Naseem Mohammed Abdullah

Why are a lot of people making a big deal about Argentina not recording a single shot on target against Spain in the final of #FédérationInternationaledeFootballAssociationWorldCup2026?! They had zero shots on target in the World Cup finals of 1990 and 2014 against West Germany and Germany respectively too! That they lost all 3 finals 0-1 doesn't mean that trying to win in penalty shootouts is a bad ploy! Russia and Morocco had only 1 shot on target each against Spain in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups! And didn't they knock out Spain by beating them in the penalty shootouts?! And how did Spain lose to the eventual champions Italy during the semi-final of the Union Of European Football Associations Euro 2020?! You guessed right! Penalty shootout, of course! By the way, Italy had only 4 shots on target in that match!

Let's face it! Spain with its possession football is a pain in the ass! And to add to it, their bench strength is off the charts! Their substitute goalkeeper is Raya who won the English Premier League and reached the final of the Union Of European Football Associations Champions League this season! Can you believe that Bayer Leverkusen's defender Grimaldo isn't good enough to play for Spain?! Spain could easily field all its substitutes and still have a formidable team!

And the only chink in the armour of this Spanish Armada is its inability to win in the penalty shootouts! So how can Argentina be faulted for exploiting this weakness! More or less, everything was going according to plan for Argentina in the final of World Cup 2026 until referee Slavko Vinčić threw a spanner in the works by giving 2 yellow cards to Enzo Fernandes, one for protesting against the referee's decision and the other for a foul which looked worse than it actually is! 10 versus 11 with 30 minutes to play against Spain is a big ask for any team! Even then Argentina conceded a goal only in the second period of extra time! Being the only team in World Cup 2026 to force Spain into extra time means that Argentina are worthy runners-up!

Japan, Senegal and Egypt could've progressed further in #FédérationInternationaledeFootballAssociationWorldCup2026 had it not been for the defensive mindset of their head coaches!

A quick recap:

Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu made a critical tactical shift. In the 65th minute—shortly after Casemiro equalised for Brazil—Moriyasu opted for defensive stability by making a double defensive substitution.He replaced offense-minded midfielders Ritsu Doan and Keito Nakamura with natural defenders Yukinari Sugawara and Junnosuke Suzuki.

The substitutions were designed to transition Japan into a low, compact defensive block to withstand Brazil’s relentless crossing and potentially force the match into extra time or penalties. While the five-man barrier initially stifled Brazil, the choice to sit extremely deep invited massive pressure. It ultimately backfired when Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli scored a heartbreaking winner in the 95th minute, ending the match 2-1.

In spite of leading 2-0, the decision by Senegal's head coach Pape Thiaw to substitute midfielder Pape Gueye for Lamine Camara in the 65th minute shattered the team's defensive structure, triggering a collapse.

Deprived of Gueye’s looming presence, Senegal surrendered total control of the midfield. Belgium pounced on the vulnerability, scoring in the 86th and 89th minutes to force extra time, before completing a historic 3-2 comeback victory.

Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan defended his late-stage decisions, noting that he intentionally moved to a back-five format with three central defenders to compress space.

After Mostafa Ziko doubled Egypt's lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute, the team dropped into a deep defensive shell.

Final score: Argentina 3 Egypt 2!

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Early Advantage: Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 10th minute by heading in a sharp corner from Lionel Messi.

Swiss Resurgence: Switzerland pushed back firmly in the second half, with Dan Ndoye slotting home a well-deserved equaliser in the 67th minute.

Red Card Controversy: The game shifted dramatically in the 72nd minute when Swiss forward Breel Embolo was sent off. Under a modern VAR "mistaken identity" review, a booking initially given to Argentina's Leandro Paredes was overturned, and Embolo was instead handed a second yellow card for simulation.

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Norway's Opener: Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the 36th minute with a looping, mishit cross that caught Jordan Pickford off guard.

The Equaliser: Jude Bellingham levelled the game for England in first-half stoppage time, slotting home a left-footed strike following an Anthony Gordon assist.

VAR Controversy: Norway had a second-half goal by Torbjørn Heggem disallowed after a VAR review ruled that Erling Haaland had pushed an England defender in the buildup.

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The Opener: Fabián Ruiz fired Spain into the lead in the 30th minute, smashing home a rebound after Thibaut Courtois blocked an initial effort by Dani Olmo.

The Equaliser: Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere equalised with a clinical header in the 41st minute, snapping Spain's incredible 650-minute tournament clean-sheet streak.

The Turning Point: Elite Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off in tears due to a leg injury in the 71st minute and was replaced by backup option Senne Lammens.

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15' — Egypt Goal: Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring with a brilliant header from a corner kick.

21' — Penalty Miss: Lionel Messi missed a chance to equalize when his penalty was saved brilliantly by Egypt's keeper, Mostafa Shobeir.

67' — Egypt Second Goal: Mostafa Ziko doubled the Pharaohs' lead on a swift counter-attack.

79' — Argentina Lifeline: Cristian Romero buried an inswinging cross with a powerful header.

83' — The Equalizer: Lionel Messi redeemed his early penalty miss, slotting home a clinical finish into the net.

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Early Breakthrough: Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring for Belgium in the 9th minute with a close-range finish.

Brief Equaliser: US midfielder Malik Tillman equalised in the 31st minute via a deflected free-kick, keeping home hopes alive.

Belgian Response: Just two minutes later, De Ketelaere struck again with a header to restore Belgium's lead before halftime.

Second-Half Blunder: In the 57th minute, a major miscalculation outside the box by US goalkeeper Matt Freese gifted Hans Vanaken an open goal to make it 3-1.

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36' Goal (England): Jude Bellingham opens the scoring with a lethal strike.

38' Goal (England): Bellingham hits his second in just over a minute, making him the first player since Diego Maradona in 1986 to score a World Cup brace at the Azteca.

42' Goal (Mexico): Julián Quiñones pulls one back from a set-piece before halftime to spark hope for the home side.

54' Red Card (England): Jarell Quansah is sent off following a VAR review for a high-legged tackle on Jesús Gallardo.

60' Penalty Goal (England): Harry Kane restores England's cushion from the penalty spot after Anthony Gordon is brought down by keeper Raúl Rangel.

69' Penalty Goal (Mexico): Raúl Jiménez calmly converts a penalty given away by Harry Kane, triggering a frantic final 20 minutes.

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The Decisive Goal: Captain Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock by converting a coolly taken 70th-minute penalty kick.

The Setup: Substitute winger Désiré Doué unlocked a rigid Paraguayan defense. He drove deep into the penalty area before being brought down by Diego Gómez. The penalty was subsequently awarded after a lengthy VAR review.

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The match remained a tense, tactical stalemate for most of the evening. Brazil missed a massive opportunity to break the deadlock in the 13th minute when Bruno Guimarães had his penalty kick saved by Norway's veteran goalkeeper, Ørjan Nyland.

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50' ⚽ Morocco (1–0): Azzedine Ounahi struck a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom corner after a clever free-kick pass from Achraf Hakimi.

82' ⚽ Morocco (2–0): Azzedine Ounahi doubled the lead on a counter-attack, clinical finishing from the middle of the box off a pass by Brahim Díaz.