New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Zlatko Dalic stepped down as Croatia head coach on Wednesday, bringing an end to his nearly nine-year tenure following the team’s round-of-32 exit from the FIFA World Cup after a stoppage-time 2-1 defeat to Portugal.In a statement released by the Croatian Football Federation, the 59-year-old said the time had come to conclude one of the most successful eras in the country’s football history despite still possessing the desire to continue.”I thank President Kustić for th…
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New York, July 6 (IANS) Chung Mong-gyu resigned as president of the Korea Football Association on Monday as the fallout from South Korea’s disappointing World Cup campaign continued.Chung’s departure follows that of head coach Hong Myung-bo after South Korea failed to reach the knockout stage, finishing third in Group A with three points. South Korea defeated the Czech Republic but lost to Mexico and South Africa.Announcing his resignation, Chung acknowledged both the successes and failures of h…
Dallas, July 6 (IANS) Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed on Monday that the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the last of his career but insisted that he is not retiring from international football. “This will be my last World Cup, but let’s hope tomorrow isn’t my last game,” Ronaldo told reporters ahead of the round of 16 match against Spain, reports Xinhua. “I don’t think I have had a bad World Cup. I have already scored three goals. Let’s see if I can score another tomorrow.”The 4…
Dallas, July 5 (IANS) Portugal football team, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, has reached the city on Saturday ahead of their crucial round of 16 clash against the 2010 champions Spain at the Dallas Stadium on Tuesday. The Portuguese Football Association shared a video of the team’s arrival on Instagram, in which the crew members were taking photos with the players, and many fans also arrived at the airport, chanting the name of the team’s icon, Ronaldo, as they welcomed their team.Portugal booked the…
New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has backed the continued use of VAR in football but suggested that offside decisions should be judged primarily by the position of a player’s feet rather than other body parts.Bhutia’s remarks come after one of the most debated incidents of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, when Croatia’s dramatic late equaliser against Portugal was disallowed following a VAR review.Croatia believed they had levelled the match in the 103rd m…
Toronto, July 3 (IANS) After Croatia thought they had equalised against Portugal in a Round of 32 clash, but VAR intervened and ruled it out for offside, FIFA clarified that an IMU sensor inside the official match ball detected a faint touch from Croatian forward Igor Matanovic. Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead shortly after the break, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s third goal of these finals drew Portugal level. Goncalo Ramos then rose highest to send a Rafael Leao cross home in the fourth minu…
Los Angeles, July 2 (IANS) Head coach Luis de la Fuente described Spain’s 3-0 win over Austria as nearly faultless but warned tougher challenges await as La Roja seeks a second World Cup title. Mikel Oyarzabal scored either side of Pedro Porro’s first international goal as Spain cruised into the round of 16 at Los Angeles Stadium.”The big teams turn up when their presence is needed,” De la Fuente was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “I think today we’ve seen a great game. I’m happy because in all asp…
Toronto, July 3 (IANS) Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. paid an emotional tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota after Portugal’s 2-1 World Cup win over Croatia in Toronto on Friday, a day that marked exactly one year since Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident in western Spain. Ronaldo, who scored Portugal’s opening goal of the round-of-32 matchup with a penalty, put on Jota’s No. 21 Portugal jersey following the final whistle and pointed to the sky with tears in his eyes. “We knew it…
Toronto, July 3 (IANS) Goncalo Ramos scored a late winner as Portugal came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 in a match decided only in stoppage time here at Toronto Stadium on Friday.After Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead shortly after the break, Portugal responded with a penalty converted by Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos then rose highest to send a Rafael Leao cross home in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure the win.Ronaldo’s goal was first in the knockout stages of the FIFA Wo…
Toronto, July 2 (IANS) Emotions will take centre stage when Portugal take on Croatia in a Round of 32 clash in the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Toronto Stadium on Friday, as two legends of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, could be representing their country on the global stage for the last time.Portugal reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group K, drawing with Congo DR and Colombia, either side of a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. Croatia, runners-up at the 2018 FIFA Worl…