The space museum, Joseph Stalin s bunker and Serbia s spectacular winner were among the highlights from week one of Russia 2018 in Samara.
Aleksandar Kolarov s sensational free-kick earned his side a 1-0 Group E win over Costa Rica in the first World Cup game to be held at Samara Arena.
Denmark and Australia played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the same venue four days later, while off the field there has been no shortage of colour, history and culture to take in.
Enjoy our recap of a busy few days in Samara, with our Twitter moment below:
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National manager, Karel Bruckner, just announced his 23-man squad for the 2008 European Championships this summer.
Most notably, the Czechs will be without two of their biggest stars, Paul Nedved (Juventus) and Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal). Nedved, has chosen to stay retired from international football, and Rosicky had to withdraw due to long-time injury that forced him to miss most of the latter part of the season with Arsenal.
GOALKEEPERS
Jaromir Blazek (FC Nurnberg, Germany)
Petr Cech (Chelsea, England)
Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht, Belgium)
DEFENDERS
Zdenek Grygera (Juventus, Italy)
Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan, Italy)
Michal Kadlec (Sparta Praha)
Radoslav Kovac (Sparta Moskva, Russia)
Zdenek Pospech (Kobenhavn, Denmark)
David Rozehnal (Lazio, Italy)
Tomas S…
Hansi Flick expects Ilkay Gundogan to remain with Barcelona this season, despite speculation linking the midfielder with a move away from Camp Nou.
The Germany midfielder, who arrived from Manchester City in 2023, has less than 12 months remaining on his contract with the Blaugrana.
Spanish media reports suggested Gundogan may depart the club following the arrival of Dani Olmo, with Jose Mourinho s Fenerbahce rumoured to be interested in acquiring his services.
The 33-year-old missed Barca s 2-1 victory over Valencia on Saturday, having suffered a head injury in their Joan Gamper Trophy defeat to Monaco earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, Flick is hopeful his compatriot s future will be at Barca.
[He] hurt his eyebrow on Monday and that s why he s…
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez refused to comment on his future after the country s Euro 2020 elimination at the hands of Italy, insisting the situation is too raw .
Italy booked their spot in the semi-finals against Spain after overcoming Martinez s Belgium 2-1 in Munich on Friday.
Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne put Italy two goals ahead by the 44th minute, but Belgium pulled one back before the interval courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku penalty.
Despite going close, Belgium – one of the pre-tournament favourites – were unable to find an equaliser against red-hot Italy as the Red Devils lost in the quarter-finals of the European Championship like they did in 2016.
Attention swiftly turned to Martinez, who is contracted through to the 2022 World …
Cristiano Ronaldo s goal saw Portugal defeat the Czech Republic 1-0 on Thursday and book their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2012.
A cagey contest at the National Stadium, Warsaw, produced few real chances, with Portugal dominating possession but struggling to break down a stubborn Czech side.
Ronaldo was the chief threat throughout, sending an early bicycle kick wide of goal, before striking the post in each half.
It was the Real Madrid star who eventually broke the deadlock, stooping to meet Joao Moutinho s cross and heading beyond Petr Cech to register the winning goal with 11 minutes remaining.
Paulo Bento s team will face either France or arch-rivals Spain in the semi-finals.
The Czech Republic started well, and managed to claim the upper…
The 2011 Champions League final is likely to be hosted by Wembley Stadium in London. This was confirmed by UEFA sources on Friday.
Wembley was one of five venues mentioned for the 2011 final. Mestalla (Valencia), Olympiastadion (Berlin), Allianz Arena (Munich) and Lansdowne Road (Dublin) have apparently lost their bid to the Londoners.
Wembley initially targeted the 2010 final but a tax-related disagreement between the British government and the UEFA made it impossible to host the game.
Britain s main stadium which was recently demolished and rebuilt using a new design has been used to host the tournament final before:
1963 AC Milan 2-1 Benfica
1968 Manchester United 4-1 Benfica
1971 Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 Panathinaikos
1978 Liverpool 1-0 Club Bruges
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Cole Bassett scored a last-gasp winner on debut as the United States capped a strong 2021 with a 1-0 friendly win over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina in Carson on Saturday.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Bassett, 20, swooped on a rebound to break the deadlock in the 89th minute, with Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Cetkovic unable to hold Jonathan Gomez s effort.
The result extends USA s unbeaten run to four games and makes it 17 wins in the calendar year in their final fixture of 2021.
The visitors had been reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when Amar Begic was given a straight red card from a hard challenge on Kellyn Acosta.
Jordan Morris had come closest to opening the scoring in the first half, with a header brilliantly saved by Cetkovic with his outstretched leg i…
Memphis Depay will not feature in the Netherlands World Cup opener against Senegal, but coach Louis van Gaal remains optimistic for the tournament, believing this squad to be capable of improving on a third-placed finish at Brazil 2014.
Depay had been a doubt for Monday s match in Doha due to a hamstring injury that has limited him to only two LaLiga appearances at Barcelona this season.
Oranje coach Van Gaal, speaking to the media on Sunday, confirmed the forward would miss out against Senegal, suggesting his idea of the match centred around how the two teams would fare without their respective stars. Senegal s Sadio Mane is out of the entire tournament.
Depay was involved in more goals in European qualifying for Qatar 2022 than any other player, scoring 12 and …
Week 8 of the NFL season says goodbye to October with the bulk of games going down on Halloween night.
When it comes to NFL betting, one of the scariest things is missing out on the best of the number, but we help put those fears to rest by helping you time your wagers wisely. These are our best NFL betting tips for the spreads and totals to bet now and the best lines to bet later.
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The Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers wrap up their preseason on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.
While the final preseason game is often when coaches sit starters, many key players on both sides are expected to suit up with the exception of Detroit quarterback Jared Goff. Pittsburgh will play both veteran Mitchell Trubiskey and first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett in a final showdown before a starter is announced for their regular season opener.
Here are our best free NFL betting picks and predictions for Lions vs. Steelers on Saturday, August 27.
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