MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local):
11:25 a.m.
Croatia defender Dejan Lovren says teammate Luka Modric would be a contender for the world’s best player of the year award if he played for one of the supposed powers of international football.
Modric has been one of the standout players at the World Cup, scoring in both matches — including a long-range shot against Argentina — to help Croatian qualify for the knockout stage with a game to spare.
Lovren says “Modric would probably be getting more attention than he is right now if he was a German or Spanish player — he would maybe even be a Ballon D’Or winner.”
The Liverpool defender adds: “Because we are a smaller country, he does get less attention than he deserves.”
Croatia plays Iceland in their final Group D on Tuesday.
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11:20 a.m.
Peru’s soccer federation says striker Jefferson Farfan has been hospitalized with head trauma after a hard collision with a teammate during practice at the World Cup.
The federation says initial results “were favorable for the player” but Farfan was going to remain in the hospital so doctors could monitor him.
Farfan went down after colliding with one of the team’s goalkeepers in a practice session on Saturday.
The federation says he was transferred to the hospital after all medical protocols were followed on the field.
Peru has been eliminated from World Cup contention after losses to Denmark and France and has a group game remaining against Australia in Sochi.
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More AP World Cup coverage: www.apnews.com/tag/WorldCup
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