Nabid Yeasin

Beyond Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semifinal in Dallas lay a far more compelling story than the scoreline itself -- one of a tactical masterclass from Luis de la Fuente that Didier Deschamps never truly recognised, let alone countered.

Standing tall, chest puffed out, and arms outstretched, Jude Bellingham’s trademark celebration has become one of the defining images of England’s World Cup.

A World Cup quarterfinal, locked at 1-1. Against a resilient Switzerland in Kansas City yesterday, Argentina were desperately searching for a moment of inspiration -- perhaps from captain Lionel Messi, the man who has repeatedly rescued La Albiceleste on the biggest stage.

"I really can't stand it when my four leaders are called 'veterans'. It is ugly. It is awful," Belgium coach Rudi Garcia had said a few days ago during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France were always tipped as the team to beat.

“I was always very competitive since I was young, and I hated losing.” Few football fans would need long to identify the speaker. Cristiano Ronaldo has built an extraordinary career on that relentless competitiveness -- a man who rarely accepted defeat and never settled for being second best.

He is no longer the winger who breezed past defenders at will for Manchester United. Nor is he the unstoppable force Real Madrid relied upon to change a game in an instant.

It was supposed to be a farewell for a legend in Toronto.

When the entire Brazil dugout erupted in celebration, one man barely flinched. As Gabriel Martinelli buried the winner in the final minute of stoppage time to seal Brazil's 2-1 victory over Japan in the World Cup Round of 32 on Monday, Carlo Ancelotti remained almost expressionless, except for a familiar twitch of his eyebrows, as though the ending had been written long before the final whistle.

Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil have grown into this World Cup with every passing game, but as the tournament enters its knockout phase, there is little room for error. The Selecao face arguably their toughest challenge yet when they take on an impressive Japan side in tonight's Round of 32 clash in Houston.

He came on for a cameo appearance, playing just 36 minutes. Yet that was all he needed to steal the spotlight.

If not Neymar, then who? The answer to that question, often asked whenever doubts emerge around Brazil, is being delivered by Vinicius Junior at this World Cup -- perhaps without the attention he deserves, but certainly with greater conviction than ever before.

“There is a player more dangerous than Cristiano Ronaldo… it’s Cristiano Ronaldo who didn’t score in the previous match.”

When coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed last week that Neymar would be available for Hexa-chasing Brazil’s final Group C game against Scotland in Miami on Thursday morning, the news likely felt sweeter than ever for Selecao fans.

At just 27, Kylian Mbappe has already become one of those rare figures whose name inevitably surfaces whenever the FIFA World Cup conversation begins.

Lionel Messi is now a free man. He has been ever since he inspired Argentina to lift their third World Cup four years back in Qatar in 2022, completing the one missing piece of a career that already stood at the summit of football.

Brazil shrugged off their World Cup opener disappointment with a 3-0 win over Haiti in their second Group C outing at the Philadelphia Stadium yesterday, but it was still not the resounding performance expected from a side chasing a record-extending sixth world title.

France arrived in North America as clear favourites to go all the way, tipped to become only the third team after Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002) to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.

Sports can be very cruel. Often, it is the final image that leaves the deepest imprint on fans’ minds.

Romanticism, Samba nostalgia, and the weight of a record five World Cup titles -- all of it met a sobering dose of reality as Brazil began their Hexa campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.