Victory takes Croatia top of their group, after Iceland held Argentina 1-1earlier on Saturday

Brazil meet Switzerland in the newly-built 45,000 Rostov Arena in Sunday’s evening game

Messi, with the score at 1-1, drove his free-kick straight into the wall, booting the ball into the air in frustration as the final whistle sounded

Messi failed to give his team the lead when his 64th-minute penalty was stopped by Hannes Halldorsson

In a match that sees Deschamps' men frustrated throughout by a gutsy Australian defensive display, French pride is only restored in the 81st minute

Referee Cunha from Uruguay did not award a spot-kick but after viewing the VAR footage, ruled it was a penalty and Griezmann gave France a 1-0 lead

The Brazilian-born Costa twice replied to Cristiano Ronaldo goals to haul Spain back on level terms on a muggy evening by the Black Sea

Around 400 fans flocked to Argentina’s base camp for the team’s first open training session, each and every one desperate to steal a glimpse of Messi

Brazil will debut on Sunday against Switzerland in Rostov

Messi is under immense pressure to secure his first major international trophy and make amends for Argentina’s loss to Germany in the 2014 final

Gudmundsson's first World Cup memory - as a 7 year old - was David Beckham's red card against Argentina in the last 16 in 1998.

Ronaldo becomes the fourth player to score in four World Cups, joining Pele, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler

Morocco should at least take heart from a blistering first half an hour, during which their zip and zest deemed them virtually unplayable

Despite his incarceration, Lula remains popular and is far ahead in a poll of candidates in Brazil's October presidential election

That is an extremely hard-fought win for Uruguay, who are traditionally slow starters at FIFA World Cups

Queiroz freely admits Iran are the underdogs of the group

The two-time champions arrived in Russia dogged by poor form, injuries and controversy

The striker's return after weeks of uncertainty is a massive boost for Egypt and for the tournament in Russia

The presence of Flamengo forward Guerrero is a huge relief to Peru boss Ricardo Gareca after his 14-month ban for taking cocaine was overturned

Bold predictions aside, on paper France should breeze through a Group C which also features Peru and Denmark

The former Real Madrid player scored twice in a convincing 5-0 defeat of Group A opponents Saudi Arabia

The Spanish team had been tipped as one of the favourites to win the trophy for a second time after a two-year unbeaten run under Lopetegui

Cheryshev scores a stunning goal with the outside of his left foot in time added on and Golovin sealed the rout with a goal direct from a free-kick

Iury Gazinsky scores the first goal of the tournament with a 12th minute header from Aleksandr Golovin's cross then Cheryshev makes the lead 2-0

Excitement has been steadily building in Moscow, with thousands of Saudi fans in green and white arriving in the city for the match

Gazinsky heads into the net in the 12th minute at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, sparking scenes of delight from the home crowd

In his welcome speech, Putin says, “We are sincerely happy to host the World Cup in our country, football is truly loved here”

AFP Sport looks at five players who could emerge as breakout stars in Russia

World best 32 football playing nations, split into eight groups, will participate in the biggest show on earth missed by four-time champions Italy

Achilles, a deaf white cat who is the official animal soothsayer for the tournament, chose a bowl of food bearing the host's flag rather that of Saudi

The 33-year-old will lock horns with six of his Real Madrid team-mates as the Spaniards attempt to shrug off the shock sacking of coach Lopetegui

The 30-minute glittering opening ceremony will begin at 8:30 pm with 500 local performers, including dancers, gymnasts and trampolinists

Messi will be appearing at his fourth World Cup as he chases an international title that has so far eluded the five-time Ballon d'Or recipient

USA-led bid receives 134 of the 200 votes while Morocco secures 65 votes

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, Real Madrid named Lopetegui as their next manager to start work after the tournament in Russia

The Pharoahs' superstar has been sidelined since suffering a shoulder injury in Liverpool's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on May 26

For a variety of reasons, there are many big names who can't add to their legacies at the sport's greatest spectacle

The United States, Mexico and Canada are the frontrunners, boasting modern, established stadiums and well-developed transport links

Shib Shankar Patra's passion for Argentina began during the 1986 World Cup when Diego Maradona helped the team win the coveted trophy