Adding more time at the end of World Cup games to compensate for stoppages has raised the average active playing time to 59 minutes, FIFA's head of refereeing said Wednesday.

Pierluigi Collina said FIFA was "quite happy (with) the result" of games routinely extending from the 90 minutes of regulation to more than 100 in total.

Robert Lewandowski left the field with a huge smile on his face after blowing kisses to fans and hugging teammates.

You'd never know his team just lost a crucial World Cup game 2-0 to Argentina.

From a generational-defining win over Lionel Messi and Argentina to the recent reports that Cristiano Ronaldo could soon be on his way to play soccer in the kingdom, Saudi Arabia has caused a sensation at the World Cup.

The Green Falcons have nothing to be ashamed about after being eliminated following a 2-1 loss to Mexico on Wednesday.

Arab football fans have flooded social media with satire, celebrating unexpected victories and poking fun at their own misfortunes as Qatar hosts the Middle East's first World Cup.

Argentina star Lionel Messi was the butt of region-wide jokes after his team's shock 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia last week.

French referee Stéphanie Frappart will become the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup game when she handles Germany vs. Costa Rica on Thursday in Qatar.

FIFA also picked two women as assistants to Frappart — Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico's Karen Diaz Medina — to complete an all-female refereeing team on the field.

Morocco is seeking to reach the World Cup's knockout stage for the first time since 1986. Canada, already eliminated, is hoping to leave Qatar with its first win.

Morocco would advance with a victory or a draw on Thursday night, and also could reach the round of 16 with a defeat depending on the result of Belgium's match with Croatia.

After conceding late to miss out on a victory against Germany, Spain finds itself with some work left to do against Japan to guarantee its spot in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

It doesn't need much, though, as a draw on Thursday will be enough, and even a loss may allow La Roja to advance depending on the other Group E result between Germany and Costa Rica.

After getting a favor from Costa Rica, Germany needs a win against the Central American team on Thursday to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages at the World Cup.

Costa Rica's surprise win over Japan on Sunday ensured Germany did not face the prospect of immediate elimination with a loss to Spain later that day. With the pressure off, Germany fought back from a goal down and drew 1-1 thanks to Niclas Füllkrug's late equalizer to postpone its fate to its final game in Group E.

Ibrahim Al-Ghanim, a former Qatar national soccer team defender, was dressed like thousands of other local men as he rushed to his seat through a main foyer at Al Bayt Stadium.

He wore the traditional thobe — the long-sleeve, floor-length white robe — and came to celebrate Qatar's national team on Tuesday in its final match at the World Cup.

Football fans looking for a respite from Lebanon's crushing economic crisis have found a challenge in simply watching the World Cup after the bankrupt state failed to pay for broadcasting rights.

"No football this year," said Jean Bassil angrily, flicking through channels on his old-fashioned television screen.