When England fans sang about '30 years of hurt' at Euro '96 they had high hopes of ending the pain with a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup but 20 years on from that agonising near miss there is precious little optimism in the air.
Here we encapsulate all the sporting action from last week in this stunning photo feature.
Argentina moved up to third from fourth, trading places with France, thanks to the devaluation of defeats registered before mid-November a year ago.
European champions Spain continued to set the standard on Saturday when they along with Italy, Germany and the Netherlands took a significant stride towards next year's World Cup finals. Spain, FIFA's top-ranked team, beat Turkey 1-0 in Madrid to stretch their unbeaten run to 30 matches and make it 15 points out of 15 in Group Five before they travel to Istanbul for the return fixture on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a stunning entry into the top 10 list of Twitter users with a vast following, rocketing to the #2 spot.
Russia coach Guus Hiddink refused to discuss his future on Monday after being linked with the job of Chelsea manager in place of the sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Former Sevilla coach Joaquin Caparros and current Granada manager Paco Jemez both said earlier on Thursday that they were interested in the position if Del Bosque was to leave.
Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari crashed out of the World Championships as India's campaign in both recurve and compound individual events ended on Thursday on a disappointing note in Belek.
Russia introduced a raft of punitive economic measures and sports sanctions on Saturday after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane earlier in the week
It will be more of a shock if the 1998 World Cup semi-finalists do not progress against a battered, bruised but not yet broken Turkish side in the quarter-final of Euro 2008.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
One of the most abiding moments of the 2002 World Cup was Brazilian winger Denilson taking the ball into the corner and dribbling around in a circle chased by half the Turkey team.
Portugal had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Spain in a heavyweight friendly on Wednesday after hammering the crossbar twice and missing a last-gasp open goal.
Man City set to release skipper Gundogan and Mendy
Most Turks well integrated in Germany, government says after Ozil's racism comments
Guus Hiddink has quit as coach of the Netherlands after spending less than one year in his second spell in the job, the Football Association (KNVB) has announced.
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 eight finishers in the World Relays on May 1 and 2 at Chorzow in Selisia will get automatic berths in the Tokyo Games, scheduled to begin on July 23.
Debutant Helder Costa opened the scoring on his international debut for an experimental Portugal who made 10 changes from the team which started the 3-2 Nations League win in Poland on Thursday.
Bigger than ever, the European Championship kicks off in Paris next month with a four-week feast of football that promises to elevate the game above the corruption scandals and security fears that have overshadowed its build-up.
Germany scored five times in 27 minutes in the first half to crush Estonia 8-0 and make it three wins in three Euro 2020 Group C qualifiers.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Sukanya Verma looks at husband and wife filmi collaborations.
The player, who came under fire for having his photograph taken with Turkey's authoritarian President Tayyip Erdogan in May, was especially piqued by criticism from German Football Association (DFB) head Reinhard Grindel, who he said blamed him for Germany crashing out of this year's tournament.
Italy are one win away from being crowned champions of Europe
Images from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Germany's Lukas Podolski will receive an appropriate farewell when the world champions meet England in a high-quality friendly on Wednesday with the winger having become one of the country's all-time greats, coach Joachim Loew said on Tuesday.
Several members of FIFA's executive committee have already been questioned by the Swiss justice, and president Sepp Blatter could also be quizzed "in the future if needed", a spokesman for the Swiss public prosecutor said.
Iceland's run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 showed that a Nordic island known for its volcanoes and pioneering geothermal power has the potential to generate plenty of its own talented footballers too.
Lionel Messi's penalty earned Argentina a 2-1 win over Croatia after a fortunate equaliser that stood despite an unintentional handball by Sergio Aguero in a friendly at West Ham United's Upton Park ground on Wednesday.
Victory for the Netherlands in Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier in Latvia would have been seen as practically guaranteed after a successful World Cup in Brazil but a faltering qualifying campaign has precipitated a confidence crisis.
Indian freestyle wrestlers claim Asian team title in U-17 category
The frustration for aspirant Olympians has been palpable and athletes like table tennis player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran have been forced to innovate to stay sharp during the lengthy lockdowns.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Italy will face the runners-up of Group C next in London on June 26, while Wales will take on the runners-up of Group B on the same day in Amsterdam.
Tokyo should remain the benchmark and source of inspiration till at least Paris 2024. In the shorter run, India's preparations for the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year must begin based on lessons learnt now, asserts Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary at the sports ministry.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
