OFFSIDE | Day 11 FIFA World Cup 2026: Lamine Yamal restores Spain’s soul, Cape Verde’s fairytale run continues and Ronaldo fanboys are downright toxic

Spain’s Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Spain and Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) There is a term in sports called the commentator’s curse. No, this does not mean that football fans have to listen to Bollywood actors or cricket pundits talk about football, but the idea that the moment a commentator praises a player, he starts playing badly. Now, one doesn’t know what the opposite is, but yesterday the offside criticized Spain for 2,500 passes without a goal in the World Cup and compared them to a directionless Christopher Columbus who might have been Italian but robbed Spain when he started looking for the New World and ended up in the Caribbean instead of India and still got credit for discovering America.A furious La Roja tore that script apart as their 18-year-old talisman Lamine Yamal showed why he is considered the best player of this generation and several to come. Pundit Guillem Balague called it a mixture of “arrogance and confidence” and revealed that Yamal plays international football the same way it plays “tic-tac-toe” on the streets.Wayne Rooney, who knows something about being a prodigy, pointed out that when Messi came to Barcelona, ​​he still had someone like Ronaldinho to look up to as “the main man”, while Yamal came to Barcelona and Spain as the main man himself.Yamal became the seventh player to score at the World Cup before turning 19, which brought back memories of a young Brazilian player named Pele at the 1958 World Cup, but that wasn’t what made the world laugh. Forty-one seconds into the match, he earned Johan Cruyff’s heavenly achievement approval by pulling out Cruyff and his finish in the 10th minute laid the foundation for Spain’s dominance.Meanwhile, Cape Verde continued its volcanic form, although its first target was rather random like the Uruguayan Wall they parted like the Red Sea to let Kevin Pina’s ball in. Maybe it was some crazy Marcelo Bielsa tactic that was beyond the comprehension of mere fans. Uruguay hit back with two goals, but again we saw some collective behavior from El Loco as a poor pass sent the Uruguayan keeper into no man’s land, allowing substitute Helio Varela to sprint in and tap home. first touch around the keeper and a shot from outsidewhich caused pandemonium among Cape Verdean players and supporters.Bielsa fans have always claimed that he has more love than results, but as things stand, this Uruguayan team has neither and will need a miracle to get to the next round. But not the Cape Verdeans, who along with Curacao have become the minnow’s favorite team at this World Cup.Punjabis like to say Singh is the king and Singh played for New Zealand but it was the return of the king as Mohamed Salah et al. Egyptian World Duck Championship to give the Pharaohs their first World Cup win, breaking a 92-year drought. Before the match, only Honduras had gone more World Cup games without a win, but Egypt will not be happy with just a win and will be looking to go deeper into the tournament.And finally, we saw the decline of Belgium’s golden generation in real time as they held out a goalless draw with “the most downtrodden team” at the World Cup. Iran are playing in appalling conditions that require them to fly back to Mexico on the same day as their match.Iran’s defiance of American hegemony has already won praise around the world, including from those deeply critical of the regime, but the team displayed the courage that has become the hallmark of an ancient civilization, epitomized by yet another moment of goalkeeping magic. When Kevin De Bruyne controlled the ball with a superb first touch before setting up Maxim De Cuyper, a goal seemed inevitable. Alireza Beiranvand stuck to the left hands to prevent the ball from crossing the line. As the slogan of Remember the Titans reads: Left side, strong side.

A look at day 12

Matchday 12 will see the Lionel Messi show get back on track as they face the nation that exports the world’s most famous Germans: Austria. Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria, much to the chagrin of Ronaldo fans, has already become the main talking point of the World Cup and he could become the World Cup’s top scorer if he scores against Austria in Dallas. Ralf Rangnick’s Austria is no slouch.

Artist Jose May, aka Joe Skilz, works on a mural of Argentina star Lionel Messi in Dallas, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

France, another favourite, took on Iraq and looked quite threatening against Senegal after ‘dictator’ Mbappe went into World Cup mode. After being hit by WMD and Targaryen scion Erling Haaland, Iraq have the daunting task of facing the World Cup’s most dangerous attack in Mbappe-Dembele-Olise.Jordan face Algeria, both hoping to keep their World Cup hopes alive, but match of the day is Norway vs Senegal, where the Nordic side will try to prove they have finally arrived as a footballing nation. While Haaland is already sui generis, he is not the only generational talent, with Odegaard, Sorloth, Nusa and others.Norway coach Stale Solbakken pours cold water on any complacency, including a mathematical model that predicts the country has a 99% chance of qualifying for the knockout round. One hundred thousand simulations by the independent non-profit Norwegian Computing Center say Norway’s qualification is inevitable, but Solbakken is leaving nothing to chance, including ensuring their players don’t have to suffer from American fast food by shipping 500kg of seafood, 116kg of brown cheese and 6,000 oranges, which experts estimate is what Haaland will consume in one meal.

Goalkeeper master courses

There was talk of the new ball being difficult for goalkeepers to handle, but we also saw a World Cup where football’s most tragic figures were inspirational. Cape Verdean room Eloy unassisted kept Ecuador off 15 hits. Curacao’s Vozinha kept the Spanish matadors at bay and even a late double save from Raul Rangel preserved Mexico’s lead against Japan to help the co-hosts qualify. While the goal scoring in this tournament has been outstanding, so have the goalkeepers.

Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (1) makes a save during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

OUT OF THE FIELD: A Social Media Dystopia

The age of the Internet was supposed to be about enlightenment, but instead it seems to show why Scott Adams said we are a civilization of six billion ninnies designed by a few thousand scholars. Because the same kind that designed the internet and pretty much everything we take for granted is also where the player and their partner focus only on getting the basic idea across.

Who is João Neves girlfriend? All about Madalena Aragão as Portugal’s star shines at the 2026 World Cup. (Image via Getty Images)

For those lucky enough to have a life where they touch grass instead of hashes (tags), here’s what happened. After the game against DR Congo, Joao Neves was asked about Ronaldo and said: “We know what Cristiano Ronaldo has done for our national team and for the world of football. But at this moment I feel that for him and for all of us, he is one of us, another person trying to help. He is no different from the rest of us and he will contribute like all of us.”Instead, the quote was linked by social media to suggest that Ronaldo is an “ordinary” player, which is polite based on what we saw of him in Portugal’s opening match, as Ronaldo was well below average and looked more like a sheep than a GOAT, as his fans have reported him.Neves’ Instagram account was soon filled with hate from Ronaldo fanboys who also attacked Neves’ partner Madelena Aragao. Some villains even made up a fake quote from Aragao that said “Tell your GOAT to go away”. Even Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodriguez, fell for the quote, writing: “Wow! Look how the future generations are being raised!” However, Rodriguez later realized it was a fake offer and quickly withdrew it.The incident was a reminder of the toxic side of fandom, which, thanks to social media fueled by easy AI tools, continues to tarnish the beautiful game.PS: While toxic fandom is one of the worst things about social media, one of the best things is memes. Richard Dawkins’ cultural parallel to genes as the unit of cultural transmission is indeed the best way for human communication. So, by popular demand, here are some of the best memes of the day.

Meme Watch

And finally the best of all: VAR referee during Iran vs Belgium.PS: Thanks to Twitter users @vish0890, @vinit_shenoy and @n_aficionado for their contributions. If you have any memes to submit, tag @nonsensicalnemo and use the hashtag #TOIOFFSIDE.