Paulo Bento confirmed he will not renew his contract with South Korea after their World Cup exit by defeat to Brazil on Monday.

Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were all on target as the pre-tournament favourites raced into a four-goal lead inside 36 minutes at Stadium 974.

A long-range Paik Seung-ho strike in the second half proved a mere consolation for South Korea, whose journey in Qatar came to an abrupt end.

Bento, appointed in 2018 as Shin Tae-yong's successor, confirmed the Brazil defeat will be his last with the Taegeuk Warriors, after agreeing to stay in charge until the end of their World Cup campaign.

"From now, we just have to think of the future, and it will not be with the national team for South Korea," he said. "I rest, and then I see what happens after.

"I just announced to the players and president of the confederation this decision I made in September. This was a decision set in stone, and today I confirmed it.

"I have to thank them for everything, they gave their best. I have been proud to be their manager."

South Korea were appearing in their first knockout-stage game in the competition since 2010, though failed to deliver against Tite's host of global stars.

They will still head home with great memories in the Middle East after snatching an unlikely Group H qualification with Hwang Hee-chan's injury-time strike against Portugal edging out Uruguay for second place.

"At this time, it is not easy to give a summary of everything in the World Cup, and especially due to it not ending yet," Bento added.

"I can only tell you about our participation, which ended today, I believe it ended in a fair manner. We have to congratulate Brazil because they are better than us.

"Our strategy was to control the match and not let the game run at a high pace, but because of what we had available in terms of preparation, we weren't able to do that and that made it difficult.

"What we did do in the World Cup was something to make us very proud - as well as all the process to get here for the last four years - I believe what we've done in the group stage was very good. 

"For the third time in the history of [South] Korean football, we got to the round of 16. I believe in the group stage, we could have managed more points because against Ghana, we should've and could've won.

"That would've been well-deserved, but our participation makes us proud and makes me satisfied."

Neymar says all the hard work paid off as he recovered from injury to play a big part in Brazil's sublime 4-1 win over South Korea in Monday's World Cup last-16 tie.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar missed Brazil's final two group games after sustaining an ankle injury late on in the opening 2-0 win over Serbia on November 24.

However, the 30-year-old was deemed fit enough to play 81 minutes of the one-sided contest with South Korea and scored the second of his side's goals at Stadium 974.

Neymar admits he feared the worst when suffering the injury 11 days ago and is glad to now be back on the field playing – and scoring – again.

"I was very scared," he said in his post-match interview. "I was doing well after a positive start to the season, so suffering an injury like the one I had was very hard.

"I spent the night crying a lot. But everything worked out in the end; the effort was worth it. All suffering is valid.

"I'd like to thank god for the strength I've been given to be back on the pitch, to be able to train and do everything I needed to be on the pitch again.

"Thanks also to the physios, my colleagues and those who have encouraged me over the last days. I'm happy to be back on the pitch and playing well."

Asked if he felt any pain prior to being replaced by Rodrygo, Neymar said: "No I didn't feel anything. I was very content with my performance, but that said we can always improve.

"I can't be 100 per cent satisfied. I've been given the man of the match award today but it's for everyone. I'm really happy with the performance of the side."

With his early penalty, Neymar became the third Brazil player to score at three editions of the World Cup (2014, 2018 and 2022) alongside Pele and Ronaldo.

Each of the forward's past six Brazil goals have come via the penalty spot and he now has 76 goals for his country – just one short of all-time scorer Pele.

Vinicius Junior had earlier given Brazil the lead, while Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were also on target inside the opening 36 minutes.

It is just the second time in their World Cup history Brazil have scored four goals in the first half of a match, previously doing so against Mexico in 1954.

Having toiled in wins over Serbia and Switzerland, before losing to Cameroon when heavily rotating, Brazil laid down a marker with their superb showing against South Korea.

The five-time world champions, who have advanced from their past eight last-16 ties, will face Croatia following the 2018 beaten finalists' earlier penalty shoot-out win over Japan.

"We have to plan to go further," Neymar said. "We are dreaming of the title, but we will take it step by step.

"This was our fourth game today and there are three more to go. We are very prepared and focused on getting this title."

Thomas Muller has been advised to prioritise his club career by Lothar Matthaus, after the Bayern Munich man said he may retire from international football following Germany's poor World Cup.

Muller started all three of Germany's games in Qatar, but failed to record a single shot on target as Hansi Flick's side suffered a humiliating group-stage exit, their second in as many tournaments.

In the immediate aftermath of Germany's elimination, the Bayern Munich forward described the team's campaign as a "disaster" and said he will take time to consider his future in international football.

Writing for Sky Sports in Germany, Matthaus – the World's Cup's record appearance-maker with 25 games at the tournament – hinted the 33-year-old may benefit from stepping away.

"Of course, Thomas Muller is of a certain age and had a few phases before the World Cup in which he was injured. I know such phases," Matthaus said.

"I could only advise Thomas personally because I may have stopped concentrating fully on the club too late. When he did that for a year or two, he had his best time. 

"But if he wants to keep playing, he should do it when Hansi Flick needs him. I don't want to push anyone to resign, the player has to make that decision together with the coach."

Muller previously spent two years in the international wilderness under Flick's predecessor Joachim Low, who refused to consider the attacker – as well as defenders Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng – between March 2019 and the beginning of Euro 2020 last year.

The forward enjoyed one of his most successful club campaigns during that spell, helping Bayern win the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophies in the 2019-20 season.

Muller has scored 10 World Cup goals during his illustrious career, a tally only bettered by three of his compatriots – Miroslav Klose (16), Gerd Muller (14) and Jurgen Klinsmann (11).

Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala was one of few Germany players to emerge with any credit for his performances in Qatar, and Matthaus believes he is a contender to assume Muller's role.  

"We don't have any leading players like him [Muller] in his position in the national team, but we have many players who can grow into this role and spin behind the forwards, like Musiala and [Kai] Havertz," the former captain added. 

Brazil paid tribute to legendary forward Pele following a commanding 4-1 victory over South Korea that sealed their World Cup quarter-final place.

Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were all on target at Stadium 974 as Tite's side cruised through to the last eight in Qatar, where they will face Croatia on Friday. 

A message posted from his Twitter account earlier in the day revealed Pele would be watching the match from his hospital bed, where he was moved to last Tuesday.

The Selecao responded after the full-time whistle by parading a banner on the pitch with a picture of the three-time World Cup winner. 

Amid unconfirmed reports he had been moved to palliative care after failing to respond to chemotherapy treatment, the hospital housing the 82-year-old described his condition as "stable."

Pele moved to ease fears surrounding his health with a post to his Instagram account on Saturday, saying he remained "strong, with a lot of hope."

Warren Gatland is "under no illusions" he has to deliver for Wales otherwise he risks damaging his legacy upon his return as head coach.

Wayne Pivac was relieved of his duties on Monday by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) after defeats against New Zealand, Georgia and Australia last month.

That opened the door for Gatland, a three-time Six Nations winner with Wales, to make a sensational return to the role Pivac replaced him in after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Gatland, whose first stint with Wales lasted 12 years, will take charge in the Six Nations, the World Cup in France next year and potentially through to the 2027 tournament in Australia.

The 59-year-old reached the top of World Rugby's rankings with Wales in his final year and acknowledged he must achieve similar success on his return.

When asked if his second appointment could damage his reputation, Gatland said: "That's the exciting thing about it, isn't it?

"If you're a flop and fail... I'm under no illusions what the expectations are in the next 10 months.

"I've always loved the challenge, I've always loved going into environments where there are expectations and hopefully exceeding those expectations.

"That's part of professional sport, there are ups and downs. You live by your results and performances.

"I'm excited about it, but there are pressures and risks. I'm confident I can come in and hopefully make a difference and get a side together who are proud to put that jersey on, and when they go out there and represent Wales in front of home fans they're prepared to die for that jersey.

"Those are my expectations and I don't expect anything less from the players in terms of what it means to play for Wales – the history, the expectation.

"If we can achieve that in a short period of time, I think that will give us the best opportunity to be successful."

The New Zealander inherits a Wales side that have won just three of 12 games in 2022, though he is relishing the challenge in store after leaving Super Rugby side the Chiefs.

"I can hit the ground running. Obviously, there's a new group of players," he added.

"There's a process I've got to go through over the next few weeks and get a real feel for the place again, so it's like 2007-2008 and coming in completely cold.

"That's a massive advantage I've got in terms of knowing Wales and the set-up. I can come in and hopefully be seamless in stepping into the role."

As for his long-term future with Wales, Gatland remains focused on getting his side into shape for the World Cup, which starts on September 8.

"At the moment my immediate focus is between now and the World Cup, and afterwards it's myself and Steve Phillips [WRU chief executive] talking about possibilities going forward," he continued.

"During that 10 months we've got to be showing we've made progress and we've been successful, and then potentially other opportunities arise from that.

"That's how we are at the moment. There's no certainty, but I'm comfortable with that, so if the next 10 months is not successful then you are involved in professional sport and know what the consequences are.

"I'm comfortable and confident that I can come in and make a difference, and create an environment we can be successful in. If that happens then potentially other discussions may take place.

"But I'm not looking past the next 10 months, I'm not looking past France."

Pakistan will be without Haris Rauf for their second Test against England in Multan, with the quick bowler potentially set to miss the rest of the series with a quad injury.

The 29-year-old stepped on the ball while fielding during the hosts' 74-run defeat in Rawalpindi and did not bowl in the second innings.

Now, having undergone MRI scans, Rauf – who made his Test debut in the match – has been a confirmed absentee for his side's next match, in what is a significant blow.

Despite an underwhelming performance against England, his departure - and potential unavailability - for the rest of three-game tour could throw a spanner in their selections.

With Shaheen Afridi already unavailable, Pakistan may have to call upon a name from outside their original 18-man squad, with Mohammed Wasim Jr their only other specialist quick currently in their party.

Hasan Ali and Mohammed Abbas are both among those who could be drafted in, though whether Babar Azam would wish to call upon them at short notice remains to be seen.

Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz both offer all-rounder experience and are in the squad already, though their inclusion would require a reshuffle in the batting order.

Pakistan will start their second Test on Friday, as they look to bounce back from just a third red-ball defeat on home soil against England, and first since 2000, upon the tourists' return to the country.

An aggressive encounter with the bat saw the two sides rack up the third-highest aggregate score in a match in Test history, in a record-shattering encounter.

Harry Kane saluted Jordan Henderson's leadership qualities following his goal in England's 3-0 victory over Senegal.

The Three Lions vice-captain opened the scoring with a neat first-time finish from Jude Bellingham's square pass while Kane doubled the lead, before Bukayo Saka's second-half strike secured the Three Lions' World Cup quarter-final place in Qatar.

Aged 32 years and 170 days, Henderson became England's second-oldest scorer at the finals, after Tom Finney against USSR in 1958 (36 years, 64 days).

Gareth Southgate's side have looked a more cohesive unit since the Liverpool skipper was introduced into the starting line-up for their final Group B match against Wales, and Kane highlighted his impact on the team.

"He's one of the best leaders that I've played with," the Three Lions captain told England's official YouTube channel. "He's really vocal, he pushes players to the absolute max.

"That's why he's been great in the games he's played. [He's} outstanding with the ball, outstanding without the ball, pushing everyone. The way we've been pressing – it's good to hear him behind me pushing.

"You need different types of leaders amongst your team. I think we have four or five different types of personalities.

"Hendo's someone who – it doesn't matter who you are, what you've done – he'll keep pushing you.

"It was an amazing performance [against Senegal] by him, [it was] great to see him score. A lot of the other good stuff was down to his role in the team."

Henderson has 73 caps to his name, but Sunday's goal was only his third on the international stage.

Jude Bellingham has been the best young player at the World Cup so far and could make the difference in England's bid to capture the trophy, according to Alan Shearer.

The Borussia Dortmund star scored England's first goal of the tournament in a 6-2 thrashing of Iran in the group stage, and produced another masterful midfield display in Sunday's last-16 win over Senegal.

Bellingham leads his team-mates for dribbles completed (six) and possessions won (23) in Qatar, while only Luke Shaw (72) has bettered his tally of 48 passes ending in the final third.  

The 19-year-old's all-round ability has seen him touted as a contender to be named the young player of the tournament, and Shearer believes his presence has improved England considerably. 

"England did very well at their past couple of tournaments, but I think there is a difference this time," the former striker wrote in a column for BBC Sport.

"Four years ago, we were not the most talented side at the World Cup, but we were well-organised, had fantastic team spirit and great character, and that took us to the semi-finals.

"This time we are definitely a better team, ability-wise, than we were at Russia 2018 or last year's European Championship where we lost in the final.

"We still have a plan, and that same togetherness, but we have more experience, more depth – and we have got a very exciting young talent in Jude Bellingham too.

"Bellingham has probably been the young player of this World Cup so far. His performance against Senegal was unbelievably good, and he brings something different to this England team that we didn't have four years ago.

"With him driving forward from midfield, we look more dangerous – we are far more fluid now when we build attacks, wherever they start."

England will face holders France for a place in the last four on Saturday, when Gareth Southgate's side must find a way to contain Kylian Mbappe – the tournament's top scorer with five goals. 

However, Shearer believes keeping the Paris Saint-Germain star quiet is no guarantee of success against Les Bleus.

"You need to do more than keep [Harry] Kane quiet to keep England out, and it is the same with France and Mbappe," he added.

"Antoine Griezmann and Adrien Rabiot are having brilliant tournaments, Aurelien Tchouameni has really impressed me and, while Ousmane Dembele can blow hot and cold, if he is on form that night then he is a handful.

"Then you have Olivier Giroud, of course, who is now France's record men's goalscorer. It could be a shoot-out between our front five and theirs – and it is going to be great to watch."

Reece James has returned to training with Chelsea after being omitted from England's World Cup squad due to injury.

The full-back was left out of Gareth Southgate's 26-man travelling squad to Qatar, where England face France in the quarter-finals on Saturday, after being sidelined since October 11 with a knee issue.

Southgate referenced "too many unknowns" over the Chelsea defender's recovery for leaving out James, who sustained the injury in a Champions League clash with Milan.

James spoke openly of his disappointment to miss out on FIFA's top tournament as he acknowledged "there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take".

The 22-year-old returned to training on Monday for Chelsea's first session in Abu Dhabi at their warm-weather training camp as Graham Potter's side seek improvements after the World Cup break.

Chelsea lost their last three Premier League games before the mid-season interval to leave Potter's men eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, albeit with a game in hand.

A downturn in form coincided with losing numerous key players to injury, with Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell and Kepa Arrizabalaga joining James as absentees.

Fofana and Chilwell, the latter who also missed out on the World Cup with England due to injury, will hope to be fit for Chelsea's Premier League return at home to Bournemouth on December 27.

Chelsea next face Aston Villa in a mid-season friendly in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Dejan Lovren believes Croatia showed the world – including former team-mate Mohamed Salah – they were not "lucky" at Russia 2018 by returning to the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday.

Croatia reached the final of the previous tournament, losing 4-2 to France, although they had to go through penalty shoot-outs against Denmark and Russia, then extra time against England.

Lovren and his team-mates advanced to the last eight at Qatar 2022 by defeating Japan, again relying on spot-kicks as Dominik Livakovic made three saves in a 3-1 shoot-out success.

Despite the nature of the victory, the centre-back felt his side had proven a point.

"How? Why? Maybe it is written in the stars that Croatia need to go like this," Lovren said. "We need to suffer. Without suffering, there is no reward.

"We showed to the world we are in the best eight of the world, that 2018 didn't happen just luckily.

"Especially my friend Salah said to me, 'penalties, penalties'. I said, 'okay, let me show you'. It's great that we showed to the world that we are really strong."

Lovren's hopes of advancing though another shoot-out were boosted by Sunday's training session, which had seen a similarly inspired Livakovic display.

"In the training session, we practised the penalties and he saved almost all penalties," Lovren added.

"We said to ourselves, 'wow, we are really bad at shooting'. I said to him, 'just be that'. He showed that today.

"Penalties are a lottery, but to be honest I was a little bit more calm today, because yesterday he really showed his quality in the training when he saved almost all penalties. Fantastic."

Livakovic was not Croatia's only hero, with Ivan Perisic earlier equalising with his record 10th major tournament goal, surpassing the great Davor Suker (nine).

"We had this extra experience from 2018, mixed with a younger generation," Lovren said.

"I'm really proud of my team. We kept calm even when we were 1-0 down. It was a really important goal from Perisic."

Croatia would play the winner of the match between Brazil and South Korea, in which the Selecao were racing into a big first-half lead as Perisic added: "It doesn't matter who, we have to be prepared to play our game. If we fight like today, everything is possible."

Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced another Croatian penalty shoot-out masterclass, and was delighted to have followed in the footsteps of his predecessors.

Livakovic saved three penalties as Croatia triumphed 3-1 on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw against Japan at Al Janoub Stadium to progress to a quarter-final against either Brazil or South Korea.

His efforts mirrored that of Danijel Subasic, who also made three saves when Croatia edged past Denmark at the same stage four years ago in Russia.

"It's what we do in Croatia," Livakovic said. "You could see that four years ago. I continue the tradition of my predecessors and I put it down to the analysis we do of the penalty takers."

Croatia were second best in the first half and trailed at the break to Daizen Maeda's close-range strike. Ivan Perisic dragged his side level with a wonderful header 10 minutes into the second half with extra time failing to separate two determined but limited sides.

"It's important to win, but it's always easier to resolve the game in 90 minutes because penalties are risky," added Livakovic, who attempted to play down his heroics.

"This time the penalties worked well for us. I don't think they were difficult ones to save. We did an analysis prior to this match."

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic praised his modest goalkeeper, although his heroics came as no surprise.

"We have a fantastic goalkeeper, he was unbeatable," said Dalic. "When we started the shoot-out, I was very confident. He was great in training yesterday and I had no doubt he would demonstrate that again today.

"We had made several substitutions and didn't have the likes of [Luka] Modric, [Mateo] Kovacic and Perisic on the field but all our problems were resolved by Livakovic.

"He proved to be like Subasic in Russia, history keeps repeating itself."

Croatia have a fine record at the World Cup, finishing third in 1998 and runners-up in 2018. The squad from Russia has largely broken up and Dalic called on today's players to make their own mark.

"This generation is resilient, they don't give up," he said. "They reflect the spirit of the Croatian people. We have been through so much pain that the Croatian national team is now a source of pride.

"We had a great generation in 2018, but we now have 18 new players and I told them that this is their chance to make history."

Defeat ended a remarkable run for Japan that saw them beat Germany and Spain. A first World Cup quarter-final appearance eluded them, though.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu was full of admiration for his players and denied they had wilted under the pressure.

I don't think so, no," he said. "Their goalkeeper was great and the Japanese players that took the penalties were very courageous.

"We obviously wanted to win, but it does not negate the efforts of the players. I think Japanese football can continue to grow.

"We cannot do everything at once, we cannot become superheroes in one go, we need to improve little by little, but Japan is reaching a level where we can play on the world stage."

James Maddison backed Kyle Walker to "do a job" on Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup quarter-final but acknowledged England will have to deal with multiple France threats on Saturday.

The in-form Mbappe scored twice in Sunday's 3-1 round-of-16 win over Poland, just hours before England cruised past Senegal 3-0 to reach the last eight in their third straight major tournament.

A pair of excellent right-footed strikes took the France forward to five for the tournament in Qatar, handing him the outright lead in the Golden Boot race as Les Bleus look to regain their world crown.

Former England defender Gary Neville labelled Walker as "the best right-back in the world" to deal with the Paris Saint-Germain star at the Al Bayt Stadium and Maddison echoed the pundit's sentiment.

"He's obviously a fantastic player, one of the best in the world," the Leicester City midfielder told talkSPORT. "I'm sure we'll prepare right to try and stop him.

"Kyle Walker started right-back in the game against Senegal and he's one of the best full-backs in the world. I think if anyone can do a job, it's him.

"But France have a lot of threats. It's not just Kylian Mbappe. They're a brilliant team and that's why they are reigning champions.

"We've got a lot to be wary of but the tactical work that we do, and the staff here, the work that goes in on the background that people don't see, will leave us in good stead and hopefully we can progress."

While the likes of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have shone for Gareth Southgate in Qatar, Maddison is yet to appear for England.

The 26-year-old, who has just one cap to his name, missed the first two games due to a knee injury before Southgate opted for other options against Wales and Senegal.

Maddison hopes he will soon get the chance to impress as England aim for back-to-back World Cup semi-finals, though remains delighted to have experienced travelling to a major tournament with his country.

"Involvement isn't always necessarily minutes on the pitch and I think that is probably something I've learnt in the last few weeks of being out here," he added.

"Of course, every player wants to play and I'm no different. I'm desperate to get out there and show what I can do. But it's one of them – my first major tournament at senior level and it's brilliant to be a part of.

"It's such a learning curve and you gain so much experience without even realising, just on a day-to-day basis of how it works, what it takes to be successful – and we have been successful so far.

"I'm feeling good, the injury's gone. I'm feeling 100 per cent. I've been training for a while now, I've been available for the last couple of games.

"It's just about staying patient, staying ready, which I am. Working hard and trying to be an option for the manager if needed."