Balogun's Red Card Clouds USA's Advance as the World Cup Heats Up

The United States reached the World Cup last 16 on Thursday, but their celebration came with an immediate sting. Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina before being dismissed for what appeared to be inadvertent contact with a defender — a moment that will define the USA's knockout preparations. Mauricio Pochettino's side beat Bosnia 2-0 and will face Belgium in the next round, but they will do so without their standout forward, who now serves an automatic suspension.

Elsewhere, Spain continued to look like genuine contenders, dismantling Austria 3-0 at SoFi Stadium with Lamine Yamal earning MVP honours. Colombia confirmed themselves as group winners, a remarkable turnaround from the side that was thrashed by France earlier in the year. Mo Salah's return to fitness ahead of Egypt's last-32 tie with Australia added further intrigue to the knockout draw, while Cape Verde's extraordinary run — a nation of 300,000 people now preparing to face Argentina — remained one of the tournament's most compelling subplots.

Off the pitch, England's progression to a last-16 clash with Mexico prompted an unusual governmental intervention, with Prime Minister Starmer exploring licensing workarounds to keep pubs open past 3am UK time for the match. In the transfer market, Enzo Fernández's agent confirmed the Chelsea midfielder is actively seeking an exit this summer, while Manchester City announced the signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.