That’s it from us. Thanks for reading this news blog.
I’ll leave you with Paul MacInnes’s reflections on Norway’s historic moment yesterday …
Right, live football. Portugal and Spain meet in Dallas – and it should be a cracker. Join Scott Murray for all the action …
Mbappé hits out at Paraguayan senator over 'brazen racism'
Kylian Mbappé has labelled Celeste Amarilla, a senator in Paraguay, “a despicable woman” and accused her of “brazen racism” over comments made she made about him on social media after France knocked Paraguay out in the last 16.
Mbappé has written on X …
Madame Celeste Amarilla, You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.
In response to a video showing Mbappé celebrating next to the Paraguay goalkeeper, Orlando Gill, at full time, Amarilla wrote on X: “This brute didn’t even learn to write; instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees. You should’ve shown him the finger, Orlando Gill; I do it in the senate and nothing happens!!!”
France make appeal to Fifa over Olise yellow card
France have made an appeal to Fifa, asking the organisation to rescind the yellow card handed out to Michael Olise for a confrontation with the Paraguay midfielder Matías Galarza during a last-16 match on Saturday, the Athletic have reported.
Olise was booked after a tense exchange that ended with Galarza going to the ground while holding his face. Replays showed that Olise grabbed Galarza’s shirt but did not make contact to the head area.
France face Morocco in a quarter-final match on Thursday at Boston Stadium. If Olise is handed another yellow card in that match, he would not be eligible to play in next week in the semi-finals, should France advance.
The USA made a successful appeal over a red card handed out to Folarin Balogun in a last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. Fifa’s controversial decision will allow Balogun to play in Monday’s last-16 match against Belgium.
According to the report, France’s decision to appeal the yellow card for Olise was not inspired by the United States’ successful Balogun appeal. Reuters
“It needs to be stated that in Trump’s America, Balogun wouldn’t even be a citizen,” points out Rob Young, an American living in Germany.
“Only last week, the Supreme Court (for once) ruled against Trump and invalidated his Executive Order denying birthright citizenship to children of illegal or temporary internationals. Which would have included Balogun, who as has been reported many times, was only born in NYC because the airline didn’t want his very pregnant mother to travel back to London … Another level of the immense hypocrisy surrounding this entire situation.”
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has waded in on Balogun-gate …
I think it was the right decision to reverse it. And if you’re Belgium, why would you want to play a game and win a match, and then you win this match, and then everyone will argue you didn’t really win it because their best player, leading scorer was not on the pitch during the match?
It’s kind of unusual because, generally speaking, I mean, if you’re playing, you want the other side to be at its best so that your victory is not tainted in that way.
Obviously, there’s a lot of drama around it … I don’t claim to be an expert on soccer, but from everyone I heard that knows about this, they all say that the guy’s head wasn’t even looking down. It wasn’t like he knew where he was stepping.
Look, maybe they’re trying to get an international incident. I don’t know; maybe we’ll bring it up at Nato tomorrow when we’re there with the Belgians and everybody else.
Paul MacInnes reports from the States …
Just wanted to share: every user of Fifa’s media app has received an alert sharing Gianni Infantino’s statement on the Balogun overturn. Fifa were quiet on day one of this story – generally pointing reporters to their statutes – and journalists are accustomed not to hearing anything from Fifa at all. Quite a striking change!
To nobody’s great surprise, Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Portugal against Spain. Here are the lineups from Dallas …
Portugal (4-2-3-1): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; J Neves, Vitinha; Neto, Fernandes, João Félix; Ronaldo
Subs: Sá, R Silva, Semedo, Araujo, Dalot, Inácio, Samu, Luiz, B Silva, R Neves, Ramos, Trincão, Leão, Guedes, Conceição
Spain (4-2-3-1): Simón; Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Subs: Raya, J García, Pubill, Grimaldo, E García, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Ruiz, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Muñoz, Iglesias
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Will this be Ronaldo’s last game for Portugal?
If you’re hanging around Seattle today and fancy going to the game later, it will set you back around $1,500 – and that’s after prices have been falling for the last three days.
The get-in price as of 1pm ET had dropped to $1,508, according to ticket-tracking service TicketData.com. That represents a 27% drop over the past three days. After reaching $3,115 shortly after the matchup was determined on 1 July, the get-in price fell as low as $1,283 on Sunday morning. The price rebounded a bit throughout Sunday, reaching $1,788, before dipping again beginning Monday morning.
It has followed the trend of other round of 16 matches. While the get-in price for England’s win over Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday night was $3,820 when tracking stopped four hours before the match, other remaining matches have seen significant declines.
The get-in price for Argentina’s match against Egypt on Tuesday in Atlanta was $1,599 on 4 July but has dipped to $1,378. Switzerland’s match against Colombia in Vancouver on the same day now has the lowest get-in price among the round of 16 games after dropping from $972 to $719 over the past two days. Reuters
Brazilian federation defend referee after Trump's 'suspect' comment
Brazil’s football federation has defended the integrity of a referee who Donald Trump said was “a little bit suspect”, amid a furore over Fifa’s reversal of a red card given to USA striker Folarin Balogun.
Trump took a swipe at the Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun the red card, in the latest episode of a fraught relationship between Washington and Brasilia.
“There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion,” the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said in a statement sent to AFP. “The CBF rejects any insinuation casting doubt on Raphael Claus’s integrity. He is an exemplary professional.”
Trump confirmed he had asked the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, to review the “horrible” decision to hand a red card to Balogun, but said he did not request it be overturned. The US president – who said “I understand sports really well” – acknowledged that he was initially unaware that the red card meant Balogun was barred from the next game, saying the rule is “very unfair.”
Trump has had an up-and-down relationship with the administration of Brazil’s leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Trump is a close ally of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, whose son Flavio is running against Lula in October presidential elections. His administration is threatening Brazil with new tariffs over alleged unfair trade practices.
Last year, Trump’s administration hit Brazil with steep tariffs over a coup trial against the now-jailed Jair Bolsonaro, 71. However, the duties were lifted after a meeting between Lula and Trump. Last month Lula warned Trump should “not meddle” in the upcoming election. AFP
Updated
Kick-off in the actual football match between the USA and Belgium is in just over six hours time. It’s in Seattle, where the USA beat Australia in the group stage and Belgium drew with Egypt and beat Senegal.
Kick-off times around the world: 5pm local time, 8pm EST, 1am BST, 10am AEST.
Their last World Cup meeting in 2014 was remembered for genuine sporting excellence, with Tim Howard setting a tournament record of 16 saves (which still stands, despite Eloy Room’s best efforts) as Belgium won 2-1 in extra time. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku scored in that last 16 tie and are expected to start later on – Howard is not.
Updated
Video: Here’s a reminder of what Donald Trump said in the Oval Office earlier on …
Belgian FA "has no standing" to appeal Balogun decision
Fifa have now issued this statement, explaining why Belgium cannot appeal the decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban:
The FIFA Appeal Committee has rendered a request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) as inadmissible in relation to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to suspend for one year the match suspension imposed on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun following his dismissal for a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026™ match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, played on 1 July 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The chairperson of the FIFA Appeal Committee, Neil Eggleston (from the United States), was not involved in the decision.
The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.
Thanks Will. There is yet another update on Folarin Balogun, Belgium and Fifa’s appeals committee coming up …
It feels like Balogun-gate will run and run, as will this blog. Billy Munday is primed for the next stint.
Joe emails: “To me, the cleanest solution would be for Pochettino simply not to play Balogun. While some in the US have claimed that the politicking around the decision is hardly the fault of the players or manager, and so they should just be allowed to get on with it, I think refusing to field Balogun would send a powerful ethical message that the people deeply involved in the game on the ground, those whose job is to set an example, care about the integrity of the competition and understand it in a way that politicians and other arrivistes do not. Of course, I’m utterly naive and it will never happen.”
It would be a bold gesture.
Brazil are out and deservedly so. This is not the best team ever to come out of the country but no one is happy with their efforts.
As you would expect, the reaction back home has been scathing. Neto, the former Brazil player who is now a pundit on Radio Bandeirantes, laid into the current crop of players. “It’s a generation that won fuck all,” he said. “There are six players who won one Copa América and that’s it. It was embarrassing from the beginning and everything that happened before that game. It was a shameful campaign and these guys are losers. It’s a generation of lies.”
Brazil’s World Cup wound is open again and, for Cafu, the cure will not be found only in tactics, systems or another forensic search for scapegoats.
It may begin with something far simpler: letting children kick a ball without feeling the weight of a nation on their small shoulders. A day after Brazil’s harrowing 2-1 loss to Norway in the last 16 at the New York/New Jersey stadium, where Erling Haaland scored twice to send the record five-times champions home, the captain of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning side said the country must trust coach Carlo Ancelotti with a proper four-year rebuild.
Brazil’s wait for a sixth title will now stretch to at least 28 years, longer than any barren run in their history. Cafu, who was part of the 1994 squad that ended a 24-year drought, knows what that number does to a Brazilian shirt.
“Even greater,” he told Reuters on Monday when asked what pressure awaited the next generation. “If there was pressure in ’94 after 24 years, just imagine now in 2030, after 28 years.”
Responsible for unveiling an 8.47-metre-long LEGO sculpture of the World Cup, built from more than 1.36 million LEGO bricks, at Rockefeller Plaza in the heart of New York City on Monday, Cafu resisted resorting to hyperbole.
Brazil, he said, remain Brazil, judged by “the potential and the calibre of Brazilian football”, which is precisely why patience will be so difficult and so necessary.
“It’s not the end of the world,” he said. “It’s the start of a new cycle and a new generation, so we have to trust Carlo (Ancelotti) is the man to help Brazil win that title again.” Reuters
Popularised by Pelé, botched by Bruno Guimarães. The stutter-step penalty is one of the most notable trends of this World Cup, but Guimarães’ sputtering spot-kick failure was crucial as Brazil were dumped out of the tournament by Norway on Sunday.
The midfielder’s stutter penalty was saved by Ørjan Nyland, who dived to his left to parry the weak effort in the first half of Sunday’s last-16 contest in New York-New Jersey. The match was scoreless until two second-half goals from Erling Haaland gave Norway the victory, with substitute Neymar claiming a consolation deep into stoppage-time via a successful penalty after another halting run-up.
It’s safe to say that the technique is not popular with fans. “Every player that takes a stutter-step penalty should be blindfolded and left out in the desert to find their way back on their own,” was one of the milder comments on social media after Guimarães’s desk.
Matt Hughes on the slow burning war between Fifa and Uefa.
By endorsing a statement in which Uefa accused Fifa of crossing “a red line” in making the “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision to lift the USA striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension for Monday’s last-16 tie with Belgium, Ceferin has effectively put European football on a war footing with the world governing body, a dramatic move that could have major implications for the future of the sport.
Needless to say, there is no real explanation from Infantino there, just a well-written business statement.
I guess that is Infantino’s attempt to squirm his way out from under the bus Donald Trump threw him under earlier.
Infantino: Fifa principles upheld in Balogun decision
The Fifa president claims he the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s suspension was not influenced by a conversation he had with the US president Donald Trump.
“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent Fifa Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of Fifa’s governance.
“Fifa’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the Fifa Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the Fifa World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving Fifa’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how Fifa’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of Fifa at all times.”
Folarin Balogun has proved how good he is in this tournament and is attracting interest from England. Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on him. It isn’t his doing but feels like he will be remembered solely for the deals being done behind his back, through no fault of his own.
Starmer intervened to stop England kick-off change
Sir Keir Starmer intervened to prevent Fifa bringing forward kick-off at the Estadio Azteca amid concerns the change could give World Cup co-hosts Mexico an unfair advantage over England.
The UK Government stepped in through diplomatic channels to oppose moving the match from 1am to 7pm BST because it would mean Thomas Tuchel’s team had less time to adapt to the altitude, it is understood.
Starmer directed the intervention after being alerted to the potential problem by the Football Association, which is understood to have contacted Downing Street before the game, as first reported by The Sun, which broke the story.
England overcame hostility, altitude and Jarell Quansah’s red card to edge a 3-2 blockbuster against Mexico on Monday morning UK time and set up a quarter-final clash with Norway.
The match was due to kick-off at 1am UK time (6pm local time), but with the threat of lightning in the area, the stadium activated its thunderstorm protocol and the game instead started at 2am UK time (7pm local time).
Outgoing Prime Minister Starmer intervened last week with emergency legislation to allow pubs to stay open late for the round-of-16 match. PA Media
Belgium v USA is not solely about the Folarin Balogun shenanigans, there’s a lot at stake for the Belgians, as Jonathan Wilson points out.
This squad seems cursed to be judged against the standards of two World Cups ago, somehow blamed for not being as good as their predecessors and at the same time damned for those predecessors’ failure to convert talent into silverware.
If you drill into the numbers, the 19 non-penalty shots England faced were collectively worth only 1.09 expected goals (xG). Thomas Tuchel’s men defended superbly.
Blocks are big business, it transpires.
A historic night for England as they beat Mexico 3-2 in their World Cup last-16 tie was soured by an injury suffered by Jordan Henderson from falling over an advertising board in the post-match celebrations. The former Liverpool captain, who was an unused substitute, was taken to hospital and it was later confirmed that he had broken his wrist and that he is out of the tournament.
George joins Everton from Chelsea in permanent deal
Everton have completed the signing of Tyrique George from Chelsea for a fee that could rise to £24m.
The England under-21 international spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton, making 11 appearances, and manager David Moyes was keen to secure the winger on a permanent basis following the arrival of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough.
Everton are expected to pay £18m for the 20 year old with another £6m in add-ons. “I loved my time here on loan last season, so as soon as I knew it was a possibility to return that’s always what I wanted,” said George. “There is a lot more to come from me and with the manager, the coaches and my teammates, I know I’m in a great place to show it.”
Updated
If you are into building things with tiny bricks, then this is for you. An absolutely massive World Cup trophy and a few big name players have been unveiled in New York City.
Senegalese football officials are due to return home on Tuesday morning, nearly a week after their knockout-stage exit at the World Cup, the country’s sports ministry has said.
The players and technical staff had been left stranded in Seattle where they had lost a round of 32 game on 2 July, before eventually flying out two days later. They lost 3-2 to Belgium after extra time but had not booked flights home because they had not expected to lose.
Some players were also reportedly granted authorisation to stay back in the US and fly onwards to their bases or go on vacation. However, logistical issues meant that the rest of the delegation was initially left behind.
“The arrival in Dakar of the official national team delegation is now scheduled,” the ministry said in a statement on its website on Sunday. The chartered flight is due to land in the Senegalese capital on Tuesday morning at 09:15 local time, it added.
The Teranga Lions had qualified from their group, by thrashing Iraq 5-0 after rebounding from earlier losses against France and Norway. But the team squandered a 2-0 lead towards the end of normal time.
Critics and fans back in West Africa had attributed the team’s loss to the ageing core of its squad and tactical decisions by head coach Pape Thiaw. However, a slew of controversies within the team seem to have affected their performances too: Thiaw reportedly had no signed contract and was owed five months of salary arrears by the Fédération of Senegalese Football (FSF) until a few hours to the knockout game. There was also a backlog of unpaid player bonuses and allegations that the team’s head chef had sexually harassed a member of staff during the tournament.
“As long as this coaching staff is in place, I will be taking a break from the national team,” Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye posted on social media after the last game.
Senegal, one of Africa’s top-ranked teams, are no strangers to logistical issues. Last October, the Senegalese government had to intervene before a crucial World Cup qualifier against neighbours Mauritania went ahead at the national stadium just outside Dakar. Officials of the public infrastructure agency had tried to stop the team from playing there because of millions of CFAs in debt owed by the FSF. Even in May, as the World Cup neared, the Teranga Lions were stopped from training at the pitch because of a similar situation.
Will other world leaders phone up Infantino now and ask him to sort things out. See if Keir Starmer can get Quansah off his suspension etc.
Is Fifa fit for purpose anymore?
Bryan Armen Graham has the latest on all the ludicrous/bizarre situation Fifa has needlessly put itself into.
We can only guess who the man Trump spoke to in order to get Balogun available again …
Fifa really left without a leg to stand on here.
Fair play to Trump who says “I understand sports really well, really well” and then does not understand the basics of how red cards and suspensions work.
Updated
Thanks Dominic. I assume we are all excited for the next two hours of Trump, Balogun and Fifa controversy.
Well, with the drama set to continue later with Spain v Portugal and that incredibly tasty USA v Belgium game afterwards, I shall hand the live blog reins back to Will Unwin.
A story in several parts. Here’s everything we’ve written on it (so far!)
I’m struggling to recall a World Cup saga quite like this. Where does it go from here? Can Balogun possibly play? Whatever happens, you can guarantee most neutrals will probably be supporting Belgium now …
Trump confirms he asked Fifa to review Balogun suspension
Donald Trump has confirmed he lobbied Fifa to intervene regarding Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trump’s intervention seemingly led Fifa to “suspend” the striker’s one-match ban, making him now available to play for the USA in their last 16 match against Belgium.
The incident has caused much controversy, with the Belgian football federation and manager Rudi Garcia, as well as Uefa, responding in strong terms, claiming Fifa “crossed a line” and offered the USA preferential treatment that calls into question the “integrity” of the game and the World Cup.
Here’s what the US president said in an Oval Office speech on Monday:
I saw the play. And I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete. I understand sports really well, really well. And that wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. And this referee, who is a little bit suspect … I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect. He made a call that nobody could believe. You know, even people on the other side, they said, ‘oh, we got lucky’. Wow. That’s very interesting.
And he [Balogun] is our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game. I said, boy, that’s a big, you know, if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair. But when they take your best player, or just about, and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair. That’s you know, it’s one thing to penalise somebody for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.
So yes, I asked for a review by Fifa. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold. And he was good before this started. But, you know, he really pushed it in this country.
Updated
Away from the World Cup, some WSL transfer news to bring you, with the top clubs starting to make their moves.
Also at Chelsea, Aggie Beever-Jones has signed a new deal until 2030, which is great news for the Blues. “Chelsea has been my club since I was a young girl, and that means a lot to me and my family. It’s a very proud day,” she said.
Donald Trump has been speaking in the Oval Office just now, alongside Republican senator Ted Cruz.
Cruz just thanked the US president for “getting rid of that ridiculous red card” – in reference to Folarin Balogun.
On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card... it was spectacular. There was a reason the Fifa [peace] trophy sat here for as long as it did.
Trump added:
The status is, we have the press. They don’t want to know anything soccer/football. Fortunately, they won’t be asking any questions on that. Nobody cares about that, right? This is about the Trump accounts, which are absolutely incredible for children.
England's Henderson ruled out of World Cup
Morning from Mexico City. A euphoric night for England but it’s been slightly tarnished by Jordan Henderson’s freak injury. The midfielder is sadly out of the World Cup after suffering a broken wrist. He stayed in Mexico overnight and needs surgery.
More on this story to come.
An update (of sorts) on Balogun and USA v Belgium: The Belgian football federation (RBFA) says it has still not received either “Fifa’s decision or any explanation regarding this matter” and adds “in these circumstances, it has no choice but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”
It did not specify where it intends to appeal Fifa’s decision.
It’s almost like this situation is virtually unprecedented …
Before we pivot away from England and onto other topics, there is time for a shameless self-plug.
Today’s Football Daily was written by yours truly and concerns Thomas Tuchel’s mentality monsters. Read/subscribe/share!!
What a sensational image this is. Big Dan Burn getting his head on everything Mexico could muster up.
Hang it in the Louvre, as the kids say.
I simply had to bump this comment right up to the top. As an England fan, I feel much the same, Topher. Well said.
Golden boot standings: Can Harry Kane, or maybe even Jude Bellingham, snatch the Golden Boot from under the grasp of Messrs Messi, Mbappé and Haaland?
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Kylian Mbappé (7 goals)
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Lionel Messi (7)
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Erling Haaland (7)
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Harry Kane (6)
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Ousmane Dembélé (4)
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Jude Bellingham (4)
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Mikel Oyarzabal (4)
Despite that astonishing defensive rearguard, Thomas Tuchel believes England can still improve their performance levels at this World Cup. And they may need to with Erling Haaland and Norway lying in wait in the quarters, with a potential semi-final against Argentina further ahead.
Here’s a slightly more critical Tuchel on where the Three Lions stand, performance-wise, despite their Mexico City heroics:
I think we can play much better, there’s a lot we can do better. There’s still a disconnect from us, from the best version of us that I see, from what we actually put on the pitch in terms of football, performance in terms of ball possession and finding spaces.
There’s no disconnect in [terms of] committing and doing what is needed to overcome anything.
Thanks Martin. I’m still reeling from that England result last night. Perhaps it’s the lack of sleep, or just World Cup-induced euphoria … whatever it is will have to see me through the next couple of hours.
In a little bit of non-World Cup news, Brazilian coach Filipe Luís has been hired by Monaco four months after leaving Flamengo. He is signed up until 2028. In even less-World Cup news, I was only signed up to 2pm, so I am off, and will hand you over to Dominic Booth.
Will we get to see Prince William or maybe Prince Louis joining in a big chorus of Wonderwall outside Buckingham Palace? I only ask as the ante for European royals joining in football celebrations has been upped after Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon joined a sea of thousands of fans seated on the ground for the football team’s trademark row after the national team secured their first ever World Cup quarter-final place. Miranda Bryant has the story.
I gave a wry smile at the line “I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness” as Noah Law, the Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, has used his House of Commons letter paper to address Fifa and call for Jarell Quansah to escape a suspension for yesterday’s red card. The MP posted on Bluesky to explain he wrote:
As I’m sure you are aware, during this morning’s World Cup game between England and Mexico, our formidable right-back Jarell Quansah unfortunately received a red card for a clumsy tackle on a Mexico player.
Whilst I believe that it was right for Jarell Quansah to have received this red card and that refereeing rules must be applied consistently, I believe it would be right to delay his suspension until after the completion of this World Cup.
We know that a similar situation arose earlier in the competition when United States forward, Folarin Balogun, received a red card during the Round of 32.
The integrity of any major international tournament depends not only on players and officials adhering to the rules, but also on those rules being applied equally to all participating nations. I am sure we will be unable to justify a situation in which one player benefits from a delayed suspension while another, in materially similar circumstances, does not.
At a time when our multilateral system and the international rules-based order is under threat, I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness. I look forward to hearing from you and learning the outcome of this decision.
Louise Taylor has a full write-up here of Sandro Tonali’s move to EFL Championship side Premier League Tottenham, after he could not resist Roberto De Zerbi’s “magic” sales pitch.
Although he has posted some warm words on Instasgram about departing St James’ Park, in a quote unlikely to endear him to Newcastle United fans, Tonali said he spoke to De Zerbi “for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately I had to sign for Tottenham.”
Absolutely incredible scenes as disgraced former Fifa president Sepp Blatter has clambered on top of the moral high-ground over the rescinding of Folarin Balogun’s automatic suspension for picking up a red card. Blatter said on social media:
Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a US President intervenes with the Fifa president – and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match – the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis (Where are you going), Fifa? Football must never become a playground for political power.
In a sentence I never expected to type, the Belgian prime minister’s cat, Maximus, has entered the chat about the Folarin Balogun red card/suspension controversy. On his official Instagram account Maximus has appeared with a red card, and says “Red card? I’m still playing”.
Wow, good morning/afternoon/evening, what a day yesterday was for England and Norway fans. If you had offered me before the tournament, as an England fan, being 3-2 up at the Azteca in the 85th minute, with Norway waiting in the next round, but England are down to 10 men, I would have bitten your arm off for it. That was how I was trying to reassure myself before what I expected to be the inevitable last-gasp equaliser and a slow attritional drift off towards penalties. Were you there? Did you host a watch party? Don’t forget our community team want to hear about your experience of watching England v Mexico.
Anyway … I will pass the baton on to Martin Belam who will take you through the next couple of hours.
One must assume that Djed Spence will start against Norway with Quansah suspended and James unlikely to recover from injury. It will be a huge role in the match because England will be desperate to stop crosses going into the box for Haaland. The Tottenham defender impressed after coming on against Mexico but will be under the microscope again in Miami.
If we are being honest, you would not have paid to watch Ghana during the World Cup. I appreciate certain teams had to be defensive because they lacked attacking quality but Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo are not passengers but were ultimately not allowed to thrive.
Queiroz quits as Ghana head coach
Carlos Queiroz has quit as Ghana coach after the team’s World Cup campaign ended with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Colombia at the first knockout stage.
“We cannot claim complete sporting satisfaction, but we can proudly say that we honored the colors of Ghana and restored respect and credibility to the Black Stars on football’s greatest stage,” Queiroz wrote in an Instagram post addressed to the country late on Sunday.
Ghana was on a four-game losing run when the 73-year-old Portuguese coach was appointed in April as the fired Otto Addo ’s replacement.
Ghana lost to Mexico and drew with Wales in World Cup warmups before the team started the tournament with a win over Panama in Group L. A scoreless draw against England was enough for the team to progress as one of the best third-place finishers despite a loss to Croatia in their final group game.
Against Colombia, the team could only muster eight shots. None of them were on goal.
“Football, like life, teaches us one timeless lesson: you either win or you learn,” Queiroz wrote. “I leave this journey with pride in what we achieved, but also with the healthy dissatisfaction of those who always wanted more. Reaching a higher level should never be the destination — it should be the beginning of even greater ambitions.” AP
Are you tired and emotional in Mexico?
I am currently checking the weather forecast for Miami on Saturday. There are few thuderstorms predicted this week but it looks a lovely day for England v Norway, so limited chance of disruption. One issue, however, is that the temperature will be above 30C at kick off.
I can claim this as World Cup news because the former Leeds defender Andrew Hughes was part of the Scotland backroom staff in America. Anyway … he has now joined Athletic Bilbao as their set-piece coach. This news is right up my street.
Tonali completes £100m Tottenham move
Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of midfielder Sandro Tonali from fellow Premier League club Newcastle United on Monday, as media reports said the move set a transfer record for Spurs with a deal worth up to £100 million ($132.75 million).
Tottenham paid an initial fee of £92.5 million for the Italy international.
“I’m very happy to be here. When I arrived at the Club today, it felt fantastic. People said about there being four or five clubs - there was only one,” Tonali said in a statement. Reuters
Dan Burn made history on his World Cup debut as he played his part in England’s historic 3-2 World Cup win over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
Burn was brought on as a second-half substitute to help his 10-man side successfully hold on to their lead and book their place in the quarter-finals after Jarell Quansah had been sent off.
The 34-year-old came on in the 75th minute and made six clearances, more than any other player substituted into a World Cup game that late since records began in 1966.
Burn has had to bide his time to make his mark on this tournament, but delivered what he came to do. “I knew that I was being brought here for a certain reason,” he said. “I probably wasn’t going to start but there was going to be opportunities in a game whether we’re trying to see a game out or maybe go for a goal that I was going to get.
“I was desperate to get on the pitch. I didn’t want to leave the World Cup without getting on there. I’m very proud to play for England at a World Cup. I never, ever thought I would be saying that when I first started.
“I’m known for my height and the way I defend, that’s blocking shots, blocking crosses, I was really trying to grind it out. I just showed the character of the team.” PA Media
Some people say this is a bigger story than Mexico v England and the Balogun brouhaha.
It is not for me to say.
Looks like we will have a fun day of a Fifa v Uefa ding dong, which I am fully invested in. It will be equally as entertaining as Spain v Portugal.
While we are all taking football far too seriously, here is Patrice Evra, a wig and a mackerel.
The Folarin Balogun controversy has taken another dramatic twist with Belgium granted the right to appeal against the United States striker’s shock reinstatement for tonight’s last-16 tie in Seattle - but no guarantees over when the decision will be made or whether the Fifa’s reasoning for lifting his suspension will be made public.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed “astonishment” yesterday at Fifa’s decision to rescind Balogon’s one-match ban following repeated lobbying by Donald Trump, with manager Rudi Garcia comparing it to an April Fool’s Day joke, and they have now submitted a formal written appeal.
To compound their anger however, it is understood that the RBFA has not received the reasons Balogun’s one-match ban being overturned which has only been explained by a brief reference to Article 27 of Fifa’s disciplinary code, which gives its judicial committee the authority to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
Sources have told the Guardian that Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday after Balogun was sent off in the USA’s 2-0 last-16 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, to ensure that the ban was overturned.
I assume we are all equally shocked that Fifa have managed to create such a shambolic event during a World Cup …
The Belgian foreign minister is not happy with Fifa either.
Maxime Prévot told Politico: “As a former football referee, I have always been committed to upholding the rules and ensuring decisions are fair. This decision clearly raises many questions,” Prévot told POLITICO in a statement.
“If it really was a phone call that led to this incomprehensible decision, that would amount to undermining the most basic rules of football and sport.”
Uefa: Fifa has 'crossed a red line' by overturning Balogun red
Uefa says Fifa’s decision to suspend a red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun “crossed a red line”.
The former Arsenal forward is free to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday evening, unless an appeal by the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is successful.
It has been reported the decision to suspend the ban came after political pressure from the US government, and while neither Fifa nor the US authorities have commented, European football’s governing body Uefa has now waded in.
“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” a Uefa statement began.
“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted.
“It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.
“Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.” PA Media
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'It's over': Neymar says Brazil career is finished
Neymar’s legendary career for Brazil is over, the forward said following the 2-1 loss to Norway in the round of 16 game on Sunday.
The 34-year-old was emotional in an interview with TV Globo as he was in tears at the conclusion of the match in East Rutherford, where he scored Brazil’s lone goal on a penalty kick in stoppage time.
“I tried, I tried. Now it’s over. I started here, I finished here,” Neymar said.
He had made his first international appearance for Brazil in a friendly against the United States on April 10, 2010, at MetLife Stadium, the same venue as on Sunday, and scored in his debut.
Neymar, if he indeed retires from suiting up for Brazil, finishes as the country’s all-time leading scorer with 80 goals. The legendary Pele, who recorded 77, was the only Brazilian in four World Cups before Neymar matched him on Sunday.
Cafu had 142 appearances for Brazil, with Neymar’s 130 second on the all-time list. Reuters
A voiceless Harry Kane could go down as one of England’s finest World Cup moments.
England defender Ezri Konsa says the “brotherhood” in the squad fuelled their famous World Cup victory over Mexico.
Thomas Tuchel’s side produced one of the defining performances in English football history to overcome the odds and progress through the last-16 tie with a memorable 3-2 win at the Estadio Azteca.
They had to battle the altitude, a strong Mexico home advantage and an hour’s delay to kick-off, all before Jarell Quansah was sent off in the second half. Konsa was at the forefront of England’s rearguard display, first in a central position and then at right-back following Quansah’s red card.
“Brotherhood” has been one of Tuchel’s buzzwords around the tournament and Konsa said it played its part. “One hundred per cent, it was a brotherhood, you saw that today, the effort we had to put in,” he said. “Certain players were changing positions, like myself, and putting in a shift. If you want to go far in the tournament, it’s what you have to do.
“The boss had to make some changes, I thought Dan Burn and John Stones were excellent when they came on. Having those kinds of players to come on and help us was a great feeling. The only thing we were thinking was to show our togetherness, to show how good we can be together defensively.
“I am sure at home it was an amazing game to watch but on the pitch it was a long one, especially when there are 11 minutes added on, but we had to show our strength, show our grit. Really proud of the boys and on to the next one.” PA Media
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Personally, I think appointing Glasner is the most sensible thing Forest have done in a long time. I appreciate it is a touch ruthless to get rid of Vitor Pereira but Glasner is a step up in coach. Now they just need to remain harmonious.
Nottingham Forest confirm Glasner appointment
Nottingham Forest have announced the appointment of Oliver Glasner as the club’s head coach, on a three-year deal.
Glasner is Forest’s fifth head coach in less than a year and arrives in Nottingham following a superb stint at Crystal Palace. He led them to FA Cup glory in 2025, Palace’s first ever piece of major silverware, and followed that up with victory in May’s Conference League final. Glasner announced four months earlier that he would not renew his contract with the south London club.
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England is the biggest story around – for now – but the controversy over Folarin Balogun’s red card reprieve will run and run.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer has highlighted how this political pantomime is unhelpful, to say the least.
Asking any of us to believe that Fifa is not influenced by Trump is an absurdity. It is tantamount to asking us to believe that Trump was awarded its “peace prize” on merit alone. Infantino’s relationship with Trump has long been a cozy one, a mutually beneficial symbiosis where Trump gets the type of sycophantic praise and attention he thrives on and Infantino gets the keys to the biggest commercial market in the world for Fifa’s cash cow.
Enjoy that caffeine hit, Stuart. I have had a coffee and done the school run, but did only get home at 4.20am this morning, so this should be a barrel of laughs.
As I depart for what’s – against all odds – my first coffee of the day … please welcome Will Unwin to the podium. Happy Mondays everybody.
Swear alert swear alert … but the man has a point …
The suggestion that Australia is not a multicultural society is “bullshit”, Socceroo Awer Mabil has said, following One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s claim that the national team embodies her vision of a monocultural Australia.
Mabil returned to Australia on Monday after featuring in the Socceroos’ defeat on penalties to Egypt in the last 32. Asked by reporters about suggestions that Australia was not a multicultural society, Mabil said: “It’s just all bullshit”.
Despite being used as a political football, the Socceroos had not been distracted, he said. “We know what we represent. We represent Australia at the biggest stage, and Australia ... is the best country in the world, and the Socceroos is the best representation of that,” he told reporters at Adelaide airport.
“If anybody’s trying to divide that, then they’re probably not Australian themselves, in a sense, respectfully. Because Australia is very inclusive, includes everybody. That’s what the Socceroos is.” Australian Associated Press
A little way down the page, in summing up the teams that had departed … just typing “Cape Verde” in that list made me feel a bit quivery lipped.
Despite the expanded World Cup, and frankly so much bloody football, Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde and Mexico 2-3 England feel like they had enough action between them to power an entire tournament on their own.
Let’s remember: Cape Verde were 10 minutes from taking the world champions to a penalty shootout. And I’d have backed them in it as well.
Going forward, no montage of World Cup goals will ever feel correct without Sidny Lopes Cabral’s astonishing curler from the left wing.
Belgium reportedly granted right to appeal Fifa's Balogun call
Belgium have been granted the right to appeal Fifa’s decision to suspend the one-game ban to USA striker Folarin Balogun, according to a report by The Athletic.
The ruling, which followed lobbying by US president Donald Trump, triggered widespread debate as well as a statement from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) that said it was exploring “all potential options”.
According to The Athletic, the RBFA formally wrote to Fifa to appeal the matter, which was granted. The RBFA and US Soccer were reportedly asked to make submissions by 1pm BST – exactly 12 hours before the scheduled start of the match at Seattle Stadium.
A member of the Fifa appeals committee has been selected to hear the case, according to the report. Belgium have not been guaranteed that a ruling will be made before Monday’s match. Reuters
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South Korean FA president resigns
The aftershocks to South Korea’s group-stage exit continue. After fairly extraordinary comments from the country’s president Lee Jae Myung, head coach Hong Myung-bu resigned. Now the Korean FA president Chung Mong-gyu has also departed after 13 years in the role.
“There were moments when I lived up to expectations and moments when I left you deeply disappointed,” he said. “All the success is thanks to our players and fans, and all the mistakes are my responsibility. I am convinced that Korean football will overcome adversity and reach great heights once again, as it always has.”
ICYMI, Sid also spent time peppering Spain’s Luis de la Fuente with reader questions …
Anne Butterfield asked: Does Luis think the current midfield already is (or could be) as great as the one in the 2010 World Cup final?
Well … they’re two great midfields. In my opinion, and I say this with the greatest of respect to everyone, we have the best midfield in the world. We have two players per position who are the best players. I can list them: Rodrigo, Zubimendi, Fabián, Pedri, Olmo, Merino, Fabian, Baena, Gavi, Fermín who isn’t here [because of injury], etc … etc. I have probably left someone out and he will get angry; don’t get angry. I remember you all. That was an extraordinary midfield [in 2010] as well, it’s true. Football changes, but I would put us at almost the same level.
Loads more here …
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And here’s Sid Lowe on Spain’s “quiet man” …
We have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. When Spain scored their third goal against Austria in Los Angeles, cameras caught Lamine Yamal’s little brother celebrating, fists clenched and shouting “come on!”. The picture couldn’t have been more perfect, and not just because Keyne is impossibly cute. Even the apparent imperfection was just right. On the row below, clapping and half-hiding the three-year-old, was a woman in sunglasses, prompting a Spanish TV commentator to post: “The blonde in front has denied us the best sticker of all time.” To which the striker Borja Iglesias replied: “The blonde in front has given you two goals today, my friend.”
Turns out the blonde woman is Oyarzabal’s mum: her name is Dorleta and it was her son who had just scored his second goal of the game and his fourth of the tournament.
Read more here …
So next up: a neighbourly clash between Portugal v Spain tonight.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who is, to be fair, 41, has offered a Keir Starmer-like timetable for the sun setting on his mainstream international career. When Portugal’s campaign ends, so will his time on the World Cup scene.
This will be my last World Cup; God willing tomorrow is not my last game. I’m not missing anything; God has been generous to me. I won’t be more Cristiano or less Cristiano if I win the World Cup or not.”
How the quarter-finals are looking
France v Morocco (Boston, Thursday 9pm BST, 4pm EDT)
Portugal or Spain v USA or Belgium (Los Angeles, Friday 8pm BST, 3pm EDT)
Norway v England (Miami, Saturday 10pm BST, 5pm EDT)
Argentina or Egypt v Switzerland or Colombia (Kansas City, Sunday 10pm BST, 5pm EDT)
Remaining last-16 fixtures
Portugal v Spain (Dallas, today 8pm BST, 3pm EDT)
USA v Belgium (Seattle, Tuesday 1am BST, Monday 8pm EDT)
Argentina v Egypt (Atlanta, Tuesday 5pm BST, noon EDT)
Switzerland v Colombia (Vancouver, Tuesday 9pm BST, 4pm EDT)
Teams that left us in the last 32
South Africa
Japan
Germany
Netherlands
Côte d’Ivoire
Sweden
Ecuador
DR Congo
Senegal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Austria
Croatia
Algeria
Australia
Cape Verde
Ghana
Teams that have left us in the last 16
Canada
Paraguay
Brazil
Mexico
If you like your World Cup Daily to have moving pictures as well as sounds … I have great news for you …
Things have inevitably changed in the race for the Golden Boot. Erling Haaland’s fine double against Brazil means he has now joined Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in joint first on seven goals, while Harry Kane – who tucked his penalty away against Mexico – is just one behind on six …
Krishna Moorthy writes:
Isn’t it time this travesty ended? A top referee sent back; reason cited – association with terrorist organisations. Atrocious ticket prices. Harassment of Iran. Markwayne Mullin gloating on the exit of Iran. The reversal of red cards – to freshen up the fading memories of people – first was that of CR7 and now more damningly, that of Balogun.
On Krishna’s last point, Fifa’s use of Article 27 of its disciplinary code has been somewhat … interesting. Ronaldo is set to feature against Spain tonight, but may have spent a fair bit of the group stage with splinters in his backside were it not for this last November …
Here’s Matt Hughes explaining how exactly Folarin Balogun has ended up eligible to face Belgium early tomorrow (1am BST) …
Charlie Dunmore asks a question I’ve been asking myself:
The one thought pinging around my sleep-deprived brain is: who makes the call to Infantino to get Jarell Quansah’s red-card suspension overturned? Keir Starmer? Andy Burnham? Maybe Becks would have more joy …
All of this quite aside from Balogun-gate. An astonishing story that couldn’t encapsulate the relative 2026 states of the White House and Fifa HQ if it tried.
In case you missed it … yeah, this has actually happened … and worked …
And to think that this piece from Barney Ronay felt absolutely fair enough last Thursday. Four days ago …
Here’s Nick Ames’s player ratings from the Azteca …
Jacob Steinberg, meanwhile, analysed Thomas Tuchel and found he was “at his strategising best. He barely put a foot wrong from the start and came into his own when England lost Jarell Quansah.”
World Cup Daily is in …
And here’s Jonny Weeks’s pick of the pics from the game. It feels a lot like, whatever happens now for England, some of these will be etched on to eyeballs in years to come …
Summary of what else happened
Yeah there was another last-16 tie as well.
Here’s David Hytner’s match report on Mexico 2-3 England …
Barney Ronay on the Azteca experience: “The most extraordinary, agonising night of football as an experience of the mind, body, bones, guts, blood and back of the neck …”
To add a further element of befuddlement, Jordan Henderson somehow suffered “quite a serious injury” during post-match celebrations. He’s only had a brief cameo against Panama in this tournament but it would be a heartbreaking way for it to end for him …
Thomas Tuchel salutes his “heroic” charges and has a pop at the officials: “The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough, that’s the bottom line.”
How does Brazil 1-2 Norway already feel like it took place in a different month?
This just in from Leander Schaerlaekens from the scene of a shock that was no fluke.
Endrick, the prodigy, couldn’t save Brazil. He came on in the second half and almost immediately was set free by a needle-threading through ball from Vinícius, only to misplay it and poke his finish harmlessly wide.
Neymar couldn’t save Brazil. He sent the Brazil fans into raptures merely by coming on as a substitute midway through the second half. He tried a few stepovers that somehow looked both quick and slow – much like Neymar himself in this late and diminished stage of his strange career. He rolled the late consolation goal past the wrongfooted Nyland from the penalty spot after the two exchanged some verbal hostilities, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Carlo Ancelotti couldn’t save Brazil. The veteran coach managed to finally get Vinícius going, and to coax convincing 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland from his charges after a 1-1 draw with Morocco to open the tournament. He fashioned a late comeback win over a Japan team who perhaps deserved better. And that’s all he could do for Brazil, in the end.
In case you missed it, here’s Paul MacInnes’s match report …
And here’s Big Ol’ Erling Haaland and his head coach Ståle Solbakken on “the greatest day in Norwegian football history”. Replays of Haaland’s second were absolutely mesmerising – just an unbelievable strike of a football … and you know a hit from distance is good when an in-form Alisson at full stretch isn’t getting to it.
Cheers Mike, Hello world. As one of the foolhardy bunch who tried to navigate the overnight (BST) Mexico v England kick-off time with a series of tactical disco naps, I’m currently typing with hands driven by a brain that feels like it’s 90% pudding. That teeny-tiny one hour delay to the start … undeniably a blow.
Our north of England correspondent Hannah Al-Othman spoke to several who were trying to suss how the hell this was going to work.
Fellow sufferers: how’s it going?
Friends in time zones where this is generally how life always is for you when a major tournament rolls around: feel free to pass on tips, eye-rolls at how ridiculous we’re being etc.
And with that, I’ll hand you over to my colleague, Stuart Goodwin, who will take you through this next part of the day. Be kind to him, he hasn’t had much sleep. Bye for now.
“Hi Mike.” Hi Mark Fitzhenry. “I’m an American living in Vietnam who got up early (by my standards) to watch. England’s effort reminded me of improv wisdom from veteran improviser Joe Bill when things on stage go off-kilter: “Don’t play the show that you want. Play the show that you’re in.” This is not the way England would prefer to play, but given the altitude and venue and red card and everything else, they played exactly the way they had to, and were immense. Not saying they’re going to win (and I will certainly never say “f**tb*ll’s c*m*ng h*m*”) but any lingering doubts that this team can handle adversity should be gone.”
Max, Barry and the podcast crew have recorded the latest World Cup Daily episode, on all things England, “an unforgettable football match”, Haaland and Balogun.
“Text your bosses and tell them you’re not coming in.” Easy for Jude Bellingham to say, but the sentiment is fair, given the all-nighter England fans have pulled to stay up and watch their team’s heroics.
I have been an England fan since I was seven years old, the 2010 World Cup was my first one. Of course, in recent times we have had better moments but I remember watching a few tournaments and seeing a few of the players that are now on TV talking about it. They struggled in these types of nights and it was tough because it felt like the country never really got behind them.
To be part of an England team that gives so much to the country and can give them nights like this, then it means just as much as anything in my career. There are going to be videos galore when I get in the changing room and check my phone. Kids stay off school, parents don’t go to work, enjoy your day, have the day off if you can, these nights don’t come often.
The inimitable Barney Ronay has filed his take on the Azteca madness:
Incredible scenes in the Norwegian capital last night, where 100,000 people gathered to celebrate their team’s progress to the quarter-finals, according to the national broadcaster. The population of Oslo is approximately 700,000. With one in seven Oslovians out partying until the wee hours, you can imagine productivity in the city may take a hit today.
Are we about to watch Cristiano Ronaldo perform at a World Cup for the very last time when Portugal meet Spain in around 12 hours from now? Perhaps. The 41-year-old has confirmed he certainly won’t be returning to the World Cup arena in four years’ time at the ripe old age of 45, which means that if Spain can do a number on their Iberian cousins in Dallas, it’ll be the end of Ronaldo on the biggest stage of them all.
We haven’t even mentioned Balogun-gate yet. The Belgian FA, and you can assume a large proportion of the football world, has been left “astonished” by Fifa’s decision after lobbying by Donald Trump to reverse the suspension given to the striker for his red card in the team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is now free to play in the last-16 game against Belgium.
Sources have told the Guardian that Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure that the change was made.
Needless to say, the decision gives the co-hosts a huge boost ahead of the game with Belgium – Balogun has scored three times so far this World Cup and proved a consistent attacking threat. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia said he thought it was an April Fools joke, and I’m pretty sure we haven’t heard the end of this. So many questions. At least Matt Hughes has a few covered off for now:
A final post on England for the time being. Nick Ames was listening to Thomas Tuchel in his post-match presser. “A heroic performance and a heroic result,” was the England coach’s verdict.
I’m so happy with the players, and also for me, to live this experience in the last two days. Such a special memory, and against all the adversity it makes it very special for us. If a team has heart and belief then it’s this team. They did it on pure will. No words. Iconic match, iconic stadium, we overcame so much adversity today.
And what of England’s next opponents, Norway? It seems like an age ago that they faced Brazil in their last-16 clash in East Rutherford, given all the drama that has come since. Erling Haaland was up to Erling Haaland things in the 2-1 win, hailed afterwards as “the greatest day in Norwegian football history” (Ståle Solbakken) and “one of the sickest days” in Norway’s history (Haaland). A pretty good day to be a Norway fan, then. Paul MacInnes was there to soak up a momentous moment:
Never mind the atmosphere at the Azteca, how was it at a World Cup fan park in the north of England?
“Manchester hasn’t seen a wild weeknight party like this since Oasis rolled into town for their run of homecoming gigs almost exactly a year ago,” writes Hannah Al-Othman. “The long-awaited final whistle saw plastic pint pots flying through the air, people lifted on to shoulders and scarves and flags held aloft as the DJ threw on Oasis’s Wonderwall.”
It was a big night for Thomas Tuchel, who masterminded an England restructure after Quansah’s red card that proved crucial to his team’s success.
“It took a collective effort from England to dent Mexico’s daunting record at the Azteca,” writes Jacob Steinberg. “But it comes back to Tuchel.”
Have a read of Jacob’s full piece here:
Spare a thought for poor Jordan Henderson, England’s experienced midfielder/cheerleader who has seemingly ‘done a Steve Morrow’ by injuring himself during post-match celebrations while attempting to vault over an advertising hoarding at the Azteca. Henderson, who didn’t see any playing time on the night but still managed to get booked, was taken to hospital with what Tuchel described as “quite a serious injury to his wrist”. His participation in the rest of the tournament is now under threat.
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A few snaps from the Azteca. The final few pics in this gallery tell a clear story about England’s delight at holding on during a fraught period of injury time.
Jude Bellingham was immense in Mexico City, scoring twice in two minutes but also playing a huge part at the other end of the pitch in a moment when England needed him most. “A supreme display,” writes Nick Ames, although not supreme enough to warrant full marks in his player ratings. An honourable mention goes to Dan Burn – it’s not often a 75th-minute substitute gets an 8. Here’s how the players fared:
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What a night at the Azteca. So much happened over the course of 100-or so minutes of football. Where to start? How about this from David Hytner, who was there to witness what he reckons was “England’s finest World Cup knockout phase victory since 1966”.
Preamble
Hello football fans, wherever in the world you are. How’s the ticker? That was quite the heartstopper we’ve just witnessed in Mexico City. Five goals, two penalties, one red card, 12 minutes of injury time, a febrile atmosphere in a proper stadium and, ultimately, England delight contrasting with Mexico heartbreak. There’s quite a bit to unpack from that game, which we’ll attempt to do here, and plenty of other news to catch up on from a rather wild day at the World Cup, including the day’s other last-16 game between Norway and Brazil.
We’ll also look ahead to matches 93 and 94 of this World Cup – the small matter of a Spain v Portugal clash and then the co-hosts USA v Belgium, a game which Folarin Balogun will, against all normal convention, feature in.
If you have any thoughts on any of the above, or indeed anything else World Cup related, do get in touch with an email – mike.hytner@theguardian.com. Let’s get into it!
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