Germany captain Philipp Lahm is desperate to avoid his side becoming the eternal third place team as they plot how to beat Brazil in the World Cup semi-final. 

While celebrating beating France 1-0 in Friday's quarter final, Lahm knows a defeat to the hosts on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte would condemn him to a third straight appearance in the third place play-off.

Roger Federer targets a record eighth Wimbledon title Sunday against Novak Djokovic who is desperate to end a stretch of Grand Slam finals defeats which are threatening to shatter his legacy.

Federer, 32, won the first of his 17 majors at Wimbledon in 2003 and the most recent in 2012 but his failure to return to a Grand Slam final since has had his critics penning his career obituary.

France coach Didier Deschamps is confident his side can learn the harsh lessons from World Cup heartache as they target success at the 2016 European Championship on home soil.

Les Bleus' promising World Cup adventure came to a disappointing end with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Germany in the Maracana on Friday.

Lionel Messi's Argentina take on Belgium in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday again aiming to prove that they are a not a one man team.

With tears streaming down his face after being kneed in the back, Neymar was carried off the field on a stretcher.

He won't be coming back. Not to this World Cup, anyway.

Joyous Brazilians jumped in the ocean, threw beer in the air and launched fireworks after their football team took a step closer to a dream World Cup final.

From Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach to packed bars in Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia, Brazilians leaped and kissed each other after the 2-1 quarter-final victory over Colombia, setting up a semi-final against Germany.

Mats Hummels headed Germany to a 1-0 victory over old rivals France on Friday, and took his country to the World Cup semi-finals for a record fourth straight time.

The center-back's powerful 13th-minute header decided the nervy encounter between two sides who have traditionally produced sensation matches. 

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will clash in a titanic showdown for the Wimbledon title after crushing an uprising from the next generation in the semi-finals on Friday.

Seven-time champion Federer demolished Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his ninth Wimbledon final, while top seed Djokovic defeated Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) as the threatened overthrow of the established order fell flat.

Spanish top flight club Valencia have appointed former Portuguese goalkeeper Nuno as their new coach, the La Liga side confirmed.

"Valencia Football Club have reached agreement with Nuno Espirito Santo for a contract until June 30, 2015 with an option for a further season depending on results," the club said on their website.

It wasn't the World Cup in Brazil with fans streaming in from around the globe. But the world was definitely represented when U.N. ambassadors took to the soccer field against U.N. correspondents — with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon taking the ceremonial kickoff.

The match in a park on New York's Upper East Side on Wednesday afternoon ended with about 10 minutes left to play when a torrential thunderstorm drenched the teams and the spectators. The ambassadors, with help from a few diplomats and U.N. officials, were winning, 3-2.