www.silverguide.site –

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

Breakfast in America was a happy place for an Englishman this Sunday morning. Thanks to Jude Bellingham, (very probably) a hanging cable and a remarkable cameo from Djed Spence that brought back the ghost of Nobby Stiles, Norway were squeezed past in Miami. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana and Maggie Thatcher could rest easy.

Erling Haaland’s afternoon of frustration ended in tears. Alf-Inge, Big Erling’s dad, took to social media disgrace to make one-man team jibes, and became the latest participant in the conspiracy theorising that pockmarks the Geopolitics World Cup, the fruit of Fifa’s wanton tinkering with disciplinary matters.

Did Haaland Jr shove over Elliot Anderson for a disallowed Norway goal? Yes, he did. Did the ball come off a hanging cable and thus fall into the path of Anderson who then began the move for Bellingham’s first goal? Probably yes. “No evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire,” droned a Fifa statement, though who needs evidence at the GWC where alternative facts rule OK? “I don’t think we will play the game again, so that’s how it is,” groaned Ståle Solbakken, the Norway coach, an oasis of common sense. If Norwegians feel hard done by, they can celebrate a summer where their team has reached parts unknown and made many more friends.

For the English, the countdown to Argentina in Atlanta begins, though under gathering clouds. In post-match, Thomas Tuchel and Bellingham’s relationship, rarely cosy, took on the hue of fire and ice. “I’m not happy with the performance,” roared TT, not unreasonably. “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played.”

Such comments were addressed to Bellingham, and he swatted them away with an irritated vehemence, a dismissive venom. Creative tension is part of football, and just about any profession, but both Tuchel’s and Bellingham’s lack of filter opened up a new theatre of conflict, penning headline gold as they rattled on. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions,” zinged Jude. Was this a dig at Tuchel’s lack of a playing career? If so, oof. In mitigation, Bellingham was unaware of the praise lavished on him by Tuchel in the same flash interview with ITV man Gabriel Clarke. It’s probably best not to read too much into comments made by two hotheads following two hours in high humidity amid the highest of stakes. Problem is, it’s highly tempting to do just that.

Was this Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy? It’s hopefully far too late in the GWC for a Saipan scenario. Could Steve Coogan play Tuchel in the movie? Or was this just two ultra-driven individuals who, despite whatever differences they have, demand only the best? Without the other to feed off, they might have been spending Sunday ignoring each other in Wimbledon’s royal box. Both are in the game to win. Together, they represent England’s best chance of ultimate glory.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Nothing until Tuesday, you say? You’ll have to make do with Daniel Harris on Sinner v Zverev duty for the Wimbledon men’s singles final at 4pm BST.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I feel for Embolo’s teammates, I don’t feel for him” – Bradley Wright-Phillips, on ITV punditry duties for Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time defeat of Switzerland, after Swiss striker Breel Embolo was handed a second yellow card – eventually, after a case of mistaken identity – for diving. Switzerland’s view … was somewhat different. “It’s completely not understandable,” lamented head coach Murat Yakin. “I know that they will protect their referee but this rule destroyed the game today … This is a rule that in my opinion has nothing to do with football. The fact they introduced such a rule is just unnecessary. It is just extremely hurtful.”

RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING

Big Website’s football YouTube channel has all the latest for your video needs, including England fans enjoying themselves.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

After almost a month reading the Football Daily, I come to report the faux Private Eye approach isn’t working. Not enough funny, not funny enough. Repetition gets boring (GWC), particularly when there’s not much coverage of the global conflict angle and given it’s hard to name a WC when there wasn’t G. Substituting for ‘said’ other attribution verbs was hilarious about twice, I fomented” – Rich Zahradnik.

I know you will never print my mails. Because first and foremost you are pity English. You pretend to be journalists, to be independent, to be the fighter for the lesser, the poor. But in the moment Gianni Infantino and Clément Turpin decide to be your guardians, you happily accept. Where is your heart, your pride, your soul? Accepting dishonesty because it helps you, is the first step to accept racism, fascism, an unjust world. But this is what you’ve become. [Eff] off, shame, you are a disgrace. Best, the honest and decent country of Norway. PS: I know you will never print this!” – Odd Magne Grøntvedt.

Your Memory Lane feature (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition) missed a trick by not linking to David Squires’s genius rendering of a previous Norway v England match, set to the words of Godspeed You Black! Emperor’s Dead Flag Blues. The best ever combination featuring two of my favourite things: post-rock and football” – Paul Vickers.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Paul Vickers. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here. 

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

The World Cup Daily podcast is back again, with Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, John Brewin and Leander Schaerlaeckens dissecting the latest quarter-final action. And you can watch it too.

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Antonio Rattín, one of Argentina’s greatest midfielders who played at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups ⁠and spent his entire club career with Boca Juniors, has died at the age of 89. “Rattín was one of us and loved these colours so much that they were the only ones he chose to defend throughout his 14-year career. A leader, an Argentine and forever a Bostero,” said the club. Rattín’s infamous sending-off against England in the 1966 quarter-final – he refused to leave the pitch after German ref Rudolf Kreitlein dismissed him, saying he hadn’t understood the decision because the official didn’t speak Spanish – eventually brought about the introduction of red and yellow cards. “When I got ​to the corner, I twisted the English flag and insulted them,” Rattín recalled years later. “Then I went over to the carpet the Queen used to enter the stadium and sat there for about five minutes. It was a very nice red carpet.”

More on the wire of God: Fifa insists that the ball did not strike a Spidercam cable before sparking the sequence which ended with Jude Bellingham’s equaliser. “That was unlucky for us,” said sighed Norway boss Ståle Solbakken after video clips appeared to show a connection. “The ⁠ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction.” Fifa’s retort: “The sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in ‌the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire.”

Get ready for a whole lot of England v Argentina noise, though Lionel Scaloni is doing his best to keep some perspective. “The message is this is a football game,” he explained. “That is what I can say. We will be playing against a very tough opponent, they have an excellent coach, it is a game and that is all.”

Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has been ushered out the door marked Do One after their last-32 exit. “Following a meeting of the executive committee, it was decided to initiate proceedings to relieve Pape Thiaw, as well as the entire coaching staff, of their duties,” sniffed the Senegalese Football Federation. It added that president Abdoulaye Fall will hold a press conference on Monday to explain the “reasons behind this decision” and “discuss the future”.

France are managing the workloads of defensive duo William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano before their semi-final with Spain, after the pair sat out a training session on Saturday.

And Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois is willing to continue his international career, but only if he can take a back seat in the coming year. “I’ve already indicated that I’d like a quieter year, where I can stay in Madrid during the ⁠Nations League campaign to focus on my recovery,” he declared.

STILL WANT MORE?

There’s a fair bit of England to get through: first up, Barney Ronay on why Jude Bellingham can’t win the GWC on his own; Jacob Steinberg gives Djed Spence and John Stones their flowers despite a fair bit of wider skittishness; Ed Aarons dishes out his player ratings, including a 3/10; and if you like a pictorial review of all the action, this gallery will be right up your street.

And Pablo Iglesias Maurer reflects on Argentina’s latest close call.

MEMORY LANE

England’s 1982 World Cup squad as they appeared in the Panini album that year, impressively including the FA’s Lancaster Gate address below their badge sticker. Want, want, want.

BEYOND THE GWC

Do Italy finally mean business? Paolo Maldini has been named technical director of the Italian ⁠Football Federation, with his first task to identify a new national team head coach after their failure to reach the GWC.

Chelsea are willing to sell Alejandro Garnacho if anyone fancies dropping £42.5m on the Argentinian after an underwhelming stint in west London.

Burnley winger Loum Tchaouna is now Coventry City winger Loum Tchaouna.

Feyenoord’s Socceroos star Jordan Bos faces three months on the sidelines after undergoing flamin’ knee surgery.

And Dundee United are through to round two of the Skol Cup after a 1-0 win at Stirling Albion. New signing Jesse Randall, at the GWC with New Zealand, watched from the stands as Zac Sapsford converted a stoppage-time penalty.

FEELING THE BURN