These heart-rendering moments were grace personified and will stay in the memory of every football fan, irrespective of allegiances.
"To say I'll be happy for Argentina (if they win), that will not be true, it would be a lie, I will not be a hypocrite," Ronaldo said in an interview with the Spanish daily Marca.
The French fans will be largely outnumbered by the Morocco supporters
'I'm not worried but we know they beat big teams to get there and we're going to take it seriously. It's not a surprise to see them here anymore. They deserve to be here.'
The Aston Villa 'keeper saved three penalties in the 2021 Copa America semi-final and Argentina went on to lift the trophy. Now he's stopped two more in a World Cup quarter-final and this could just be a good omen for Messi!
Brazil's Neymar said on Friday he was unsure if he would play again for the national team after their heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to Croatia on penalties.
Lionel Messi says Argentina have felt the presence of the late, great Diego Maradona throughout their World Cup campaign, including on Friday when they beat the Netherlands on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
'I'm very proud of the boys and what we've done, but unfortunately, it's part of football. When we lose something important that we had as a goal, it hurts a lot.'
Neymar scored in extra time against Croatia
Twitterati couldn't contain their joy at the upset and hailed Japan for 'pulling off a Saudi Arabia'.
In the last two World Cup meetings between Argentina and the Netherlands, in the group stage in 2006 and a semi-final in 2014 which the Albiceleste won on penalties, neither side was able to score a goal in normal or extra time.
Morocco will no doubt revel in another opportunity to thrive as underdogs
The 33-year-old centre back Lovren has faced Neymar on three occasions and lost every time, with the unstoppable Brazilian scoring four goals against him.
Neymar will have extra motivation against Croatia, as he is one goal away from equalling Pele's record
Eden Hazard announced his retirement from international soccer
Morocco have been willed on by some of the most impassioned fans at the tournament who arrived at the Education City stadium with their ear-splitting volume turned up high even before kickoff.
Japan supporters lamented the team's 3-1 penalty shootout loss to Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar on Monday.
Brazil striker Neymar said he had feared the World Cup might be over for him after hobbling off in his first match in Qatar with a heavily swollen ankle.
Livakovic became only the third goalkeeper to save three penalties in a shootout at the World Cup after compatriot Danijel Subasic (versus Denmark 2018) and Portugal's Ricardo (versus England 2006).
The flying wingback is one of the key players in the north African outfit whose last-16 match in the Qatar World Cup against Spain, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, gives them a chance to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
Shot-stoppers who turned into showstoppers during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
'I will tell the players to enjoy themselves, as millions in Morocco will be watching'
Hundreds of thousands of Argentines poured into the sunlit streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday
Morocco are happy to sit back and look to punish opponents on the counter-attack using the speed and skill of Hakim Ziyech
The number of assists is used as a tiebreaker to separate players who are level on goals scored. If they are tied on both counts, the winner is decided by who played the fewest minutes.
"Now I started feeling it's becoming a great World Cup. But we haven't achieved anything yet, so honestly speaking, I think everything starts from now."
The World Cup pre-quarter-finals line-up.
Argentina look set to keep Julian Alvarez in attack for Sunday's World Cup final
The storyline underpinning the match for most of the world is whether Lionel Messi can get his hands on the trophy in his fifth attempt to finally lift himself up alongside, never above, Diego Maradona in the hearts of his nation.
The VAR system took several minutes to confirm the ball had not gone out before Mitoma's touch
Tears of joy in Japan after nail-biting win over Spain
What has made Deschamps successful in tournaments, especially at the World Cup since 2018, is not sticking to a particular identity or philosophy which is often the defining feature of big teams.
The din of a concerned crowd transformed into a tumultuous racket when Abdelhamid Sabiri's free kick caught out Thibaut Courtois at his near post and captain Romain Saiss added a slight touch to see Morocco into the lead.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group E match played between Spain and Japan on Thursday.
With 11 of their players in the squad over the age of 30, and a new World Cup cycle on the horizon, change is inevitable. Coach Roberto Martinez has also yet to sign a new contract, with his current deal expiring soon.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup F Group F match played between Morocco and Canada on Thursday.
Here is what you need to know about their route to the final
An overview of contenders in the race for top scorer at the 2022 World Cup.
Morocco, in second place in their group but tied on 4 points with top team Croatia, play their final game of the group stage against Canada on Thursday.
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