Шөвгийн наймд шалгарсан Испани болон Бельгийн гайхалтай тоглолт
Испани улс 2026 оны долоодугаар сарын 6-ны өдөр болсон тоглолтын нэмэлт цагт Микель Мериногийн оруулсан гоолоор Португалийг буулган авч, шөвгийн наймд шалгарлаа. Ингэснээр Кристиано Роналдугийн хувьд Дэлхийн аваргын талбайд гарах сүүлчийн тоглолт нь болж, тэмцээнийг орхив.
Нөгөө талд Бельги улс АНУ-ыг 4:1-ээр хожиж, дараагийн шатанд шалгарлаа. ФИФА-гаас Фоларин Балогуны торгуулийг цуцалж, түүнийг талбайд гаргасан нь Бельгийн хувьд том хөшүүрэг болсон бөгөөд Чарльз Де Кетеларе дубль хийж, Ханс Ванакен болон Ромелу Лукаку нар нэмэлт гоолуудыг оруулсан юм. АНУ-ын цорын ганц гоолыг Малик Тиллман оруулсан ч хаалгач Мэтт Фриз алдаа гаргасан нь тоглолтын хувь заяаг шийдвэрлэжээ.
Долоодугаар сарын 7-ны өдрийн тоглолтын хувьд Аргентин болон Египетийн тоглолт олны анхаарлыг татаж байна. Лионель Мессигээр удирдуулсан Аргентинчууд хүчтэй байгаа ч Мохамед Салахаар ахлуулсан Египетэд хожих боломж бий.
Швейцарь болон Колумбийн тоглолт тэнцүүхэн өрнөх төлөвтэй байна. Колумбийн довтолгоо тун идэвхтэй байгаа ч гоол оруулах тал дээр асуудалтай байгаа бол Швейцарь улс туршлагатай тоглогчид болох Гранит Жака, Мануэль Аканьи болон залуу авьяастан Йохан Манзамби нарын хүчээр амжилттай тоглож байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Welcome to The Athletic’s daily World Cup Predictions.
This article gives you the lowdown on all today’s games but with the bonus of some friendly competition…
Throughout the tournament, we will have one of two Athletic writers (Andy Jones or Elias Burke — with help from our experts from each of the 48 countries) pitting our soccer knowledge against a different Athletic subscriber each day and ‘Algo’, the shiny new algorithm from The Athletic, which is making its computerised debut during the 2026 World Cup.
Oh, and a dog called Stanley and a six-year-old called Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season’s Premier League predictions).
Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.
Our guest subscriber today is Myles, from the U.S., who supports Mexico and Aston Villa. Good luck, Myles!
If you would like to apply to be our guest subscriber for a day during this tournament, please follow the instructions in the article here.
What happened on Matchday 26?
Spain left it late to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals as Mikel Merino scored the winner in added time to send Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo — for the last time — home from the World Cup.
Spain continues to look like one of the tournament’s main contenders and it’s why all of us predicted they would beat Roberto Martinez’s side.
We had a difference of opinion though in the second game of the day as subscriber Myles and Stanley backed the hosts United States while the top three in the table all were hoping Belgium had received a wake-up call after their near-elimination by Senegal.
The build-up to the match was dominated by FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for the red card he received against Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning one of the United States’ key players was available. Belgium were not happy, and it appeared to serve as a ‘pin it on the dressing room wall’ motivation as they made an electric start and took the lead through Charles De Ketelaere after nine minutes.
Balogun was always going to have some say in the game and it was the free kick he won that led to an equaliser for the United States. Malik Tillman’s effort found the back of the net via a big deflection. But Belgium regained the lead as Leandro Trossard – who is having an excellent World Cup – crossed for De Ketelaere to head in his second.
Controversy surrounded the Balogun decision (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Goalkeeper Matt Freese then ventured outside of his box to try and deal with a Belgium attack, but was dispossessed by De Ketelaere and Hans Vanaken capitalised. After another US error, Lukaku confirmed Belgium’s progression into the next round with the fourth goal in added time.
The front three of Algo, us (the experts) and Wilfred continue to pull away with Algo still on top by one point. It is still all to play for, especially with rumours swirling that Stanley has contacted FIFA and The Athletic bosses to see if they can change any rules without explanation to facilitate his comeback.
How do the predictions work?
It’s pretty simple: we will give you some background on each game, players to watch and facts on the two teams.Then we will predict the outcome.
We will maintain a leaderboard of how everyone gets on with their predictions (ranked by the percentage they get correct) but we’ll also keep a record of “streaks” — the number of predictions everyone gets right in a row. These streaks also form a crucial part ofThe Athletic’s interactive Soccer Pick’ems feature, allowing you to make your own picks every round as well.
So come along and get involved, and check back each day to see how we are getting on in the leaderboard — and probably more importantly, whether you, the subscribers, or Stanley or Wilfred are beating us.
Or, worst of all, whether ‘Algo’can prove data and statistics know all when it comes to predicting.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Predictions for Matchday 27
Argentina vs Egypt, Round of 16, kick-off 12pm (noon) ET, 5pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Egypt have proven hard to beat but Argentina should have more than enough quality to go through.
Watch Rating: 3/5. It’s Lionel Messi time again. He’ll leave you sitting there watching and saying ‘wow’ again and again. Cape Verde also showed that you can make Argentina wobble and if any upset is possible, it is sure to be dramatic.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Argentina survived an unexpected scare as they were taken to extra time by the tournament’s surprise package Cape Verde. What was unsurprising was that it was Messi who played a key role in his side’s progression.
“Argentina will always have a chance when their 39-year-old talisman is on the pitch. This is a favourable last-16 draw but they must defend better and cannot allow complacency to set in because they may not get away with it for a second time.
Messi continues to amaze at 39 (Carmen Mandato – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“Crucially for Egypt, their own star man Mohamed Salah recovered from a hamstring injury to start the last game. He played the entire 120 minutes and scored a deft, lofted penalty in the shootout. At the end of the round of 32, he had created the joint-most chances of any player at the World Cup with 16 alongside Belgium’s Leandro Trossard.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: ARGENTINA WIN
Guest Subscriber Myles: ARGENTINA WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: ARGENTINA WIN
Stanley the dog: ARGENTINA WIN
Algo: ARGENTINA WIN
Switzerland vs Colombia, Round of 16, kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 5/5. Two of the tournament’s ‘dark horses’ face off for a place in the quarter-finals. We’ll put Colombia as slight favourites.
Watch Rating: 4/5. Colombia, even if they haven’t scored too many goals, have been a really good watch and Switzerland have grown into the competition.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Colombia are a really balanced side with threat in attack, while maintaining a solid defensive foundation.
“The main concern for Colombia remains how clinical they are in front of goal. Against Ghana, it was another game where they had 20 shots, eight of which were on target, but they only scored once. Since scoring three against Uzbekistan in their opening game, they have registered 64 shots in their last three matches but have only scored twice.
“There has not been much focus on Switzerland but they probably haven’t minded that as they have gone about their business effectively and efficiently. They have been able to rely on their experienced tournament performers like Ricardo Rodriguez, Manuel Akanji, Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo to guide them through.
“Johan Manzambi’s breakout tournament continued in Switzerland’s 2-0 victory over Algeria as his assist for Embolo’s opener took his to five goal involvements for the tournament (three goals and two assists). The 20-year-old has cemented his place in Murat Yakin’s starting XI and feels like he will be key to how far Switzerland can go in this tournament”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: COLOMBIA WIN
Guest Subscriber Myles: COLOMBIA WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: COLOMBIA WIN
Stanley the dog: SWITZERLAND WIN
Algo: COLOMBIA WIN
