The present French side can avenge the painful defeats of their predecessors in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup semi-finals when they face Germany in Friday's quarter-final, said Maxime Bossis, who played in both of those games.

Bossis, who in between those two losses was an integral part of the French side that won the 1984 European Championship at home, in particular wants revenge for the traumatic defeat in the 1982 finals in Seville.

A Singaporean businessman was found guilty of corruption Tuesday after a judge ruled that he offered three Lebanese referees free services of prostitutes in return for rigging future matches.

Nightclub owner Eric Ding Si Yang, 32, could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to Sg$300,000 ($240,000) for bribing referee Ali Sabbagh, 35 and assistant referees Ali Eid, 34, and Abdallah Taleb, 38.

Liverpool have completed the signing of Adam Lallana after the Southampton and England midfielder successfully underwent a club medical on Tuesday.

The transfer fee agreed by Southampton for the 26-year-old midfielder is believed to be around £25million (31million euros) and he will be on a five-year contract.

Raad Abdulhussein sits glued to a television in a Baghdad cafe, anxious over the dual concerns of his team trailing in a World Cup match, and the danger of bombings.

He puffs continually on a waterpipe as he sits quietly with three friends in the "Facebook" cafe, the silence only broken by shouts or clapping when the Netherlands advance toward Mexico's goal.

Brazil will be in trouble in Friday's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia if they afford the outstanding James Rodriguez any space in which to perform, midfielder Fernandinho warned on Monday.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has been arguably the player of the World Cup so far, scoring five goals in Colombia's four matches, including a magnificent volley in the 2-0 defeat of Uruguay in the last 16.

Confident, assertive and blonde, Eugenie Bouchard is the Canadian golden girl of Wimbledon, a marketing man's dream who was named after a British princess.

She has the tennis world at her feet, but deep down she insists she's just a Teddy-bear collecting nerd with a liking for mathematics.

A bullet from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

A prodigious effort from Philipp Lahm.

Disgraced Uruguay striker Luis Suarez apologized Monday to Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini for the bite that saw him banned for four months and expelled from the World Cup.

Suarez acknowledged for the first time that the Italian was bitten. "I deeply regret what occurred," said the 27-year-old Liverpool striker.

A Paul Pogba header and a Joseph Yobo own goal saw France edge a hard-fought contest with Nigeria 2-0 in Brasilia on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Pogba broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, nodding into an empty net after Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who plays for French club Lille, failed to collect a corner.

Dutch star Arjen Robben remained at the center of a diving storm Monday after the Netherlands' controversial 2-1 World Cup win over Mexico.

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said the penalty was "invented" and debate intensified after the Bayern Munich striker admitted he had dived in the first half in a bid to get a spot kick.