FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[abhiseshakana]

One of the best matches of the World Cup is being played right now. This match between England and Croatia is truly enjoyable. Croatia, despite not creating many chances, managed to score two goals. England, on the other hand, had many chances but only scored three. Still, I think that's a very good number, and they're currently leading. It looks like there will definitely be more goals before the end of the match because the excitement continues.

Look, it's only the 63rd minute and England doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping. They're still playing very well. Meanwhile, Croatia is also putting up a great fight.

England was the favorite, but Croatia tried the hardest they could to play from equal to equal. I guess the match was quite balanced until 84 minutes of gameplay, but once England scored the 4th goal, then it was over for Croatia... I truly enjoyed the first half more than the second half and would like to have seen Croatia overcoming England, but it didn't happen this time.

This is a crucial match for both teams, as whoever wins this game will most likely have a strong chance of progressing to the next round , given that their next opponents (Ghana and Panama) are, in fact, ranked well below them. As it turned out,  it was England who walked away as the winners, and I think they certainly deserved it because , in this match, they did look  the better side compared to Croatia. One challenge facing England is how they can strengthen their defence, as they seem   too easy to break down. I think Tuchel has made a mistake by not calling up Maguire , Lewis Hall and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

[Mayor of ogba]

And he should keep using him. Ronaldo is the captain and Portugal's best player. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to score in this match. DR Congo showed their strength and deservedly earned a point. Ronaldo should definitely continue playing because his quality will surely shine through, just as Messi's does

Roberto Martinez should keep playing him because even though if he performs well or not people will always say that he's the problem of Portugal, Portugal will do well without him because he's a player that's hate by many people. Cristiano Ronaldo will surely find his feet back, and I believe he will shine and win matches for Portugal in this World Cup as he used to do.

[trendcoin]

One of the best matches of the World Cup is being played right now. This match between England and Croatia is truly enjoyable. Croatia, despite not creating many chances, managed to score two goals. England, on the other hand, had many chances but only scored three. Still, I think that's a very good number, and they're currently leading. It looks like there will definitely be more goals before the end of the match because the excitement continues.

Look, it's only the 63rd minute and England doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping. They're still playing very well. Meanwhile, Croatia is also putting up a great fight.

England was the favorite, but Croatia tried the hardest they could to play from equal to equal. I guess the match was quite balanced until 84 minutes of gameplay, but once England scored the 4th goal, then it was over for Croatia... I truly enjoyed the first half more than the second half and would like to have seen Croatia overcoming England, but it didn't happen this time.

The goal England scored early in the second half demoralized Croatia. And in my opinion, that goal was a mistake by the Croatian defense. They made a mistake in man-marking on that play. Croatia put up a good resistance in the first half, but England won this match thanks to the quality of its squad...

[pawel7777]

I read that Tunisia's coach, Sabri Lamouchi, was sacked after just one game, where his team suffered a 5-1 loss to Sweden.
While sacking a manager in the middle of a tournament is nothing new and has happened few times in the past, I think that's not a good look on the Tunisian Football Association (and whoever was responsible for the decision). It's not coming across as professional to say the least. Do they actually think getting rid of him would work better for the team's performance?
The only time this would be justified is when a manager clearly neglects his duties or gets himself into a serious conflict with the squad. But sacking a man simply because one game didn't go as expected is definitely an overreaction.
Anyhow, in the biggest game of today, England defeated Croatia 4-2. Croatia managed to equalise twice in the first half, but couldn't keep up the pace in the 2nd half. A well-deserved win for England. They were a better team.
A good substitution by Rashford, who scored the 4th one for England. He's currently looking for a new club, so good performances like today's should draw more interest and create more options for him.

[welovebit]

It’s a real shame because the match is about to end, but the score is still tied at 1-1. Congo’s defense is incredibly tight, making it difficult for the Portuguese players to get near the penalty box. And it looks like this match will indeed end in a 1-1 draw. And well, a draw would certainly be quite disappointing. But in the World Cup, this sort of thing is quite common. Teams like Spain have experienced the same thing, and now it’s happening to Portugal as well.

And it seems Portugal hasn’t been able to create many chances in this match either. They’ve maintained possession but keep hitting a wall when building their attacks. On the other hand, Congo always has quick counterattacks.

While I watching the match I observed that the Congo fans where celebrating so hard for a draw lol, while the Portuguese fans where looking so disappointed.

This is understandable because Portugal isn't a small team, and for Congo to draw with them is something worth celebrating, Nevertheless Congo isn't a small team as well.

Clearly disappointing performance from Ronaldo and company in this first game of World Cup they have good control of ball but still they fail to score goal is surely going to be have problem for them in coming games as well because their group is having teams which can create problems for them and they can face trouble to have spot into next round.
Congo fans are surely over the moon after having their first point in this world cup because now its decades when they last time participated but this time their first game give them biggest surprise or one of the upsets performance in this world cup in coming game Portugal is going to entertain Uzbekistan while Portugal face challenge form Columbia.

[Adbitco]

Well, Portugal disappointed in their first game. To be honest, I'm not surprised by this result. They've had serious problems in attack, and this coach can't seem to create a better formation with the right starting players. For example, he benched João Félix, Francisco Trincão, and Rafael Leão, and the result was very disappointing. This draw could have serious consequences in the future. They'll need to hope that the other teams in the group lose so that they don't lose in their next two games.

You're right, with the kind of players at his disposal we still see this kind of mistake from the coach, from the DR Congo lineup, it's evident that they came to defend, 5 man backline only tells you one thing, the opponent is here to defend and he should have changed his own lineup. Team lineups are available 1 hour before kickoff, so how come Martinez didn't anticipate the defence after seeing their lineup? Today's draw was more of coaching error than players, although they took have their own portion of blame but the coach should take responsibility of this draw and win their next 2 games if they are to top their group

[Agbam]

And he should keep using him. Ronaldo is the captain and Portugal's best player. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to score in this match. DR Congo showed their strength and deservedly earned a point. Ronaldo should definitely continue playing because his quality will surely shine through, just as Messi's does

Roberto Martinez should keep playing him because even though if he performs well or not people will always say that he's the problem of Portugal, Portugal will do well without him because he's a player that's hate by many people. Cristiano Ronaldo will surely find his feet back, and I believe he will shine and win matches for Portugal in this World Cup as he used to do.

Let’s put sentiments aside, for a player of Ronaldo’s age I don’t think much is expected of him but it’s just with what he’s achieved so far in football and his hungry competitive spirit he still wants to be in the forefront. Normally this is the time players take the backseat and just play out the remaining days in the game, if left to Ronaldo alone he would want to play till he’s 50.

Yes he’ll find his feet and get one or two goals in this competition but I think the Coach Roberto Martinez has to make a hard call. It’s not disrespectful if he comes in second half. He’s not who he used to be and he’s not currently the best player from Portugal.

[JiiBs]

Anyhow, in the biggest game of today, England defeated Croatia 4-2. Croatia managed to equalise twice in the first half, but couldn't keep up the pace in the 2nd half. A well-deserved win for England. They were a better team.
A good substitution by Rashford, who scored the 4th one for England. He's currently looking for a new club, so good performances like today's should draw more interest and create more options for him.

Harry Kane somehow wasn’t as good as we would have wanted to see from him this evening, he even had to miss a well earned penalty, not like he sent it off target, it got saved!

Croatia did there most to try and match England but, England has got way too much squad for them to hold up the game to a draw. Even the English substitute had some real good players to keep Croatia under pressure. Once Tuchel brought in Saka and Rashford, you can almost be certain there was going to be more goals in that match.

[Byebyebtc]

I'm sorry that I complained about a missed clear red card when it was clear there should have been a red card

Maybe give the card and no one will complain? It's as easy as that

[Edited out]

They are just against Messi,
They noticed every bit of mistakes, and call it out. But on a normal day where other players do the same they don't talk about it, very biased sets of individuals.
That can be a yellow card but not red

[Amphenomenon]

And he should keep using him. Ronaldo is the captain and Portugal's best player. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to score in this match. DR Congo showed their strength and deservedly earned a point. Ronaldo should definitely continue playing because his quality will surely shine through, just as Messi's does

Roberto Martinez should keep playing him because even though if he performs well or not people will always say that he's the problem of Portugal, Portugal will do well without him because he's a player that's hate by many people. Cristiano Ronaldo will surely find his feet back, and I believe he will shine and win matches for Portugal in this World Cup as he used to do.

The hate watch these past years against Cristiano Ronaldo has been tremendous, why these hate like man!
Hopefully he get back and becomes helpful to the team which is what we want to see.

Messi has had a time similar things and even while he had hate watchers it wasn't up to this rate, the tournament just begins let's see how things play, there are still enough games, as long as they remain in the tournament things will be better.

[len01]

Damn! What the h*ll was that? Portugal had 70% possession but only managed to score one goal? Being packed with quality players apparently guarantees nothing. It's very disappointing.

At first, I thought Portugal would score at least two or three goals. But things didn't go as expected. Ronaldo, in particular, failed to live up to expectations. And if they had taken a few of their chances more efficiently, the match definitely wouldn't have ended in a draw like this.

[SUPERSAIAN]

Portugal drew today against a weaker opponent, even though they had scored early. Neves scored in the 6th minute. Portugal dominated possession throughout the match. Democratic Republic of Congo only had a couple of shots on goal before scoring the equalizer. Ronaldo was heavily criticized perhaps he played one of his worst games. I'm not sure if he'll be in the starting lineup next time. He needs to bench himself.

[JiiBs]

Damn! What the h*ll was that? Portugal had 70% possession but only managed to score one goal? Being packed with quality players apparently guarantees nothing. It's very disappointing.

I felt bad for Ronaldo you know, I really did. Not like he didn’t get chances to get goals though, he had a couple of them chances but, he just wasn’t getting it in the best position and as such, he just wouldn’t execute it properly. He really needed to score, considering the fact that Messi just net hat trick for Argentina yesterday. At least they got to share points though, Dr. Congo were good defensively and were able to hold Portugal back.

[RaltcoinsB]

Portugal drew today against a weaker opponent, even though they had scored early. Neves scored in the 6th minute. Portugal dominated possession throughout the match. Democratic Republic of Congo only had a couple of shots on goal before scoring the equalizer. Ronaldo was heavily criticized perhaps he played one of his worst games. I'm not sure if he'll be in the starting lineup next time. He needs to bench himself.

Perhaps the manager will want to rest him in his next match. Everyone expected a high performance from Cristiano Ronaldo, but it didn't happen. It was a disappointment for Cristiano as well. Because of this bad experience, he has to prepare better and more for the next match. It's always a pleasure to see him on the field, but unfortunately, he didn't play very well today.

[BitcoinHunt3r]

Harry Kane somehow wasn’t as good as we would have wanted to see from him this evening, he even had to miss a well earned penalty, not like he sent it off target, it got saved!

Croatia did there most to try and match England but, England has got way too much squad for them to hold up the game to a draw. Even the English substitute had some real good players to keep Croatia under pressure. Once Tuchel brought in Saka and Rashford, you can almost be certain there was going to be more goals in that match.

Haha we have to realize that he is currently 32 years old so we can't imagine him being as great as he was in the past, but overall today Harry Kane is still reliable and look how he scored the 2nd goal with his head. Indeed, England are not the favorites to win this year Trophy but I believe they can go further with a complete squad in all lines. By the way the surprise came from another match between Portugal vs Congo somehow Portugal only managed to score 1 goal even though they controlled the match from all lines, I think their attack was not optimal today and it must be admitted that a draw is quite good.

[As-Soon-As]

I bet on Portugal and I lost, in this match Cristiano Ronaldo did not play any role and he could have been the top scorer. But he could not express his role in any way, this match was a great chance for Portugal to win. But in no way did they win this match, so the bettors lost money, I was very excited about this match. And I was hoping that Ronaldo could surprise, but he failed to surprise.

[Solokan]

Source: https://www.pdiperjuanganbali.id/portugal-ditahan-imbang-rd-kongo
The Portugal vs. Congo match ended in a 1-1 draw. Joao Neves scored Portugal's first goal, while Yoane scored for Congo. They each earned one point, and both must work hard to have the potential to advance to the next round and avoid another loss or draw I lost my bet on this match because I thought Portugal would win, but they lost. Did you also lose your bet on this match?

Ronaldo and his teammates looked overwhelmed in this match, and Ronaldo consistently failed to capitalize on opportunities because the Congolese players were very tight in defense. Honestly, I didn't expect Congolese defense to be so strong and their counterattacks so surprising. If Portugal's defense hadn't been strong, Portugal might have conceded more goals in that match. I think Portugal was fortunate in that match because they weren't defeated by Congolese. I think Congolese have players who are not generally good, and judging by their physique, it's natural that Portugal was overwhelmed in this match. In my opinion, if Congo advances to the next round, there's potential for many Congolese players to be acquired by popular clubs around the world. I'd love to see Ronaldo score as many goals as Messi, but unfortunately, Ronaldo couldn't score in that match Now I'm curious about Portugal's next match

[Ale88]

Damn! What the h*ll was that? Portugal had 70% possession but only managed to score one goal? Being packed with quality players apparently guarantees nothing. It's very disappointing.

I felt bad for Ronaldo you know, I really did. Not like he didn’t get chances to get goals though, he had a couple of them chances but, he just wasn’t getting it in the best position and as such, he just wouldn’t execute it properly. He really needed to score, considering the fact that Messi just net hat trick for Argentina yesterday. At least they got to share points though, Dr. Congo were good defensively and were able to hold Portugal back.

How are you feeling bad for him? He was probably the worst player on the pitch, he was literally a weight for the whole team and yet, somehow, he played the whole match. I already said it in the past, if Ronaldo doesn't put his ego aside and the manager doesn't have the balls to put him on the bench, Portugal will have serious problems, they are sabotaging themselves. At this point Ronaldo's records are more important than winning matches. Ridiculous.

[snipie]

The Portugal vs. Congo match ended in a 1-1 draw. Joao Neves scored Portugal's first goal, while Yoane scored for Congo. They each earned one point, and both must work hard to have the potential to advance to the next round and avoid another loss or draw I lost my bet on this match because I thought Portugal would win, but they lost. Did you also lose your bet on this match?

At the opposite of many people here hyping Portugal so much, I was more reluctant to make them the best team in this version and winning the World Cup. The first match is obviously the last thing to judge any team about. We have already the example of Argentina which wasn't successful against Saudi Arabia four years ago.
For now we can say that DR Congo did what they should do and got an important one point. Portugal has to focus more and avoid losing additional points. Their group should be an easy one..

[Noorooo]

So disappointed with Portugals performance against a team they were expected to beat comfortably. I dont think this kind of performance will take them very far in the tournament. At the start of the tournament many of us believed that Portugal will win the World Cup, but if they continue playing like this they might only reach the quarter finals.

However I still hope they can turn things around. There is plenty of time for them to improve their game adjust their strategies and come back stronger in the tournament. And for Cristiano Ronaldo this could be his last major tournament giving him one final opportunity to show the world why he is  one of the greatest players of all time.