World Cup wonders

Love me Tinder …

England fan Chris Salmon, 42, used Tinder to secure a date – plus a ticket for the semi-final should England win today. The divorcee from Potters Bar secured a ticket in Moscow but only after he had left for Samara, 700 miles away. A lawyer called Natalya agreed to bring the ticket to her date. “I didn’t want to use her just to get the ticket,” he said. “But I’m definitely buying her lunch.”

Copycat diving ends in ball ban

A head teacher banned football after World Cup players inspired children to dive and foul. Richard Potter, of Home Farm Primary in Colchester, said pupils can play if they agree a code of conduct. “It’s nothing violent, but bad tackles, barging, leaping on backs – they see it on TV.”

A higher class of football fan

Fans are taking an interest in classical Russian literature, says Moscow’s House of Books stores, with works by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky flying off the shelf. Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is the most popular, followed by Eugene Onegin, Anna Karenina, The Idiot and Doctor Zhivago.

Who to watch – Kyle or Kane?

Viewers face a choice of football or tennis today as Kyle Edmund could be on the centre court as England kick off. The last Briton in Wimbledon’s singles hoped his match with Novak Djokovic would be first on, but it is third.

Could it be lucky 13 for England?

The Three Lions lyric has a secret message, say fans who are sharing a theory on Twitter that proves England will win the World Cup. The key is 13 – all quarter finals have a team with 6 letters and a team with 7 (13). All games are played on July 6 or 7 (13).

The number of letters in “It’s coming home”?