Lionel Messi à Vitinha lors d’une altercation à l’entraînement au début de l’année :
« Non seulement, t'es faible mais en plus, tu me fais mal. »
🗞️ @lequipe
🚨🗣️ Luka Modrić on VAR and the penalty: “We deserved much more. Some things didn't go our way. If the situation had been reversed, VAR would NEVER have intervened.
I said from the beginning, when VAR was introduced, that I didn't like it. It's useful for some things, but it's being used incorrectly or selectively. VAR should only intervene if it's a 200% clear mistake.
Today's incident was NEVER a penalty. They were both holding each other and both fell. You can't decide a match like this with a penalty like that.
These things frustrate me because they decide people's fate. They affect your emotions after everything you sacrifice and fight for.
We have young players coming through, and then something like this happens. It hurts, especially because it always seems to go against us. Still, we won't use it as an excuse.”
Couldn't bring myself to watch Portugal's match early this morning, I chose my peace of mind (sleep). Now that I see portugal wasn't knocked out I'll go and watch the full match
Like there was a reason portugal ALLOWED Colombia to top their group, if you watched that match it was so obvious, they preferred the European part because they play same style of football so you can predict what your opponent will do
South American teams are so hard to play against, not because they’re necessarily better than you but because they force you to play their game, not yours. They don’t care if they only have 30% possession or if people call their football ugly. Their entire focus is on winning every duel, staying compact, frustrating you, and making every single attack feel like you’re running into a brick wall.
Tactically, they’re incredibly disciplined. The distances between the defenders and midfielders are so small that there are barely any passing lanes through the middle. If you want to break them down, you’re usually forced wide, and even then they’re aggressive in the box and dominant in aerial duels. They defend every cross like it’s the last minute of a World Cup final.
They’re also masters of controlling the rhythm of a game. They’ll slow it down when they need to, speed it up when there’s space, commit tactical fouls, win cheap free kicks, and make every restart take just a little longer. It can be frustrating to watch if you’re supporting the other team, but it’s an art they’ve perfected over decades.
And then there’s the mentality. South American teams genuinely believe they can beat anyone. Whether it’s Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, or Colombia, they embrace suffering. They’ll defend for 90 minutes if that’s what the match demands, and when that one counterattack or set piece arrives, they’ll take it without hesitation.
That’s why European possession-heavy teams often struggle against them. Having 70% of the ball means nothing if you can’t create clear chances. South American sides are comfortable without possession because they know football matches are decided by moments, not possession statistics. They’re patient, ruthless, and incredibly difficult to break down when they commit to a defensive game plan.
My Round of 32 Predictions:
🇿🇦 South Africa 0–1🇨🇦 Canada ✅
🇧🇷 Brazil 2–1 🇯🇵 Japan
🇩🇪 Germany 2–0 🇵🇾 Paraguay
🇳🇱 Netherlands* 2–2 🇲🇦 Morocco
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 1–3 🇳🇴 Norway
🇫🇷 France 3–1 🇸🇪 Sweden
🇲🇽 Mexico 2–0 🇪🇨 Ecuador
🏴 England 2–0 🇨🇩 DR Congo
🇧🇪 Belgium 1–2 🇸🇳 Senegal
🇺🇸 USA 0–2 🇧🇦 Bosnia
🇪🇸 Spain 2–0 🇦🇹 Austria
🇵🇹 Portugal 1–1 🇭🇷 Croatia*
🇨🇭 Switzerland 1–1 🇩🇿 Algeria*
🇦🇺 Australia 1–2 🇪🇬 Egypt
🇦🇷 Argentina 1–0 🇨🇻 Cape Verde
🇨🇴 Colombia 2–1 🇬🇭 Ghana
* Team who advance to the next ROUND
What are your predictions?