Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. First, Spain beat Portugal to win the Iberian derby, while Belgium won the world’s approval by ensuring no red-card redemption for the USA as they beat the hosts 4-1.There is a saying that old age is like childhood, and the later stages of Ronaldo’s prima-donna career mirrored his youth. a petulant man-child who couldn’t help but gasp. It’s a tough watch, especially for those of us who have followed his career and seen him go from a teenage touch and tease to a swashbuckling winger to a goal machine turned master of the box.With age, Ronaldo’s influence has waned to the point that only inside D he remains a threat, but even this has not been evident in the World Cup. His majestic leaps, his sharp finishing and the ability to take half chances all left the man in his final days. And it’s a bit more exciting for him that his great rival, who is two years younger, seems to have discovered the fountain of youth.Romantics might have wanted a final showdown between Ronaldo and his famous rival, but instead it ended with Merino, not Messi. Merino is the type of utility player that can be called the John O’Shea Phenomenon. a player who is bad at one position but can give you an 8/10 performance in different positions. In the Premier League season, he netted four times during the run-in without Viktor Gyokeres, but missed the title run-in after breaking his foot in the 3-2 home loss against Man Utd. Merino didn’t think he’d be at the World Cup, but he was there to write the final footnote to the former GOAT’s career.
It wasn’t a pretty game, but Spain finally broke through. In fact, Spain have yet to concede a goal in this World Cup, and it looks bad for other teams, given the strength of Spain’s bench and their ability to call on players of the caliber of Ferran Torres and Merino to decide games. That Ronaldo will never cut it at the top level is evident to everyone whose name isn’t Piers Morgan or iShowSpeed.His World Cup and footballing career can be summed up in two pictures. who blinked in 2006 and growled in 2026. The first was when he blinked blankly at the 2006 World Cup after Wayne Rooney stamped on Ricardo Carvalho’s family jewels. After that, the difficulty he faced in the Premier League created the beast that would dominate world football and, despite not having Messi’s skill level, compete with him at the highest level. The second is Ronaldo in the 2026 World Cup, crying after being knocked out, an albatross around the neck of a talented generation in Portugal who have no anger to tell their national story that he has become an albatross around their necks.
Youri Tielemans (8) of Belgium reacts after Belgium won the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against the United States in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Speaking of albatrosses around the neck, Belgium earned the world’s approval after handing Team USA a 4-1 drubbing. The hosts drew the ire of football fans around the world after Donald Trump used what KBC fans called dial-a-friend to get Balogun’s red card. Strangely enough, this is the first time that the leader of the free world has done something corrupt that benefits his country rather than his person, but it means that, for one night, the USA has the ridicule of the world of football, usually reserved for the English national team.Belgium have looked listless in the World Cup so far, but the red card change appears to have sparked the team. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and had an assist, while Romelu Lukaku added another in stoppage time to make it worthwhile. Soon, the conversation turns to how football isn’t a real game, how Belgium is restoring the rules-based international order, and how it’s two years away from a nuclear weapon.The red-card reversal managed to take some of the light off a US team that seemed to have finally found a way to love a sport more associated with orange peels, suburban moms and Ted Lasso. Hopefully, we will see a different Team USA than what we see now.Right now, it’s Spain vs. Belgium in the quarterfinals, and while the smart money is on Spain, Belgium has been known to pull off an upset or two.
Argentina vs. Egypt
July 7, 9:30pm ISTThe King versus the Maestro. All eyes will be on Argentina as they face off against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. The Pharaohs made up for lost time at the World Cup, and Cabo Verde showed that Argentina can be turned around.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) applauds the crowd after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Warrior watch:Lionel Messi has scored seven goals in this World Cup so far, competing with next generation superstars, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, for the Golden Boot. But more than scoring, Argentina is built around Messi’s passing, and therein lies the challenge.Mohamed Salah may not be 100%, but the King can decide the moments himself.Battle plan:The best version of Argentina is when they slowly tighten the opponents until Messi finds the gap between midfield and defense. Against Cape Verde, they failed to push after losing possession. Defensively, Argentina will look to block the free passes of Marmoush or Salah.Meanwhile, Egypt will have to find a little more balance and composure for the Argentina game. The ideal plan is to mid to low block and selectively target Argentina’s full-backs.The key matchup is on the right for Egypt and the left for Argentina, where Tagliafico and Lisandro Martinez will battle Salah.Dinner table convo. Can the Pharaohs manage to seal Argentina’s World Cup hopes inside a pyramid?
Colombia vs. Switzerland
July 7, 1:30 ISTColombia vs. Switzerland is one of those knockout matches that makes one wonder if it’s worth staying. Switzerland have once again made it to the knockout rounds, while football-mad Colombia will hope to continue the turmoil.
Johan Manzambi (9) of Switzerland celebrates after scoring during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Switzerland and Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Warrior watch:Johan Manzambi became the breakout star of the tournament in Switzerland and also had a great season at the club, helping SC Freiburg reach the Europa League final, where they lost to Aston Villa. Manzambi was named the Europa League young player of the season and has three goals and two assists so far. Luis Diaz, on the other hand, has had a superlative tournament and is looking to bring a little chaos to the Swiss world order.Battle plan:Colombia have conceded just one goal so far and have a versatile system, with coach Lorenzo relying on in-game tactical changes and positional shifts. Switzerland, on the other hand, is a team built on order, and their victory against Algeria was built on tactical maturity that saw them form a modern 4-2-3-1, where Manzambi was given freedom to roam.One talking point is the Colombian travel load, which has seen them from Mexico to Miami, Kansas and Vancouver. Switzerland, on the other hand, was able to play their games in Vancouver, giving them a slight advantage.Dinner table conversation:The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in an isolated system, entropy always increases with time. Switzerland (order) vs. Colombia (chaos) will tell us if that is a good thing on a football field.