Haaland, England’s obsession in the World Cup

Mikel Merino was once again the hero of Spain. The Arsenal player came on in the 86th minute and, two minutes later, took advantage of a rebound from goalkeeper Senne Lammens to score the final 2-1 win over Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinals.

“I still don’t believe it. Doing it once… I thought I wasn’t going to play for a long time and it happens again,” said Merino, who had already scored the winning goal against Portugal in the round of 16.

A high-tension duel

Spain opened the scoring in the 30th minute: Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro combined from the right, Dani Olmo shot, Thibaut Courtois rejected and Fabián Ruiz took advantage of the rebound for his first goal in the tournament.

Belgium responded in the 41st minute. Charles De Ketelaere physically imposed himself on Pau Cubarsí and headed in a cross from Timothy Castagne. That goal broke goalkeeper Unai Simón’s goalless streak of 650 minutes, a World Cup record.

Courtois was injured in the 71st minute and his replacement Lammens could not avoid defeat. Mikel Merino, again from the bench, decided the game.

Heading to the semi-finals against France

Spain will face France next Tuesday in Dallas. It is the first time that La Roja has reached the semifinals since winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“A one-on-one match with France. In the semifinals you couldn’t expect anything else,” Merino said.

Coach Luis de la Fuente explained Pedri’s surprising absence from the eleven: “We needed Fabián’s freshness, and then Pedri could benefit.”

Belgium tried to equalize in stoppage time with Romelu Lukaku, but Aymeric Laporte cleared from a bicycle kick. “We knew how to hurt them,” Belgian defender Brandon Mechele said. “We are proud of the tournament we have given.”

Spain remains undefeated since March 2023. Now, France will be the toughest test.

The Argentine team breathes a sigh of relief after an agonizing comeback against Egypt (3-2) in the round of 16. Lionel Scaloni’s team overturned a 2-0 deficit in 13 minutes, but defensive doubts persist.

The numbers that worry

“They scored four goals against us in the last two games. It bothers us,” admitted defender Cristian “Cuti” Romero. Argentina is unable to maintain the level shown in Qatar 2022. The defensive solidity, key to winning the title, has suffered.

The next obstacle is Switzerland, a team that has never reached the World Cup semifinals. The duel will be on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Swiss captain Granit Xhaka declared: “We know that Argentina has virtues, but so do we. Tomorrow it will be talked about on the pitch.”

Messi and the headline doubts

Lionel Messi missed two penalties in this World Cup, accumulating four misses in his World Cup career. It will be the 10 himself who decides if he continues kicking. Argentina has other performers: Lautaro Martínez, Gonzalo Montiel and Leandro Paredes.

Scaloni still defines the right side between Nahuel Molina and Montiel, and the center forward between Julián Álvarez and Lautaro. Against Egypt, Montiel improved the attack on the right and assisted Messi to make it 2-2. Lautaro entered the complement and scored the winning goal.

Switzerland has only conceded three goals in five games. The defense, led by Manuel Akanji and Gregor Kobel, will be the main challenge. Argentina does not report injuries; Switzerland will miss Johan Mazambi due to knee problems.

The winner will face the winner of Norway-England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Albiceleste seeks to become the first two-time champion since 1962.

The Panamanian Football Federation (Fepafut) began evaluations on the future of coach Thomas Christiansen. The contract of the Danish-Spanish coach ended on June 30, just after Panama’s participation in its second consecutive World Cup, where it failed to score goals or add points.

Manuel Arias, president of Fepafut, declared at a press conference that a process is underway that includes both the renewal of Christiansen and the search for a new strategist. “Every effort is made to make that happen,” he said, referring to the continuity of the 53-year-old coach.

Jaime Penedo, former goalkeeper and sports director of the federation, supported the coach’s management: “We are satisfied with the results.” Christiansen, who holds the record of 92 games in charge of Panama, took over in 2020. In his first cycle he did not qualify for Qatar 2022, but in the second he achieved a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Results and reviews

In the World Cup, Panama fell to Ghana (1-0), Croatia (1-0) and England (2-0). Although they were eliminated again in the first round, the team showed greater solidity than in Russia 2018, when they were beaten by Belgium (3-0) and England (6-1), and lost to Tunisia 2-1.

“I feel proud of how we have competed in this World Cup,” Christiansen said. However, analysts and fans questioned his call. Criticisms include the absence of a young Botafogo attacker and the inclusion of players with previous injuries, such as midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, who did not play minutes in the tournament.

The final decision on the coach must be ratified by the new managers who will be elected at the end of the year, according to Arias.