Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has no doubt Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time after inspiring La Albiceleste s progression to the World Cup final.

Messi was in irresistible form on Tuesday at Lusail Stadium, playing a key role in all three goals as Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 in Qatar 2022 s first semi-final.

He opened the scoring from the spot in the first half after Julian Alvarez was fouled by Dominik Livakovic and then released his strike partner in the build-up to him making it 2-0.

But the best was yet to come.

With 21 minutes to go, Messi embarked on a tremendous run up the right flank as he darted past Josko Gvardiol before then beating the defender again on the outside and eventually cutting back to Alvarez for a simple finish.

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Liam Rosenior said he “won’t get carried away” after Hull returned to the play-off fray with a 3-1 win at Stoke.

First-half goals from Aaron Connolly – his fifth of the season – and Adama Traore handed the Tigers control just after the half-hour mark.

And the hosts’ miserable afternoon was compounded when Regan Slater’s strike deflected off Lynden Gooch and looped into his own net.

The returning Andre Vidigal notched a Potters consolation late on, but it was too little, too late as their winless run stretched to five league games.

Hull coasted to a seventh game unbeaten as they clinched a third successive away win in the Championship for the first time since 2013.

“I’m really happy,” said Rosenior, who marked the 50th game of h…

Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa scored as Juventus saw off 10-man Freiburg to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, winning 2-0 in Germany to claim a 3-0 aggregate triumph.

Having established a slender lead in the Turin first leg, Juventus saw a Vlahovic effort disallowed for offside in Thursday s rematch before Manuel Gulde was dismissed for blocking a shot with an outstretched arm.

Vlahovic stepped up to convert the subsequent 45th-minute penalty and ease any Juventus nerves, before Chiesa came off the bench to add gloss to the scoreline late on.

Juventus were ultimately comfortable as they booked a place in Friday s last-eight draw, keeping hopes alive of European silverware – and qualification for next season s Champions League.

HOW AWESOME IS …

Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti insists his side must improve on their display against Spain when they face Croatia in Leipzig next Monday.

The Azzurri s 10-game unbeaten run at the Euros came to an end at the hands of Luis de la Fuente s side after Riccardo Caliafiori s own goal in the second half.

During the defeat, Italy s lack of attacking threat was clear, registering their fewest shots in a game on record at the Euros (four).

Italy are second in Group B, with Croatia bottom, though it is all to play for, with both sides capable of progressing or even missing out on a place in the last 16.

Maybe I needed to give them more rest, I probably need to give them more days off, we gave them a day and a half off in terms of rest and we saw that was the…

John Stones believes Manchester City showed great composure to keep their cool in the face of Arsenal s dark arts .

Stones scored a 98th-minute leveller as the spoils were shared in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

City took an early lead through Erling Haaland s 100th goal for the club, though after Rodri sustained a nasty-looking knee injury, Riccardo Calafiori opened his account for Arsenal with a sensational equaliser.

Gabriel Magalhaes towering header put Arsenal ahead, but Leandro Trossard saw red on the stroke of half-time, paving the way for City to dominate the second half.

Yet they could not find the breakthrough until Mateo Kovacic s shot rebounded to substitute Stones, who steered in from close range. It was City s latest …

Liverpool may struggle to recover when Mohamed Salah finally calls time on his stint on Merseyside, says fellow Reds attacker Luis Diaz.

Salah has entered the final year of his contract with Liverpool, for whom he has scored 214 goals in all competitions since arriving from Roma in 2017.

With Saudi Pro League clubs and Paris Saint-Germain having been linked with the Egyptian, he is yet to agree fresh terms with Liverpool, and his comments after Sunday s 3-0 win at Manchester United cast further doubt on his future.

In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Salah said he was keen to enjoy 2024-25 in case it proves to be his last year at Anfield.

Salah said nobody at Liverpool has talked to him about a new contract and suggested his future will be dictat…

Leicester City finally got their first win of the Premier League season, defeating Bournemouth 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.

Facundo Buonanotte scored the winning goal for Steve Cooper’s side in the 16th minute with a stunning curling effort.

Bournemouth put on a much better display in the second half though, with Lewis Cook having a direct free-kick ruled out for offside 66 minutes in.

Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara also hit the woodwork as the Cherries continued to dominate, but they fell short of finding an equaliser.

The Foxes move up to 15th place, with six points from seven matches, while Bournemouth sit 13th – two points better off their opponents.

What s the score, Vards?

— Leicester City (@LCFC)

Data Debrief: …

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini wants his team to put out a statement when they host Houston Dynamo in MLS on Saturday.

The Whitecaps are flying high this season after a five-match unbeaten streak in MLS has seen them move up to fourth in the Western Conference, just eight points off top spot with two games in hand.

While many did not expect to see Vancouver sitting so high in the table, Sartini is keen to prove why there should not be any doubts about his team s capabilities.

If we do a great job, and we win, I think it s a huge statement to tell everyone we are a top-four team, and we are not there accidentally but because we deserve it, Sartini said.

I think that should be one of the things to ignite us for a good performance because one of the cr…

Italian football has been rocked by the news that inspirational captain Fabio Cannavaro will not be able to play in the European Championships.

Cannavaro collided with teammate Giorgio Chiellini in training and landed awkwardly on his ankle, causing substantial damage to his ligaments and ruling him out of the tournament.

Italy have called up Fiorentina s Alessandro Gamberini as a replacement and they have cover in the squad with Andrea Barzagli and Marco Materazzi, while Chiellini and Christian Panucci can play at centre back rather than full back.

Despite the adequate replacements they have and the fact that legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is likely to take over as captain, the loss of Cannavaro cannot be underestimated.

The thirty-four year old …

Luka Modric has ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi s 10-year domination of the Ballon d Or by claiming world football s most coveted individual prize.

Modric helped Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League trophy before the midfield maestro played a pivotal role in Croatia s surprise run to the World Cup final.

Ronaldo finished second, unable to add a sixth trophy to his collection, while France and Atletico Madrid s Antoine Griezmann completed a Messi-less top three.

Here, we look at how the jury voted to rank the players selected as the 30 best on the planet by France Football.

1) Luka Modric

After a decade dominated by superstar forwards, Modric strikes a blow for the little man. A delightful midfield creator who has operat…