The noise off the pitch has finally eclipsed the action on it, and for the United States, that noise has become a deafening roar of indignation. Folar...
The noise off the pitch has finally eclipsed the action on it, and for the United States, that noise has become a deafening roar of indignation. Folarin Balogun's disallowed goal against Belgium was the flashpoint, a decision so contentious it has sent shockwaves through the tournament and turned the spotlight squarely onto Fifa's refereeing protocols. The USA are out, dumped on their backsides after a 2. 1 defeat that will be argued about in bars and boardrooms for years. Was it a foul Was it a dive GoalZaza's analysis of the footage suggests a moment of genuine contact, but the real story is the complete lack of consistency that has plagued this World Cup. The backlash is building, and frankly, it feels justified.Let us step away from the fury for a moment, because there was another game that played out in the small hours, one that will have the English press in full bloom. England versus Mexico. I confess, I nodded off around one in the morning, British time, convinced I was watching a slow, dreary dirge. I woke to find the score 2. 1, and young Quansah was already trudging off, his red card turning the final quarter of an hour into a spectacular, desperate siege. Thomas Tuchel had tried his hand at a tactical madness earlier, ordering a back five and a policy of 'just hack the ball anywhere'. I groaned. I thought he had lost his nerve. But what unfolded in those closing stages was not panic. It was art.Dan Burn, that colossal figure at the back, became a human wall. Mexico threw everything at England, but their attacking play lacked imagination. Overlapping runs that went nowhere, crosses that hit the first man. England's defending was a masterclass in the low block, a relentless, organised refusal to break. It was squeaky bum time, make no mistake, but they kept a clean sheet with ten men. That takes more than luck. That takes tactical flexibility and a will of iron. Tuchel's gamble, whether planned or accidental, paid off in the most nervy of fashions.So here we are. The USA are gone, fuming into the night, while England, battered and bruised, march on. The politics of this tournament are becoming as absorbing as the football itself. The Balogun furore has exposed a deep seam of discontent with the governing body, and if the noise keeps building, we might see change before the next cycle. For now, though, we have a last sixteen to complete and a nation holding its breath over whether England can keep this miracle run alive.
