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MOSCOW – The last on the World Cup (all local times):
8:40 p.m.
Argentina fans burst into spontaneous songs of "Diego! Diego" when Diego Maradona was shown sitting at the stadium in St. Petersburg before the World Cup match of Argentina against Nigeria.
Maradona is considered one of the greatest players in the world. A tiny, fast and skillful striker, he led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in 1986 and the final four years later.
Maradona, 57, briefly danced with a woman in the stands while the fans were taking pictures of him.
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20:30.
Another embarrassment for the North American confederation of football, Costa Rica may be the only team to end the World Cup in Russia aimlessly.
The Costa Ricans escaped after losing 1-0 to Serbia and 2-0 to Brazil. The loss for Brazil, after two goals in injury time, was particularly difficult to take.
All other teams in Russia scored. Costa Rica's last chance comes Wednesday against Switzerland.
Defender Kendall Watson, who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS, said, "I do not think we could be more under pressure than we are."
Costa Rica's fights matched those of CONCACAF-qualified Panama, who lost 3-0 to Belgium and 6-1 to England in their first two matches. Mexico, with two wins in two games, was the only team in the region to play.
The bad World Cup has led to harsh criticism, sometimes exaggerated, against Costa Rican coach Oscar Ramirez.
He says that some of the critics were "pretty hurtful" but "if they attack me or my family, I will show them that there is a tiger inside me".
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8:22 p.m.
The coach of Croatia, Zlatko Dalic, announced that the Croatian team, Zlatko Dalic, has left behind five of his six players facing the risk of a suspension of yellow card when his last group match against Iceland. Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic sat down with Dejan Lovren and other regular starters, although Captain Luka Modric still leads the team.
Croatia has already qualified, but Iceland, Nigeria and Argentina are all in contention for the only qualifying point still available Tuesday. Those who advance will play France or Denmark to start the knockout stage.
Iceland started without defender Kari Arnason, but rather with Sverrir Ingason.
Lineups:
Iceland: Hannes Halldorsson, Birkir Saevarsson, Sverir Ingason, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Johan Gudmunsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alfred Finnbogason, Aron Gunnarsson, Hodur Magnusson, Emil Hallfredsson.
Croatia: Lovre Kalinic, Ivan Perisic, Vedran Corluka, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Tin Jedvaj, Duje Caleta-Car, Milan Badelj, Marko Pjaca, Josip Pivaric.
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20 hours
Goalkeeper Franco Armani will make his debut for Argentina as one of five changes for his match to win against Nigeria at the World Cup.
Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has promised changes after a 3-0 loss to Croatia. He has kept his word and has also recruited striker Gonzalo Higuain, midfielders Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega and defender Marcos Rojo.
Franco's choice is the biggest bet, with the 31-year-old goalkeeper being summoned by his country for the first time last month after spending most of his career in Colombia.
Sergio Romero, the first-choice goalkeeper, was injured before the tournament and his replacement Willy Caballero paid the price for his embarrassing mistake that led to the first goal conceded against Croatia.
Sergio Aguero is one of the other players eliminated by Sampaoli for a match that Argentina must win to have a chance to advance Group D alongside Croatia.
Nigeria's lineup remained unchanged from its 2-0 win against Iceland, which allowed the team to take second place in the group.
Lineups:
Nigeria: Francis Uzoho, Bryan Idowu, Wilfred Ndidi, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa
Argentina: Franco Armani, Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Tagliafaco, Ever Banega, Javier Mascerano, Enzo Perez, Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain.
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7:15 p.m.
Midfielder Sebastian Rudy was dismissed from Germany's last World Cup match against South Korea after suffering multiple fractures to his nose.
Coach Joachim Loew of Germany says that Rudy did not recover after being operated on.
Rudy was forced to leave the field during Germany's 2-1 win over Sweden after taking a face shot in the first half.
Loew said that it would not make sense for Rudy to play with a face mask because "it's two or three days too early".
The coach from Germany will also be without his defender Jerome Boateng, suspended after taking two yellow cards against Sweden.
Germany, the defending champion, can qualify for the last 16 if she wins by at least two goals or two goals.
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7:00 p.m.
Peru has won its first match at the World Cup since 1978 with a 2-0 win against Australia.
Veteran forward Paolo Guerrero helped the first goal when Andre Carrillo hit the center of the box and beat Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan in the 18th minute. Guerrero then scored a goal on his side in the 50th, finishing a deflection center of Christian Cueva. It was Peru's first win since its victory over Iran in 1978. They have been without a win in their previous eight World Cup matches, but have not participated in the tournament since 1982 .
The Peruvians are coming out on a high note this time, delighting the thousands of fans who made the trip to South America and flooded every city and stadium where they played. Carrillo's goal began Peru's feast, and he became stronger and happier after Guerrero found the net.
Australia came out of its first two games with just one point, but was still vying for the knockout phase. Needing a victory and help from France, the Socceroos were dull and their efforts were sometimes slow. Even the addition of Tim Cahill and young Daniel Arzani in the second half failed to produce the spark that Australia needed.
The 38-year-old Cahill appeared for the first time in this World Cup. Cahill was not able to become the fifth player to score in four World Cups, although he came closer in the 60th minute when his shot was blocked by Christian Ramos in front of goal.
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6:57 p.m.
A match that neither France nor Denmark needed to win the first 0-0 draw of the World Cup amid hoots and whistles of supporters in Moscow on Tuesday.
A fast-paced match and a dynamic tournament allowed France already qualified to win Group C and Denmark to finish second, both undefeated in the group.
A draw ensured that result, although Peru's 2-0 win against Australia at the same time allowed the Danes to qualify for the knockout stage even though they had lost.
This rarely seemed likely as a French team with six starters was barely resting Danish goaltender Kasper Schmeichel until substitute Nabil Fekir attempted with two long-range shots.
A large part of the 78,011 spectators at the Luzhniki stadium, where the last match of the tournament will be played, whistled misplaced passes and a slow game as the game progressed and Denmark protected his point. Denmark coach Age Hareide said on Monday that his team will receive information about his group's match in Sochi.
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6:51 p.m.
France and Denmark played a 0-0 draw that allowed both teams to qualify for the Group C round of 16. It was the first draw of the tournament.
France dominated the group with two wins and draw, and Denmark had five points.
Australia entered its last group match against Peru with an outside chance to advance, but had to win and rely on France by beating Denmark. Peru killed all the hopes for the Socceroos by winning 2-0.
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6:35 p.m.
An Egyptian sports analyst died after suffering a heart attack while he was watching a 2-1 Egypt show against Saudi Arabia at the World Cup.
Abdel-Rahim Mohamed had a heart attack when the Saudis scored their injury scorer on Monday. He was taken to a Cairo hospital for treatment, but did not respond to treatment.
Mohamed's death was announced Monday by his son in a Facebook post. The former coach of Zamalek had to do an analysis after the match for Egyptian state television.
Egypt, which competed in the World Cup for the first time since 1990, finished in last place in what has become an extremely disappointing tournament for the Egyptians.
Egyptian coach Hector Cuper expressed his condolences after hearing the news of Mohamed's heart attack at a press conference after the match.
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6:25 p.m.
The test sessions for Germany and South Korea planned at Kazan Arena have been moved to other stages due to poor weather conditions.
A big rain storm forced the World Cup organizers to move the sessions elsewhere to Kazan to preserve the ground before Wednesday's match between Group F rivals.
South Korea's test session has been moved to the central stadium, while Germany will be working at the Electron stadium.
In a largely open group, dominated by Mexico with six points, the Germans can qualify if they beat South Korea for at least two goals. South Korea needs a win and other results to play in its favor to move forward.
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6:15 p.m.
Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic is pleased that his team is continuing its approach to "organized chaos" at the World Cup.
Switzerland came back after falling behind in their two group matches, the first time to save a 1-1 draw against Brazil, then beat Serbia 2-1 with a winning goal in the 90th minute of attacking midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri .
Shaqiri's role in Serbia's game, when he seemed to have a free role to play on the pitch, is something that Petkovic says they'll stay.
The coach says, "We have created what we call organized chaos and we will continue to do so in the future. We will play with that. "
Switzerland face Costa Rica in their last Group E match on Wednesday, while the Swiss need a draw to secure a place in the round of 16. Brazil and Serbia are the other teams in the group. Costa Rica is already out.
Switzerland, which reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup in 1954, could be one of the last 16 opponents of Mexico or Germany.
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6:10 p.m.
Australian hopes for the World Cup could be over after Peru captain Paolo Guerrero scored five minutes after the end of the second half to give the team a 2-0 lead. Guerrero's goal came after a solid job on the left side by midfielder Christian Cueva.
His center was deflected but he fell, Guerrero was able to put his left foot on the shot past Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan. Andre Carrillo scored in the first half for Peru, who has not won a World Cup match since 1978.
In search of a spark, Australia faced Tim Cahill, a 38-year-old veteran, in the 53rd minute. This is his first appearance of the tournament. He has scored for Australia in the past three World Cups.
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5:49 p.m.
He is 0-0 at half-time between France and Denmark after a discreet opening of 45 minutes.
A match that no team needs to win is about to be the first draw after three dozen games in the tournament.
France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda came out of the line to stifle a half-time opportunity when Denmark's Christian Eriksen ran to beat him on a well-placed counter-attack. Otherwise, Mandanda has not been tested at his first start in his fifth major tournament with Les Bleus, which is based several runners.
A draw will allow France, already assured to progress after two victories, to finish first in Group C and clinch second place in Denmark. Denmark can even afford to lose at Luzhniki stadium if Australia fails to beat Peru in Sochi.
Australia sits 1-0 at halftime on an 18-minute volley from Andre Carrillo, the first goal of the World Cup since his last tournament appearance in 1982. This is the first time that Peru is leading a World Cup match. his last win in the tournament.
Australia's best chance came in the 27th minute when Tom Rogic made a crossing to the Peruvian defense, but his left-foot shot was saved by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
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5:20 p.m.
Andre Carrillo's 18-minute volley gave Peru a 1-0 lead over Australia and its first World Cup goal since 1982.
It was a slow start for both teams, but picked up when Carrillo met a cross from the left and launched a strike at the far post. Peru was held blank in the first two matches of the group stage. Peru has not participated in the World Cup since 1982 and has lost 5-1 to Poland in its last match that year.
Australia must win to have a chance to advance to the knockout phase.
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4:45 p.m.
US referee Mark Geiger has been seen offering a second game in the group stage to work at the World Cup. He will handle Wednesday's match between Germany and South Korea.
Geiger won Portugal's 1-0 win over Morocco. The 43-year-old from Beachwood, New Jersey, Geiger, played three games in Brazil four years ago, becoming the first American to officiate a knockout match in France's 2-0 win over Nigeria in the round of 16
The United States is the only nation with two referees at the World Cup. Jair Murrufo refereed Belgium's 5-2 victory against Tunisia.
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4:15 p.m.
Veteran forward Tim Cahill will not be part of Australia's starting lineup in his unmissable World Cup match against Peru.
The coach of Australia, Bert van Marwijk, decided to go with Tomi Juric to replace Andrew Nabbout, who was injured in the shoulder during the draw. 1- 1 against Denmark. There was speculation that Cahill could possibly enter the starting lineup. Cahill, 38, who has scored in each of the past three World Cups, has not yet participated in the tournament.
Australia must win and France must beat Denmark to have a chance to reach the knockout stage for the second time.
Peru, who has already been eliminated, made two changes to their starting lineup with winning selections from Anderson Santamaria and Renato Tapia.
Lineups:
Australia: Mat Ryan, Mark Milligan, Mathew Leckie, Tomi Juric, Robbie Kruse, Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedanik, Aziz Behich, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury and Tom Rogic.
Peru: Pedro Gallese, Anderson Santamaria, Miguel Trauco, Christian Cueva, Paolo Guerrero, Renato Tapia, Christian Ramos, Luis Advincula, Andre Carrillo, Yoshim Yotun, Edison Flores.
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4:05 p.m.
France rested several starters to face Denmark at Luzhniki Stadium after opening with two victories to keep it in the round of 16.
Didier Deschamps, France coach, recruited goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, midfielder Thomas Lemar and striker Ousmane Dembele for six changes in the team that beat Peru 1-0 ago five days. Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and goaltender Hugo Lloris are among the rested.
A draw will also help Denmark to top the group and win. Denmark will also progress if Australia fails to beat Peru in Sochi.
Coach Hareide has appointed Martin Braithwaite in an offensive role to replace Yussuf Poulsen, suspended after receiving yellow cards in Denmark's first two games, both times after viewing the video.
The other changes see Mathias Jorgensen enter the midfield and Andreas Cornelius to lead the attack.
The queues:
Denmark: Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Thomas Delaney, Christian Eriksen, Martin Braithwaite, Mathias Jorgensen, Henrik Dalsgaard, Jens Stryger, Andreas Cornelius, Pione Sisto.
France: Steve Mandanda, Presnel Kimpembe, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Gante Kante, Steven N Zonzi, Djibril Sidibe, Lucas Hernandez.
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3:55 p.m.
The Albanian Prime Minister has opened a bank account allowing his brothers to offer their "symbolic contribution" to pay the fines imposed by FIFA to two Swiss players of Albanian origin.
"Do not be afraid of the eagle" is the name of the account opened Tuesday at the Raiffeisen bank by Prime Minister Edi Rama, urging Albanians "to pay FIFA's absurd fine on Granite Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri ".
Xhaka and Shaqiri made gestures that mimicked the national symbol of Albania, a two-headed eagle, after scoring goals in Switzerland's victory against Serbia. The players have an ethnic Albanian heritage linked to Kosovo, a former Serb province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize this independence.
FIFA has fined the players 10,000 Swiss francs ($ 10,100) for unsportsmanlike conduct. The governing body of football had the power to impose bans at two matches if it was felt that the actions of Xhaka and Shaqiri had provoked the general public.
Rama wrote on his Facebook page that the bank account was a gesture of "thanks and gratitude to the two sportsmen who raised millions of Albanians in sporting joy".
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2:40 p.m.
The Russian authorities have dropped the case against a British LGBT activist who was detained near the Kremlin while the World Cup was opening nearby.
The case was closed after activist Peter Tatchell agreed to accept a warning to stop protesting. That's according to his campaign manager, Simon Harris.
Tatchell was arrested while he was organizing a protest by a man on June 14, criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for not doing more to stop the abuses on homosexuals in Chechnya.
Tatchell later stated that he was scheduled to appear in court on June 26, but the case was quietly abandoned.
A group of British LGBT football fans had a rainbow flag briefly removed in Sunday's England-Panama match, but handed it out with the help of FIFA.
A 2013 Russian law bans "propaganda" of homosexuality to minors and has been used to smother the LGBT community, although Russian authorities seem to be walking more cautiously than usual during the World Cup.
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2:15 p.m.
Chancellor Angela Merkel wishes Germany luck against South Korea after the "torture" of the last-minute defeat of the defending champion against Sweden, but she will not participate in the match.
Germany has caught up with its chances of advancing with Toni Kroos' injury winner on Saturday. He will face South Korea in Kazan on Wednesday.
At a press conference Tuesday in Berlin, Merkel – who is under intense internal political pressure in a conflict over migration – was invited to participate in the match because she might not have not had the opportunity to see the team of coach Joachim Loew.
Merkel said that she was to be in Parliament this week, "but of course, I sincerely wish the team all the best – and of course I hope everything will be fine after the torture – in the true sense of the word – during the last game. "
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1:05 p.m.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson said his team had gone from bitter feelings about his defeat in Germany and the racist aggression of midfielder Jimmy Durmaz on social media.
Andersson said on Tuesday that the defeat made the team "stronger, more confident" because Sweden played the defending champions to a draw "with the exception of the last 10 seconds."
Sweden faces Mexico on Wednesday to conclude the game in group and still has a chance to reach the round of 16.
Mexico leads the group with six points but is not sure yet. If Germany beats South Korea in Kazan and Sweden at the same time in Mexico, three teams will finish with six points, sending them to the tiebreakers that start with the best goal differential.
The team issued a joint statement condemning the abuse of Durmaz, who gave the free kick that led to the victory of Germany. Andersson says, "It's important that we move on to something else afterwards."
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More AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/WorldCup
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