For some reason, golden generations have a tendency to wither under the weight of expectations placed upon them; for England in 2002 to see Belgium 24 years later – both sides below the sum of their parts.
The same cannot be said for Cabo Verde, who are fast becoming favorites for the 2026 World Cup and remain, surprisingly, in the knockout stages after a 2-2 draw with Uruguay.
Belgium, on the other hand, were disappointed again in the draw against Iran, although their Group G opponents had goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to thank for keeping them in the tournament and the United States have done their best to force them out.
There were doubts about Spain too, but they were disappointed with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia, although the jury will be out until Luis de la Fuente’s side play well.
There’s still the second Group G clash between New Zealand and Egypt to come at 9am (Hong Kong Time), until then, here’s what happened while you slept.
