Испанийн шигшээ баг Бельгийг хожиж, дөрөвдүгээр шатанд өрсөлдөх эрхээ авлаа.
Лос-Анжелес хотноо болсон тоглолтод Испанийн Фабиан Руис эхний гоолыг оруулж багтаа тэргүүлэл авчирсан бол Бельгиэс Чарльз де Кетеларе тооны харьцааг тэнцүүлсэн юм. Тоглолтын төгсгөл хүртэл тэнцээний үр дүн хадгалагдах төлөвтэй байсан ч 88 дахь минутад Бельгийн хаалгач Сенне Ламменсийн алдааг Микель Мерино ашиглан хожлын гоолыг оруулснаар Испани 2:1-ээр ялалт байгууллаа. Энэхүү ялалт нь Испанийг Францтай хийх хагас шигшээ тоглолтод хөтөлж байна.
Дэлхийн аваргын 30, 31 дэх өдрийн тоглолтуудын хүрээнд Англи болон Норвеги улсууд тунаж үлдлээ. Английн шигшээ баг сүүлийн 60 жил хүлээсэн амжилтаа давтахыг зорьж байгаа бол Норвегийн шигшээ баг Эрлинг Хаалдын ур чадварт найдан түүхэн дэх анхны хагас шигшээгээ зорьж байна. Шинжээчид болон таамаг дэвшүүлэгчдийн ихэнх нь Английг хожих магадлалтай гэж үзжээ.
Аргентин болон Швейцарын тоглолт мөн олны анхаарлыг татаж байна. Лионель Месси тэргүүтэй Аргентинчууд өмнөх тоглолтуудад хамгаалалтын асуудалтай байгаа нь харагдсан бол Швейцар баг хатуу тоглолт үзүүлж, торгуулийн цохилтоор шийдвэрлэх чадвартай гэдгээрээ аюултай өрсөлдөгч болж байна. Шинжээчид Аргентиныг илүүрхэнэ гэж үзэж байгаа ч таамаг дэвшүүлэгчдийн нэг Швейцарыг хожино хэмээн таамаглав.
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).
Our guest subscriber today is Erik from the U.S., who supports Spain and Minnesota United FC. Good luck!
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.
Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.
What happened on Matchday 29?
With another all-European tie against France awaiting the winner, Spain and Belgium met in Los Angeles with a spot in the semi-final on the line.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente left Pedri out of his starting line-up after a fairly underwhelming World Cup, and his replacement, Fabian Ruiz, repaid his coach’s faith. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder reacted quickest to Thibaut Courtois parrying a Dani Olmo shot in a central area, converting the rebound from six yards.
The reigning European champions took control of the game, but Belgium hit back a few minutes before the half-time interval, with stand-in striker Charles de Ketelaere displaying the movement of a natural No 9, getting ahead of his man and heading past Unai Simon from a cross.
Belgium settled into the game well in the second period, and it looked set to head into extra time when Thibaut Courtois requested a substitution due to injury. Senne Lammens, Manchester United’s No 1, is among the most qualified back-ups at the tournament, so head coach Rudi Garcia may justifiably have felt confident that he could step into the role seamlessly.
But it was a Lammens error which allowed Mikel Merino to tap in on the rebound in the 88th minute, after the United ‘keeper failed to deal with a tame Pau Cubarsi effort from outside the box.
Merino reacts quickest to win the game for Spain (Harry How/Getty Images)
Merino’s second late winner in as many games puts Spain into the final four with a 2-1 win, and hands a point to the experts, Wilfred and the Algo.
With only one point separating Algo from the experts (as well as a superior tie-breaking streak), and just five games remaining of the World Cup, we are going to have to make a bold move against the computer’s favourite-based model sooner or later.
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 30 and 31
Norway vs England, quarter-final, kick-off 5pm ET, 10pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 4/5. After England’s 3-2 win over Mexico last Sunday, belief is growing that Thomas Tuchel’s side can do something special — but Erling Haaland has been at his dominant best at this World Cup and has the quality to fire Norway into the semi-finals on his own.
Watch Rating: 5/5. Against the country of his birth, can Haaland send Norway into a historic first World Cup semi-final, or will England continue on their journey to end their painful 60-year wait for another gold star? Either way, this one promises to be memorable.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Call us crazy, wishful, biased (we won’t argue with that), but there was something special about the way England battled to victory at the Azteca Stadium against Mexico in the last 16.
“Sixty years on from their last World Cup triumph, and on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, some have suggested (certainly not us) that England ending six decades of hurt at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19 feels almost written in the stars.
“But if a sense of destiny is beginning to swirl through the streets of England, there’s no reason why the folks in Oslo, Bergen, or Svalbard shouldn’t feel the same way. Aside from losing their final group game against France — in which head coach Stale Solbakken rested almost all of his first-choice starting XI — Norway have been outstanding at the World Cup. Their 2-1 win over Brazil in the last 16 confirmed what many of us had suspected: if Haaland is at the top of his game, they are serious contenders to reach the final.
How will Thomas Tuchel’s England deal with Haaland? (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
“For Norway to record the most famous win in their history, Haaland will have to get the better of a defence that knows him well. His Manchester City team-mate Marc Guehi is an injury doubt with a minor hamstring injury, but he is backed up by John Stones, who has spent four years with Haaland at the Etihad Stadium.
“Thomas Tuchel can also call upon City’s Nico O’Reilly for any expertise learned in the hours defending Haaland on the training ground, while Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn, of Aston Villa and Newcastle United respectively, have a good record of keeping the 25-year-old quiet in their Premier League meetings.
“But underestimate Haaland’s supporting cast at your peril. Antonio Nusa has been a bright spark from the wings, while Alexander Sorloth is also a goal threat. Solbakken has depth elsewhere in attack, too, with Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup impressing in their bench cameo against Brazil.
“All that said, this one has the potential to be another thriller for England, who may face their toughest test yet against Norway.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: ENGLAND WIN
Guest Subscriber Erik: ENGLAND WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: ENGLAND WIN
Stanley the dog: NORWAY WIN
Algo: ENGLAND WIN
Argentina vs Switzerland, quarterfinals, kick-off 9pm ET, 2am BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 3/5. It’s a tie that Argentina should be winning on paper, but they have made tough work of the knockout stages. So don’t count Switzerland out.
Watch Rating: 4/5. If not entirely dominant, Argentina have been entertaining in the knockouts, while Switzerland prefer a slower game. This clash of styles could make for another end-to-end thriller, but a cagier tie may suit an underdog side that is not afraid to take a game to penalties.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “If Argentina are a serious contender to win the World Cup, this might be where we find out. While nobody can complain about the entertainment in their 3-2 wins over Cape Verde and Egypt, the performances did little to convince that Lionel Messi and company have what it takes to win successive World Cup titles. Lionel Scaloni’s side looks older, slower, and more vulnerable to high-octane, counter-attack football than they did four years ago, as they were sliced open easily by Egypt in the last 16.
Lionel Messi and Argentina should go through (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“But while Messi retains his magic, you cannot write them off. Despite having turned 39 mid-tournament, Messi leads the goalscoring charts with eight alongside Kylian Mbappe, and looks every inch the player who carried Argentina to the trophy in Qatar. It remains to be seen how he will continue to cope with the increased load of playing every few days in the latter stages of the tournament, particularly as he seems to be even more pivotal to his team’s success than he was in 2022, but write him off at your peril.
“In Switzerland, however, Argentina face their best and canniest opponent yet. Under head coach Murat Yakin, Switzerland perennially reach the knockout stages of major tournaments, and were only beaten on penalties by England at this stage of the European Championships four years ago. At Euro 2020, they got the better of elite opposition, knocking France out in a shootout in the last 16.
“Argentina must be closer to their best to progress here. If they aren’t, Switzerland have the quality and experience to punish them.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: ARGENTINA WIN
Guest Subscriber Erik: SWITZERLAND WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: ARGENTINA WIN
Stanley the dog: ARGENTINA WIN
Algo: ARGENTINA WIN
