OFFSIDE | Yes, we KANE: Harry Kane saves England from the blushes with a shot that can be heard at the World Cup

England’s Harry Kane (9) celebrates after England’s World Cup round of 32 soccer match between England and Congo in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman) Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. The term “the shot heard by all the world” was popularized by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem Concord Hymn, the opening stanza of which read: “By the rude bridge that spanned the flood/ Their flag unfurled in the April breeze/ Here once stood the fighting farmers/ And fired the shot that was heard by all the world.”The reference is to the opening salvo at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which launched the American Revolutionary War and laid the foundations of the modern American state. Now, more than 250 years later, three days before America’s big celebration, another shot rang out around the world, fired by an Englishman who, in his own way, very much embodies American exceptionalism.England faced DR Congo, who were in for one of the World Cup’s famous shocks after defeating the hapless Jordan Pickford at his near post. England have not won a knockout game since going behind since 1966 when they fell behind West Germany before lifting their only World Cup. But England have never had a striker like Harry Kane.His first goal came after Declan Rice moved to right-back, an area where England looked vulnerable after Thomas Tuchel opted to leave out the world’s most creative right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. Rice passed to substitute Anthony Gordon who floated the ball in for Kane to head home with enough power to beat the keeper who had looked impenetrable up to that point. But the second goal changed everything. Kane again received the ball from Gordon, got past the defender on his first touch and hit a shot with such power that no goalkeeper in the world could have saved it. There is a quip from the philosophy of Don Tzu that says if you don’t know what you are doing, neither does your enemy. Kane didn’t even look up as he fired the shot that could be heard everywhere.Now, after considering the evidence, it may not come home, although with Harry Kane in the ranks one never knows, because it was an England goal that will forever be remembered and re-watched, like Paul Gascoigne’s dentist celebration, Beckham’s free-kick against Greece or Maradona as Michael Owen dribbled past the entire Argentina team. As the DR Congo coach said, it took the best striker in the world to beat them.Next up are co-hosts Mexico in their sacred land: the Aztecs.Meanwhile, the last remnants of Belgium’s golden generation launched the craziest comeback of the tournament so far, coming back from 2-0 down before scoring the final goal of the World Cup extra time in the 125th minute with a penalty that will be debated ad nauseam. Belgium were the better team for 85 minutes, had more chances and will wonder if the football gods have condemned them to sacrifice on the altar of risky penalties, much like the AFCON final.And in the end, the USA survived a red card to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. It was nervy at 1-0, but Tillman scored with a beautiful free kick to keep the USA safe. Was it a red card? It was one of those days when VAR wasn’t covered in glory and many people were looking at three big decisions.

What VAR?

VAR has robbed football of its most joyous moment: the release of pent-up energy after a player scores a goal. Now, when a player scores, he waits around to see what some guy in a room full of cameras thinks before celebrating. So when VAR goes wrong, it’s doubly annoying. And yesterday there were three glaring incidents.First, Harry Kane was denied a penalty for a stone wall, the referee waving him off. What was glaring was that the referee didn’t even decide to send it for review, with the ESPN VAR review saying it was a deserved penalty. Second, Belgium were awarded a penalty in the 125th minute and it seemed to everyone that the first contact was out of bounds.And in the end, even Balogun’s red card looked rather strange. The referee did not give a red during live play and then decided to review a tackle that was accidental or careless, though certainly not violent or malicious. The slow-motion replay made it look even worse, but his fate was decided by the FIFA bureaucracy as they dictate that a player cannot receive a yellow card once a foul has been committed on VAR and the referee on the pitch has reviewed it. Madness? He certainly feels that way.

Matchday Action: Spain vs Austria

July 3, 12:30 PM ISTSpain are the reigning European champions, have the world’s most talented teenager in Lamine Yamal and a team that can probably pass the ball in their sleep, with their eyes closed, while they grab the morning paper or any other variation or combination. On the other hand, Austria is a trained and disciplined team led by Ralf Rangnick.Warrior WatchFor Spain, the obvious answer is a man who plays as if possessed by the spirit of Johan Cruyff and christened Saint Messi. For Austria, it’s their playmaker David Alaba who will try to keep his team from panicking when Spain move the ball.Battle planIt’s simple for Spain: keep the ball, stretch Austria and let Yamal do his thing. But the trap is also simple: don’t get carried away by tactics where every pass looks pretty, every triangle is applauded by the coaching nerds, and Austria still has enough time to put eight bodies between the ball and the goal. Spain must move Austria from side to side quickly enough to really open up gaps and then attack those gaps before Rangnick’s red shirts reset the furniture. Pedri and Fabián Ruiz are the key. If they dictate the tempo, Spain can turn the match into an exercise in positional torture: one switch to the right, one overload, one isolation of Jamal and suddenly Austria’s full-back is defending a teenager who is watching the whole internet. Austria must stop the first pass into midfield. Sabitzer and Laimer need to get close enough to force Pedri to play backwards and force Fabián Ruiz to receive under pressure, because once Spain’s midfield gets forward, the press is already half-dead.Austria’s best chance is to make Spanish control uncomfortable. Press the first build-up, grab the ball wide, foul early if Yamal turns and let Spain play at a speed they didn’t choose. They can’t just stand back and admire the geometry, because Spain will eventually find that one pass that will make the whole block look like IKEA furniture after a missing screw. The game is basically this: Spain need to keep their teeth. Austria needs pressure with timing. If Spain get a rhythm, Yamal will be the show. If Austria break that rhythm, Spain could become a very classy team looking for doors that refuse to open.Dinner lineYamal is a godsend for football, but Rangnick’s system could be the Antichrist to stop the Chosen One in his tracks.

Match of the day: Portugal vs Croatia

July 3, 4:30 am ISTThis is the battle of Real Madrid veterans: Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić. One is 41, the other 40, although the real battle will be in midfield, while one wonders if Roberto Martínez will do the obvious thing and drop Ronaldo. Portugal has produced some of football’s greatest creators in Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. Ronaldo may be one of the best to ever play the game, but he’s becoming a slowly aging albatross around the neck of a talented team because no one wants to tell the emperor he can’t hack him anymore.Warrior Watch

Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes (8) plays on the ball during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Portugal in Miami Gardens, Florida, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Bruno Fernandes is one of the few players in the world untouched by football’s conformity and can make something out of nothing, but the men in front of him have to be better. For Croatia, the question will be whether they can pull another rabbit out of the perpetum mobile in the name of Luka Modrić.Battle planPortugal will not want Croatia to dominate the middle of the park and will need Vitinha and João Neves to play through the middle of the pitch. Rafael Leão and Bernardo Silva will look to force the Croatian full-backs back and give Bruno Fernandes the ball between the lines. The problem, as usual, is Ronaldo’s toll: if every attack becomes a cross to Cristiano Ronaldo, Croatia will take it all night, as Josko Gvardiol and the centre-backs can defend the box far more comfortably than they can defend late runners.Dinner conversationBottom line: Portugal have more firepower, but Croatia are masters of dark magic in the FIFA knockout rounds.

Match of the day: Switzerland vs Algeria

July 3, 8:30 am ISTThe fascinating thing about this is that it is Vladimir Petković’s Derby. Algeria manager Petković coached Switzerland between 2014 and 2021 and knows the players he will be up against.Warrior WatchGranit Xhaka remains Switzerland’s main man, while former Man City winger Riyad Mahrez will look to provide the magic dust.Battle planSwitzerland will be looking to make it a Xhaka sermon where Riyad Mahrez will have no say. Algeria have already shown a weakness against long shots, so Switzerland’s plan should be brutally obvious: park bodies around the D, recycle the ball through Xhaka and Freuler, and constantly ask the Algerian keeper uncomfortable questions from 20 yards out.The Algerian plan must be disrupted. Petković knows Switzerland too well to pretend that there are some secret trapdoors beneath their centre. The way is easier: stop the first pass to Xhaka, fill the center, force Akanji and the Swiss centre-backs to distribute quickly, then quickly break through Mahrez, Ibrahim Maza, Amoura and Gouiri. Switzerland as an order. Algeria need the game to feel like someone changed all the traffic lights at once.The key flank is Algeria’s right versus Switzerland’s left. If Mahrez continues to get one-on-one snaps, Switzerland will begin to age in dog years.Dinner conversationAlgeria wants history. Switzerland wants routine. The reality will be different with one of them.

Which player do you think will have the biggest impact in the upcoming games?

More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today

More than 5,000 users have already voted today

More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today

Share an opinion