Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. The phrase “a shot heard round the world” was popularized by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem Concord Hymn, whose opening words were: “It’s a rude bridge that spanned the flood/Their flag till the April wind blew/Here once the disaffected farmers stood/And a shot that was heard around the world.”“This story is about the opening volley at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which started the American Revolutionary War and laid the foundation for the modern American nation. Now, more than 250 years later, three days before America’s great celebration, another shot was heard around the world, fired by an Englishman who, in his own way, speaks volumes about America’s success.England took on DR Congo, who looked on course for one of the World Cup’s surprises after beating the unfortunate Jordan Pickford at his near post. England have not won a knock-out game after going back to back since 1966, when they fell short to West Germany before lifting their only World Cup. But England have never had a player like him Harry Kane.His first goal came after Declan Rice moved to the right, a position that England looked vulnerable after Thomas Tuchel decided to leave the international right-back in Trent Alexander-Arnold. Rice crossed for Anthony Gordon, who floated the ball in for Kane to head home with just enough power to beat the keeper who had looked impossible up until that point. But it was the second goal that changed everything. Kane received the ball back from Gordon, took the first hand to move the defenders and hit a shot so powerful that no keeper in the world could have saved it. There is a joke from the philosophy of Don Tzu who says if you don’t know what you’re doing, neither will your enemy. Kane didn’t look up as he fired a shot that rang out everywhere.
Now, at the level of evidence, it will not come home, even with Harry Kane in the group, no one knows, because this was the goal of England that will be remembered and seen again forever, like the celebration of Paul Gascoigne’s teeth, Beckham’s free-kick against Greece or Michael Owen’s Maradona-like dribble through the entire Argentine team. As the DR Congo coach said it took the best players in the world to beat them.Followers are those who live together in Mexico in their sacred land: Azteca.Meanwhile, the last remnants of the Golden Generation in Belgium pulled off their worst comeback of the tournament so far, coming back from 2-0 down before scoring their latest World Cup goal in the 125th minute from a penalty that will be talked about ad nauseam. Belgium were the better team for 85 minutes, they had the better chances and one wonders if the football gods condemned them to be sacrificed at the altar of bad penalties, like in the AFCON final.And in the final, the US survived a red card to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. It was a scare at 1-0, but Tillman scored with a fine free-kick to keep things safe for the US. Was it a red card? It was one of those days when VAR was not covered in glory, when most people looked at the big three decisions.
What is VAR?
VAR has robbed football of its most interesting moment: releasing the power of breath after a player has scored a goal. Now, when a player scores a goal, he waits to see what some guy in a room full of cameras thinks before he starts celebrating. So when VAR messes up, it’s doubly dangerous. And yesterday, there were three remarkable events.First, Harry Kane was denied a stone’s throw, and the referee waved it off. What was interesting was that the referee did not decide to review it, ESPN’s VAR review said it was the right penalty. Second, Belgium received a penalty in the 125th minute, and it seems to everyone that the first contact was outside the box.And in the end, Balogun’s red card seemed odd again. The referee did not issue a red card during the live match and decided to look at the incident as accidental or careless, although it was not violent or violent. Slow replays made it look worse, but it was FIFA officials who thought ahead because they say a player cannot receive a yellow card once the foul has gone to VAR and the referee has reviewed it. Crazy? It certainly feels that way.
Matchday Action: Spain vs Austria
July 3, 12:30 am ISTSpain is the reigning European professional, and the world’s young talent wunderkind in Lamine Yamal is a group that may pass the ball in their sleep, with eyes closed, when we hold the paper in the morning or any other permutation or combination. Austria, on the other hand, is an advanced and well-coached team managed by Ralf Rangnick.
Warrior WatchFor Spain, the obvious answer is a man who plays as if possessed by the spirit of Johan Cruyff and baptized by Saint Messi. For Austria, it is their coach David Alaba, who will look to ensure that his team does not panic when Spain moves the ball.Battle PlanFor Spain, it’s simple: keep the ball, stretch Austria and let Yamal do his thing. But the trap is also simple: don’t get carried away by football-walking techniques where every pass looks beautiful, every triangle is praised by the coaches, and Austria still has enough time to put eight bodies between the ball and the goal. Spain need to quickly move the Austrian side to their side to open up opportunities, then attack those opportunities before Rangnick’s red shirt resets the seats. The key is Pedri and Fabian Ruiz. If they dictate the tempo, Spain can turn the game into a physical game: one change to the right, one full, isolation from Yamal, and suddenly the Austrian defender is defending the teenager and the whole internet. Austria must stop the first pass to the middle. Sabitzer and Laimer have to get closer so that Pedri can play backwards and force Fabián Ruiz to receive under pressure, because the Spanish midfielders are looking forward, the press is already dead.Austria’s best chance is to make Spanish control difficult. Press the first pass, get a big, bad ball early if Yamal turns, and make Spain play at a pace they don’t choose. They can’t just sit back and admire the geometry, because Spain will finally get one license that makes the whole monument look like IKEA furniture after missing a screw. The game is basically this: Spain needs teeth. Austria needs to be pressed for time. If Spain gets music, Yamal becomes the show. If Austria break this record, Spain could be the most attractive team looking for a door that refuses to open.Dinner Table LineYamal is God’s gift to football, but Rangnick’s plan could be the Antichrist that stops the Chosen One in his tracks.
Matchday Action: Portugal vs Croatia
July 3, 4:30 am ISTThis is the battle of the old legends of Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić. One is 41 years old, the other is 40 years old, although the real battle will be in the middle, when one will wonder if Roberto Martínez will do the obvious and overthrow Ronaldo. At the back, Portugal has some of the greatest football producers in Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. Ronaldo may be one of the greatest to ever play the game, but he is slowly becoming an aging albatross around the neck of a talented team because no one wants to tell the king that he can’t steal it anymore.Warrior Watch
Bruno Fernandes (8) of Portugal plays the ball during the Group K World Cup soccer match between Colombia and Portugal in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Bruno Fernandes is one of the few players in the world who has not been affected by the movement of football, and he can do anything, but the men in front of him must be better. For Croatia, it will be a question of whether they can pull off another rabbit from the unstoppable machine named Luka Modrić.Battle PlanPortugal will not want Croatia to dominate the middle of the park and will need Vitinha and João Neves to play in the middle. Rafael Leão and Bernardo Silva will look to pressure the Croatian defenders and give Bruno Fernandes the ball between the lines. The problem, as usual, is the tribute to Ronaldo: if every attack is a cross aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo, Croatia will accept this overnight because Joško Gvardiol and the defenders can defend the box more freely than they can defend the runners arriving late.Dinner Table ConversationDiscussion: Portugal have plenty of fireworks, but Croatia is the magic in FIFA’s knock-out competitions.
Matchday Action: Switzerland vs Algeria
July 3, 8:30 am ISTThe interesting thing about this is that it is the Vladimir Petkovic Derby. Algerian manager Petković coached Switzerland from 2014 to 2021 and knows the players he will face.Warrior WatchGranit Xhaka remains Switzerland’s big man, while former Man City winger Riyad Mahrez will look to provide some magic dust.Battle PlanSwitzerland will look to make this presentation of Xhaka while Riyad Mahrez has nothing to say. Algeria has already shown weakness against long-range shots, so the Swiss plan should appear brutal: parks around D, recover the ball through Xhaka and Freuler, and ask angry questions of Algeria from 20 yards.The Algerian system must be confusing. Petković knows Switzerland well enough to imagine that there is a hidden door under their court. The strategy is simple: put the first pass into Xhaka, gather in the middle, force Akanji and the Swiss center-backs to distribute quickly, then pass quickly through Mahrez, Ibrahim Maza, Amoura and Gouiri. Switzerland as a system. Algeria needs to make the game as if someone has switched on all the lights at once.The most important part is Algeria’s right and Switzerland’s left. If Mahrez continues to find time, Switzerland will begin to age in dog years.Dinner Table ConversationAlgeria wants history. Switzerland needs a routine. The facts will beg to differ with one of them.
