Portugal through to the last 16

The flags are out, jerseys ready and excitement is at its peak as the world anxiously awaits the FIFA World Cup to kick off in Russia today. It is the tournament where we have the amazing confluence of football's best players coming together in one spot.

Our celebrities, too, are pumped up for the football madness. We caught up with many of them to find out their favourite football memories, and the teams they are supporting or think will win. Predominantly, our stars have their eyes set on two teams:  Brazil and Argentina.

Crowned by fans and critics alike as the “King of Dhaliwood,” Shakib Khan is the model superstar when it comes to the Bangladeshi film industry. Just as he has captured the hearts of millions, there is one football team that has his heart. This year, he hopes that Brazil takes the trophy home. Similarly, star couple Omar Sani and Moushumi are also supporters of Brazil. “I plan to watch the world cup in between shoots with my husband and kids. We want to watch every game – not just the matches of Brazil!” says Moushumi.

Looking back on the days when he used to play football drenched in the rain, actor Mahfuz Ahmed is yet another supporter of Brazil. He says that the world cup season is quite a euphoric time for him. Renowned artistes Afsana Mimi and Shomi Kaiser are also Brazil fans.

On the other hand, Chanchal Chowdhury, who is known among his fans as 'Ayna' or 'Misir Ali' these days, loves Argentina. In his school and college days, Chowdhury often played football. He is excited to bond with his son Shuddho over the world cup this year.

Actor Zahid Hassan has many fond memories of playing football back in his hometown, Sirajganj. He and his wife, renowned model and actor Sadia Islam Mou support Argentina. Likewise, actor Ferdous fell in love with Maradona's style of playing quite early on, and since then, he has been a loyal follower of Argentina.

Popular artistes Monalisa and Zakia Bari Mamo also support Argentina. Mamo, a national award-winning actor, says that she has been a fan of the team since childhood. On the contrary, Shajal says that he will be cheering for Brazil. “I think the Brazilian players are really capable. I trust them fully,” he asserts.

There is another beloved celebrity couple who are on the same side: eminent filmmaker Mustafa Sarwar Farooki and his wife, actor Nusrat Imroz Tisha. Both of them are loyal to Brazil.

Amidst the host of Brazil and Argentina fans, Azizul Hakim has a different viewpoint, as he supports Germany.

Lastly, this world cup seems to be quite disheartening for actor Poppy, as her favourite team, Italy, is not participating. However, she is still really looking forward to the matches. Needless to say, our stars are just as elated as us for the world's most watched sporting event. Let the games begin!

Four years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo produced an emphatic performance as the forward bagged his maiden World Cup hattrick to help Portugal draw 3-3 against Spain in their Group B encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Sochi. 

With just two minutes left in the regulation time, Ronaldo swerved a sweetly-timed freekick past the Spanish wall and keeper David De Gea as Portugal roared to level terms. 

Ronaldo also made yet another record in that game as he became the first player to score in eight consecutive major international tournaments when he converted a fourth-minute penalty after drawing a faul from his then Real Madrid teammate Nacho Fernandez to put Portugal 1-0 ahead in the game. 

With that goal, the Portugal skipper extended an unprecedented streak of scoring at major tournaments. Since finding the net at Euro 2004, he has gone on to grab goals at three further European Championships and four successive World Cups. 

Thanks to the goal, Ronaldo also became the fourth player to score in four World Cups, following in the footsteps of Uwe Seeler, Pele and Miroslav Klose.

Ronaldo scored once again just before half-time to give Portugal the lead after Diego Costa equalised it for Spain. Portugal conceded two goals in the second half and it looked like Portugal would go on to start their 2018 World Cup campaign with a defeat. 

Ronaldo, however, had other ideas as he curled in a late freekick to ensure a point for Portugal.   
 

Croatia captain Luka Modric beat competition from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Eden Hazard to win the golden ball as the best player in the World Cup even as his side lost the final of the showpiece event 4-2 against France.

Modric scored two goals in the group stage and converted both of his attempts in penalty shootouts to help Croatia reach the final. Belgium talisman and captain Hazard, who had been in blazing form throughout this campaign, scoring three goals, was awarded the silver ball while French forward Antoine Griezmann was handed the bronze ball.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was given the golden glove award for his three clean-sheets, conceeding six goals in seven matches with some excellent saves against Brazil being his showcase performance.

Rain poured down in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow as Modic embraced Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic after being given the award by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Russia President Vladimir Putin.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said: “He played a terrific tournament which is another commendation for the team which helped to bring about Luka's success. He did the lion share of our play and he was a deserved winner of the Golden Ball.”

Croatia had shown great fight in the first half before a Griezmann penalty handed France the lead again in the second half before they added two more goals.

France's 19-year-old star Kylian Mbappe was named the tournament's Best Young Player after scoring Les Bleus' fourth goal on Sunday, becoming the youngest since Pele in 1958 to find the net in the final.

England captain Harry Kane was confirmed as the Golden Boot winner, his six goals outpacing the four of Griezmann while Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku was named the Bronze boot winner.

While Mbappe, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Russia’s Denis Cheryshev also scored four goals in the competition, but Griezmann bagged two assists while Lukaku had one, which decided their higher ranking in the top-scorers’ list.

Toni Kroos rescued holders Germany from the brink of an unthinkable early World Cup exit here Saturday, curling home a sensational winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win over Sweden.

10-man reigning champions Germany were in deep trouble when Kroos stepped up to steer in his dramatic winner in the final minute of time added on at Sochi's Fisht Stadium.

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku celebrates his second goal during his side's 5-2 thrashing of Tunisia at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow yesterday. The two goals took Lukaku's overall tally to five goals in two editions, making him the joint highest scorer for Belgium in World Cups with Marc Wilmots. PHOTO: REUTERS

In the day's earlier matches Belgium and Mexico powered towards the last 16 of the World Cup with convincing victories. Belgium produced an imperious display to overwhelm Tunisia, with stars RomeluLukaku and Eden Hazard scoring two apiece in a 5-2 rout. Mexico meanwhile showed that their shock win over Germany last weekend was no fluke with a 2-1 defeat of South Korea in Rostov-on-Don.

Before Kroos's stunner, his error had led to Ola Toivonen giving Sweden a 32nd-minute lead and even a Marco Reus equaliser early in the second half appeared to be only a temporary stay of execution for Joachim Loew's men.

But the rescue act from Kroos, who had endured another difficult night in the German midfield, is a huge lift to a side who saw Jerome Boateng sent off late in the game.

They now have qualification for the last 16 back in their own hands ahead of their final Group F game against South Korea on Wednesday.

Not since 1938 have Germany been eliminated from the World Cup in the first round. However, this result, and the manner of it, will provide an almighty boost to the Germans and is a hammer blow to Sweden, who will face off with Mexico in their last match with all still to play for.

Germany coach Joachim Loew wielded the axe following the shambolic 1-0 loss at the hands of Mexico with which they began their defence of the trophy, with the much-criticised Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira dropped while Mats Hummels missed out due to injury.

Marco Reus, Sebastian Rudy and Antonio Ruediger were among those who came into the team. But just like against Mexico, Germany's usual composure was not there.

IlkayGundogan replaced Sebastian Rudy, who suffered a bloodied nose from a stray boot to the face, andslotted in alongside Kroos, but it was the Real Madrid man who was at fault as Sweden went in front just a minute later.

His pass was pounced upon by the Swedes, who sprung forward, Viktor Claesson picking out Toivonen to control on his chest and lift the ball over Neuer with the aid of a slight deflection.

Loew sent on Mario Gomez in place of Julian Draxler at half-time, and it took just three minutes of the second half for the equaliser to arrive. Timo Werner's low centre from the left was behind Gomez, who got a touch but not enough to put off Reus from bundling it in.

They then set off in search of the winner, with Gomez twice coming close and fellow substitute Julian Brandt smacking a post late on.

Boateng had already walked by then, seeing a second yellow in the 82nd minute for a foul on Berg.

Hope looked to be gone, but then Kroos exchanged passes with Reus at a free-kick on the left edge of the box and sent a sweet strike into the far corner. 

Over the next month, Russia will serve up a football stroganoff spiced with enthralling matches, a dash of the world's finest players and the biggest prize in the sporting world -- the FIFA World Cup.

The biggest show in the world will kick off today and fans will dig into a buffet of perfectly-timed tackles, exquisite passes, nerve-wracking penalty shootouts and goals that will give birth to legends.

Unfortunately, only one nation will lift the prize while players from 31 other countries will be left to swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

The world is ready for the football feast to begin with state-of-the-art stadia and the World Cup will provide a window into the planet's largest country -- from the chilly climate at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow and the Fisht Stadium on the Russian Riviera in Sochi to the Saint Petersburg Stadium in the 'Window on the West'. Fans must traverse a continent to reach the Ekaterinburg Stadium in Asia and they must cross borders to reach the Kaliningrad Stadium in a Russian enclave separate from the rest of the country and squeezed snugly between Lithuania and Poland.

The event will also provide a welcome boost to the economic situation in the land of Tsars by reinvigorating stagnating sectors of the economy with an influx of foreign visitors and their spending. Although the analysts at Moody's believe the impact will be minimal, others opine that the improvements to infrastructure and investment in tourism could increase the economy's growth potential.

However, although Russia is eager to welcome some of the world's biggest names, there are burning questions in the back of every fan's mind.

Will football pay its dues to Lionel Messi and reward him with the trophy or will Cristiano Ronaldo pull off the miracle of all miracles and lift the cup with his unfavoured Portuguese side? Will it be Neymar who leads his Brazil to glory after their embarrassing exit in 2014 or will it be the star-studded French? Will the Germans retain? Will Spain, with a new head coach a day before the World Cup, be the big team to bite the dust early? Which unfancied underdog will make a deep run?

These issues and many more will be playing on the minds of supporters, but unfortunately there is no Paul the Octopus to provide us with spoilers. The answers will come with time and the ultimate question will be answered at the Luzhniki Stadium on July 15. All we can do till then is sit back and enjoy the ride.