Sports News Roundup: Nuggets stun Blazers with last-second trey; Plane carrying basketball star Griner lands in U.S and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Where will Cristiano Ronaldo go next? Former Manchester United player's options

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United last month after a controversial interview in which he said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. With the January transfer window close, what is his next move? WHAT HAS RONALDO SAID?

Qatar probing death of a worker at World Cup training site

Qatar has launched a work safety investigation into the death of a Filipino, officials said on Thursday, following reports that the man died while working at a training site during the soccer World Cup. Qatar's treatment of migrant workers has come under enormous scrutiny during the build-up to the tournament, with human rights groups accusing the Gulf state of systematic labour abuses -- charges rejected by the government.

Soccer-Croatia and Brazil locked 0-0 at halftime in World Cup quarter-final

Five-times champions Brazil and Croatia were locked 0-0 at halftime in the first World Cup quarter-final on Friday. There was nothing to separate the Brazilians and their 2018 runners-up opponents, with both sides enjoying half chances in a free-flowing game, but nothing clear-cut.

NBA roundup: Nuggets stun Blazers with last-second trey

Jamal Murray drained a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 121-120 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. Nikola Jokic recorded 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Denver halted its season-worst, three-game slide. Aaron Gordon added 20 points for the Nuggets, and Murray had eight assists.

Soccer-FIFA World Cup 2022 quarter-finals: start date, schedule of fixtures and predictions

The quarter-final phase of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is all set to kick off. Three weeks in, the tournament has not been one for easy predictions. From Saudi Arabia's shock win over Argentina in their opener to 2014 champions Germany making a quick exit a second consecutive time, this edition has provided a rollercoaster of comebacks and head-spinning group climaxes.

Soccer-World Cup memorabilia proves a big draw for football fans in Qatar

Football fans in Doha have been flocking to see a collection of World Cup memorabilia put on show by two Qatari brothers and featuring medals, balls and shirts worn by the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as some more obscure items. Fans from all over the world have been able to view everything from a shirt issued to Netherlands winger Arjen Robben for the 2010 final in South Africa to Diego Maradona's USA 94 World Cup ID among the rare soccer artefacts owned by the Almeer brothers, Esmael and Khalid.

Soccer-Why do the world's best footballers take such poor penalties?

It is short odds that there will be a penalty shootout at the World Cup over the next two days. There has been at least one in the quarter-finals of the last nine tournaments, peaking in 1986 when three of the four matches went to penalties. Few of those, however, can have featured a set of spot kicks as poor as in the last-16 games in Qatar. Japan went out with a whimper as Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic saved tame efforts Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida were all denied by Livakovic.

Soccer-Leave Ronaldo alone, says Portugal coach Santos ahead of quarter-final

Cristiano Ronaldo was upset when he was left out of Portugal's starting lineup against Switzerland but the conversation to drop him was completely normal and it is high time the world stopped focusing on the matter, coach Fernando Santos said on Friday. Ronaldo was benched as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16. Later, the country's football federation had to publicly deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament after talking with Santos.

Plane carrying basketball star Griner lands in U.S

A plane carrying basketball star Brittney Griner landed in the United States early on Friday, nearly 10 months after she was detained in Russia. Griner was released in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout and was heading home on Thursday, ending what President Joe Biden called months of "hell" for her and her wife.

Tennis-Two French players handed life bans for match-fixing

French players Mick Lescure and Jules Okala have been given life bans from tennis after investigations into multiple incidents of match-fixing since 2014, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday. The 29-year-old Lescure, who peaked at world number 487, was found guilty of eight charges of match-fixing and also handed a $40,000 fine. Okala, 25, whose highest ranking was 338, was found guilty of seven charges and fined $15,000.