Publisher - The Beautiful Game, Beautifully Told

Canada and Morocco meet at Houston Stadium on Saturday evening in a Round of 16 encounter where both nations pursue contrasting tournament objectives. Jesse Marsch's side arrive as historic tournament underdogs seeking to extend their…

Cape Verde arrived at this World Cup as its smallest nation. They leave it as arguably its defining story. The Blue Sharks fell 3-2 to world champions Argentina after extra time in Miami. Diney Borges deflected Cristian Romero's header into…

Egypt's penalty shootout win over Australia carried real historical weight. The Pharaohs became only the fifth African nation to win a World Cup knockout match, joining an elite group. Here are the five sides who have carried the continent…

Lionel Messi has added yet another entry to his crowded record collection. The Argentina captain became the first player in World Cup history to score seven or more goals at two different editions of the tournament. He reached…

Argentina's dramatic victory over Cape Verde carried a slice of history beyond the scoreline. According to Opta, the 3-2 extra-time win was Argentina's 12th extra-time match at a World Cup. That figure equals Germany's all-time record for…

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dedicated his side's first World Cup knockout victory to the people of Palestine. His words followed a dramatic penalty shootout win over Australia in Arlington, Texas on Friday night. The Pharaohs prevailed 4-2…

Holders Argentina narrowly avoided one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by scraping past heroic debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time. A dramatic 111th-minute own goal from Diney Borges ultimately saved the world champions…

Egypt secured their first-ever victory in a World Cup knockout stage on Friday night, defeating Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in extra time. Mohamed Salah set the tone in the shootout with an audacious Panenka…

Every World Cup needs its fairytale, and Cape Verde have already written one. Making their tournament debut, the island nation of just over half a million people has captured the imagination of football fans by reaching the knockout…

The world cups I have been a witness to have all had a curious and eminently poignant sort of figure. The figure of a no.10. The figure of a tragic no.10. In 2010 there was Forlan, with his flowing golden locks and kisses on his wrist after…