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DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Tears are flowing from soccer’s biggest superstars as they make emotional exits from what might be their last World Cup.

First it was Neymar. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo. Could Lionel Messi be next?

Momentum is building behind Messi’s push to cap his career with the biggest prize in the game. The 35-year-old Argentina playmaker has carried his team to the semifinals, almost in the same way Diego Maradona — the man with whom Messi is so often compared — led the South American nation to its second and most recent World Cup title in 1986.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo choked up with emotion as the tears ran down his cheeks. He momentarily covered his face with his hand, but couldn’t hide his disappointment.

This moment was too big.

It was likely the last World Cup match for the 37-year-old Ronaldo, and probably his last chance to win soccer’s biggest prize.

When it mattered most, he couldn’t conjure up the kind of soccer magic that has made him one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — France’s players reacted as if they had already won the World Cup. What they were actually celebrating, though, was Harry Kane’s missed penalty.

The match wasn’t over yet, but France was leading 2-1 when Kane, England’s captain and its best player, stepped up to take a penalty that would even the score in the 84th minute of Saturday’s match at Al Bayt Stadium.

He sent his shot high over the bar and defending champion France held on to win 2-1 for a spot in the semifinals.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped from Portugal’s starting lineup for the second straight match at the World Cup.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo won’t play from the outset in the quarterfinal match against Morocco on Saturday, after starting on the bench and then coming on as a substitute for the round-of-16 match against Switzerland.

Gonçalo Ramos, who scored a hat trick on Tuesday in Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland on his first start for Portugal, was again selected ahead of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup.

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Grant Wahl, an American journalist who helped grow the popularity of soccer in the U.S. and reported on some of the biggest stories in the sport, died Saturday while covering a World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48.

Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi up against Virgil van Dijk. The youngest coach at the World Cup taking on the oldest. South America versus Europe. A back catalog of famous meetings.

The quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands on Friday has all the ingredients of a classic.

And the possibility of it being Messi’s final game on soccer’s biggest stage just adds to the anticipation.

The seven-time world player of the year is three wins away from achieving his ultimate dream but he has two people, in particular, blocking his path.

08 Dec 2022; MEMO: Fans at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are on pace to spend record amounts at tournament venues, according to data from Visa, the event's official payment partner, Bloomberg reports.

According to the report, fans have already spent more money than they did when Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014, and 89 per cent of the value they spent in Russia in 2018.

Visa's data includes spending on its cards at all official World Cup venues, from the start of tournament through to 2 December.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — So, the dream is still alive for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Soccer’s most prolific modern-day scorer might yet, at the age of 37 and probably playing in his last World Cup, claim the one major title to elude him in a career like no other.

It didn’t quite feel that way, though, as he walked off the field alone at Lusail Stadium, leaving the rest of the Portugal team to celebrate getting through to the quarterfinals after a 6-1 rout of Switzerland on Tuesday.

06 Dec 2022; MEMO: Germany's Ambassador to Qatar has urged his country to reconsider its recent criticism of Doha, warning that recent comments had caused "serious harm", Spiegel reports.

According to the report, Ambassador Claudius Fischbach called on Berlin to change its strategy and improve diplomatic relations with Doha.

06 Dec 2022; MEMO: Many supporters were up in arms at the idea of the World Cup taking place in a conservative country like Qatar, where the sale of alcohol is highly restricted, but for some female fans it has led to a safer experience at the tournament, Reuters reports.