The 2018 World Cup is in full flow in Russia.
What a controversial day Monday proved to be! Both Spain and Portugal made it to the last-16 as expected, but the way they did it was not in the script at all. At one stage Portugal were at risk of being knocked out of the World Cup if Iran had found another goal – following a controversial penalty in their favour – while Cristiano Ronaldo was lucky not to see red for what appeared to be a swinging elbow. Then Spain upped the VAR controversy against Morocco when Iago Aspas’ equaliser was initially ruled out before being overturned.
With all that in mind, today’s action could be even more frantic. Argentina face crunch time as they must beat Nigeria – and handsomely – to avoid going home early from the World Cup. They also need Croatia to do them a favour and beat Iceland, or else Lionel Messi’s last chance to win the World Cup will be over. Those are the late games, with France set to take on Denmark in the earlier kick-offs and Australia needing a big victory over Peru to stand any chance of progressing.
We will have all the latest news, views, pictures and video direct from Russia throughout the day as we pick up the pace at the biggest football tournament in the world.
Live Updates
17:45
Today's World Cup action isn't over just yet, oh no. It's a properly big one this evening.
We're building up to Argentina's date with destiny in St Petersburg. It's win or go home for Lionel Messi's men - and they still might go home anyway.
You can follow that one throughout the evening in the live blog below.
17:19
For now though, I'll leave you with this.
We understand your pain, Gary.
We really do.
17:18
And for a little bit more information on France's disappointing display, there was one notable omission - that of Paul Pogba who has been their most influential player so far this tournament.
Here is Luke Brown's discussion of the Manchester United player's importance to this France squad:
17:16
Meanwhile, if for some reason you want to relive that Denmark-France clash, you can read Miguel Delaney's piece on the unforgettable clash.
I can tell you, it's an entertaining read, at least.
17:14
Jake Josling also took a closer look at Mile Jedinak's performance during the Peru clash to see if he could impress and navigate a move away from cash-strapped Aston Villa.
17:11
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For more on the Australia-Peru clash including match ratings and review check this out:
17:10
So, the first half of Day 13 is coming to a close and what have we learnt?
Well, France and Denmark have progressed from Group C but you wouldn't know it from the reception in the crowd with a huge chorus of boos due to both sides playing out a turgid 0-0 draw.
Meanwhile, with Australia needing to beat Peru in the final game, they couldn't produce any magic, and ended up finishing bottom following the 2-0 defeat.
As a positive, at least Tim Cahill made an appearance to become the first Australian to feature in four World Cups for the Socceroos.
In other news, Lukaku missed training for Belgium today leading to doubts that he may not feature in their final Group G clash against England.
Hopefully there'll be slightly more entertainment in store this evening as Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria play for second place in Group D with Croatia taking first place.
Progress is in Nigeria's hands and if they beat Argentina they will be through to the second round, but, if they slip up, Iceland will be doing all they can to defeat the group leaders, Croatia.
It's all set up to be a fascinating evening of football.
Join us later and follow all the action live here at the Independent:
16:44
5 MINUTES TO GO:
To be honest, I don't know why I put this in bold writing.
It doesn't appear that either France or Denmark can be bothered trying, here.
Feel sorry for those who spent good money to see this.
16:35
Some good news amidst the bad for the Socceroos.
They really needed to win today and instead, they find themselves 2-0 down to Peru.
Meanwhile, France and Denmark appear more than happy to play out a 0-0 draw.
The crowd, less so.
16:29
Earlier this tournament, Mexico were fined for the actions and chants of their fans following their 1-0 victory against Germany.
Now it's the case of Argentina who have been handed a hefty fine for violent and homophobic chanting during their clash with Croatia which finished in a 3-0 defeat, leaving them on the brink of elimination.
More on this story here:
15:56
And one of the main beneficiaries of VAR have been penalties and by golly, there's been an influx of them.
Boffins at Sporting Index have been crunching the numbers so with penalty numbers swelling, how much is this 2018 World Cup going to smash the previous record by?
Well, apparently we're on a collision course to seeing 33 penalties (the previous record was 18!)
Six of the 20 penalties have been given on review after the referee initially rejected the appeals which highlights the significance of VAR thus far (as seen in abundance last night with Iran and Portugal.)
At least there's plenty of goals, ey?
15:41
So, we're over 30 minutes into Day 13 of the 2018 World Cup and *thus far* VAR has thankfully had no say in the matter.
That makes a change!
But regardless of whether you're pro or anti-technology, Forza Football has polled its users to gauge fan feeling, debating if VAR is good or not.
Over 50,000 responses have been analysed and apparently 74% of fans internationally are pleased at the introduction of VAR for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, in England, on the lower ebb of the scale, 65% are happy about its introduction.
That still sounds quite high to me, especially after my forays on twitter!
What do you think?
15:21
PERU HAVE SCORED!
That makes it 31 of 32 nations to have scored in this tournament! Just Costa Rica to go...
They've taken the lead against Australia courtesy of a wonder strike from Andre Carrillo.
This is great news for Denmark who are currently more than holding their own against France.
14:55
Away from this kick-off, there's more from the Egypt fallout of their disastrous World Cup campaign.
Mohamed Salah, their talisman and Liverpool's shining light this season was meant to pave the way to the Egyptian dream.
Instead, the fans would rather bury this World Cup memory into the abyss.
Simon Hart delves deeper into the issues that have plagued Egypt here in Russia:
14:50
Kick off in both matches is 10 MINUTES AWAY.
National anthems to come shortly.
13:59
And you can follow all of the action live, here at the Independent as Mike Jones guides you through both games.
13:52
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In the other 3pm kick off, this is how Australia and Peru line-up:
It's a must-win game for the Socceroos while Peru will be playing for professional pride and are one of the two sides yet to score at this World Cup.
Last chance saloon for both.
13:50
TEAM NEWS: FRANCE v DENMARK
France have made some notable changes including the omission of Paul Pogba.
Les Bleus are already through but have yet to confirm top spot.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough's Martin Braithwaite starts for Denmark in their most notable change.
13:46
Anyway, want to get into the Australian feel of things?
Here you go.
13:45
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