Reuters Sports News Summary

Croatia, runners-up in 2018, prevailed with goals by Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic to end their World Cup on a high as Luka Modric possibly bid farewell to the soccer extravaganza. Soccer-Croatia edge Morocco 2-1 to clinch third spot at World Cup Croatia beat injury-hit Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to leave Qatar on a high after again surpassing expectations following their run to the final in 2018.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Proud Morocco want to build African legacy after World Cup run, says Regragui

Morocco will leave Qatar proud and happy after becoming the first African or Arabic team to reach the last four at a World Cup but they should strive for more in the future, coach Walid Regragui said on Saturday. Morocco were beaten 2-1 by Croatia on Saturday in the third-place playoff, but Regragui lauded his young players saying they did everything he asked of them in the tournament, having beaten elite teams including Belgium, Portugal and Spain on their way to the semi-finals.

NBA roundup: Nets prevail on Kyrie Irving's last-second trey

Kyrie Irving hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer at the buzzer and the visiting Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors 119-116 Friday night. Irving finished with 32 points and Kevin Durant added 28 for the Nets, who have won five straight and nine of 10.

NFL-Vikings complete biggest comeback in NFL history, beat Colts in overtime

The Minnesota Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback in National Football League history on Saturday when they rallied from a 33-0 halftime deficit to beat the visiting Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime. Minnesota, who trailed 36-7 with under five minutes to play in the third quarter, put the finishing touches on the comeback when Greg Joseph nailed a 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in the extra period.

Soccer-Croatia proud of World Cup third place, expect bright future

Croatia ended their World Cup campaign with the pride of claiming third place in a 2-1 win against Morocco, which marked the end of a journey but also promised a bright future, coach Zlatko Dalic said on Saturday. Croatia, runners-up in 2018, prevailed with goals by Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic to end their World Cup on a high as Luka Modric possibly bid farewell to the soccer extravaganza.

Soccer-Croatia edge Morocco 2-1 to clinch third spot at World Cup

Croatia beat injury-hit Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to leave Qatar on a high after again surpassing expectations following their run to the final in 2018. Despite defeat, Morocco also leave with heads aloft after becoming the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Soccer-Whatever the ending, Qatar World Cup duly delivered

A World Cup that has defied all expectations reaches its climax on Sunday when Lionel Messi could join Diego Maradona in Argentine immortality by taking the south Americans to the title or France could become the first nation to retain it since 1962.

Both scenarios would be an appropriate final act to the first World Cup staged in an Arab country.

Soccer-Beware the penalty specialist if final goes to shootout

If Sunday's World Cup final becomes the third to go to penalties then coaches Didier Deschamps of France and Argentina's Lionel Scaloni should avoid the temptation to throw on a "penalty specialist" at the end of extra time - because it never works. Data analyst Nielsen Gracenote looked at the relatively recent trend and found that of the seven players brought on at the end of extra time in the World Cup or European Championship to take a penalty, all seven missed, with five of their teams losing the shootout.

Factbox-Soccer-10 memorable impressions from the Qatar World Cup

The Qatar World Cup has delivered a rich feast of soccer for the past month, with shocks, great goals, incredible celebrations and record-breaking feats served up by the assembled cast. Here are 10 of the highlights as chosen by the Reuters team of reporters covering the tournament.

Brittney Griner says she will advocate for Americans detained abroad, resume career

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, who on Friday left an Army medical center where she had been recuperating following her release from a Russian penal colony as part of a prisoner swap, said she would work to help bring other detained Americans home and planned to resume her WNBA career. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star, left the Brooke Army Medical Center a week after she arrived at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, CNN reported.

Tennis-Raducanu hires Sachs as coach on trial until end of year

Emma Raducanu says her new coach Sebastian Sachs has been appointed on a trial basis until the end of the year. Last year's U.S. Open champion Raducanu was watched by Sachs, her fifth coach in 18 months, on Friday as she lost to world number two Ons Jabeur on her injury return in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi.