The 2026 World Cup — 4th Quarter-Final

Anyone watching this one?

If so, can you help me understand how the free-kick Tagliafico was awarded in the 47th minute is in any significant way different to Spence putting his leg across the defender to protect his possession of the ball for the overturned penalty?

I agree it’s a ‘soft’ foul because one player is effectively preventing the other from getting to the ball when they don’t actually have any contact with the ball themselves, but those are given as free-kicks consistently. A penalty is just something awarded for a free kick offence that occurs in the penalty area. There is no ‘higher bar’.

And what about the clear elbow to the back of the Norwegian player trying to score a goal? Should have been a penalty right?

People are upset that the var is seemingly used at random and not for every important decision.

Svein-Roger, I’m afraid I don’t know which challenge you are now referring to but you are missing my point entirely.

You are claiming that Norway were ‘robbed’ because of clear bias but you are not prepared to admit that disputed decisions went both ways.

I actually don’t think players should get free kicks when they are, in actuality, obstructing the opponent and preventing fair competition for the ball, but the reality is that it happens time after time and it is standard that the player who is ‘protecting’ the ball gets the decision.
Tagliafico has just done it again in the 61st minute; the ball is at least four foot away and the Swiss player can’t possibly stop in time but the ‘clever’ player gets the free-kick.

Haaland clearly shoved Anderson to the ground to get rid of his marker. Why should that be allowed even if the ball is out of play? Norway got to retake the corner.

The Swiss are putting in a creditable performance against Argentina; would be nice if they could at least get a goal and create some real jeopardy.

Looking at this game I think I’d prefer to face Argentina and not Switzerland in the semi-final.

How’s that for terrible goal-keeping by Emi Martinez? None of them are perfect.

Now the Swiss lad has just wrecked his team’s chances with the most absurd dive I’ve ever seen.

Some of the pundits / commentators are making massive fools of themselves by not declaring it was a clear dive well before there was any contact (which the Swiss player made happen anyway).

Ret sees a foul against Argenfifa but plays advantage. Agenfifa players stop game as they want the free kick. Ref agrees and this is not a fix ?

By the way since when have VAR got involved in a yellow card, wrongly given. A new one on me.

Twats. Will Xhaka lose it now and settle some scores ?

Standing ovation to the ref and VAR team for doing what we have all been demanding for years -- punish simulation -- and for having the guts to do it in a tied WC quarterfinal.

Idiot Swiss player already carrying a yellow stages a massive dive 40 yards from goal (to win a meaningless free kick), and then he and his mates go into fake hysterics to draw the yellow on the Argie -- which elevates the play to the VAR booth. And dooms the idiot.

The stupid Swiss got exactly what they deserved.

Four highest ranked teams in the world are in the semis. Just about right, I suppose.

The stupid Swiss got exactly what they deserved.

Unfair MG. It was one of them who had had a really good game up to then. Maddening for the neutrals - that would be the Swiss fans - because the Swiss were on top after they scored.

Would be nice to have Ndoye and Ndiaye.

Also, Argentina do not at all scare me. Respect yes, but like Brazil, like S American footy more generally, the Argies are not the Argies of old.

No yellow cards for Argentfifa in the 90 mins, beggars belief. Martinez in particular got away with at least 3 yellow card tackles. The Swiss CF got what he deserved both incidents were yellow cards but he got no protection from the awful referee during the time he played. Funny how all the uproars started when the Swiss had just levelled the match and Argentfifa looked in real trouble.

If rhe semi is refereed in this manner expect a red card or two for England. MMbappe v Messis Final - Infantino must be having wet dreams galore.

Argentina have so much grit and determination as well as the best player in the world.
Can England cope with them. I’m not sure.
Our defence looks fragile and our wide players with possibly the exception of Saka more often than not produce no end product.
Bellingham has been brilliant and Kane is a very dangerous striker- two really world class players. At this level are two outfield world class players in a team enough to be World Champions?
Argentina, France and Spain have at least 4 or more world class players.

I think you have been watching a very different Argentina to the rest of us Andrew.

They have been in trouble on more than one occasion and been rescued by the brilliance of Messi.

Be very interested to see who you believe are the 4, or more, world class players in the Argentina team?

They are a good side, but they are very beatable and hardly inspiring defensively themselves.

Messi, Alvarez, Romero and Fernandez for starters. Macallister and Martinez as well.
All players of the highest calibre.
I admit they have been under par in a couple of games but they definitely still have the talent to be Champions. Then don’t forget France and Spain.
England are capable of winning the competition but they are going to have to play a lot better.

Andrew #14,
neither Romero, Fernandez, McAllister nor Martinez are at the level you claim. Very good players they may be but none will ever be more than that.

They are still in the tournament because of many on- and off-field decisions in their favour. And for those who might want to claim that to be a conspiracy theory, just remember that Messi is a convicted criminal. He knows a thing or two about financial misdoings.

So is Donald Stan.

England I think missed a fit Rice, they will play better against Argentina if he plays.
Same old story, the games controlled from the midfield and there was little creative play coming from there in this game. Norway were moderate also.
Maybe that Mexico game and the heat took most of their zip because they looked sluggish.
A lot of useless passing of sideways and backwards bores the life out of me, its gets nowhere and wastes energy. Shoot more when half a sight of goal, Rodgers was one of very few that did and we scored because of it.

If they play like that against Argentina we will get beat.

Okay, Stan, maybe I was pushing it a bit with Mac Allister and Martinez...

But the others mentioned are world class.

Will be an interesting game. Kane & Bellingham are right up there as top players, but the defence looks pretty vulnerable when the opposition remotely step it up.

Shame Stones wasnt 5 years younger.

As a neutral, I support England only because Jordan Pickford plays for them! I think Tuchel’s squad selection is going to bite him in the arse before long. England’s defence looks worse than Everton’s, honestly! But their midfield of Bellingham, Anderson and Rice is probably the best in the world right now. Their forward line apart from Harry Kane and Gordon starting to come good, has been pretty ordinary so far. Saka, Madueke, Eze, Rashford have been very inconsistent so far. Why did Tuchel give a jolly ride to poor players like Henderson, Quansah and Spence? Players like James Garner, Adam Wharton, Foden would have offered better options. And Kobbie Mainoo has been criminally under utilised in my opinion. I just don’t see anyone other than France lifting the trophy unless they have a really bad day collectively and that is very unlikely to happen.

Argies will bring their worldclass shithousery, never mind Messi, you have to deal with that, if you do that you have a chance.

Can this team cope with what these will throw at them is the main thing, I think man for man there's not much difference, their shithousery is like their 12th man, and the English may well be outnumbered in the stadium.

Got to go toe to toe, all in.

I wouldn't class Romero as world class and Fernandez is pushing it a bit too. Good players, yes; world class, not in my opinion.

Going by those standards, you could say Saka is world class on his day too.

I'd say England have Kane, Bellingham and Rice, who are truly at the top of the tree. Though Rice has struggled with fitness, I'd have him and Anderson over any of those Argie midfielders.

Anderson is having a great tournament and will be considered world class in time. It's when you get to the back, Stones has been world class, but not 1 other defender could even be considered world class, and that's why our best form of defence should be attack.

Andrew (multiple), I’m with the others who think you are being excessively generous to pretty much every Argentinian player you have identified as truly exceptional, bar Messi. Alvarez goes missing in plenty of games and popping up with a screamer every now and then doesn’t put him into the pantheon of the best of the best for me.

You’ve even nominated the largely uninspiring Saka as England’s best wide player so far in this tournament. I’d put Anthony Gordon clearly ahead of him as both the most consistent and the most influential of them (so far).

One thing guaranteed is the ref won't be Brazilian, but may be Scottish, Irish or Welsh.

Or French, German, Dutch, Spanish...

David @ 23. Stones, “ world class “. ?

Andrew Clare 18: Romero 'world class"!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

Tell that to Spuds fans. Go on. I sent your posts re. Romero to a Spuds fan mate who is 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 even more than me. ''

And the Chelsea Fernandez!!!!!

Just stop it!

All the usual antics have been seen at this World Cup.

Play acting almost every time a player gets tackled and especially when they lose possession. There is of course many things referees miss and even VAR.

Nobody ever seems to be happy on and off the field but that's nothing new especially when there is so much money at stake.

Sadly the one thing that has marred this tournament is gutless Infantino capitulating to Trump.

Infantino should do the honorable thing and resign.

Tom (29), unfortunately Infantino does not have a single drop of dignity or decency and is right now looks at plans to raise the world cup to 64 teams.

I can't see why Infantino needs to stop at 64.

There are 198 teams in FIFA rankings. 128 is easy.

Top 64 teams plus 64 from the other 134 by having a tournament to select the 64 to be added to the top 64. Would we not all be glued to our screens to watch Aruba (#189) v Turkmenistan (#141).

Did love the comment that after the group stages it was 32 and did not include Scotland - which is how they started the 2022 World Cup.

Looking at the so called European Champions League where they exclude genuine champions of European countries in favour of fourth, or even fifth placed nations I think it would be good for football development in these other countries.

Admittedly I base this on a small sample size like Italy joining the Six Nations and Argentina the down under equivalent. Sri Lanka were admitted to the ICB cricket test series and within a couple of years were world champions.

And who hasn't enjoyed watching Cape Verde, Egypt, Iran, USA? Me for one 'cos I never saw their games but from reading comments on here they gave a good account of themselves.

We always talk about giving grass roots football more development in UK so why not in other countries?

Yeah, maybe it will be an even worse commercial fest than the current World Cup but I can't see FIFA charging outrageous ticket prices, or broadcasting fees for Outer Mongolia vs Timbuktu.

Oh, and it will also sort out the mathematical problem of third places that this World Cup introduced.

Les @26...

John Stones was world class!!!

Rodri is world class; I don't think Stones was. He was good but not world class.

Cannavaro was world class, Rudy Kroll was world class. These players all controlled the game and had a great presence and influence on games. Stones was definitely not at that level.

Paul 27,
According to current opinion they are considered world class. I admit I haven’t seen enough of them to make my own view.

Andrew: 'current opinion'?

Whose opinion?