Ahoy! Only a few hours until Spain v Austria. Who’s excited? Possibly Austria supporters considering a nugget I heard on the radio this morning courtesy of Guillem Balagué. The Spanish football genius pointed out that Spain have not won a knockout game at a World Cup since winning the whole enchilada in 2010. Will their poor run continue? We shall see.

Right, time for Graham Searles to steer things.

Following Senegal’s dramatic exit, their midfielder Pape Gueye has said he will not play for the side under the current coaching staff.

“I’ll come back later to say ‌a few words about our elimination,” Gueye wrote on social media, Reuters reports. “But today I announce that, as long as this coaching staff remains in charge, I ‌will take a break from the national team.”

Gueye, who plays for Villarreal, started in Senegal’s last-32 tie with Belgium, and was taken off in the 66th minute with his side 2-0 up. Romelu Lukaku’s 86th-minute strike set up a dramatic comeback win.

If you want to know how Egyptian-Australians are feeling ahead of Saturday’s Pharaohs v Socceroos showdown, watch Joseph Tawadros’s social media videos.

In one, the multi-instrumentalist plays his oud, a Middle Eastern stringed instrument, while wearing a fez with an Australian flag on it, complete with dangling corks.

He’s singing a mashup of Waltzing Matilda and the Egyptian folk song Teleat Ya Mahla Nourha. Despite coming from vastly different ends of the musical spectrum, the two melodies somehow align.

It reflects the conflicted emotions that many members of the 45,000 strong Egyptian-Australian diaspora are grappling with ahead of Saturday’s World Cup knockout game. They will be faced with a difficult burden.

I look forward to seeing everyone else at work on Monday morning.

Remarkably, Spain are going to play Austria for the first time since a friendly in November 2009. Just months away from their World Cup triumph, Spain won 5-1 thanks to goals from Cesc Fàbregas, David Villa, Dani Güiza and Pablo Hernández. David Alaba, just 17, came off the bench for Austria.

Time for some #OnThisDay content. It’s been 16 years since Luis Suárez pulled off his famous save.

Hello, hello, hello. This is a lovely piece by Andy Bull on watching the football at the tennis.

Wimbledon is a £500m championship, one of the largest annual sports events, and yet there is nothing like a World Cup to remind you where you sit in the pecking order of English sporting obsessions.

That is all from me, folks. Taha Hashim is primed for his stint.

The midwestern city has about 70,000 Bosnians, most of whom fled the country during its war in the 90s, making it the largest such community outside the Balkan country.

Before a World Cup warmup match in St Louis between Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Panama, thousands in the community paraded through the city with their native country’s blue, white and yellow regalia.

“People have been here for a long time, so they can afford a lot more things now,” said Smajic, who has been in St Louis since 1997. “They can go to different games and travel and spend money” and “support our team”.

Barney Ronay on Donald Trump.

At 4.38pm on 28 June Donald Trump dropped a Truth. Nothing unusual in that. Trump’s Truth Social feed is relentless and ever-giving.

That same afternoon he also Truthed at 3.58pm, 3.59pm, and twice at 7.42pm, all in the same instantly recognisable, weirdly cartoonish tone, as if a giant maize-based salted snack from a jaunty 1970s TV advert has been pumped full of voodoo and vitamins and propped up behind a lectern to explain geopolitics to the world, but only in the kind of words you might use while arguing with your nine-year-old sister.

I do have some DR Congo related transfer news to bring you … Kinshasa-born Jonathan Leko is currently on trial with Notts County after leaving MK Dons.

I can also confirm Aden Flint is training with the club too.

(I assume this is the sort of news you’re reading the blog for)

I would like Borja Iglesias to get a chance for Spain at some point. He seems a very good egg.

Brighton have signed Austria defender Michael Svoboda on a four-year deal from Serie B champions Venezia.

The 27-year-old will link up with his new team-mates when he returns from the World Cup, where Austria are set to face Spain in the round of 32 on Thursday night.

Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “He has a number of attributes that we believe will see him adapt well to how we play, both in and out of possession.

“He also adds competition to an area we are looking to strengthen and with a number of clubs pursuing him this summer, I am very happy that he’s decided to come to Brighton.”

Brighton also confirmed defender Joel Veltman has left the club after six years upon the expiration of his contract. PA Media

Some England fans went to Truist Park to watch the Atlanta Braves and new cult hero Michael Harris.

Has no one told them that the serious exams are almost certainly done everyone in primary school gave up on learning weeks ago?

Admittedly, I did offer to watch the England match yesterday with my daughter but she elected to view Topsy and Tim instead.

Tillman has worked hard to forge a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s team. After making his debut midway through 2022, Tillman was among the toughest cuts from Gregg Berhalter’s squad for that year’s World Cup. The next few years saw him often called into camp, but seldom given starts with Berhalter’s A-team.

Where is our money on today’s games? Spain to beat Austria, Portugal to down Croatia and Switzerland to edge out Algeria in one that goes the distance?

Taha Hashim was on Football Daily duty today. What a treat.

“For us now, it’s absolutely not a time to panic,” Anthony Barry urged in his now customary half-time debrief, with England 1-0 down to a Democratic Republic of Congo side playing with serious confidence. Thomas Tuchel’s No 2 coldly broke down what was required in the second half – “not a time to play gung-ho football” – but was done dirty by the stat that flashed up on the BBC’s coverage as he spoke. The last time England went on to win a World Cup match in which they conceded first? West Germany in the 1966 final. Yes, you may panic.

Anthony T emails: “We used to watch the final round of The Masters each year, me and my Dad. Basically cos at the time European golfers were killing it. Always trying to spot the same guy in a red polo and white hair behind the tee on 16 or 17! There, every year he was, even after I moved out. I’d call my dad and be like, did you see him?? Yep.

“I also got a TV in my room to play Spectrum games and I definitely was NOT allowed to stay up and watch England group games in 1986 (I was 8?). Must’ve watched with the sound off. Guess it was good practice for teenage years? Still gave the game away next morning. Terrible liar then, terrible liar now. Not the worst trait, surely.

“But the latest staying up was having a sleepover at my best mates house as a kid and watching the 1986 Adelaide GP where Mansell, our Nige, our local Brummie hero, surely win the F1 championship. I remember it clear as day/middle of the night. I remember the bed, the room, the colour, the AT-AT in the corner I was jealous of. BUT that would’ve been a Sat into Sun…. “and that’s Mansell! That is Nigel Mansell….” We didn’t even watch the rest of the race.”

Anthony Gordon says Harry Kane is an “inspiration to all of us” after the England captain kept World Cup hopes alive with a two-goal intervention against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thomas Tuchel’s men were heading for one of the most embarrassing results in the country’s history when they trailed 1-0 with less than 15 minutes remaining in the last-32 tie.

But winger Gordon climbed off the bench to twice set up Kane, who first headed home and then thrashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner to earn a last-16 clash with Mexico.

“You know what? As soon as he hit (the second goal), I knew it was going in,” Gordon said. “I was already celebrating. “It’s more the consistency that he surprised me with. Anyone can score a good goal, anyone at this level can put the ball in the top corner. This is the consistency that he does it. Every day in training. Every game. He is phenomenal. He plays at such a high, high level.

“It’s amazing to be around him every day, because when you’re around someone at the elite level – he’s at the very, very top of football, he’s having a season that’s only ever been beaten by Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer of all time. So that speaks to the level he’s playing at. When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level. It’s no accident, like I said, there’s consistency every day, how hard he works, every finishing drill.

“He does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never ever messes about. So it’s amazing to be around him. He’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.” PA Media

I’ve found another way of ruining sport for myself. I thought I’d explored every means of turning the stress dial up to 11, but now I’ve chanced on a new method. I must need the anxiety to feel alive.

I can also offer some stuff on Elliot Anderson and what he will bring to City.

How are the Power Rankings holding up?

Jacob Steinberg … and he’s live!

Right, Will Unwin is about to pick up the reins again. I will see you tomorrow. Bye-eeeee!

In non-World Cup news: Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper have left their coaching positions at Bournemouth to join former boss Andoni Iraola at Liverpool, PA reports.

Head coach of the Japan men’s soccer team, Hajime Moriyasu, has said he needs some time to decide about his future.

“I think I’ll take a bit of a break now and then I’ll need to properly reflect on the tournament,” AP reports Moriyasu told a press conference, with Japan Football Association officials also attending. “That’s all that’s been decided so far.”

“Japanese soccer, built up over history, is more than capable of holding its own on the world stage,” Moriyasu said. “I am convinced that if we continue this growth we will certainly be able to become world champions.”

Moriyasu also guided Japan to the knockout stage in 2022 in Qatar, losing to Croatia on penalties.

Japan FA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto told the news conference that the association needed time for a debrief, having previously suggested to local media that the JFA wanted Moriyasu to stay on.

Japan face Qatar, Thailand and Indonesia in the group stage of the 24-team AFC Asian Cup being hosted in Saudi Arabia in January and February next year.

That is enough about England for now, let me turn my attention to Spain. The main El País story leading up to their match with Austria tonight is pointing out that the nation has not won a single World Cup knock-out match since 2010. David Alvarez writes “the last time Spain won a knockout match in a World Cup, Lamine Yamal was two days shy of his third birthday.”

Alvarez goes on to say “The team as a whole isn’t firing on all cylinders like it did during the glory days of the European Championship in Germany two summers ago. In the World Cup, you play a bit against your opponent and a bit, even quite a bit, against old ghosts. Spain doesn’t want to dwell too much on the 16 years since their last knockout victory. They’ve come for something else.”

Everyone and their aunt appears to have an opinion about what playing at altitude will mean for England’s game against Mexico, and so PA have actually spoken to an expert about it.

James Barber, the lead performance specialist at The Altitude Centre, told PA:

There’s less oxygen available to you when you go to altitude, so you’ve got less oxygen going to your muscles, less oxygen going to the brain, and so across the course of 90 minutes you’re going to fatigue much more quickly, and that ability to sprint, having already sprinted, is going to be massively impaired.

The first thing you’re going to feel is a massive sense of breathlessness, because your body’s just trying to hyperventilate to get more oxygen in, and to make space in your lungs for that oxygen. Your heart rate is going to be significantly elevated, even quite early into the game. If I was a player, I would certainly want a three-minute break halfway through the half.

Barber also highlighted the different behaviour of the ball at that height, saying “If you were to kick the ball as hard as sea level at altitude, it is going to fly further when you’re at altitude because there’s less air resistance to it.”

I just got an email from the FA inviting me to shell out £20 to join England+ and get priority access to men and women’s home matches in the Nations League and Women’s World Cup play-offs, and I’m just saying, that is a ballsy move by the marketing department after last night’s display.

Hi everybody, good afternoon/lunchtime/evening/morning etc. This tournament is playing havoc with my body clock. And I suspect if I had some kind of heart-tracking fitness watch it would automatically have dialled 999 at points while I was watching Fulchester United England v DR Congo yesterday. That was 100% a penalty on Harry Kane, though, right? Especially when you saw the one VAR awarded Belgium late on.

The first bit of news I have for you today is some non-World Cup news: Former Arsenal and Spain playmaker Santi Cazorla is hanging up his boots at the ripe old age of 41.

He helped his local team Oviedo reach La Liga in 2025 and played his final season with them in the Spanish top flight. AFP reports he posted to social media “Now that everything is ending, when the boots are being hung up, and the noise is turning into silence, everything fits together, because the ending wasn’t just anywhere – I was at home.”

Right, that’s me done for now. Here’s Martin Belam to guide you through the next couple of hours.

Into the inbox, and Jack Gordon Brown reckons there’s a bit too much English pessimism about the challenge posed by Mexico:

Obviously playing Mexico at altitude in a home World Cup for them (for now) in which they have won four games in a row is a tough game, but is a bit much being made of their record in the Azteca?

A quick wiki search shows since 2020 they have drawn with Jamaica, USA, Costa Rica and Canada at this ground. These teams are all weaker than England and don’t play their home games at this level of altitude.

Prior to this World Cup Mexico hadn’t played a WC game here since 1986 and they don’t play the likes of Argentina and Brazil in qualifying -- they play pretty middling teams. England are a better team, maybe Mexico’s form and home advantage makes it a pretty even match-up. Feel like Tuchel might be trying to dampen expectations a bit?

Well, England did their talking on the pitch yesterday, in terms of expectation-dampening, but in theory yes, they have deeper gears than Mexico (or any of the opponents you list). Yet momentum and spirit matter in tournament football and Mexico currently have more of those than England.

Need something to do while waiting for the next games to start, or during a pointless “hydration” break? Well tuck into some World Cup puzzling …

Talking of Uruguay, as we briefly were, Edinson Cavani has announced his departure from Boca Juniors after three years, AFP reports. The 39-year-old striker, who frankly Uruguay could have done with this year, joined the Argentinian side in July 2023 from Valencia. He leaves Boca without having won a title there and acknowledged he had “difficult moments” that prevented him from “leaving a mark” on the club. Hampered by recurring injuries, he played 81 matches, completing the full 90 minutes in only 27 of them, scoring 28 goals.

There are suddenly only four African teams remaining in this World Cup, though the DRC and Senegal can consider themselves mightily unlucky that they’re not among them. Still there for now though are Cape Verde, who face Argentina on Friday. Sid Lowe sat down for a chinwag with their full-back Sidny Lopes Cabral, about their extraordinary run, dealing with racism, Cape Verde’s party people and taking on Lionel Messi.

It’s about our game. The coach’s message is that we’re a family. It’s 11 men, not this man or that man … I need to focus on myself. If I think ‘I’m playing Messi’, I’m going to blow my mind. Afterwards I can enjoy that I played against him. I hope I get some nice pictures with him.

On this day in World Cup history, 2010: Look away, Ghana fans …

Anyway, Spain v Austria approaches, an intriguing one. Austria haven’t pulled up any trees thus far, but their steady improvement over the past five or six years makes Ralf Rangnick’s side worthy of respect. Spain haven’t dazzled yet the way they did at Euro 2024 (apart from in the first half-hour against a limp Saudi Arabia); can they turn it on tonight? To get you in the mood, here’s Sid Lowe’s interview with Fábian Ruiz, who’s had a lively old time of it in international tournaments this year.

Thanks Will, and hello all. Well after all yesterday’s drama and angst I didn’t think today’s liveblog would generate hot South Korea v Bolivia in 94 chat. Did I ever tell you I was there? My own recollection was that it was quite enjoyable, though I might just have been starstruck over being at an actual World Cup finals game for the first time. All of which invites the question: was that American World Cup better than this one? The former took place at hotter times of the day and in mostly unroofed stadiums and without ad breaks, which alone clinches it for me. Thoughts?

Tom Davies is moving his way into the hotseat for a power hour. See you all later.

Understandably playing second fiddle, the Under-19s European Championships are taking place in Wales. The Germany coach Christian Worns has been kitted out in a retro tracksuit and it is a bold statement. It’s not for me but I am Britain’s least fashionable man. On the upside, Germany did win 4-0 against Wales on Wednesday.

Tom Garry has a WSL exclusive.

Manchester United Women’s youngest ever player, Layla Drury, is set to become the youngest player to sign a professional contract with the WSL club.

The 17-year-old is set to sign a deal with the club for whom she made her senior debut in January in an FA Cup tie against Burnley. Drury also scored in that 5-0 victory, becoming Manchester United Women’s youngest goalscorer.

Our very own Jacob Steinberg will be answering your questions about England at the World Cup all the way from the US of A at 2pm BST/9am EDT. You can send in your qs right now!

“Am I the only one not really buying all this altitude stuff?” Asks Liam Crowley. “It’s an advantage, sure but they still have to, you know, play football? They’ve got a Championship striker up front, a recently relegated Championship centre half and presumably had the same altitude advantage when they struggled past two very poor teams in South Korea and South Africa. They looked better against Ecuador, but I’m still choosing our squad over theirs.”

Yes but this is a really good England squad at sea level. Plus it is a team that is know for its physicality and speed, something that will be difficult to produce in tougher conditions.

Gary Naylor emails in: “Everyone who watches Grand Tour cycling knows that once the road goes above 2000m, only the specialists survive. It’s like bowling above 90mph - it becomes a different game. Not sure England can do it on Monday - not sure they should be expected to with so little preparation time. They’ll need oxygen in the hydration breaks and I hope they’re sleeping in hyperbaric chambers now!”

Get World Cup Daily pumped into your ears right now!

England captain Harry Kane knows his side cannot expect to win the World Cup without passing tests like their last-16 tie with Mexico in Mexico City.

Kane saved England from one of their most embarrassing results in history as two goals in the final 15 minutes earned a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 32 in Atlanta.

Thomas Tuchel’s men were 15 minutes away from going home, instead they will now head to the host nation for a game at altitude on Sunday night where their credentials for winning the tournament will come under their biggest examination yet. Kane knows if he has any chance of lifting the trophy in two and a half weeks then England need to prevail.

“I want to enjoy this one, because I know there’s another extremely tough game coming in four days,” Kane said. “Mexico, in Mexico, is as big as it gets maybe in the World Cup. The atmosphere is going to be incredible. It’s going to be tough for many different reasons but ultimately, if you want to be world champions, you have to go through tough games, good teams, Mexico at home.

“We have to be ready but for now I just want to enjoy this moment, I want to recover, relax, and then obviously the focus will turn pretty quickly onto that one on Sunday. They’ve obviously won every game so far in the tournament, but they’re playing at home. The fans will be right behind them so we’ll have to be ready for it, no doubt, but we spoke about our quality and being ourselves in every game.” PA

After Senegal blew a late lead against Belgium to go out of the World Cup, midfielder Pape Gueye said he would not play for the team while the coaching staff stays.

Senegal led 2-0 after 85 minutes in the round of 32 game but gave up two goals before the 90th minute and ended up losing 3-2 to a penalty awarded deep in extra time.

Gueye posted on Instagram that “as long as it’s this technical staff in place, I will take a break from the national team.” The 27-year-old Villarreal player, who scored two goals in Senegal’s 5-0 group-stage win over Iraq, did not mention coach Pape Thiaw.

A tough year for Senegal already saw its Africa Cup of Nations title won in January — on Gueye’s extra-time goal against Morocco — overturned in an unprecedented appeal case.

Then, Thiaw took his team off the field after host nation Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty when the score was 0-0. Play resumed after a 15-minute delay and Morocco’s penalty was saved.

When Morocco appealed post-game disciplinary rulings, judges for the Confederation of African Football ruled Senegal should default the game and suspended Thiaw for five games in the next edition of the competition.

Senegal is awaiting its appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. AP

Tim gets in touch: “I recall staying up for South Korea v Bolivia in USA 94. The day before my maths GCSE exam, but I was determined to continue my run of not missing a game. My reward? A turgid 0-0. Still passed the exam, though.”

With England set to kick off at 1am BST on Monday. I must ask … what is the latest you have stayed up on a school night for a sporting event?

Dan P writes: “I know it’s tedious to moan about refereeing, but I do think the overall standard of officiating at this World Cup has been pretty poor. There’s been a fair number of genuinely head-scratching moments, and they somehow they seem to have contrived a way to make VAR even more useless. Which is quite the achievement, when you think about it.”

Aye. I agree but I’ve been reticent to say it out loud.

There is a bit of hype around Mexico’s Gilberto Mora but whether the teenager is the right man to face England is up for debate. He is technically very gifted but may struggle physically against a team like England, and, thinking long term, in the Premier League.

I wonder which of the England squad have played at The Hawthorns, the highest ground in the top four divisions in England. I am not sure sitting at 168m above sea level it is comparable to the 2,000m they will be forced to play in in Mexico.

Thomas Tuchel believes England’s inability to adapt to the altitude in Mexico gives the co-hosts a “huge advantage” heading into this weekend’s crunch World Cup last-16 clash.

Having topped Group L with victories against Croatia and Panama sandwiching the stalemate with Ghana, it looked like Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor would fall at the first hurdle of the knockouts.

Brian Cipenga’s early strike and an exceptional display from DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had England facing a round-of-32 exit every bit as humiliating as the Euros loss to Iceland a decade ago.

But Harry Kane, a member of that defeated side, scored twice in a 2-1 turnaround that sets up an unmissable encounter against Mexico, where the challenges include playing more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

“I think the heat and the humidity will not be the problem for us,” boss Tuchel said ahead of the trip to Mexico City. “We are used to that. We are used to that from training times and our prep camp in Florida.

“My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between this match. This is physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high.

“We knew that before, so this is just something, it’s just a disadvantage, with which we will have to deal, and I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for that, and from there we go.” PA Media

Bill emails: “I feel moved enough to put forward a three sentence argument on the first half penalty decision

“Yes, going by the rule book, it more than likely should have been given. However, I think not giving it is the right thing to do because strikers can, and do as Kane did, go down knowing they swap out a half chance of a goal to a near certainty of one.

“I think there’s more benefit to the game by not giving these as penalties, as scoring is rightfully hard enough as it is, and a goalkeeper’s thrilling heroics diving at the feet of a striker is one of the more iconic football images that we need more of.

“Still, England need to get a stomp on over national borders to win in Mexico, and best of luck to them.

“Finally, Senegal were robbed last night. Gutted for them.”

Sid Lowe has been having a natter with Spain’s Fabian Ruiz before they face Austria.

Spain are leaving their base behind and heading to Los Angeles and, if all goes well, from there to Dallas. They do so with more doubts than there were before the World Cup started. Well, Fabián Ruiz says, maybe on the outside: inside, at the training ground where the last session has just finished before they fly west, it is a little different.

In case you want a summary of how Belgium 3-2 Senegal went, I will provide post-match quotes from the coaches.

“Senegal deserved to win,” Belgium’s Rudi Garcia said. “But, I am happy it was us.”

“It is a cruel loss, as we were good in the game,” Senegal’s Pape Thiaw said. “We had the advantage. We were leading 2-0. However a football match is not an 85-minute one. Belgium came back, and we were not able to deal with that ... We must congratulate Belgium as they progress.”

Krishnamoorthy emails: “The two African nations would feel cheated today. At least Congo can go knowing that one Harry Kane was a man possessed last night and turned in a supernatural performance but Senegal were certainly the better team yesterday. Am still glad it did not go to penalties. Did the Three Lions practice on Ben Nevis?”

The flaws in this France team are difficult to spot. Aside from a few defensive lapses, none of which the Sweden attack could exploit, France turned in a performance that consolidated their status as tournament favourites. Even if there had been problems at the back, the overriding sentiment is that France’s free-flowing attacking quartet more than make up for any of their teammates’ shortcomings.

Mile Jedinak never missed a penalty when playing for Australia and scored from the spot three times at World Cups, to be well-placed to pass on advice as an assistant coach with the men’s national team. “It’s the familiarity of it and understanding what makes you feel in that moment [that] you have the right solution in that moment, you’ve got the tools to be able to deal with whatever’s being thrown at you,” he said.

And I appreciate all this has been forgotten because England won but Harry Kane should have been awarded a first-half penalty. When a goalkeeper slides and does not get the ball, of course the forward is going to take the contact. Kane is just being punished for being as clever as the officials desire.

Maurico Pochettino was rather unhappy with Folarin Balogun’s dismissal. The striker painfully caught the Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic on the ankle but it was a complete accident with two players going for the ball.

To me it looked like another occasion that shows up an official’s lack of understanding of football. It it is a tangle of legs with two players focused on winning the ball. The problem of having so many replays of an incident and not really understanding how the body or mind works.

“Never was this a red card. Watching it on TV, never was there intention to step (on) the player,” Pochettino said. “That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident and it’s never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card.”

Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the very few players who are older than me at this World Cup. They do not make me feel young.

They meet later in the round of 32.

Our columnist Philipp Lahm reviews the mediocrity of the German national team.

I am stunned. Germany have been eliminated early from a World Cup for the third time in a row. I need time to recover from this. The key word that needs to be discussed is continuity – something the national team have lacked for a decade. German football hasn’t decided how it wants to play. There are constantly new ideas, and time and again new players in new positions. Julian Nagelsmann has experimented too much, and not just during this tournament. Yet developing a team takes years.

Where would England be without Harry Kane? Out of the tournament is the simple answer. He will be getting into his teammates, demanding an improvement, otherwise the round of 16 could be this side’s last hoorah.

England will face Mexico at 1am BST on Monday morning. Thomas Tuchel is more of a fun uncle than responsible parent it would seem. I am not 100% sure how adults would function on little sleep, let alone the kids.

Ben Fisher had a quiet night in Seattle … not!

This time Senegal’s players did not depart the field prematurely owing to a burning sense of injustice, as they did in the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, but they did exit another knockout match aggrieved after Belgium advanced to the last 16 deep in extra time. The winning goal, a nerveless Youri Tielemans penalty which capped an extraordinary comeback from 2-0 down, came with 124 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, cementing its place as the latest goal in World Cup history.

In the end, England were just about good enough but left no one thinking they could go all the way. Thomas Tuchel made some bold squad selections and they are starting to feel incorrect at this stage.

See what was said in Atlanta …

David Hytner’s report.

Harry ‘the shark’ Kane.

Ed Aarons on player ratings duty. The defence do not come out of it well.

Barney Ronay on Harry Kane.

Jacob Steinberg on avoiding disaster.

And the whole game in picture form. Some sad, some happy.

The Belgians will play USA after Mauricio Pochettino’s side saw off Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Alexander Abnos was on report duty.

Balogun’s sending off was somewhat controversial.

Pablo Iglesias Maurer on an up and down night for the Monaco striker.

And plenty of pics.