(From left) Neymar of Brazil, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Lionel Messi of Argentina react after their teams’ Round of 16 matches at the World Cup. Credit: Reuters, Imagn Images via Reuters, Getty Images via AFP
Just when the action was getting exciting, politics reared its ugly head again at the World Cup this week to remind us that there is no escaping FIFA’s fraught handling of U.S. demands. The pawn in this latest fiasco is U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was overturned ahead of the team’s Round of 16 match with Belgium on the ‘request’ of President Donald Trump. The decision set social media on fire and drew the ire of not just the Belgian team but also former legends of the game, while FIFA scrambled to contain the fallout with justifications for the reversal. Belgium won 4-1 regardless, so Balogun’s reprieve counted for little — but the whole episode left a bitter taste in the mouth, just weeks after the Iran controversy died down.While Belgium’s passage to the quarterfinals was a fairly straightforward one, we were treated to some deliciously enthralling encounters yet again. England and Mexico played out one of the all-time classics at the iconic Azteca stadium, with England prevailing 3-2 after 90 minutes of end-to-end action. Playing 2,241 meters above sea level, the players were breathless and so were we, the audience. Argentina and Egypt gave us another 3-2 thriller. Though refereeing decisions are still being scrutinised, Argentina’s 14-minute turnaround at the end of regulation time to overcome a 0-2 deficit was one for the ages.There were lots of tears too, as is expected from knockout matches, but we saw three legends in particular sobbing after their games. Lionel Messi was overcome with emotion as his team escaped defeat at the hands of the Pharaohs. Perhaps it’s the realisation of how close his Argentina career came to ending — and how near the real end now is. It was, however, the end of the road for two of his contemporaries — Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after Portugal lost to Spain, and Neymar had to be consoled by teammates after Norway eliminated Brazil. It’s never easy to see icons of the game cry, but the carnival rolls on and the competition gets tighter as the victors march on. We’re in the endgame now.Stay tuned for The Hindu’s daily coverage of the World Cup. Published - July 10, 2026 10:14 am IST
