Milan have played a part in France's latest bid for World Cup glory after "revitalising" striker Olivier Giroud, according to the Serie A club's president Paolo Scaroni.

France remain on course to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy after beating England 2-1 on Saturday to set up a semi-final showdown with Morocco.

Giroud scored the reigning champions' winner in the quarter-final against England, with that his fourth goal of Qatar 2022 – only team-mate Kylian Mbappe (five) has scored more.

The 36-year-old has also been in good form for club side Milan this campaign, having been directly involved in a team-high 14 goals (nine goals and five assists) in 19 matches.

He has scored 23 goals in 57 games in all competitions since the start of last season when joining from Chelsea, which is also more than any Milan player over that period.

As Giroud continues to show on the biggest stage that age is just a number, Scaroni says France should be grateful to Milan.

"He's doing very, very well. I think France's qualification [to the semi-finals] is due to him a lot," Rossoneri chief Scaroni told Sky Sport Italia.

"We at Milan have 'revitalised' him a bit. I don't know if I can say it, but I have the impression with us he has found new motivation that he has transferred to the national team. 

"Let's say that we too have played a small role in the success achieved so far by France".

Giroud scored twice in France's opening group match against Australia and then overtook Thierry Henry as his country's record scorer with his strike in the last-16 win over Poland.

The ex-Arsenal man could set another record in France's semi-final against Morocco as he is one goal short of becoming the oldest player to score five at a single World Cup.

Giroud is not the only Milan player in France's World Cup squad, with defender Theo Hernandez – who has played in four games – also included.

Milan have played a part in France's latest bid for World Cup glory after "revitalising" striker Olivier Giroud, according to the Serie A club's president Paolo Scaroni.

France remain on course to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy after beating England 2-1 on Saturday to set up a semi-final showdown with Morocco.

Giroud scored the reigning champions' winner in the quarter-final against England, with that his fourth goal of Qatar 2022 – only team-mate Kylian Mbappe (five) has scored more.

The 36-year-old has also been in good form for club side Milan this campaign, having been directly involved in a team-high 14 goals (nine goals and five assists) in 19 matches.

He has scored 23 goals in 57 games in all competitions since the start of last season when joining from Chelsea, which is also more than any Milan player over that period.

As Giroud continues to show on the biggest stage that age is just a number, Scaroni says France should be grateful to Milan.

"He's doing very, very well. I think France's qualification [to the semi-finals] is due to him a lot," Rossoneri chief Scaroni told Sky Sport Italia.

"We at Milan have 'revitalised' him a bit. I don't know if I can say it, but I have the impression with us he has found new motivation that he has transferred to the national team. 

"Let's say that we too have played a small role in the success achieved so far by France".

Giroud scored twice in France's opening group match against Australia and then overtook Thierry Henry as his country's record scorer with his strike in the last-16 win over Poland.

The ex-Arsenal man could set another record in France's semi-final against Morocco as he is one goal short of becoming the oldest player to score five at a single World Cup.

Giroud is not the only Milan player in France's World Cup squad, with defender Theo Hernandez – who has played in four games – also included.

England captain Owen Farrell has called the decision to sack Eddie Jones as head coach "unbelievably disappointing".

Jones won three Six Nations titles and took the team to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final during his seven years as head coach.

However, he was relieved of his duties on Tuesday after a run of form that has seen England win just five of their 12 Tests in 2022. 

The announcement comes with just nine months to go until the World Cup, while England are due to get their Six Nations campaign underway against Scotland on February 4.

The decision to sack Jones has been a polarising one, with former England back-row James Haskell labelling  it "utter madness" and insisting Jones was the best coach he had played under.

Farrell is the latest to speak out on his frustration over Jones being fired, telling the BBC: "It's unbelievably disappointing.

"Eddie had been a big part of England Rugby for a long time now and he has been one of the best coaches I have ever had so, for that, I'm massively thankful.

"We are disappointed it has finished early and we owe a lot to him. I have been around for a while now and not been around too many changes, both at club and international level. It's not pleasant to go through.

"I don't think it has come from the players. There is obviously stuff we all want to get better at from the results but as players you look at yourself and see what you can do."

Farrell explained he had spoken to Jones since the announcement, adding: "We have exchanged a few messages and hopefully I will see him [again]."

Pepe says Cristiano Ronaldo is "fine" after his emotional response to Portugal's shock defeat to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up by head coach Fernando Santos for the second straight game after his angry reaction to being substituted against South Korea in the final group match.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored a towering header to give Morocco the lead, and despite Ronaldo's introduction shortly after half-time, Portugal were unable to find an equaliser as they were dumped out of the tournament. 

The loss elicited an emotional reaction from Ronaldo as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left the field in tears, before a social media post on Sunday saw him accept his "most ambitious dream" of winning a World Cup with Portugal was over.

While Ronaldo held off from making a definitive call on his international future, Pepe feels the forward should be appreciated for his efforts in a Portugal shirt whatever he decides to do.

"Ronaldo is fine," Pepe told reporters after arriving back in Lisbon. "He's our Portuguese flag. He reaches all parts of the world.

"He gave us his contribution when he was called. We have to thank him and all his team-mates who did their best to be available for the coach."

Despite Portugal head coach Fernando Santos' contract running until 2024, it is rumoured he may step down after this World Cup disappointment.

Asked about Santos' future, Pepe explained: "I'm a player, I don't have to talk about it. I'm not going to go down that path.

"Unfortunately, we didn't achieve the goal we wanted. We tried to give everything to honour our country.

"It's football. There are these things. We have to learn from what happened so that the future is better for us."

Portugal's next match is against Liechtenstein in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on March 23.

Gareth Southgate is not planning to rush into a decision about his England future before Christmas, insisting he has "few regrets" about the Three Lions' World Cup campaign.

Southgate's team suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final exit against world champions France on Saturday, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty after scoring an earlier spot-kick.

The England boss said he would take time to ensure he made "the correct decision" on his own future in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat, with his contract set to expire after Euro 2024.

He then hinted an immediate decision was unlikely in an interview with England's media channels on Sunday, adding he was struggling to see where the Three Lions went wrong.

There will be standard debriefing sessions with the Football Association in the coming days, and then Southgate is planning some family time over the Christmas holiday.

"We've not been in this position before when we're coming up to Christmas, but we will reflect and debrief on the games but also the whole camp," Southgate said.

"At the moment, it's hard to think of things we could've done better. There might be bits and pieces, things which you'll take forward to further tournaments, so that's a process that we'll go through.

"Then I'll have Christmas with my family and we'll go from there."

England earned praise from some quarters for their front-foot performances in Qatar, and the Three Lions' tally of 13 goals at the competition represents their highest total at either the World Cup or European Championship.

Despite seeing England's agonising wait for major tournament glory in the men's game continue, Southgate insisted he did not regret many aspects of the team's campaign.

"It's a really strange feeling because the end of a tournament is so stark. Everyone is packing everything up, after going through years of preparation and then months of tighter preparation," Southgate said.

"There's also the feeling that we've come so close and the performance, we were happy with. We felt we could've gone on and done more but yet, I really have few regrets about the whole thing, so emotionally it's a rollercoaster."

Asked about the mood of his players, Southgate added: "They're flat. They know they've played well.

"You know when you don't hit the levels that you feel you should, and they know that they have throughout this tournament.

"If I think back to Colombia [in the last 16 at the World Cup] four years ago, the tension in the team and in all of us at getting over the line, it affects performance.

"I think we saw in the two knockout games this time, that's what that experience brings. They have more belief, they have more confidence, and you can't fast-track that.

"They've got to live through that and we've now got a group of very young players with that big-game experience already, and the core of a group who can be together for a long time."

South American football chiefs have urged Brazil to change three of the five stars on their shirts to heart symbols as a tribute to Pele.

Brazil currently wear five stars on their famous yellow jerseys to represent the five World Cup trophies they have won, more than any other nation has managed.

Three of the World Cup triumphs came with Pele in the squad, while no other player has scored more times for Brazil. Neymar is now tied with Pele, having netted his 77th Selecao goal in Friday's World Cup quarter-final defeat to Croatia.

That loss came in the wake of the news that Pele had been hospitalised back home in Sao Paulo, though it was reported the 82-year-old is making "progressive improvement".

CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, sent Pele its best wishes while proposing Brazil make an alteration to their kits.

It said in a statement: "A hundred people gathered this Sunday, December 11, at the CONMEBOL Tree Of Dreams in Doha, Qatar, to honour Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known sportingly as Pele, the only player in soccer history to win three world titles.

"It is in honour of this unprecedented event that the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) proposes to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) that they change three of the five World Cup stars that appear on the chest of their shirt for three hearts, in recognition of Pele.

"Another central focus of the act was the message of encouragement and great strength to Pele, admitted since November 29 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he is recovering satisfactorily from a lung infection, according to the doctors."

Alejandro Dominguez, the CONMEBOL president, added: "We are on his side in this game that he is playing. It is the right time to pay tribute to him again and let him know that he will live in the heart of anyone who loves football. Our job is for people to continue to know and love Pele."

Jurgen Klopp says Luis Diaz's injury setback is "a proper smash in the face" as the Liverpool winger awaits news on the full extent of the damage.

Diaz injured his knee during a training session at Liverpool's base in the United Arab Emirates and flew back to the United Kingdom on Friday to undergo tests.

The Colombia international was on the comeback trail after missing 10 games for the Reds prior to the World Cup hiatus due to an injury sustained against Arsenal on October 9.

Klopp remains unsure for how long Diaz will be on the sidelines, but accepts it is a blow to lose the 25-year-old ahead of Liverpool's campaign resuming in 11 days' time.

"He was not in the best possible place. It's clear it's a big disappointment for all of us, for him as well," Klopp told reporters after Sunday's 3-1 friendly defeat to Lyon in Dubai.

"It was a non-situation in training. Honestly – nothing. He felt something. He didn't feel a lot the next day, but we wanted to be really cautious and said, 'OK, come on, let's have a look'.

"Then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face. But that's it now."

Former Porto attacker Diaz has four goals and two assists in 12 games this season, with 11 of those appearances being starts.

He has been directly involved in 16 goals in 38 games since his debut in February – a tally only Diogo Jota (17), Roberto Firmino (18) and Mohamed Salah (33) can better.

Diaz is now in a race against time to be fit for Liverpool's next competitive match, which is a mouth-watering EFL Cup last-16 tie with Manchester City on December 22.

Klopp provided some better injury news regarding midfielder Harvey Elliott, who limped off after 29 minutes of the Dubai Super Cup opener with Lyon.

"Harvey got a knock before we scored, but I think we were lucky," Klopp said, quoted on Liverpool's official website. "He looks fine but he feels it. That's normal; there was contact. I hope we were lucky in that moment."

Joao Carvalho gave Liverpool the lead inside a minute against Lyon, but Alexandre Lacazette scored twice, either side of a Bradley Barcola goal, to earn the French side victory.

Liverpool, who are sixth in the Premier League with 14 matches played, face Milan on Friday in the second of their mid-season friendlies.

Jack Grealish tipped England to "make history" at future tournaments after their World Cup exit against France, as Marcus Rashford joined him in pledging the Three Lions would respond.

England suffered their seventh World Cup quarter-final elimination – a tournament record – on Saturday, as goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud maintained France's bid to retain the trophy.

Harry Kane scored one penalty and missed another as England experienced a familiar sinking feeling at Al Bayt Stadium, but Grealish believes Gareth Southgate's men will atone in the future.

The Manchester City playmaker was sorry it did not work out this time, having been convinced England were on course for trophy glory.

"Absolutely devastated to go out, words can't describe it as I really thought this was our year," Grealish wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

"I'm so proud to be part of this team and it's been a privilege to be with this group of players and staff for the past four weeks.

"We all have an unbelievable bond and we look forward to the future because we want to make history for all of you at home.

"Thank you to every England fan for your support during the past four weeks."

Rashford, who alongside Bukayo Saka was England's joint-highest scorer in Qatar with three goals, struck a similar tone to Grealish.

"The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us," Rashford said in a Tweet.

"We got close, but not close enough. I'll make a promise that we will come again! Thank you for the unconditional support."

Manager Southgate believes the identity of England's quarter-final opponents makes it difficult to say whether his team's campaign should be considered a success.

"Before any tournament, people are always asking what round you need to get to for it to be a success," Southgate said in a video on England's media channels.

"I've always said that's hard to define, because you can play a France and have the type of game we've had, and have a different reaction to getting to a final or a semi-final, as we've experienced.

"It's a difficult time for everybody in our country, and I think the players have represented them in the right way, we've played in the right way. I hope everybody's enjoyed the journey."

Karim Benzema sent his support to France ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Morocco on Wednesday, telling Les Bleus they are "almost there".

Looking to defend the trophy they lifted in Russia in 2018, France reached the final four by seeing off England in a 2-1 quarter-final victory on Saturday.

Didier Deschamps' team will now face fairytale side Morocco, the first African side to ever reach a World Cup semi-final. France are bidding to win international football's top prize for a second consecutive time.

Ballon d'Or winner Benzema was expected to lead the line for France in Qatar, but a thigh injury ruled the Real Madrid frontman out of the competition.

In his place, Milan striker Olivier Giroud has scored four goals in four games, including the winner against England.

Benzema, who has returned to training with his club, posted on social media to encourage his France team-mates.

He wrote in an Instagram post: "Come on boys. Two more games we're almost there... I'm behind you... Let's go."

Chelsea forward Armando Broja was carried off on a stretcher after appearing to suffer a serious knee injury during a friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Broja has assumed a more prominent role at Chelsea since returning from a season-long loan at Southampton, making 18 appearances this term and scoring his first Blues goal in October's Premier League win over Wolves.

The Albania international was selected to lead the line against Villa, with Graham Potter looking to get his Chelsea squad up to full speed ahead of the Premier League's resumption later this month.

However, Broja was carried from the field after going down clutching his left knee, following an early collision with Ezri Konsa, having fallen awkwardly when appearing to catch his studs in the turf. Broja could be heard screaming at the pain of the injury.

A youthful Chelsea side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Unai Emery's men, with John McGinn sweeping home the only goal of the game after seven minutes.

Chelsea will resume their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on December 27 at Stamford Bridge, having dropped to eighth in the table following a poor run ahead of the World Cup.

David Beckham called Harry Kane a "true leader" after the striker missed a crucial penalty in England's 2-1 defeat to France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

Kane had already converted from the spot to equalise for the Three Lions after Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range opener, but Olivier Giroud headed France back in front with 12 minutes to play.

However, England found a golden chance to level for a second time when Mason Mount was bundled over in the France box by Theo Hernandez.

Kane stepped up once again, but blasted his second spot-kick well over the crossbar as France held on to knock Gareth Southgate's side out of the tournament.

Beckham is no stranger to World Cup heartbreak, having been sent off in England's 1998 round-of-16 penalties defeat to Argentina for a petulant kick on Diego Simeone.

Beckham received much abuse for the incident, and he wants England fans to remain behind Kane in a way that was not the case for him in 1998.

In an Instagram post, Beckham said: "It takes a true leader to step up in these moments and that's what our captain [Kane] did.

"Our boys will continue to grow. It's always the worst feeling waking up after being knocked out of a tournament but our players, Gareth [Southgate] the staff and all our fans can be proud of this team.

"The next time it will be a different ending. We walk away with our heads held high."

India captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the first Test with Bangladesh, with Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja both out of the tour entirely.

The two nations begin their two-match encounter on Wednesday, following a trio of ODI encounters that saw the hosts take a 2-1 series win.

Rohit suffered a left thumb injury during the second game, with KL Rahul skippering the side during his absence in Saturday's dead-rubber victory.

Though the BCCI has ruled him out of action for the opener in Chittagong, it did confirm he could be assessed to feature in the second and final match in Mirpur.

Shami and Jadeja are continuing to struggle with shoulder and knee injuries that have forced their exclusion, with India forced to include a slate of fresh faces.

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar, who have all been with the nation's A team, have been drafted in as replacements.

In addition, fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat has been called up for the red-ball series too, though there is no room for record breaker Ishan Kishan.

The wicket-keeper-batsman, who posted the fastest double-century in ODI history in India's win over Bangladesh, has not played Test cricket for his country before.