From The Sports Desk: The U.S. advances, but loses Folarin Balogun to costly red card - BERITAJA

After its biggest World Cup triumph successful decades, the U.S. will person to do it each again without its apical scorer aft Folarin Balogun received a arguable reddish card. Elsewhere, 2 European powerhouses successful England and Belgium survived awesome scares to advance.

There are 3 much knockout games today. Follow on connected the Beritaja unrecorded blog.

World Cup Recap

Garrincha. Ronaldinho. Zinedine Zidane. To that database of players to people a extremity and person a reddish paper successful a World Cup lucifer we could now adhd Folarin Balogun.

The United States’ apical extremity scorer astatine this tourney could see himself unlucky. His sending disconnected yesterday aft opening the scoring successful an impressive, if scrappy, information of 32 triumph against Bosnia-Herzegovina was arguably little forceful than Lionel Messi’s unpunished situation successful Argentina’s opening match. Balogun’s dismissal caused feverish statement online.

Despite the setback, meaning the Stars and Stripes had to play the past 35 minutes successful San Francisco pinch 10 men, the squad went connected to people again done a precocious Malik Tillman free kick, to make it 2-0. It’s the first triumph successful a men’s World Cup knockout crippled since 2002 and the first against a European squad successful the knockouts.

United States' Malik Tillman scores their 2nd extremity from a free footwear during the lucifer against Bosnia and Herzegovina connected Wednesday.Martin Meissner / AP

The U.S. faces Belgium connected Monday successful Seattle and will person to scope greater heights against a squad classed ninth successful the world — this clip without Balogun, who must service a one-match suspension.

But moreover earlier yesterday, the U.S. has shown it’s could of winning without cardinal players, namely Christian Pulisic successful the group stage. Hopes are precocious that the U.S. bandwagon keeps rolling. Beat Belgium and it would beryllium only the 2nd clip successful the modern era that the U.S. has reached the World Cup quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, Youri Tielemans was Belgium’s leader successful a melodramatic 3-2 comeback triumph against Senegal, whose Ismaïla Sarr ended up scoring 4 goals successful 4 appearances astatine this World Cup. At 124 minutes and 44 seconds, Tielemans’ victor — a punishment footwear — was the latest extremity scored successful World Cup history.

A clunky England besides came from down to conclusion the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pinch skipper Harry Kane scoring a brace successful a 2-1 win. England adjacent faces Mexico astatine Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca), wherever the co-host boasts an undefeated grounds crossed 10 World Cup matches. The Three Lions will request to acclimate quickly to the 7,300-foot (2,200-meter) elevation astatine the stadium.

World Cup Preview

Luka Modric of Croatia successful action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L lucifer against Ghana connected June 27, 2026.Pixsell / MB Media via Getty Images

Only six spots stay successful the information of 16 — half of those will beryllium wished today.

Two veterans spell face-to-face successful Portugal’s lucifer against Croatia successful Toronto. Neither has won the World Cup. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is the country’s all-time starring men’s extremity scorer astatine the World Cup. Ronaldo’s onetime Real Madrid teammate Luka Modrić, 40, of Croatia won subordinate of the tourney astatine the 2018 World Cup, though his expertise to clasp sway complete the midfield for 90 minutes is inevitably connected the wane. For 1 of these greats, their World Cup profession will travel to an end.

Croatia is nary longer adjacent the apical of the world rankings and isn’t fancied to decorativeness successful the apical three, arsenic it did astatine the erstwhile 2 World Cups. With the know-how of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes down Ronaldo, Portugal is the favourite to advance, moreover if it had to settee for the 2nd spot successful Group K pinch unimpressive draws against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia.

Among the different information of 32 games today, Spain takes connected Austria successful Inglewood, California. Remarkably, La Roja person grounded to triumph a knockout information lucifer successful their past 3 World Cups, but expect Lamine Yamal and institution to extremity that miserable tally today.

Switzerland will look Algeria and its erstwhile coach, Vladimir Petkovic, successful Vancouver. The Bosnian took Switzerland to the information of 16 astatine the 2018 World Cup successful Russia. Now he’s hoping to do the aforesaid pinch Algeria.

Men In Blazers

Malik Tillman #17 of the United States celebrates pinch squad mates aft scoring his team's 2nd extremity during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer betwixt USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium connected July 01, 2026 successful Santa Clara, Calif.Maja Hitij - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images

The main arena of the evening past arrived, and delivered. It wasn’t really Mauricio Pochettino pictured it, but the U.S. men’s nationalist squad is disconnected to the information of 16. Folarin Balogun was the communicative of the match, first scoring a goal truthful nice, we could’ve sworn we heard André 3000 yell, “How cold?” pinch the crowd responding, “Ice cold!” But then, he was sent off for a harsh, but incredibly arguable situation successful the 2nd half. Down a man, the U.S.needed personification to measurement up, and Malik Tillman did conscionable that, burying a precocious free footwear that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Next up: Revenge lucifer vs. Belgium.

Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions sewage the occupation done, but it wasn’t pretty. Thankfully, they person some the forehead and correct footwear of Harry Kane, who scored a precocious brace to debar a shocking early exit astatine the hands of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A reliable time for African teams, pinch 5 minutes to play, Senegal was up 2-0 complete Belgium and the adjacent information was wrong scope — past chaos happened. The Red Devils pushed it to other clip and scored a arguable punishment to destruct the Lions of Teranga.

Today, Lamine Yamal’s Spain takes connected Austria astatine 3 p.m. ET successful Los Angeles arsenic La Roja look to show why they’re tourney favorites. Then, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will tango pinch his erstwhile Real Madrid teammate Luka Modrić and Croatia astatine 7 p.m. ET successful Toronto. Like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed fighting to exhaustion, the 2 aging legends will look to do the aforesaid pinch a round-of-16 spot connected the line.

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What We’re Watching

World Cup! All the games are connected Telemundo and Peacock, and each times are Eastern:

• 3 p.m.: Spain vs. Austria
• 7 p.m.: Portugal vs. Croatia
• 11 p.m.: Switzerland vs. Algeria

That’s it for now! We’ll beryllium backmost tomorrow.