There is a term in sports called the commentator’s curse. No, it’s not about football fans having to listen to Bollywood actors or cricket pundits talking about football, but the idea that the moment a commentator praises a player, he starts playing badly. Now, it is not known what is the opposite of that, but yesterday Criticized for offside Spain for 2,500 passes without a goal in the World Cup, comparing them to the insignificant Christopher Columbus, who may have been Italian but represented Spain when he started looking for the New World and ended up in the Caribbean instead of India and was still praised for discovering America.A furious La Roja shattered that scenario as their 18-year-old talisman Lamine Yamal showed why he is considered the greatest player of this generation and several to come. Expert Guillem Balague called it a mixture of “arrogance and confidence” and revealed that Yamal plays international football the same way it plays “five a side” on the streets.Wayne Rooney, who knows a thing or two about being a child prodigy, pointed out that when Messi came to Barcelona, ​​he still had someone like Ronaldinho to look up to as “the main man”, while Yamal came to Barcelona and Spain as the main man.Yamal became the seventh player to score at the World Cup before turning 19, evoking memories of a young Brazilian player named Pele at the 1958 World Cup, but that wasn’t what made the world laugh. Forty-one seconds into the match, the heavenly Johan Cruyff scored approval by the withdrawal of Cruyff a turnaround, and his finish in the 10th minute laid the foundation for Spanish dominance.Meanwhile, Cape Verde continued their volcanic form, although their first goal was more fortuitous than the Uruguayan wall parted like the Red Sea to let Kevin Pina’s ball in. Maybe it was some crazy Marcelo Bielsa tactic beyond the comprehension of ordinary fans. Uruguay hit back with two goals, but we saw collective behavior from El Loco again when, after a poor pass, the Uruguayan keeper ran into no man’s land, allowing substitute Helio Varela to sprint in, take the ball first touch past the goalkeeper and shooting outside the penalty areawhich caused pandemonium among Cape Verdean players and fans.
Bielsa fans have always claimed that he has more love than results, but as things stand, this Uruguayan team has neither and will need a miracle to get through. Not the Cape Verdeans, though, who, along with Curacao, have become the most favorite minnow team at this World Cup.Punjabis like to say that Singh is the king, and there was a Singh who played for New Zealand, but it was the return of the king as Mohamed Salah and company finally cracked World Cup in Egypt duck to give the Pharaohs their first World Cup victory, breaking a 92-year drought. Before the match, only Honduras had gone more World Cup matches without a win, but Egypt will not be happy with just a win and will want to go deeper into the tournament.And finally, we saw the downfall of Belgium’s Golden Generation in real time as they were held to a goalless draw with “the most downtrodden team” at the World Cup. Iran are playing in terrible conditions that require them to return to Mexico the same day they play the game.Iran’s defiance of American hegemony has already won plaudits around the world, including from those critical of the regime, but the team showed a determination that has become typical of an ancient civilization, epitomized by another moment of goalkeeping magic. When Kevin De Bruyne controlled the ball with a superb first touch before setting up Maxime De Cuyper, a goal seemed inevitable before Alireza Beiranvand sticks out to the left hand to prevent the ball from crossing the line. As the Remember the Titans slogan reads: Left side, strong side.
A look at day 12
Matchday 12 will see the Lionel Messi show get back on track as they face the nation that exports the world’s most famous Germans: Austria. Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria, much to the chagrin of Ronaldo’s fans, has already become the talk of the World Cup, and he could become the World Cup’s top scorer if he scores against Austria in Dallas. Ralf Rangnick’s Austria is no pushover.
Artist Jose May, aka Joe Skilz, works on a mural of Argentina star Lionel Messi in Dallas on Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert) #
France, another favorite, struggled against Iraq and were quite threatening against Senegal after ‘dictator’ Mbappe went into World Cup mode. Having been hammered by WMD and Targaryen scion Erling Haaland, Iraq have the unpleasant task of facing the World Cup’s most dangerous attack in Mbappe-Dembele-Olise.Jordan face Algeria, with both hoping to keep their World Cup hopes alive, but the game of the day is Norway v Senegal, where the Nordic side will be looking to prove they have finally arrived as a footballing nation. Although Haaland is already sui generis, he is not the only generational talent, along with Odegaard, Sorloth, Nusa and others.Norway coach Stale Solbakken pours cold water on any complacency, including a mathematical model predicting the country has a 99% chance of qualifying for the knockout round. One hundred thousand simulations by the Norwegian Computer Centre, an independent non-profit organisation, say Norway’s qualification is inevitable, but Solbakken is leaving nothing to chance, including ensuring their players don’t have to suffer from American fast food by delivering 500kg of seafood, 116kg of brown cheese and 6,000 oranges, which experts estimate Haaland consumes in one meal.
Goalkeeper master classes
There was talk of the new ball being difficult for goalkeepers to handle, but we also saw the World Cup where the most tragic figures in football were an inspiration. Cape Verde’s Eloy Room single-handedly kept Ecuador at bay with 15 saves. Curacao’s Vozinha kept the Spanish matadors at bay and even a late double save from Raul Rangel preserved Mexico’s lead against Japan and helped the co-hosts qualify. While the goal scoring in this tournament was outstanding, so was the goalkeeping.
Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (1) makes a save during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
OFF THE COURT: A social media dystopia
The internet age was supposed to be about enlightenment, but instead it seems to show why Scott Adams said we are a civilization of six billion chumps designed by a few thousand scholars. Because the same species that designed the internet and almost everything we take for granted is also the species where the player and their partner are targeted just for expressing a basic thought.
Who is João Neves’ girlfriend? All about Madalena Aragão as Portugal’s star shines at the 2026 World Cup (Image via Getty Images)
For those lucky enough to have a life where they touch weed instead of hash(tags), here’s what happened. After the game against DR Congo, Joao Neves was asked about Ronaldo and he said: “We know what Cristiano Ronaldo has done for our national team and for the world of football. But at this moment I feel that for him, and for everyone, he is one of us, another guy trying to help. He is no different from the rest of us and he will contribute as we all will.“Instead, the quote was cobbled together on social media to insinuate that Ronaldo was an “ordinary” player, which is decent based on what we saw from him in Portugal’s first game, as Ronaldo was far below average and looked more like a sheep than the JARA his fans claim he is.Neves’ Instagram account was soon full of hatred from Ronaldo’s fans, who also attacked Neves’ partner Madelena Aragao. Some evildoers have even concocted a fake quote from Aragao that says, “Tell your GOAT to back off”. Even Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez fell for the quote and wrote: “Wow! Look at how the future generations are raised!” However, Rodriguez later realized it was a fake quote and quickly took it down.The incident brought to mind the toxic side of fandom which, thanks to social media, encouraged by easy AI tools, continues to destroy the beautiful game.PS: While toxic fandom is one of the worst things about social media, one of the best things is memes. Richard Dawkins’ coin about the cultural parallel to genes as the unit of cultural transmission is truly the finest form of human communication. So, by popular demand, here are some of the best memes of the day.
Meme Watch
And finally, the best of all: the VAR referee during Iran vs Belgium.
PS: Thanks to Twitter users @vish0890, @vinit_shenoy and @n_aficionado for their submissions. If you have a meme to submit, tag @nonsensicalnemo and use the hashtag #TOIOFFSIDE.
