2. "The German tank driver" - Germany's national team coach Nagelsmann doesn't share that view, and even expressed his determination to compete in Euro 2028!
(German press: Two years' salary = 14 million euros, why would anyone be foolish enough to accept that!)
3. A Father's Tears
While Haaland struggled to hold back tears of joy after helping Norway secure their place in the round of 16, the television cameras captured an even more emotional moment.
In the stands, former football legend Alf-Inge Haaland couldn't hold back his tears as he watched his son help bring Norwegian football back to the World Cup knockout stage after a 28-year wait.
It wasn't just the joy of a fan. It was the pride of a father seeing his son achieve what an entire generation of Norwegian footballers had yearned for for almost three decades.
Alf-Inge Haaland was a Norwegian national team player and participated in the 1994 World Cup—also in the USA—but failed to advance beyond the group stage! He understands better than anyone the significance of the biggest stage in world football, as well as how arduous the path to getting there is.
Perhaps that's why, when the final whistle blew, all the emotions he had suppressed for so long burst forth in tears!
(The pride of seeing one's descendants surpass oneself is not unlike that in the East, is it?)
4. Nico Paz - young Argentine player:
"Do I feel lucky to have played alongside Messi? Absolutely. As I said before, despite his age, he continues to amaze us all every day with something new. In every game, he demonstrates his influence whenever he steps onto the pitch. That's extraordinary, and I hope he continues to do so for many more years."
5. "Crazy" statistics from Opta:
Olise boasts a 92% pass accuracy rate in the final third of the pitch.
Wherever he was present, "Mr. Indifferent" Olise constantly tore apart defenses with his through-passes and assists, setting up strikers for a simple finish. In short, Olise's passes were both difficult and risky, yet still achieved a high accuracy rate.
(Olise is the most important link in the French national team's attack).
6. Ibrahimovic: I don't see any weaknesses in the French national team.
Ibrahimovic spoke about the French national team's "super squad": "I've said this before: I haven't seen any weaknesses in the French team yet! Any of their attacking players can single-handedly decide a match. Olise doesn't score, but he has vision that Dembele and Mbappe don't have. He sees the spaces and opportunities that they don't see, even though each of them possesses different qualities. We'll see how far the French team can go, but they are truly a formidable team. Three of the five best players in the world right now are playing in the French attack: Dembele, Olise, and Mbappe. The other two could be Haaland and Yamal. And Messi is on a completely different level."
7. Lamine Yamal:
"Is France stronger than us? No. They haven't beaten us in the last two years. So how could they be better than us? They have excellent skills, they have great players, but I don't think they're superior to anyone. For me, nobody is above Spain!"
8 - Lionel Messi:
"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players, if not the best. Competing with him has helped me a lot in my career."
9. Arguing can also be beneficial.
During the match between Belgium and Senegal, following a failed passing sequence, Trossard and Tielemans had a heated argument.
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| Tielemans scored a brace, helping Belgium come from behind to beat Senegal 3-2. Photo: AP |
And in the 89th minute, from a cross by Trossard, Tielemans headed in the equalizer for Belgium, thus dispelling previous rumors of a conflict between the two players... before Tielemans himself sealed the 3-2 victory from the penalty spot, helping Belgium advance to the Round of 16 to face the USA.
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/world-cup-muon-hinh-van-trang-1047367
