ENTER THE VOID
What do we do now? Stare numbly at a blank wall for the next 24 hours? Finally get some shut-eye? Endlessly re-watch Sidny Lopes Cabral’s curler against Argentina and his Pat Cash-style climb into the stands to celebrate? Work on our stutter penalties in the park? This is a dark moment, the first scheduled day of rest at the Geopolitics World Cup. We’re 96 matches down, just seven to go – eight if you are, for some reason, heavily invested in who finishes third. But maybe we do need a moment to chill, to decompress, after Argentina’s desperate comeback win over Egypt, an emotional cracker that even left Lionel Messi in tears at full-time. There’s so much to discuss: another spurned penalty by Messi before his redemption act; the wall that was Mostafa Shobeir; the anger felt by the Egyptians after Enzo Fernández’s winner. Space must, however, be given to the greatest goal that never was.
Football Daily must admit that it knew little about Real Oviedo’s Haissem Hassan before the game, and giving away a penalty on his first GWC start was far from ideal. But then came that possessed run down the right wing in the second half, weaving his way through half the pitch, a move straight out of the Messi playbook. He found Mohamed Salah, whose cute through ball met the perfectly-timed run of Mostafa Ziko, a first-time finish giving his side a two-goal lead against the holders. It would have been wrong if he hadn’t taken his shirt off to celebrate.
Cue the machinations of VAR, with Lisandro Martínez’s shirt pulled and foot stood on at the other end before Hassan’s otherworldly run, prompting the goal to be disallowed. “The simple fact is it was right to disallow it,” wrote former Premier League ref Chris Foy for Big Website. “There is no time limit or ceiling on the number of passes to be taken into account.” OK, well done, good process … or maybe not. “The decision to disallow Egypt’s goal is incorrect,” sniffed the Athletic’s ref expert Graham Scott. “If we look at the incident, there was some contact, both foot-on-foot and a fleeting hold of the shirt, but there was no offence worthy of a VAR call-back committed here.” If the pros can’t agree, what verdict can we offer? Could it not stand on creative grounds? This was a work of art that merited preservation.
Ziko did eventually get his goal, set up by our new favourite player, Hassan, Egypt magnificent on the counter once again. But a collapse followed after Hassan left the field, and the Pharaohs claimed they should have had a penalty before Fernández’s decisive header. Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s manager, said his side had “suffered an injustice” and that he wouldn’t be watching another minute of the GWC. We, of course, lack the self-restraint to do the same. Roll on the quarter-finals.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“In 2021 Harry got me down for the camp and then I met everyone, and I’ve just been to every one since … It’s been great, it’s been a nice little tradition. I think it’ll be an England-France final. I think when you get to the final anyone can win and I think it will be us” – with Jordan Henderson’s vibes in the England camp somewhat dented, Ed Sheeran reveals that he has visited the team to, erm, lift the mood with a little twang and warble.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Re: the ‘This is fine’ meme (yesterday’s Football Daily). Most people are only familiar with the two-panel version, with the dog sitting at a table with a cup of coffee while a blazing inferno rages all around. However, what’s less well known is that it’s actually part of a six-panel cartoon. So, if the second panel where the dog is saying ‘This is fine’ is when Trump/Fifa suspended Balogun’s red card, the third panel with the dog saying ‘I’m okay with the events that are currently unfolding’ would be Belgium’s first goal, the fifth panel with the dog saying ‘That’s okay, things are going to be okay’ would be Belgium’s comical third goal, and the sixth panel with the dog’s face melting like Arnold Ernst Toht’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark would be Chris Richards passing to Romelu Lukaku for Belgium’s fourth” – Adam Clark.
Now that Jordan Henderson is out with self-inflicted arm-knack, does that mean we can replace him with Sylvester Stallone? Even better if Sly can play right-back” – Graham Ward.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Graham Ward. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
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