Bellingham dragged England past Norway's better football in suffocating heat, which is admirable until you remember that individual brilliance doesn't win tournaments. • England scraped through because Rice's illness paranoia proved overblown and because Norway couldn't finish what they started, which is the only way England ever seem to win these days. • Pickford got beaten by a good strike but not a great one, and if that's the shape of his concentration for the next two games, Argentina will have him signing autographs by halftime. • Yamal spotting his brother on the big screen is genuinely lovely, which is exactly the kind of human moment we should be talking about instead of pretending Joe Cole's hot takes matter. • Cole reckons England will put Messi to bed like he's some exhausted toddler—nice sentiment, completely divorced from the fact that Argentina would probably beat this England side with ten men and a spare goalkeeper. Bellingham dragged England past Norway's better football in suffocating heat, which is admirable until you remember that individual brilliance doesn't win tournaments. • England scraped through because Rice's illness paranoia proved overblown and because Norway couldn't finish what they started, which is the only way England ever seem to win these days. • Pickford got beaten by a good strike but not a great one, and if that's the shape of his concentration for the next two games, Argentina will have him signing autographs by halftime. • Yamal spotting his brother on the big screen is genuinely lovely, which is exactly the kind of human moment we should be talking about instead of pretending Joe Cole's hot takes matter. • Cole reckons England will put Messi to bed like he's some exhausted toddler—nice sentiment, completely divorced from the fact that Argentina would probably beat this England side with ten men and a spare goalkeeper.

Bundesliga

After another shaky VAR day at the World Cup on Saturday, have you lost faith in the system?

July 13, 2026 1 min read

VAR was supposed to eliminate the biggest mistakes in football. Instead, it often feels like it has simply replaced one type of controversy with another. Saturday’s World Cup action (especially in England’s 2-1 win over Norway) was another reminder that…

Read Full Story at Bavarian Football Works (Bayern)