited overs teams and his last appearance for Australia came in an one-day international against England in Hobart shortly before last year's World Cup. "All I can do is try and become a better cricketer," Henriques, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, told Reuters in an interview.
A group of envoys including those from several Europe Union countries and a few Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) member states began a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to take a first-hand account of the situation in newly-carved union territory, especially after the recently-concluded local body elections.
First-timers Bosnia joined holders Spain, England and Russia in grabbing Europe's remaining automatic spots for the 2014 World Cup finals on Tuesday as the last round of group matches ended in joy, despair and shattered nerves.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Poland struck twice on the break to stun wasteful World Cup winners Germany 2-0 on Saturday, earning their first ever victory over their illustrious neighbours and taking control of Euro 2016 qualifying Group D.
Atletico Madrid's Brazil-born forward Diego Costa has signed a formal letter stating his wish to play for adopted country Spain, ending a tug-of-war between the two powerhouses over the in-form 25-year-old.
France have found a new hero in Antoine Griezmann and the striker has his eyes firmly set on lifting the Euro 2016 trophy after his two goals fired Les Bleus past Germany on Thursday and into the final.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The brain may be sharp as ever, but the legs seem heavier, the pace worryingly slower. He's still only 32, but the strain of a decade-and-a-half of paranormal activity on the pitch may just be piling up.
Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn capped a dazzling performance in the 100 metres hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics with a gold medal while Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece won the men's long jump title in an action packed Monday morning at the Olympic Stadium
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Germany eased into the Confederations Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Cameroon on Sunday as the VAR system was again thrust into the spotlight when the on-field official needed two reviews of an incident to reach the right verdict.
Professional soccer leagues around Europe are gearing up for a return to action following the novel coronavirus stoppage, but some are more advanced than others.
Hungary made their first appearance at a European Championship for 44 years a memorable occasion by grabbing their goal chances to score a 2-0 win over old rivals Austria in a Group F clash on Tuesday. Austria, riding a wave of national euphoria following an impressive qualifying run, were the better side for most of the game but left the pitch still dreaming of their first-ever win in the finals. The two teams, meeting for the 138th time, started the tournament with reasonable hopes of emerging from a group that also features Portugal and Iceland who meet later on Tuesday in St Etienne.
