FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 - DISCUSSION AND WATCHALONG THREAD ⚽️. Part 4

[placemats]

Follow on from the last thread.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/world-cup-2026/5549045-fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-and-watchalong-thread-part-3?page=10&reply=153357111

Longest 11 minutes of our lives 😄

We agree on something

I missed the whole Henderson accident, Tuchel took him along mostly in a supportive role anyway.

I did feel a bit sorry for Jordan Henderson. He probably saw others jumping the advertising board and got caught up in the excitement.
A good sporting quiz answer in a few years time , who had a yellow card and an injury at the men’s World Cup but didn’t play? It is a bit bizarre though.
I loved seeing them all running up to the fans together .
Norway going to be tough though.

Hats off to him for managing to get booked and injured without playing a single minute. That is good going.

if it weren’t for him being properly injured it would be hilarious.

The manager will likely be in fear for his life

Thought the same. At least he didn't look bent.

People saying about the stretcher , maybe ( and I don’t know for sure) it’s just a precautionary/ Insurance thing? They must have insurance for any hospital stays. He probably got seen and sorted out before the others were back at the hotel ( not like someone at a bog standard NHS hospital in the UK!)

The bloke next door started up a petrol hedge trimmer at exactly 8.00 outside our bedroom window. Then did something that involved wooden posts and mallets.

I am so tired.

Is he Mexican?

What a match.

I thought Gordon was amazing, the work he did up front and tracking back he put a serious shift in. Newcastle are going to miss him.

I thought Bellingham did really well but looked pretty tired at the end. That is the altitude I guess.

The sending off was fair. The Kane penalty somewhat marginal.

Beating Mexico at altitude and on their home turf is an amazing achievement to be proud of.

Now fortunately they have a fairly long rest until the Norway match to recover.

I need to hide the negative anti football threads. They are so depressing.

😅No and he is also not a football fan. I fear today is not the day for any border dispute. He’s got us when we are compromised with tiredness!

Dh has just looked at his Fitbit heart rate - peaked 87 at 0400 😁.

Bellingham was everywhere all the time. I’m not surprised he looked tired. Well deserved MoM.

Still buzzing. Don’t forget Spence who was outstanding too. In the second half I saw lots of English shirts and less Mexicans towards the Mexican goal and that’s with us being down one man.

Have been reading up on Tuchel. He’s Virgo like me and also the fantastic Oliver Glasner. He also incorporates a lot into his games and is a friend of Pep Guardiola.

Most stressful 4am of my life.
Now I've calmed down I can think clearly 😂 I feel for those that didn't watch. It was a brilliant game of football, although not for the faint hearted!

I thought Bellingham was outstanding and the best I've ever seen him play in an England shirt. Gordon was also excellent.
I will also mention Spence who I've likened to a headless chicken in all his previous performances, but he came on this morning and proved he deserves to be there.

Thank God we've got 5 nights rest before Saturday!

What a game! Those last 30 minutes were so intense. After the sending off, and it became obvious that Tuchel had moved the team into defensive play, DS said 'this is going to be horrible' - and how right he was.

It's the best England have played so far, and it really does feel that they're playing like a team now.

A bit worried for Saka though, as it looked like he was injured (again!) towards the end.

I haven’t been watching most of the other non England games with a couple of exceptions - I will try to watch them all now after watching them both last night. Feel shattered but such a great game!

UEFA statement on Balogun case. "An unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision".

https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/02a7-2109c8e9ef81-de5a993db109-1000--uefa-statement-on-the-balogun-case/

I really, really hope the Yanks lose by a huge margin.

Might put an end to the insufferable Americans all over media offering inane suggestions to 'improve' a sport they only discovered 3 weeks ago.

Where are these negative threads lurking ?
👀
It may not have been pretty , but they didn’t give up and kept on going. Football can be gladiatorial at times and this was just one of those games ! I admit that getting past Haaland on Saturday won’t be easy , but this win is historic in itself ( for England anyway!) against all the odds.

Imagine not using that performance to highlight teamwork in education. Instead of complaining about everything that's English football, it's a time to uplift the country's spirits.

And put an end to 'quarters'

It's another 1am kick off, I might stay up for the first half.

I was in a nice air conditioned supermarket today and they had upbeat music playing and everyone looked cheerful for a change ! If nothing else , it’ll do the economy a turn especially Saturday with bbqs and the pubs being open for a normal time evening KO.
People smiling.. it’s a rare thing

I think UEFA have confirmed that the commercial 'hydration breaks' won't be introduced here. It would be a particularly hard sell in Stoke in November anyway!