World Cup 2018 LIVE: Argentina and Lionel Messi reaction, Diego Maradona latest, Germany and Brazil bid to reach last-16, news, predictions and more

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's World Cup live blog, where we'll bring you all the latest from Russia as Groups E and F take centre stage, plus the fallout from Argentina's dramatic victory over Nigeria and Diego Maradona's controversial night continues.

There is only one place to start this morning. Argentina progressed from Group D thanks to Marcos Rojo's late volley at the end of a drama-filled night full of twists and turns.

Jonathan Liew was in St. Petersburg:

There was drama off the field, too. Diego Maradona appeared to collapse after his countrymen's win, and was treated by paramedics at the stadium. However, an Argentinian source has denied earlier reports that Maradona was transported to a local hospital.

It has been a typically controversial tournament for Maradona. There were allegations of racist gestures directed towards a group of South Korea fans earlier, and last night's 'celebration' has drawn criticism from Gary Lineker, who has branded Maradona a 'laughing stock.'

Back to on-field matters, and the insertion of Ever Banega worked to somewhat transform a struggling midfield. Michael Cox looks at the tactical alterations that paid dividends for Argentina:

While Argentina's win was the both the game and the story of the day, six other sides concluded their group stages yesterday. Iceland harboured faint hopes of progression, but eventually fell to a much-changed but still impressive Croatia. From Rostov-on-Don, Nick Miller:

Tuesday had earlier seen the conclusion of Group C. Peru notched a first World Cup win for 40 years against Australia, while the Luzhniki Stadium was the venue for the first 0-0 of the tournament. Neither France nor Denmark could bring any colour to a drab game of football, and it is Les Bleus who will be more concerned with that. Doubts remain about Didier Deschamps' ability to get the best out of an immensely talented French squad:

For all the fallout from yesterday, have a listen to The Indy Football Podcast. There is a new episode out every day during the World Cup to listen to. The latest episode features Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney discussing Argentina's win alongside Sports Editor Ed Malyon in Moscow, while Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Liew provide their thoughts on their way home from the St. Petersburg Stadium. The podcast is available on various podcasting platforms, including iTunes, or you can listen through your browser here:

The four games today come from Groups F and E. From 3pm BST, South Korea play Germany in Kazan and Mexico meet Sweden in Ekaterinburg. All four teams can still qualify.

Mexico top the group and need only a point, or a German draw or loss, to secure qualification. Sweden qualify if they better Germany's result, and will top the group if they beat Mexico with a better result than Germany. 

Germany progress if they win by two or more clear goals. If both they and Sweden draw, the team involved in the higher scoring game will progress as the second qualifier. If both draw with the same score, Germany will progress thanks to Toni Kroos' late winner against Sweden.

South Korea can qualify with a win over Germany and a Sweden loss, provided their resulting goal difference is better than either of them.

Got it?

On to Group E. Serbia vs Brazil is at the the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, while Switzerland vs Costa Rica is in Nizhny Novgorod - 7pm kick-offs. Costa Rica are out.

A draw for Brazil against Serbia is enough to progress. A point would also take Switzerland through, who could also progress with a loss provided Brazil win.

Serbia qualify with a win over Brazil. A draw would be good enough if Costa Rica beat Switzerland by more than one goal.