Yussuf Poulsen was relieved to go from "bad guy" to Denmark's hero on Saturday by ruining Peru's first appearance at a World Cup finals for 36 years with the winning goal to seal a 1-0 victory in Saransk.

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli refused to blame Lionel Messi for a "frustrating" draw with World Cup debutants Iceland on Saturday after he missed a penalty, backing his star man to deliver.

Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant hat-trick for Portugal that lit up the World Cup on Friday capped one of the most extraordinary days in his remarkable career.

Iran's players stormed the pitch at full-time as if they had won the World Cup rather than just their opening match in Russia after an own goal from Morocco's Aziz Bouhaddouz gifted them a dramatic 1-0 victory on Friday.

All eyes will focus on the opening match of this year’s Việt Nam Basketball Association (VBA) League between defending champions Thang Long Warrior and the runners-up Cantho Catfish today.

Jose Gimenez was the unlikely 89th-minute match winner as Uruguay defeated an Egypt side shorn of star man Mohamed Salah 1-0 in their World Cup opener yesterday.

The National Junior Karate Championships kicked off at the Tiên Sơn Sports Palace in Đà Nẵng today.

SHB Đà Nẵng will test former footballer of Argentina Nicolás Alejandro Dul del Río to enhance their force for the second leg of the V.League 1.

V.League 1’s club Nam Định have signed their contract with striker Alex Rafael da Silva Antonio of Brazil to improve their rankings in the league.

Việt Nam’s capital will host its first ever international marathon. The Hà Nội International Marathon is scheduled to start on April 14 next year.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia encouraged members of its staff to enjoy the 2018 World Cup at a ceremony held a day before the start of the event.

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz believes his players have been brought closer together by Nike's decision to cut their supply of World Cup kit to the team but the acid test will come against Morocco on Friday.

Brazil midfielder Paulinho believes his side are in much better shape heading into this year’s World Cup in Russia than they were as the host nation four years ago.

The National Enterprises’ Football Championship, the VCCI Cup 2018, will kick off on June 23 in Hà Nội.

V.League 1’s defending champions Quảng Nam has signed contract with striker Douglas Rosa Tardin from Brazil to prepare for the event’s second leg.

Hà Nội FC continued their dominance at the top of the V.League 1 with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over closest challengers Quảng Ninh Coal.

KICKING OFF with Paul Kennedy

As the FIFA World Cup starts in Russia from this week, here is how Asian countries are ranked by the global football body.