Football is all About Mentality

That killer instinct. That experience at the highest level. That knowing what to do when your back is against the wall. That is what most African teams lack when it matters most, at the World Cup.

England and Belgium will not win this World Cup. Both have too many faults, too many moments where they look ordinary. But against DR Congo and Senegal respectively, they showed something that separates teams who have been here before from teams who are still learning what knockout football actually costs.

DR Congo scored in the 7th minute. Brian Cipenga, past Pickford at his near post. England’s best players went quiet. Bellingham. Rashford. The fans were booing. For long periods Congo were the better team, Yoane Wissa hit the post, chances kept coming, and you could genuinely see a historic upset happening in real time.

Then Harry Kane happened. A header. Then a rifle into the roof of the net in the 86th minute. England through 2-1. Not pretty. Not convincing. But done. Kane now past Pelé on the all-time World Cup scoring list with 13 goals. That is what experience looks like.

Senegal’s story hurt even more. Because they deserved better.

Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr had them 2-0 up against Belgium. Playing the better football. The crowd in Seattle behind them. Sadio Mané on the pitch. It felt like the moment.

Then Lukaku came on at halftime. 86th minute… 2-1. 89th minute… Tielemans header… 2-2. Senegal were on the edge of a penalty shootout they would have fancied.

And then in the dying moments of extra time, a defensive mistake. A foul on Tielemans in the box. VAR. Penalty. 125th minute. The latest winning goal in World Cup history. Senegal go home.

Senegal are African Champions. Top team. No question. But at this level, those dying-moment errors cost everything. Belgium did not play better football. They just knew how to survive. And in knockout football, surviving is its own skill.

Balogun Scored. Then Got Sent Off. And Now USA Have a Problem.

Folarin Balogun has been the best American player at this World Cup. Three goals in the tournament. The kind of striker who holds the ball, creates space, finishes in tight areas. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina he did it again, 45th minute, rolled it under the goalkeeper, made it look easy. Malik Tillman added a second with a free kick. USA through 2-0.

Then in the 64th minute, a challenge on a Bosnian defender. Studs down. VAR reviewed it. Red card. One game suspension. Automatic.

That one game is the Round of 16 against Belgium.

Belgium. Who just came back from 2-0 down in 120 minutes. Who have Lukaku, De Bruyne, Trossard. Who are now arguably the most dangerous team nobody wants to face in this bracket.

Without Balogun, Pochettino turns to Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright. Decent players. But this is not a group stage game. This is Belgium in the last 16, and America’s best attacking player is watching from the stands.

USA will need something very special.

Three Games Left in the Round of 32. Do Not Sleep.

Spain face Austria tonight at 10pm East Africa Time. Spain have Lamine Yamal, 18 years old and doing things at this tournament that make you stop and rewind the clip. Austria are not here to make up numbers. They equalised against Algeria in the 97th minute through a substitute’s second touch to sneak through. They will sit deep and make it hard. But Spain’s quality is a different level. This one should end the way most people think it will, but Austria will make Spain work for it.

Portugal face Croatia at 2am EAT on Friday. Ronaldo vs Modrić. Two men in their forties refusing to accept this is the last chapter. Portugal have been ruthless on some days, five goals past Uzbekistan, Ronaldo finding his sharpness at exactly the right time, but then they looked blunt in the final game. Croatia got through on grit and organisation. This game has narrative written all over it. Set your alarm.

And then Switzerland vs Algeria at 6am EAT on Friday. The one nobody is talking about. Which makes it the most dangerous. Algeria equalised against Argentina in the 94th minute through Mahrez to sneak through on goal difference. Switzerland are solid and organised, the kind of team that does not lose to sides ranked below them. But Riyad Mahrez in this form can produce a moment out of nothing. If he turns up on Friday morning, Algeria can cause a real upset.

The World Cup keeps giving. Every single day something happens that nobody predicted. That is exactly the beauty of it.