Messi finally comes through as the World Cup knockout stages take shape

There is no shortage of talking points as the group stages of the 2018 World Cup wrap up.

Lionel Messi finally scored as Argentina managed to sneak through. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a goal-filled tournament for Portugal. Controversy and upsets have kept things interesting. And some elite sides such as Brazil and France have looked sluggish while managing to stay alive.

We discuss these topics, plus the use of VAR and its impact on the field, the tournament's highs and lows thus far and we look ahead to the group stages.

And there is plenty more World Cup coverage on our website.