Hello and welcome to Daily Mail Sport’s World Cup Breakfast from day 37 at the tournament – your one-stop shop for everything you’ve missed overnight in North America.
For all the latest news, viral moments and what to look out for, stay right here.
Overnight news
With a rare rest day at this summer’s World Cup, Thursday was dominated by the continued fallout from England’s semi-final defeat by Argentina.
Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel has been heavily criticised for his tactics after his side went 1-0 up on Wednesday, but he hit back in the immediate aftermath of the match by saying he had ‘no regrets’ over what went on.
He has since doubled down on that stance, and instead remarkably suggested it was the DNA of England’s players that meant they were unable to control the game.
‘I think ball possession plays a crucial role,’ he said. ‘It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish, Argentinian or Brazilian DNA. To take the ball and control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem.
‘But like in every structure, it was important to stay active and push out and fight duels. We just couldn’t. I think in this moment my feeling is that no structure in the world could have helped us because we were too passive. We were not physical enough. We didn’t stop runs arriving in our box and the deliveries were then too good.
‘Right after our goal, the momentum swings completely in ball possession and chances and it drops dramatically. We got too passive within our structure. I tried to help, not to become more passive with a back five, but to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, not to open up the gaps between the back four.
‘We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active within the structure, but we just struggled. We needed to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back.’
Thomas Tuchel again defended his tactics in England’s meek semi-final exit to Argentina
FIFA have opened a probe into Argentina’s celebrations and the banner their players held up
In other news, the furore surrounding Argentina’s decision to celebrate their impressive comeback triumph with a banner that read ‘Las Malvinas Son Argentinas’ has only intensified.
Several players, including many Premier League stars, lifted the sign, which touts their country’s claim to the Falkland Islands.
It triggered a fierce backlash in the UK and FIFA is now exploring disciplinary action against Argentina’s stars.
FIFA’s rules forbid the using of any political messaging at the World Cup but have previously turned a blind eye to continued references to the 1982 conflict in a song sung by the players – and posted on social media by the country’s association – in the dressing room throughout the tournament.
Whether any FIFA probe would conclude – and any potential punishment be handed out – before Sunday’s final against Spain remains to be seen. `
VIEW FROM THE GROUND
It was a surreal place to catch England’s most significant football match for 36 years.
As the team played in the Atlanta Stadium, my flight connections home put me at the same city’s airport, a short distance away, desperately searching for a TV screen to catch some of it.
I arrived from Dallas 15 minutes into the first half and found this one at a Southwest Airlines departure gate.
I proceeded to watch a feed provided by something called ‘Reach TV’ whilst those drifting by paid not the remotest interest.
One woman typed into her laptop. Another was calling a friend. My daughter, Emily, happened to message me a clip of the delirious scenes in a London pub where she and friends had taken such delight in Anthony Gordon’s goal.
A coincidental reminder that watching England is just not the same without the company of friends or strangers.
I could afford to watch until the 80th minute before making the transit to the international terminal for the onward flight.
I was on the ‘Plane Train’ between terminals when the scoreline clicked to 1-1 on my phone and had just reached another screen near my departure lounge when, with such majesty, Lionel Messi levered that ball up for Lautaro Martinez’s winner.
This time there were two women in Argentina tops, declaring undying love for Lionel, though scarcely more watching that screen than them and me.
The final whistle blew, I congratulated them on Messi being one of theirs, we moved away and the world just moved on. There was a kind of consolation in that. No-one had died or lost a war. It was only a game.
Daily Mail Sport’s Ian Herbert had a unique experience when watching England vs Argentina
TEAM OF THE SEMI-FINALS
Thanks to Sofascore for the graphic.
VIRAL MOMENT OF THE DAY
Jude Bellingham found himself in hot water on Wednesday night when footage circulated of him slapping Argentina star Valentin Barco on the back of the head during the victors’ post-match celebrations.
It appeared strange to many why Barco was the target of Bellingham’s fume given the former Brighton star has played just 19 minutes at the World Cup as a substitute in a group stage dead rubber against Jordan.
Yet on Thursday, a video was shared on social media that showed Barco running across the pitch after Enzo Fernandez’s late equaliser.
Barco sprinted right in front of several England players and appeared to taunt them, with John Stones reacting by giving him a shove.
He later also came onto the pitch in the aftermath of Lautaro Martinez’s winning goal.
Valentin Barco (right) infuriated England’s stars when he celebrated by running onto the pitch
PICTURE OF THE DAY
After Argentina’s dramatic victory, their fans back home made sure to make the most of the success at the expense of their old rivals.
This was no more apparent than in Buenos Aires, with the below shot showing thousands of fans gathered at the Obelisk, a national historic monument in the capital city.
Supporters celebrated long into the night and even set off fireworks and burned England flags after Lionel Scaloni’s side made it to back-to-back World Cup finals.
Thousands of Argentina supporters celebrate at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires after their win
STAT OF THE DAY
It is perhaps not the stat that England fans will like to read, yet Lionel Messi’s assist for Argentina’s winning goal on Wednesday means he now has 33 goals and assists in World Cup history.
For context, the next best record is Kylian Mbappe’s 25, who himself is far clear of Ronaldo Nazario and Miroslav Klose on 19 combined goals and assists.
To add to his greatness, Messi, who became the all-time top scorer at World Cups earlier in the tournament, is level with Mbappe on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot.
The greatest of all time!
THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR TODAY
1. Will Tuchel face a backlash over comments?
As we mentioned earlier in our morning round-up of news, Thomas Tuchel has been heavily criticised for his tactics against Argentina after England went 1-0 up – and later for his refusal to take any blame.
The German’s latest comments suggesting that England’s DNA was the main reason for the late collapse are therefore unlikely to take much heat off him over the next few days.
The reaction online has already been strong and it will be interesting whether Tuchel clarifies what he meant when he speaks at a press conference ahead of the third place play-off.
2. How will England approach the third-place play-off?
Tuchel himself admitted that neither his team nor France want to play in what FIFA are calling the bronze final.
Yet they have no choice, and when they come up against similarly deflated opponents, it will be fascinating to see what team the Three Lions boss picks.
A lot of England’s players looked dead on their feet after Wednesday and it will be extremely difficult for them to get themselves back up for a game that ultimately doesn’t hold much importance to many fans.
You’d expect Tuchel to make several changes, although Harry Kane may have a say in that given he is still in the Golden Boot race.
Thoams Tuchel could rest the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice in the third-place play-off
3. Could some Argentina players be at risk of missing out on the final altogether?
Argentina’s ‘Malvinas’ banner is likely to have far-reaching consequences, not least for those players from English clubs – such as Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Enzo Fernandez – who promoted its message. But could any players feel a more immediate sting?
Players are believed to have demurred over the origins of the banner, suggesting it had been handed to them by fans, but their fervent unfurling of the flag has undoubtedly given FIFA an almighty headache.
FIFA’s rules forbid the use of any political messaging at the World Cup, and the organisation previously came under criticism 12 years ago for handing out a paltry £20,000 fine for players waving a banner with the same message at an international friendly 12 years ago.
A more interesting parallel came in 2024, when UEFA gave Rodri and Alvaro Morata one-game bans for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spain’ during their Euro 2024 celebrations – with Argentina’s banner coming at an arguably more incendiary flashpoint.
For FIFA, an Argentina side lead by retiring superstar Lionel Messi represents a dream final contender – so one questions how much the organisation would want to disrupt preparations for Sunday’s meeting with Spain.
But with the World Cup already tainted by Folarin Balogun’s suspended red-card sanction, FIFA might find itself under the lens yet again.
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