England manager Gareth Southgate's overly cautious approach and his team's hesitance in front of goal resulted in a nervy 2-1 World Cup win over Tunisia rather than the comfortable victory their early dominance deserved.
It was The Blue Samurai's first win under coach Akira Nishino, who had lost friendlies against Ghana and Switzerland since taking over in April.
World champions Germany survived a late scare to see off Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Friday and claim a first victory this year, putting a five-game winless run behind them as they finalised their World Cup preparations.
World number one Rafael Nadal begins his French Open title defence, on Monday, with a clash against Italy's Simone Bolelli on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
It will have made uneasy viewing for coach Jorge Sampaoli and emphasised more than ever how reliant his side are on their talisman Messi, who has been struggling with a muscle problem.
IMAGES of the all the action from Day 2 of the Australian Open played at Melbourne Park on Tuesday
The Danish World No 3 ended 2017 with the biggest title of her career in Singapore and returned a day after thrashing Madison Brengle in her season opener to hit 21 winners against eight unforced errors in the 53-minute win over Martic.
India, which was listed 78th last year, has improved its ranking, figuring at 75th position with a visa-free score of 51
A battle of contrasting football styles will be on view when classical Spain cross swords with a robust Mali in the semi-finals of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, in Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday.
United States striker Tim Weah says his side felt like playing at home during their 5-0 thrashing of Paraguay in their FIFA U-17 World Cup pre-quarterfinal match, in New Delhi, on Monday.
Captain and star striker Jann-Fiete Arp (7th and 65th) struck twice while Yann Bisseck (39th) and John Yeboah (49th) scored a goal each to help Germany reach the quarters.
Jan-Fiete Arp (8th minute), Nicolas Kuehn (62nd) and Sahverdi Cetin (90+2) netted for the winners, while Ibrahima Soumah got the lone goal for Guinea in the 26th minute in the final Group C match at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
Paraguay continued to shine and recorded their third win on the trot when they thrashed a struggling Turkey 3-1 in a Group B match of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Navi Mumbai.
After defeating Mali 3-2 and New Zealand 4-2, the South American team, one of the favourites to lift the title, will be looking to dominate Turkey.
A summary of Tuesday's qualification matches next year's FIFA World Cup.
United States of America secured their passage into the round of 16 riding on substitute Ayo Akinola's 75-minute strike for a 1-0 victory over Ghana in an enthralling Group A game of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Delhi.
Midfield lynchpin Suresh Singh feels India would need to improve their final pass, but an improvement in department would not be enough against Colombia's all-round superiority.
Ghana outclassed Colombia 1-0, while New Zealand held Turkey to a 1-1 draw in the opening matches of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on Friday.
Summary of the South American World Cup qualifiers played on Thursday
Summary of the South American World Cup qualifiers played on Thursday
Two-time champions Ghana are seeking to revive their fortunes in the tournament, having last won it way back in 1995, when they stunned a Brazilian outfit that had the likes of Julio Cesar in its ranks.
Mali are the runners-up side in the last edition of the U-17 World Cup in 2015 and this time they would be aiming to move one step ahead by clinching the title
FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 Full Schedule, Venue Details, Time Table
Argentina have reached three major finals in three years but the team who came so close to winning the 2014 World Cup face crunch games against Peru and Ecuador that will determine if they miss out on the global showpiece event for the first time since 1970.
'Our defence system starts with our first four and that's why we have a solid defence. People look to Brazil and always try to find players who score or dribble but we have many other qualities. With our goalkeeper and defenders, we have a solid defence' 'It's pretty exciting for us and we are looking to do something great here'
Argentine legend Diego Maradona will kick off a football conclave on October 3 in the presence of a galaxy of current and former Indian stars like Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and I M Vijayan.
New Zealand are placed in Group B along with Turkey, Paraguay and Mali.
Princess Mako's love story will make you believe in the power of love.
Tiny Cape Verde Islands catapulted themselves into surprise World Cup contention with a 2-1 victory away to South Africa.
Grandmaster and former Asian champion S P Sethuraman has knocked out former FIDE champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine in a big first round upset at the Chess World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Images from Day 2 at the US Open played at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bhambri, ranked 200th, recovered from a set down and registered what turned to be an emphatic 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 win over Pella in a match that lasted for two hours and 10 minutes.
India were on Friday drawn with two-time champions Ghana, United States and Colombia in a tough Group A of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The 2nd major of the year, the French Open will start on the weekend. With the clay-court grand slam starting on Sunday, here is the list of French Open champions over the years
Pakistan violated Kulbhushan Jadhav's basic human rights by not allowing India consular access to him, Justice Dalveer Bhandari, the Indian judge on the International Court of Justice bench, said in his declaration in the case.
Media reports suggest Sevilla's Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli, who has never disguised his ambition to take charge of the national team and steered neighbouring Chile to the Copa America title in 2015, will step into the vacancy.
Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years.
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