CaughtOffside Live Blog
This page will update live with the latest relevant news, no need to refresh the page!
France make it three consecutive World Cup semi-finals and they did it in typically dominant fashion.
Les Bleus entered the match having won all five of their previous games in regular time while netting 14 goals, and Morocco were always going to need something special to stop them.
The first half was a tale of Bono heroics. The Moroccan goalkeeper produced save after save to keep it goalless, including denying Mbappe’s penalty on the stroke of half-time, the Frenchman’s effort lacking the power to beat the stopper.
Bounou DENIES Mbappe ?
France fail to capitalise on taking the lead from the spot ? pic.twitter.com/1mzWj2vkJZ
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
The second half was a different story entirely. Mbappe broke the deadlock on 60 minutes before Dembele doubled the advantage six minutes later — the latter’s effort skipping past Bono despite the keeper getting his hand to it.
Morocco rallied late and created a handful of set-piece opportunities, but Maignan was rarely troubled, and France saw the game out with ease.
Morocco becomes the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals in back-to-back World Cups. But France were simply too good for them.
Didier Deschamps’ side now await the winner of Spain vs Belgium, and on this form, they look every inch a team destined for a third successive final.
Semi-final spot secured ?
France overcome Morocco to progress to a third successive World Cup semi-final ?? pic.twitter.com/FrGiEtZUeS
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
Ousmane Dembele makes it 2-0 to France
Ousmane Dembélé extends France's lead ???
That's two goals in six minutes ?? pic.twitter.com/QG7vxrOHgz
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
Kylian Mbappe makes up for his penalty save with a fantastic goal.
France 1-0 Morocco
C'est magnifique ?
Kylian Mbappé fires France ahead and it is a beauty of a goal pic.twitter.com/SlzlRh9Rmh
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
Kylian Mbappe had the chance to give France the lead from the spot but his penalty is saved by Yassine Bounou
Bounou DENIES Mbappe ?
France fail to capitalise on taking the lead from the spot ? pic.twitter.com/1mzWj2vkJZ
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
Norway captain Martin Odegaard praised his Arsenal teammate Declan Rice for being a 'complete' footballer ??? pic.twitter.com/ual2SW7oug
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 9, 2026
This will certainly be an intriguing midfield battle when England and Norway meet at the weekend!
“You brought us all the way here just to cheat every other team!”
Some serious accusations being made here after Egypt’s controversial World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina…
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hinted that there could be a bank holiday to celebrate if England win the World Cup this summer.
The Three Lions are through to the quarter-finals, where they’ll take on Norway this weekend, and Starmer said he wasn’t too keen on possibly jinxing it, though he wouldn’t rule out a bank holiday.
This guy is just ridiculous…top assister in World Cup history as well, by the way…
?? vs Australia
?? vs Netherlands
?? vs Croatia
???? vs France
?????? vs Algeria
???? vs Austria
?? vs Jordan
?? vs Cape Verde
?? vs EgyptMessi has now scored in NINE consecutive World Cup games! ? pic.twitter.com/zGRurS5utN
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) July 7, 2026
Lionel Messi was in tears at full time, and who can blame him?
Take a look at these emotional scenes below, with Argentina barely believing their luck as they scraped past a difficult opponent.
"He knows how close they came" ??
Emotions were rife at full-time after Argentina pulled off one of the greatest-ever World Cup recoveries pic.twitter.com/LQ9TyhrxDn
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 7, 2026
This spirited Egypt side must also surely be hurting right now after coming so close to an amazing result.
What a ridiculous game of football!
Egypt were 2-0 up with just over ten minutes to go and Argentina somehow came back to win 3-2!
Cristian Romero pulled one back, Lionel Messi then fired in a superb equaliser to make up for his earlier penalty miss, and then Enzo Fernandez headed in the winner in stoppage time.
Egypt have taken an early lead in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-16 clash against Argentina.
The defending champions had the opportunity to draw level, but Lionel Messi missed his penalty in the 19th minute.
 
Messi MISSES another penalty 🙅♂️
Egypt’s keeper Mostafa Shobeir throws himself at the ball to stop
Argentina capitalising on a foul on Nicolas Tagliafico 🫨 pic.twitter.com/O3RuRaU5aa— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 7, 2026
Egypt have taken the lead in the round-of-16 clash against Argentina with an early goal from Yasser Ibrahim.
The 33-year-old central defender scored an outstanding header to put his side in the lead 15 minutes into the match.
Argentina survived a scare against Cape Verde in the last round of the competition, and they will certainly not want to be in that position again. There is no doubt that they have an exceptional team, and it remains to be seen whether they can fight back quickly.
What a ball! ⚽️
Yasser Ibrahim’s ‘perfect’ header sends Egypt ahead early doors against Argentina 😱 pic.twitter.com/JUypcQ6QMr
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 7, 2026
Speaking after the defeat to Belgium, USA manager Mauricio Pochettino seemed to hint that the whole Folarin Balogun saga had been a bit of an unwanted distraction.
“It didn’t affect our performance. It’s not an excuse. It wasn’t our day,” he said.
“But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages?
“It’s a rule for the federation to apply and to try [to overturn the ban]. My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because Fifa allow for you to have the player, it’s not a problem.
“I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.”
After all that controversy with Folarin Balogun, it’s fair to say Belgium will have massively enjoyed that 4-1 win over the USA…
Overturn this. ???? #USABEL pic.twitter.com/KcBAJp3Z7d
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 7, 2026
Spain edged Portugal in the Round of 16, but once again looked a long way off the swashbuckling side of Euro 2024. Are Luis de la Fuente’s side deliberately shifting style or failing to find their form? More here.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dream is over, and his ego and stubbornness surely cost Portugal a great chance this year.
17 – Most shots on record (since 1966) at a single edition of the FIFA World Cup without creating a single chance for a teammate:
Cristiano Ronaldo, 17 (2026)
Alberto Garcia Aspe, 15 (1998)
Jerzy Gorgon, 13 (1974)
Katlego Mphela, 13 (2010)
Denis Cheryshev, 13 (2018)Ego. pic.twitter.com/RoXzmLjs6v
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2026
Roberto Martinez has a superb team, but he was under huge pressure to keep playing Ronaldo despite the numbers showing his clear lack of impact…
A sad end to Ronaldo’s international career…
Let's be real.
Cristiano Ronaldo's ego cost Portugal the World Cup.
He can't run anymore. He didn't create anything for his teammates.
But he refused to drop to the bench for the good of the team.
Now his and Portugal's World Cup dreams are over. pic.twitter.com/xoiZu0OcWU
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) July 6, 2026
Mikel Merino was Spain’s hero as he came off the bench to score the winner against Portugal.
The 30-year-old showed all his usual quality and composure to latch onto a quality through-ball late on and send Spain into the World Cup quarter-finals.
Probably the moment of the match so far as it remains goalless between Spain and Portugal.
Watch below for a superb double save from Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa…
Sensational goalkeeping from Diogo Costa! ?
Portugal's goalkeeper keeps Spain out with two brilliant saves in quick succession. pic.twitter.com/FWDA0MLhjf
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026
0-0 at half time between Portugal and Spain. Some good chances, including for Mikel Oyarzabal and Nuno Mendes.
Nothing to separate the two teams yet, though.
The Royal Belgian Football Association have informed US Soccer of their intention to file a complaint against them if Balogun takes to the field. They will claim that the USMNT have fielded an ineligible player if he does play, detailing that they are yet to be given any explanation as to why Balogun’s ban has been suspended,
This seems far from an ideal precedent being set here…
? Nothing to see here, just Donald Trump essentially telling FIFA to re-write the laws of football… pic.twitter.com/fsWdb13KGv
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) July 6, 2026
Donald Trump’s statement on Folarin Balogun in full:
“I saw the play, and I understand sports really well. That wasn’t a foul. It wasn’t even an infraction. It was two guys running full speed that happened to run into each other…These were two great athletes that got tangled up and this referee [Raphael Claus], who is a little bit suspect if you check his past [Brazilian authorities and FIFA found no evidence of wrongdoing by Claus, including match-fixing]… I don’t want to say that, because I don’t like to create controversy, but if you like I’ll provide you with his past… He made a call that nobody could believe.
“They are not allowed to review [potential red card incidents] in slow motion because it’s so different… Whereas, when you see it in ‘fast-motion’, it looked like two guys collided, which is exactly what happened. He [Balogun] didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player, or one of our best players.
“I didn’t think a red card meant much, and then I started hearing he can’t play in the next game. Boy, that’s a big… if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair, but when they take your best player, or just about, and they say he can’t play, that’s very unfair. It’s one thing to penalise someone for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t even been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that. So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.”
UEFA have released a strong statement on the surprise decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card and suspension for USA’s next game:
“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.
Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
WATCH the hilarious moment between Javier Aguirre and Anthony Gordon!
Alan Shearer has been among the pundits to heap praise onto an “incredible” performance for England.
Harry Kane and Declan Rice also responded to the result as they admitted this was up there with the best nights they’d experienced as players.
Live Comments
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Add a Comment