As predictable as death and the rent man, England did their upmost to fuck-up their best chance of a decent run in the World Cup in over twenty years in Moscow on Tuesday night against Colombia. It was as painful to watch as it was inevitable. And it was as inevitable as it was horrible. And then ... they went and won on penalties! That was the unpredictable part.
England's new generation ended a World Cup penalty jinx going back to 1990 by knocking out Colombia on spot kicks to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006. Eric Dier scored the winner after Jordan Pickford's brilliant save from Carlos Bacca, with England's first ever World Cup shootout win setting up a meeting with Sweden in Samara on Saturday. Gareth Southgate's side had been seconds away from the last eight during normal time, with Harry Kane's second-half penalty after he was fouled by Carlos Sanchez in the box - his sixth goal of the tournament - looking as though it was going to send them through. But deep into injury time, Colombia threw everyone forward for a Juan Cuadrado corner, including goalkeeper David Ospina and Yerry Mina headed a dramatic equaliser at the Spartak Stadium. Kieran Trippier was standing on the line but could not keep out the Barcelona centre-back's third headed goal of the tournament. The Three Lions had been on top for most of the ninety minutes but appeared understandably deflated in extra time - although Danny Rose and Dier both missed late chances to win the game and avoid a shootout. Kane, Marcus Rashford and Trippier all scored from the spot. Jordan Henderson had his penalty saved by Ospina but Mateus Uribe smashed the following kick onto the crossbar to pave the way for Pickford and Dier to be England heroes. It is only the second time England have ever won a penalty shootout at a major tournament (the other was against Spain at Wembley during Euro '96). Colombia made their intentions clear from the off. This was going to be a scrap and Jose Pekerman's side would be the beneficiaries if England were dragged into it. England lived on the edge in those physical exchanges but the manner in which they survived and came through that test will add an extra layer to the satisfaction. The game had been a thoroughly tetchy, bad-tempered affair, with eight players booked in total - six Colombians, including Wilmar Barrios, who was lucky to avoid red for a first-half headbutt on Henderson. American referee Mike Geiger's failure to clamp down on early misdemeanours led to him losing control of a game that Colombia seemed determined to turn into a battle. Instead of imposing his authority on proceedings with firm decision-making, he indulged in lengthy discussion with players from both sides on numerous occasions. It lead to Colombia pushing him to the edge - although England were not total innocents, with both Henderson and Harry Maguire leaving themselves open to accusations of being over-theatrical in reaction to some of the treatment being dished out. This would have been a tough night for any referee, with players clearly making no attempt to make the official's life easier, but it is to be hoped officials with a greater sense of authority are handed the huge games which remain. Everton goalkeeper Pickford received some criticism for his performance against Belgium but was outstanding here, not only saving that Bacca penalty but also producing one of the saves of the tournament from Uribe's thunderous drive from thirty yards - which led to the corner that brought Mina's equaliser. Harry Kane became the first player to score in six consecutive England appearances since Tommy Lawton did so in 1939. The last England player to be fouled more often in a World Cup match than Kane in this match (nine) was Alan Shearer in 1998 against Tunisia (eleven).
Now, what's the betting dear blog reader that the late Kirsty MacColl's 1999 recording 'England Two, Colombia Nil' will be number one in the chart on Sunday?
Teenager Kylian Mbappé announced himself on football's biggest stage with two fine goals that gave France a deserved victory in a classic World Cup encounter with Argentina and a place in the quarter-finals. Though much of the focus before the game had been on Lionel Messi, it was Mbappé who produced a brilliant performance which will linger in the memory. The nineteen-year-old's second-half double turned the game decisively in France's favour and inflicted more pain on Argentina in what may be their final chance to win the World Cup during the Messi era. Antoine Griezmann had already hit the bar with a free-kick by the time he put France ahead from the penalty spot in the ninth minute, following a searing Mbappé run that was ended by a clumsy Marcos Rojo foul. Six minutes later, Mbappé's pace almost undid Argentina again as he raced onto a quickly-taken Paul Pogba free-kick and was tripped on the edge of the box by Nicolás Tagliafico, who was perhaps fortunate to receive only a yellow card. For Argentina to play so high with defenders so slow against an attack so quick seemed mystifying. Argentina looked unable to reply for much of the first half, until Ángel Di María hauled his side level with a stunning long-range shot shortly before the break. The thousands of raucous, uppity South American supporters were sent into chest-beating raptures when Gabriel Mercado diverted a mishit Messi shot past Hugo Lloris to give Jorge Sampaoli's side the lead. But, the very impressive Benjamin Pavard's stunning strike levelled the scores and eleven minutes later, Mbappé had scored twice - two clinical finishes which ensured the 2014 finalists would be going home. The second was crisply finished at the end of sweeping, six-man counter-attack as Argentina chased another equaliser which began deep in the French half. Substitute Sergio Aguero did get a late consolation - a low header from a pin-point Messi cross in the ninety third minute. But this defeat will raise many questions, including about Messi's international future and that of manager Sampaoli. After a grim trudge through the group stages France are, finally, off and running and looking like potential champions. Quite how Argentina ended up with this strange botch-job of parts that don't quite fit, bound together by nothing more than the - occasional - magic of Messi, is a question which cannot straightforwardly be answered. But, the fact was they were and, as such, were never likely to survive a meeting with a side that looked into Argentine eyes and was not cowed by their self-romanticising will. The deployment of Messi as a false nine as Sampaoli, or whichever cabal of senior players actually picks the side these days, opted for a fourth different formation in four games, served only to deny the wide men a target when they got the ball in crossing positions. Certainly it did nothing to add a defensive stability. It's all very well to play, as Sampaoli promised that they would, with 'a knife between our teeth,' but only if you can actually catch your opponents to use it. Argentina's brutal lack of pace was a problem they never resolved. Perhaps Didier Deschamps's France have become a fluent attacking unit; perhaps Argentina just made them appear so. France, on the ball, often looked imperious - particularly in the second-half - with Griezman strolling around dictating play like a latter day Johan Cruyff and Pogba reminding everyone - perhaps, most notably, Jose Mourinho - that when he puts his mind to it, he's a Special One too. Deschamps's side has been criticised earlier in the tournament for ungainliness and overdue caution - particularly in their dreadful final group game against Denmark; for being too much about substance and not enough about le style. Despite their obvious attacking talent, there were still plenty of questions around this France team after a group phase during which they never really hit their stride. Les Bleus qualified comfortably as Group C winners but laboured to a win over Australia and beat Peru unconvincingly before their dire draw with Denmark, the only nil-nil of the tournament so far. They must have just been waiting for the knockout stage to start because here we, finally, witnessed the kind of blistering display many had expected sooner, with Mbappé the embodiment. His run for the penalty was sensational, pure athleticism coupled with bravery and belief as he drove past defender after defender; all Rojo could do was haul him down. His two goals were not bad either. Mbappé became the first teenager to score multiple goals in a World Cup tournament since Michael Owen in 1998 and the first two score two in one World Cup game since Pele in the 1958 final. On the day that he became the longest-serving manager in France's history Deschamps could, perhaps, reflect that a little planning and a little stodge goes a lot further than Argentina's slow and shambolic defence and nostalgic faith in a no-one-likes-us-we-don't-care spirit. This is an Argentina team around which there seem to have been so many major issues, with rumours of dressing room discontent, reports Messi was calling the shots in team selection and a sense they were simply not getting the best from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. During the nine minutes after the Mercado goal that put them ahead early in the second half, all was forgotten in the stands packed with light-blue-and-white striped shirts. But Mbappé's brilliance - after Pavard's stunning equalising goal - brought them crashing back to cold, hard reality. That reality is this could well be the end for a generation that has failed to win a major title despite promising so much. This exit follows three consecutive defeats in major finals - the World Cup in 2014, the Copa America in 2015 and the centenary Copa America in 2016. After the latter defeat, Messi announced his international retirement, before changing his mind a month later. Following the final whistle here, all of the Argentina players lingered long on the pitch, only leaving after France had. Messi was first down the tunnel, with his head bowed and the captain's armband in his hands.
In the aftermath of Argentina's defeat, one hundred and thirty four years old Javier Mascherano announced his retirement from international football. Which will, no doubt, have come as a considerable surprise to anyone who watched him during any of Argentina's matches at the World Cup since, likely, they will have concluded that he had already retired.
And, speaking of crazy former Argentine internationals brings us to Diego Maradona - who is definitely not mental, nor nothing. He has 'issued a bounty' worth three hundred thousand pesos (don't get too excited, it's only about eight grand) to find the journalist responsible for reporting his death, according to various media outlets. Two Spanish-language audio clips allegedly claimed that Maradona had suffered a fatal heart attack, shortly after news emerged of his eccentric and bizarre behaviour during - and after - Argentina's lucky two-one victory over Nigeria on Tuesday. Maradona's out-of-control antics overshadowed the match itself as he was caught on video celebrating, dancing with a Nigerian fan and then appearing to fall asleep at half-time. After he woke up, he swore at fans below his VIP box and gave them the finger when Argentina scored the winner, seemed to require assistance to leave his seat and had his pulse checked by paramedics after the final whistle. The extraordinary series of events captured the imagination of social media, if not anyone that actually matters. An ESPN Deportes Radio journalist tweeted that Maradona had been hospitalised - something the 1986 World Cup winner vehemently denied in an Instagram post, where he said he was 'fine' while aboard a private jet. He had, he claimed, merely suffered from neck pain and one too many glasses of white wine during the game. The audio clips appeared to claim that Maradona was actually dead. Now, Maradona's lawyer is trying to track down those responsible. Presumably, to give the a dmaned good slapping with The Hand Of God. 'I have made public the decision to give a reward of three hundred thousand pesos for anyone who can provide accurate information on the person who put the audio together,' the lawyer told Goal.com. 'Often it is thought that, in these issues, little can be done. But my studio tell me they consulted with experts in technology and you can get to know who put it together. That's why we need someone to provide us with information.' Maradona told Venezuelan TV that he is, in fact, not dead. He said he is 'more alive than ever.' According to Telesur, he said: 'There has been talk of stretchers, ambulances on the Internet which triggered a cycle of meaningless lies. I want to let the whole world know that I'm more alive than ever.'
Tragically, the director of the TV coverage of the France versus Argentina game neglected to give of any shots of Maradona blubbing his eyes out at the end of the game. Definitely an opportunity missed, one could suggest.
Monotosh Halder, a twenty-year-old Lionel Messi fan, reportedly committed suicide in Habibpur which is in West Bengal's Malda district after the Albicelestes lost to France. Halder, described as 'an ardent Messi fan,' was said to be 'heartbroken' after his favourite's team was eliminated from the elite competition. He skipped dinner on Saturday night and locked the doors of his bedroom. On Sunday morning, after his family made several attempts to enter the room, the police were informed. The door was breached and Halder's body was found hanging from the ceiling. 'My son had no illness. He was an Argentina fan and every day he used to remain glued to the TV since the World Cup had started. He was distraught after Argentina's loss to France. But we never thought he would do something like this,' said Mongol Halder, father of the deceased. Another incident of suicide had been earlier reported from Kerala when a thirty-year-old man's body was recovered from of a nearby river in Kottayam. The man had written a suicide letter and went missing after Argentina's humiliating defeat against Croatia on 21 June. Both Kerala and West Bengal are footballing hotbeds of India and South American countries like Brazil and Argentina are hugely popular among the masses.
Edinson Cavani scored two superb goals as Uruguay beat Portugal to set up a World Cup quarter-final meeting with France. Defeat for the European champions finished Cristiano Ronaldo's hopes of success in Russia just hours after Lionel Messi and Argentina were knocked out. This World Cup has not been short of stunning goals and Cavani added another to the collection when he opened the scoring early on, playing a classy one-two with Luis Suarez before thumping home a header from his strike partner's cross. Uruguay had not conceded a goal at this World Cup before Pepe rose unmarked to nod in an equaliser from close range, prompting a brief spell of dominance for Portugal. But Cavani secured Uruguay's place in the last eight - and a trip to Nizhny Novgorod to face France on Friday - when he steered a brilliant shot beyond goalkeeper Rui Patricio. The win may have come at a price, though, as Cavani limped off late on. Uruguay made a slow start to this World Cup but have got stronger with every game - and in Suarez and Cavani, they possess one of the most potent strike partnerships in Russia. Exquisite technique, timing and teamwork were all present as the two combined to score a goal inside the first ten minutes that few sides at the tournament would have been able to prevent. Cavani - hugging the touchline on the right wing - hit a brilliant crossfield pass to Suarez wide left. The Barcelona forward held the ball for a moment as Cavani powered into the area before whipping in a cross for his strike partner to head home. Of Cavani's forty five international goals, Suarez has now assisted twelve of them. It is, however, a partnership that could be disrupted. After scoring his side's second with a clinical finish on the counter, the Paris St-Germain striker left the field, appearing to clutch his hamstring. An injury for Cavani would undoubtedly be a blow but this Uruguay team is, arguably, greater than the sum of its parts. Against Portugal, they looked well balanced and while they did concede, it was the first goal against them in five hundred and ninety seven minutes of football, a run stretching back to August last year. Ronaldo scored four goals to take Portugal through to the last sixteen almost on his own but, once again, he was unable to continue that form beyond the group stages. The Real Madrid forward had failed to find the net in his four previous knockout games and never really troubled Fernando Muslera in the Uruguay goal on Saturday evening. He did not have a single touch of the ball inside the area in the first-half while his only shot on target in the entire game came in the second minute, when his low effort from distance was straight at Muslera. Ronaldo will be thirty seven by the time of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, meaning - like Messi - this could have been his last appearance on the biggest international stage. 'Cristiano still has a lot to give to football and I hope he will stay to help the young players grow and develop,' Portugal coach Fernando Santos said.
Russia sprang a huge surprise as they beat 2010 winners Spain in the first penalty shootout of the 2018 World Cup to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in forty eight years. After extra-time ended with the score locked at one-one, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was Russia's penalty hero, denying Koke and then Iago Aspas to spark scenes of delirious celebration at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. His opposite number, David De Gea, got a hand to the first spot-kick he faced - from Fedor Smolov - but that was the closest he came to making a save as the Russians converted their remaining penalties in clinical fashion. Stanislav Cherchesov's side now face Croatia in the last eight in Sochi on Saturday. Their unlikely progress is a reward for their resolute defending for most of the one hundred and twenty minutes of play and should reflect the part played by their thousands of fans who roared them on throughout their defensive masterclass. In a match where Spain enjoyed seventy nine per cent of possession, not even the positive impact of another stand-out performance from Isco could break down the Russia defence to give Spain the easy win many had predicted. It had been said that they were the worst team in Russia's history but they are still here, in their own tournament. It has been said that their opponents were the best team in Spain's history, but they are going home. This was almost certainly Andrés Iniesta's final international and others will follow the man who scored the winning goal in 2010, the last of their golden generation. Admittedly there were few signs of the Spanish struggles to come when Sergey Ignashevich inadvertently gave Fernando Hierro's side a twelfth-minute lead. The veteran Russian defender, who turns one hundred and thirty nine later this month, put through his own net as he tried to stop Sergio Ramos reaching Marco Asensio's free-kick at the far post. But Spain failed to turn their overwhelming dominance of possession into further chances and paid the price before half-time, when Big Artem Dzyuba's header from a corner hit Gerard Pique's outstretched arm. Dzyuba stepped up himself to send De Gea the wrong way from the spot and the stadium went wild, not for the last time on a tumultuous evening. The pattern of play did not change after the break, with a slow, ponderous Spain trying to pass their way through the ranks of Russia's packed defence, but lacking the imagination or the pace to fashion a serious shooting chance. Spain passed the ball eleven hundred and thirty seven times in one hundred and twenty minutes, but they could not pass Russia. Only Iniesta threatened to break the deadlock for Spain when he was belatedly summoned from the bench and the volume inside the Luzhniki increased as the Russian fans sensed their side could cling on. When Spain did manage a sight of goal, at the start of the second period of extra-time, Akinfeev denied Rodrigo to ensure the game would go to penalties, where he would have the final say.
One of the highlights of the World Cup so far was Cesc Fàbregas's utterly ungracious, pissed-off punditry at the end of the Russia versus Spain fiasco on the BBC. You simply can't script comedy like that. Churlishly, the former The Arse, Moscow Chelski FC and Spain striker suggested that Russia had only one plan - 'play for penalties. And pray.' Technically, Cesc, they had one plan with two parts - play for penalties. And then, actually score them. A necessary difference, one could argue.
'Stupid', 'negligent', the 'end of an era' - the Spanish media pulled no punches in their assessment of the national team's exit against Russia. From the sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the World Cup, to selection errors by interim boss Fernando Hierro and an ageing squad, the media blamed many factors. They were almost as vexed as the German media were with their side going out last week.
Danijel Subašić saved three penalties as Croatia knocked out dogged Denmark in a nerve-shredding shootout to set up a World Cup quarter-final tie against hosts Russia. It came at the end of a largely disappointing tie - and one that had seen Luka Modrić spurn a golden chance to snatch a late winner when his penalty shortly before the end of extra-time was superbly saved by Kasper Schmeichel. The Leicester City goalkeeper also saved two penalties in the shootout at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium but Bacon Sandwich Junior could not prevent Ivan Rakitić slotting home the decisive tenth kick. The Croatia players charged towards Rakitić after his penalty with the look of a team who knew they had survived an almighty scare against a Danish side which seemed to have the momentum with them moving into the shootout. Even the force of nature that is Peter Schmeichel, leaping up and down from the stands with all the gusto of his footballing prime, could not quite rescue Denmark. His son had performed heroics in saving three penalties - each greeted with the sort of fist-pumping and roars that once followed Bacon Sandwich Senior's own most iconic moments - but it was ultimately still Croatia that prevailed three-two in on penalties. It had actually all been quite turgid for almost two hours in the middle of this contest but, after a goal apiece in a frantic opening four minutes, an even more extraordinary finale ensured that Croatia's disappointing wider performance will be largely overlooked. It was a match that ended in dramatic fashion - and started that way as well. It was just the bits in-between that were so disappointing. Martin Jørgensen capitalised on the chaos caused by a long throw to fire a weak shot beyond Subašić in the opening minute. Croatia, though, did not panic and were level within three minutes in even more unusual circumstances. Ante Rebić had made an excellent run down the right before Šime Vrsaljko exploited Jonas Knudsen's hesitation to cross into the penalty area. The ball should still have been cleared but instead cannoned into the face of Moscow Chelski's Andreas Christensen and then the path of Mario Mandžukić to equalise. Christensen was later forced off at half-time after complaining of 'feeling sick' following the blow to his head. Neither side had previously conceded from open play in Russia - but the prospect of an unexpected glut of goals faded as quickly as the tempo. It developed into a lacklustre tie played with front of a largely delighted crowd as the local fans inside the stadium revelled in Russia's earlier shootout victory over Spain. The second-half was particularly shabby and dreadful and the match seemed to have an inevitability of penalties from well before the start of extra-time. An off-colour Modrić fluffed his big chance but did convert in the shootout as Croatia stay alive in the competition and remain in the hunt to emulate the great side of 1998 - the team of Boban, Prosinečki, Jarni, Davor Šuker and Slavan Bilić (punditing for the game on ITV in a brilliantly tetchy double-act with Martin O'Neill) - which reached the last four in France. Croatia were superb the last time they played in Nizhny Novgorod, humbling Argentina three-nil and laying down a real marker that they are genuine contenders here in Russia. But they were a shadow of that side on Sunday. Their passing was off, they seemed to lack energy and ambition and their ability to unpick a well-drilled opposition defence was limited. Modrić had warned before Sunday night's encounter that the Danes would provide 'a stern test' and his words proved prophetic. The Real Madrid playmaker had come into this match on the back of several excellent displays but he and fellow influential midfielder Rakitić were both below par. Modrić's evening was perhaps summed up when he missed the chance to snatch a late win from the penalty spot. In one of the few bright spots of his evening he had played an exquisite through ball to Rebić, who seemed certain to score after adroitly rounding Schmeichel before he was brought down by Jørgensen with the empty net gaping. But Modrić struck his kick at a good height for a keeper and Bacon Sandwich Junior, diving to this left, managed to hold the ball. Croatia had been knocked out of Euro 2016 by Portugal in the last sixteen after conceding late in extra-time and, as Denmark went into the shootout with their tails up, it appeared as though they might suffer late heartbreak again. But they survived and remain alive in what is seen as the favourable half of the draw, with none of the teams left in FIFA's top ten rankings. Back in Euro 2016 Croatia missed out on winnable ties against Poland and Wales and they do not want to do pass up a chance to go deep again. Denmark had only once previously reached the last eight of the World Cup - losing to Brazil at France 98 - but Åge Hareide's side can consider themselves unfortunate to have lost against Croatia. They sparked the game into life with their first-minute goal, which saw Huddersfield's Jørgensen shoot between the legs of two Croat defenders and defeat Subašić with a shot that, literally, trickled over the line. It came after a long throw from Ipswich's Knudsen and was very much made in the English Championship. And, they can hardly be blamed for playing to their strengths of defensive organisation and looking to capitalise on set pieces and the occasional openings that come their way. Christian Eriksen - who never lacked effort and endeavour but was largely a peripheral figure - clipped the frame of the goal in the first half and Denmark were undoubtedly the more ambitious side in an atrocious second half. Denmark made a huge contribution to the worst game of the tournament so far when they and France played out - seemingly, by mutually convenient - an insipid goalless draw in their final group match. But they cannot be accused of spoiling this tie in Nizhny Novogorod, although in truth they probably exit the World Cup at a stage that is commensurate with their abilities.
Neymar scored one goal and played a key role in the second as Brazil edged out Mexico in Samara on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for a seventh consecutive time. Brazil did not have it all their own way, especially in an opening period dominated by Mexico, but the five-time winners grew into what became a controlled performance. It means Mexico are once again eliminated at the last-sixteen stage - as they have been at every World Cup since 1994. They did have plenty of chances early on and it was only after a largely frustrating first-half for Brazil that Neymar started the move to put his side ahead. His run across goal and clever backheel won Willian space and the Moscow Chelski FC midfielder only needed two touches to drive into box and lay the ball across for the world's most expensive player to slide home. It was Brazil's two hundred and twenty seventh goal at the World Cup, meaning they overtake Germany as the all-time top scorers. Just moments earlier, Mexico's Jesus Gallardo wasted a brilliant chance when he shot wildly over the crossbar instead of playing in Hirving Lozano. For much of the second-half, Mexico's bright start was just a memory, but Carlos Vela forced a save from Brazil goalkeeper Alisson with his side's first shot on target not long after going behind. In the match's closing stages they rallied once more, but Brazil defended stoically before doubling their lead on the break through a Roberto Firmino tap-in after Neymar's effort was diverted by the toe of Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Brazil will face Belgium in their last-eight tie in Kazan on Friday. But they will be without Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, who will be suspended after being shown his second yellow card of the tournament. Given his contribution, Neymar should have garnered only positive headlines, but he was the centre of attention for the wrong reasons too after massively over-reacting to being stood on by Miguel Layun in the closing stages. The Mexico full-back appeared to press his studs against Neymar's ankle as he retrieved the ball from between the Brazilian's legs and should probably have been sent off for that offence even if the contact appeared to be deliberate but minimal. However Neymar, who was sitting down, writhed around in apparent delayed-reaction agony and held the game up for several minutes before getting up to carry on without any apparent issue. 'I'm embarrassed for Neymar,' said Dion Dublin on BBC Radio 5Live. 'He is one of the world's greatest players but when he rolls about on the floor, I just don't get it. Come on young man you're better than that, get on with the game.' 'Neymar has the lowest pain threshold of any player in World Cups since Opta stats began,' added Gary Lineker on Twitter. Bacon Sandwich Senior was incandescent in his fury. So was Martin O'Neill. So was the Mexico coach, Juan Carlos Osorio who used the word 'shameful.' The oddity about Neymar’s undignified thespian spoiling is that it seems so unnecessary. Because he is part of a very smart Brazil team. Brazil are aiming to emulate the many great teams before them, while putting behind the heartache they suffered at the tournament they hosted four years ago, when Germany destroyed them in the semi-finals. Tite's side did not really hit their stride in the group stage. After being held to a draw with Switzerland they needed two injury-time goals to beat Costa Rica and it was only in the second-half that we really began to see their best against Mexico. They would have been out of sight far sooner than the eighty eighth minute were it not for Ochoa, who made several excellent saves after the break. Either side of Neymar's strike, the Standard Liege goalkeeper thwarted powerful drives from Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho, before making his most stunning save to block a Willian stinging drive that for everything looked destined for the top corner. It kept his side in with a chance of a late equaliser, but Brazil just seem to be a team that know how to win knockout matches and get the job done. There is a national obsession in Mexico that centres on a failure to go beyond four games at a World Cup, stretching back thirty two years. Only once have they done so - at the 1986 tournament they hosted, when they beat Bulgaria in the last sixteen before falling to West Germany. It remains the only World Cup knockout-stage victory in Mexico's history. Rafael Marquez may well remember watching the match. He captained the side against Brazil in Samara, on his first start at a joint record fifth World Cup, before being withdrawn at half-time. It was not purely down to his influence, but Mexico played their best football in the opening period, when they created several good chances but failed to score. Vela picked out Hector Herrera in the area but the midfielder took too many touches and his shot was blocked, while Javier Hernandez just failed to connect with a Lozano cross. In the second-half, it was Gallardo's decision not to find the galloping Lozano on the left wing that eventually proved the most costly miss, as Brazil punished them minutes later.
Belgium completed a remarkable revival as they came from the World Cup abyss and beat Japan to reach the quarter-finals. Roberto Martinez's side were trailing two-nil when he brought on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli in the sixty fifth minute and Fellaini scored the equaliser before Chadli netted a ninety fourth-minute winner. It will go down as a World Cup classic, a wild and chaotic game that will be talked about in years to come, in particular those dramatic final seconds when Belgium went from one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye to score the goal that completed a remarkable comeback and broke Japanese hearts. Japan looked on their way to a famous win in Rostov after Genki Haraguchi ran onto Gaku Shibasaki's long ball, which Jan Vertonghen should have cut out, to open the scoring. Takashi Inui's spectacular twenty five-yard strike made it two-nil and looked set to take the Asian side into their first quarter-final. One of the moment of the World Cup thus far was the camera lingering on Martinez just after the second Japanese goal had been scored. 'Face like a smacked arse,'doesn't even come close to describing it. Nevertheless, the former West Bromwich Albinos, Wigan Not Very Athletic and Everton manager had the last laugh. Belgium's Premier League stars - their so-called 'golden generation' - had put in a disappointing performance and Martinez turned to the oft-ridiculed Fellaini and West Brom winger Chadli in his hour of need. Their fortunes changed after that as Vertonghen scored a looping header to get them back into the game. Fellaini then headed in Eden Hazard's cross to level before Chadli converted Thomas Meunier's pass to finish off a flowing move and help The Red Devils avoid being the latest victims of a World Cup of shocks. Belgium are the first team to fight back from two goals down to win a World Cup knockout game since West Germany against England in 1970 (although West Germany also came from three-one down to draw three-three with France in 1982 and then won on penalties). Belgium clearly have the players - Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois are some of the Premier League's undoubted stars. They are now unbeaten in twenty three games, but there are always questions about whether they are tactically astute. Martinez and his players will feel they have gone some way to answering those questions and finding a real winning touch, having looked dead and buried after an hour. Moscow Chelski FC winger Hazard had hit the post in one of their few good chances in the opening sixty minutes. But they ground their way back into the game - even though the goal to give them hope was a bit of a fluke. Inui booted the ball up into the air and Vertonghen's looping header flew over keeper Eiji Kawashima, who will probably feel he should have done better. Then the substitutes came to the party. Big-haired Fellaini, who signed a new deal with The Scum last week, powered in Hazard's centre to level the scores after seventy four minutes. The winner was a real team effort. Goalkeeper Courtois rolled the ball to De Bruyne, who had been quiet for ninety minutes but exploded into life when his country needed him. The Sheikh Yer Man City playmaker carried the ball sixty yards before feeding Meunier, his cross was stepped over by Lukaku and Chadli was on hand to steer it home. Lukaku had scored seventeen goals in his previous eleven Belgium games but his decision to not shoot on this occasion might prove more crucial than any of those. Belgium will feel a huge amount of spirit building after this fightback - and also when they reflect on the fact their last defeat was Martinez's first game in charge, against Spain in September 2016. Their past two tournaments - the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 - have both come to an end at the quarter-final stage. The Red Devils, who have never won a major tournament, will be desperate to go at least one step further this time - but there remains one significant problem. Their next game is against the favourites to win the tournament, five-time champions Brazil, on Friday in Kazan. The winner of that game faces will either France or two-time winners Uruguay for a place in the final. Belgium will not need reminding that if they had lost to an under-strength England in the final group game, instead of beating them, no World Cup winners would have stood between them and the final. 'Belgium had to dig deep from within and they did it so well,' said 5Live's Chris Sutton. 'Belgium are not going to have a harder game than this all tournament. They were in a real scrap.' Japan have taken big gambles in the past few months and after an hour in Rostov, it looked like they were paying off in style. First they sacked their head coach Vahid Halilhodzic and replaced him with Akira Nishino two months before the tournament started. Then, they controversially sat back in order to maintain a one-nil deficit in their defeat by Poland in their final group game - even though a goal elsewhere could have knocked them out. And it looked as if The Blue Samurai were going to become only the third Asian nation - after South Korea in 2002 and North Korea in 1966 - to reach the World Cup quarter-finals when they deservedly took the lead. Haraguchi kept his composure to shoot across Courtois and give them the lead and then the impressive Inui blasted in a long-range second to put them in control. In truth, they did not have a host of chances - with only four shots on target all night - and all the momentum had deserted them by the time Chadli placed the ball past Kawashima with seconds remaining. 'Japan will regret the last two minutes because they threw everything forward and they were a little bit too open at the back,' said BBC pundit Jurgen Klinsmann. 'In the ninety fourth minute, the players are tired and they are thinking about extra time, and that is when mistakes happen.'
During the England's hugely disappointing defeat to Belgium, Michy Batshuayi delivered a hilarious moment which gave pretty much everyone something to smile about. Following Adnan Januzaj's curled finish which proved to be the difference between the two sides on Thursday night, Batshuayi decided to have his own strike of the ball, intending to hit the back of the net as Januzaj had done before him. Instead, Batshuayi's wild strike crashed onto the post from close range, before rebounding directly back into the face of the Moscow Chelski FC forward with some considerable force. Fortunately, Batshuayi managed to see the funny side of his most unfortunate goal celebration, posting self-deprecatingly on Twitter.
An octopus, who correctly predicted all of Japan's World Cup results, has been killed and turned into sashimi. Now, see, if Psychic Sally's TV programme was like that, this blogger would definitely watch it. The mollusc, named Rabio, was hailed as 'psychic' (by morons) after an experiment in a paddling pool. But Kimio Abe, the fisherman who caught Rabio, decided that he would make more money selling it for food than from its alleged clairvoyance. Local media in Japan reports Kimio decided his livelihood was more important than viral fame. Rabio - a giant Pacific octopus - allegedly predicted Japan's win against Colombia and their draw with Senegal by moving to different parts of a paddling pool. Each sector - marked as win, lose or draw - had food placed to tempt the octopus. While Japan's footballers are left to dwell on what might have been, at least they still have their health. Unlike Rabio. But his spirit will live on, as the fisherman plans to use another octopus to predict the results of future fixtures. Rabio was sent to market before Japan lost to Poland on 28 June. He had, of course, predicted the loss - but not his own demise. Rabio wasn't the first psychic octopus with an interest in international football competitions. In 2010, a German invertebrate named Paul allegedly 'predicted' six World Cup games. Paul passed peacefully in his aquarium at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen in 2012, aged two.
Emil Forsberg's deflected strike saw Sweden into the World Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Switzerland. Swiss defender Manuel Akanji stuck out a foot to divert the ball into the roof of his own net as goalkeeper Yann Sommer could only stand and watch. Switzerland's Michael Lang was sent off for a late push on Martin Olsson but a VAR decision decided against awarding a penalty. In a feisty affair full of missed chances, Andreas Granqvist cleared Breel Embolo's header late on and substitute Remo Freuler had a header saved in stoppage time as Switzerland sought a leveller. Sweden, who last progressed beyond the second stage in 1994, came close on several occasions and should have taken the lead in the first half when Albin Ekdal blazed his volley over the bar. Switzerland's Blerim Dzemaili had done the same at the other end moments before, while there were further chances for Sweden's Marcus Berg and Switzerland trio Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Steven Zuber. Disappointingly for the Swedes, Glasgow Celtic defender Mikael Lustig picked up a second yellow card, meaning he will miss the quarter-final. And, one imagines everyone in Columbia was sitting watching the game thinking 'once we've beaten England, we've got nothing to fear from either of these two.'
