Football

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes that building strong team morale is far more important than concentrating on tactics as his team aim to retain their World Cup crown in Brazil.

Goals by Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard gave Belgium a 2-0 win over Sweden in a World Cup warm-up game on Sunday.

Iran have been drawn in Group F along with Nigeria, Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina and will play Nigeria in Curitiba in their opening match on June 16.

Robin van Persie scored his second goal in as many pre-World Cup friendlies as the Netherlands beat Ghana 1-0 on Saturday.

Mocinic was surprisingly included in Croatia's 23-man World Cup squad after Saturday's 2-1 friendly win over Mali in their final home warm-up.

FIFA and Brazilian organisers are downplaying the fact that the final test event at the stadium hosting the World Cup opener won't be held with a capacity crowd.

Suarez is progressing "very well" after undergoing keyhole surgery on his left knee although his chances of playing at the World Cup are still in the balance.

Liverpool finished second in the league standings, two points behind Manchester City, following an unexpected challenge for the title.

Australia were held to a 1-1 draw by an under-strength South Africa on Monday night in their last international friendly on home soil before the World Cup.

The 29-year-old Portugal captain also scored for Manchester United when they won the Champions League in 2008 in Moscow.

Queens Park Rangers secured an immediate return to the Premier League by beating Derby 1-0 in the League Championship playoff final.

Cameroon have found a replacement for their planned World Cup send off in Yaounde next month with Moldova agreeing to play on June 7.

AC Milan have signed former Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi on a free transfer, the Italian club said on Thursday.

Atletico Madrid have become the mirror image of Diego Simeone as a well-organised and hard-working team with a fierce commitment and a strong rebellious streak.

France winger Franck Ribery will play in his last World Cup in Brazil, the Bayern Munich player said on Wednesday.

Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo cannot be accused of lacking ambition and says he will be going to Brazil next month with only one goal - winning the World Cup.