Moments of joy from Curaçao and Qatar combine to make one almost forget the insufferable bits around this tournament

World Cup has also been used by Argentina as an opportunity to stop bad parents having fun

Brazil survive shaky start to draw with Morocco while Qatar somehow grab a point from Swiss

Loss of Meath jockey’s dad at an early age made her all the more determined to put racing at the centre of her life

Opening ceremony was actually quite enjoyable, though Gianni Infantino might not have liked the boos

Ken Early describes Mexico City from the ground; Ciarán Murphy savours the jeopardy of the football championship

GAA’s complicated relationship with World Cup; James Lowe confirms he is leaving Leinster

Carla Ward is a woman so bullishly buoyant she could persuade you that you were a cert to win the Lotto

Carla Ward’s side take on France with a World Cup place at stake; Owen Doyle on the need to zip-it on the backchat

Ken Early turns his eye on Gianni Infantino’s reign as Fifa president

Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh was the scene of no little ecstasy for boys and girls in green the past few days

RTÉ’s familiar faces stuck on the sidelines again for World Cup’s footballing feast

Ireland hoping to spring a surprise on the Netherlands in Cork; Joe Canning on why the Leinster final carries more weight than Munster this year

‘It’s not an easy thing to see, a player who has spent so long at a club going to a rival,’ says Irish star

But squad is without Denise O’Sullivan, the team’s creative force, and Emily Murphy