1 hour ago
13
Match of the tournament
Paraguay 1-1 Germany. There were plentifulness much games with much goals but nary could lucifer the play of the punishment shootout successful this last-32 tie. Germany aren’t expected to suffer successful them but they did this time successful spectacular fashion. Ed Aarons
Algeria 3-3 Austria was a wholly unusual fever dream, seeming to beryllium connected a abstracted level of reality. I cognize that sounds grandiose but remember, going into this 1 the anticipation was that it would beryllium a biscotto – a meaningless, pre-arranged kickabout wherever a gully would spot some sides through. For a portion successful the 2nd half, it looked similar that would happen. And finally, in stoppage time, chaos. There were surely amended matches successful presumption of quality, and possibly a mates that had this bushed for drama, but nary crippled was weirder. Alexander Abnos
From the 14 I attended, it has to beryllium Mexico 2-3 England astatine the awesome Azteca. The buildup seemed to commencement arsenic soon arsenic the gully was made – fortunately the stars aligned and a grippingly tense game ensued successful a venue similar nary other. It was a precocious constituent for England that should chopped done contempt aboriginal disappointments, too. Nick Ames
France 4-6 England was borderline hilarious. Egypt 1-1 Iran successful Seattle had plentifulness of precocious drama, Iran’s disallowed stoppage-time victor bookended by them doubly hitting the woodwork successful the last minutes. The gully yet proved insufficient for unbeaten Iran, faced with endless hurdles, to progress. Ben Fisher
Argentina 3-2 Egypt. The defending champions looked down and out, reasoning astir their flights home, earlier a precocious Lionel Messi-inspired comeback enabled them to claw backmost a two-goal shortage and triumph this last-16 lucifer successful mean time. Barry Glendenning
The crippled no 1 wanted to play. Sid Lowe
Mexico 2-3 England. I person decided that each my answers should subordinate to things that happened portion I was astatine the tourney and this was one. I mean, I wasn’t determination ticking disconnected the “bucket list” of a sojourn to the Azteca (I deliberation I saw astatine slightest fractional a twelve British hacks assertion that), but I did ticker it connected TV. Besides being similar drinking cortisol neat, this was truthful dramatic, the images truthful evocative, that adjacent if you are an ardent England instrumentality (as I am) this was axenic cinema. Paul MacInnes
I americium biased present successful the consciousness I attended it but Cape Verde 2-2 Uruguay successful Miami was superb. Cape Verde’s cognition and subject were a joy. Such amusive to watch. Ewan Murray
Argentina 3-2 Egypt. Incredible drama, contempt the questionable behaviour of the referee. Osasu Obayiuwana
Tough to prime from implicit 100 options, but Mexico 2-3 England with Thomas Tuchel’s men surviving the vaunted Azteca and the champion archetypal fractional Mexico could person mustered narrowly takes this category. Jeff Rueter
Bias says Mexico v England, but Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde was incredible, Sidny Lopes Cabral bending it apical right. Max Rushden
For improbable wonderment determination was Argentina v Cape Verde, for sheer unpredictability determination was Mexico v England. Often, though, 1 is drawn to thing much predictable, more familiar: England 1-2 Argentina. Jack Snape
Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde. It’s not a debate. Jacob Steinberg
Argentina 3-2 Egypt. The anticipation of a shock, a large Messi-inspired turnaround, a mates of large goals, refereeing contention … what other bash you want? Jonathan Wilson
Player of the tournament
Rodri was the standout player for the champion squad successful a tourney wherever the large stars came to the enactment but each yet fell short. EA
Kylian Mbappé. Yes, his Golden Boot was padded a spot by that insane third-place game, but the France striker was the champion subordinate connected what looked to beryllium the champion squad successful the tourney ... astatine slightest until that nonaccomplishment to Spain successful the semi-final. AA
It’s intolerable to look further than Rodri, who looks backmost to his champion and perfectly successful his constituent arsenic the fulcrum of this Spain setup. Otherwise it was bully to spot a World Cup wherever the stars mostly shone. Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Messi and Mbappé were each 1 much decisive knockout show distant from rising supra the rest. NA
Rodri. Michael Olise was majestic, though should person scored a hat-trick against England. Bellingham was arsenic instrumental for Tuchel’s broadside – it is brainsick to deliberation determination were radical questioning his inclusion successful the squad. BF
Rodri – capitán, líder, leyenda. BG
Lionel Messi. SL
Vozinha. What a man. I deliberation it’s mostly due to the fact that his communicative is truthful relatable successful these parts – middle-aged antheral yet receives the plaudits helium has ever deserved! – but the saves were besides apical drawer. Add successful the pedigree of the teams helium either unopen retired oregon frustrated, and this was an existent fairytale that didn’t request to beryllium spun by immoderate selling department. And did you cognize that he’s 40? PM
Pau Cubarsí. EM
Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper. At 40, and without a club, helium was superb for the World Cup debutants. OO
While Rodri is an incredibly worthy Golden Ball victor and others made their marks, Erling Haaland leaves this World Cup with the top imaginable souvenirs: a credible if abbreviated Golden Boot campaign, a celebrated archetypal Norwegian foray into the quarter-final stage, and possibly the biggest boost successful prima appeal successful the lucrative North American market. JR
Hard not to accidental Rodri though I thought Dani Olmo was large too, and a outcry for Pico Lopes. MR
Haaland, Mbappé and Messi person lived up to expectations. But successful those moments wherever a contention teeters – evading unit with the ball, successful modulation to defence oregon staring down a 50-50 – nary subordinate has shown his prime much consistently than Rodri. JSn
Rodri. If lone England had a subordinate similar the Spain captain. JSt
Rodri. As Spain person reverted to a much possession-driven model, their metronome successful midfield has been the outstanding figure, mounting the tempo and providing control. JW
Goal of the tournament
For sheer drama, it has to beryllium Sidny Lopes Cabral’s superb equaliser for Cape Verde against Argentina. His absorption was astir arsenic bully arsenic the extremity itself, clasping his hands to his caput earlier picking retired his woman successful the assemblage to observe with. EA
I mean, it’s Sidny Lopes Cabral v Argentina. But I consciousness that the extremity from Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov against the Democratic Republic of the Congo deserves notation too: an instinctive, oddly satisfying lob from a choky angle. No different extremity successful the tourney was rather similar it. AA
Julián Alvarez had a mostly quiescent World Cup but his vicious, swerving long-range extremity in other clip against Switzerland was a jaw-dropping infinitesimal and lit up the cauldron-like stadium successful Kansas City. NA
Those seen successful the soma ever look to people much points. A buzz surrounded Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Kerim Alajbegovic coming into the tourney and the 18-year-old eliminating a clutch of defenders and blasting in, disconnected balance, from the extracurricular of the container against Qatar lone enhanced his reputation. Johan Manzambi’s tally and walk successful the buildup to Breel Embolo’s opener against Algeria was besides a joy. BF
While Morocco’s superior prime would yet spot them done their group-stage win against Haiti, Wilson Isidor’s breathtaking long-range onslaught to enactment the Caribbean federation 2-1 up was arsenic bully a extremity arsenic immoderate scored successful the World Cup. Ever. BG
Sidny Lopes Cabral, of course. SL
I had the privilege of speechmaking the insubstantial by the Seoul Women’s University connected the aerodynamic effect known arsenic “drag crisis” which is peculiarly communal erstwhile radical smack an Adidas Trionda, truthful arsenic specified I thought a batch of the large hits were overrated. I do, however, exempt Sidny Lopes Cabral from that critique. Absolute long-range worldie from the Cape Verde full-back-cum-winger. That it pegged Argentina to parity successful other clip of a knockout circular lone made it much memorable. PM
Harry Kane’s 2nd for England against DRC. EM
Sidny Lopes Cabral of Cape Verde, against Argentina. Magical goal. OO
I volition never, successful each my years, beryllium capable to recreate the dependable that near my assemblage arsenic Sidny Lopes Cabral’s audacious effort against Argentina completed its curl betwixt a diving Emi Martínez and his acold post. Masterful execution successful an unprecedented moment. One of galore arrogant moments for Cape Verde astatine this tournament. JR
after newsletter promotion
Beyond Sidny Lopes Cabral – the disallowed Uzbekistan 1 (was it Uzbekistan?) – idiosyncratic walloped 1 into the apical left-hand country and it didn’t count. MR
Erling Haaland’s 2nd against Brazil, placed into the bottom-right country from extracurricular the container to seal the upset, was a microcosm of his effectiveness astatine the tournament: precise and almighty with a hint of whimsy. JSn
Sidny Lopes Cabral’s equaliser for Cape Verde against Argentina was a due jaw-dropping moment. One of the large World Cup goals. JSt
Wilson Isidor v Morocco. There were much consequential goals, but nary struck rather arsenic sweetly oregon rather arsenic accurately. If Haiti person thing else, they’ll ever person that. JW
Personal highlight
It was a joyousness to ticker Eloy Room’s show successful extremity for Curaçao against Ecuador arsenic helium broke the World Cup grounds for the astir saves made successful a 90-minute match. While Cape Verde’s seasoned Vozinha stole astir of the headlines for his heroics, the 37-year-old Room intelligibly enjoyed his infinitesimal successful the spotlight. “I deliberation I request a statue successful Curaçao now,” helium joked. EA
Fifa and the stadium authorities typically defender the earthy writer pitches heavily, and with bully reason. But aft the past games successful each venue I went to, I loved watching those pitches get taken implicit by the radical whose names you’ll ne'er know but who really made this tourney run: stadium workers and low-level Fifa staffers, volunteers, information guards, longtime section nine representatives and others. Some utilized the accidental to person a small kickabout, instrumentality selfies, oregon conscionable tally around. An awesome perk for what were astir surely precise hard, stressful jobs implicit these past respective weeks. AA
My archetypal sojourn to the Azteca was Mexico’s triumph implicit Ecuador and I’ve ne'er heard a sound similar it. The spot truly is arsenic magical and monumental arsenic they say. The celebrations afterwards weren’t conducive to a bully night’s slumber but were unthinkable successful standard too. Football-wise I’ll besides adhd Messi’s record-breaking goals against Austria in Dallas, which look an awfully agelong clip agone present but were specified a thrill to witness. Those aboriginal Argentina games were fundamentally wide Messi pilgrimages. One more? The presumption from Monterrey Stadium. Just go, if you can. NA
Watching Senegalese journalists walk astir a battalion of malted milks during their anthem earlier their collapse against Belgium. And playing eight-a-side with Danny Cipriani, who erstwhile spent six weeks grooming astatine Tottenham, Harry Kane among his teammates, volition instrumentality successful the memory. BF
Watching my Irish compatriot Roberto “Pico” Lopes excel portion repeatedly putting his assemblage connected the enactment for Cape Verde, his father’s homeland. It would beryllium bully to deliberation Pico’s performances volition gain him a life-changing determination to a much lucrative league successful the twilight of his vocation but his property could basal against him and helium whitethorn good beryllium contented with being a Shamrock Rovers and Cape Verde legend. BG
Explaining to a mariachi successful a gigantic sombrero however it could perchance beryllium that a squad successful 3rd could get done the radical and however it mightiness inactive beryllium Spain turning up astatine the Azteca. Alas, it wasn’t. Sharing a day with Martin Ainstein and Luis de la Fuente and my family. And watching a motorcade with the Spain autobus walk from the sixth-floor model wherever Lee Harvey Oswald changeable JFK was beauteous surreal. SL
I loved watching some France eviscerate Sweden and the Instagram reels of Americans acting similar they thought the Tartan Army had permanently changed their lives. PM
Players moving retired to warm-up to the tune of Scotland the Brave, via bagpipes, earlier the crippled against Haiti successful Foxborough. Scotland’s 28-year World Cup hold was over. The little said astir each that happened next, the better. EM
Seeing Vozinha’s mum, against each expectations, travelling from Cape Verde to the World Cup to spot her lad play. OO
Having covered the nation’s third-to-fifth astir fashionable athletics for much than a decennary and lived done ICE’s heinous concern of Minnesota this winter, the sheer standard of involvement successful shot was overwhelming and truthful invigorating – a invited reprieve successful the isolationist 2nd Trump era. Impossible to spell done a mates of hours successful a World Cup big metropolis without immoderate alien striking up a speech astir the sport. Long whitethorn this stay a portion of American society. JR
Shouting Paraguay. Number 10. Cover his mouth. Decision is RED CARD. Jonathan Wilson reasoning Robbie Williams was Kevin Pietersen. Mark Langdon’s chow mein bridge. The pancakes astatine Mile End Deli. Doing a unrecorded amusement successful Manhattan and legitimately getting to accidental “HELLO NEW YORK!” MR
Covering Australia, the tourney petered retired from an bonzer high. Twenty-six minutes into the Socceroos’ opening triumph against Turkey, goalscorer Nestory Irankunda revived Tim Cahill’s extremity solemnisation successful a ceremonial handover to people a caller generation. JSn
Being astatine the Azteca for Mexico 2-3 England. It did not person the astir prime but it was hard to bushed arsenic an occasion. An epic nighttime astatine an iconic stadium. A thunderstorm pushing kick-off back, a superb show from Bellingham, everyone exhausted erstwhile it was over. Things didn’t extremity good for England but this was easy their top distant win. JSt
Standing knee-deep successful raging floods successful Monterrey waiting for a autobus having lone gone to the stadium to cod a mislaid iPad that I past mislaid successful Houston a week aboriginal anyway. That oregon the weirdly beauteous flyovers extracurricular Dallas. JW
What did you marque of the hosts?
The level of involvement from the American nationalist amazed maine and it was fascinating to conscionable truthful galore who were funny successful what was happening successful the tournament. Many radical successful the US decidedly caught World Cup fever. Logistically it was a existent trial of endurance with truthful overmuch travelling required betwixt venues and that wasn’t helped by truthful galore being miles from the metropolis centre. And it would person been overmuch amended to person played the last successful Mexico City oregon Atlanta’s awesome downtown stadium. EA
I felt unfortunate not to marque it to immoderate games successful Mexico and lone 1 successful Canada. But wide I’m blessed that the mundane radical who populate the US seemed to amusement visitors their bully broadside passim the month. This state has plentifulness of infrastructure issues I’d similar to person seen fixed, but the idiosyncratic interaction is arguably much important, and it seems similar the US mostly got that right. AA
If archetypal impressions are everything past I notation you to the often troubling weirdness of the Texas Republican enactment convention successful Houston. But much earnestly I was precise happy, successful the US, to find the hoped-for warmth and openness beauteous overmuch everyplace – and successful bundles. In their antithetic ways, radical truly did prosecute with the World Cup. Less invited was the US administration’s attempt, duly pandered to by Fifa, to crook the people of the tourney with Folarin Balogun’s reprieve. In Mexico I recovered a fervent, febrile, fascinating shot civilization that deserved not to beryllium dwarfed by different co-hosts. NA
Americans emotion a big-ticket lawsuit but it was wide they were hooked by Mauricio Pochettino’s broadside arsenic they progressed. It was a privilege to witnesser Canada’s archetypal World Cup game connected location ungraded successful Toronto, wherever determination was a match-day buzz and an afterglow contempt being held to a gully by Bosnia and Herzegovina. BF
While I didn’t conscionable Donald Trump, the fistful of Americans whose acquaintance I did marque – edifice staff, a fewer bartenders and 1 LA-based world TV amusement prima – could not person been friendlier. BG
So galore radical came up to america to accidental they truly hoped we were enjoying this and that we understood that that wasn’t them. We did and they were truthful nice. SL
I spent 2 days successful Toronto, astir Canada Day, and I deliberation they were some welcoming and precise keen to perceive that they qualified arsenic an existent shot nation. People successful the US were pleasant, though for travelling fans astir experiences volition person been analyzable by the ubiquitous petition for a tip. I did think, though, that sometimes determination was an anticipation that we should each beryllium delighted to beryllium there. Which we were, but possibly not for the reasons immoderate wanted. PM
Canada and Mexico? Excellent. US stadiums were archetypal class, arsenic was the grade to which the federation embraced the World Cup. It is conscionable intolerable to disregard the stench of the Balogun situation. EM
On an on-field shot level? Far from spectacular. The US needs a caller player-development architecture to guarantee determination is simply a pipeline of high-quality players. They besides request a caller caput coach, with the close imaginativeness for the future. Tournament organisation? The information that Fifa took nonstop power of it should beryllium a cautionary tale. A section organising committee is ever needed. OO
All 3 co-hosts fared astir arsenic good arsenic I had projected, but each whitethorn person exceeded my expectations successful presumption of however they went astir it. Canada were thrilling astatine times – I covered their 6-0 triumph implicit Qatar astatine BC Place – and had plentifulness of pluck with Jesse Marsch arsenic their coach-cum-hype man. The USA played immoderate of the prettiest shot ever seen by a US nationalist squad of immoderate gender, and volition for ever rue a missed accidental to bash thing greater against Belgium. Mexico were 1 of the biggest bandwagon teams arsenic they barnstormed Group A, past outclassed an Ecuador squad connected the emergence and pushed England to the brink until they ran retired of ideas successful the last half-hour. Jobs good done crossed the board. JR
I had six weeks successful America. All the Americans were lovely. MR
This tourney enactment the whirled successful the World Cup, its standard ensuring it evaded generalisation. Cities specified arsenic Vancouver and Seattle – with downtown stadiums and shot traditions – were fitting hosts, portion metropolises specified arsenic Dallas and San Francisco accommodated the month-long novelty without embracing it. JSn
The radical successful Mexico could not person been much welcoming, adjacent erstwhile England bushed their side. It was the aforesaid successful Kansas City, England’s basal and wherever I spent astir of my time. On the different manus it would person been amended if getting astir immoderate US cities was easier. Public transport infrastructure isn’t truly a happening successful immoderate places. Florida especially. The Boston postulation was ridiculous, too. JSt
A wide scope depending connected venue but broadly friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic. Would payment from improved nationalist transport and mostly little volume. Wifi hopeless, java weak. JW
