The FIFA World Cup Round of 16 continues with two heavyweight matches on Monday, with Portugal reigniting its rivalry with Spain before the United States takes on Belgium for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Ahead of the match, Opta’s supercomputer has revealed its latest predictions, with Sunday’s results including England surviving a thrilling battle with Mexico, Norway surprising Brazil and ending Neymar’s international career, and FIFA embroiled in controversy after allowing Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium despite a red card.
What is the schedule for Monday?
Portugal vs. Spain: Monday, Dallas Stadium, 19:00 GMT USA vs. Belgium: Monday, Seattle Stadium, 00:00 GMT to Tuesday
What are your predictions for Portugal vs Spain?
Portugal and Spain share a fierce rivalry in major tournaments, with only one win and three draws each in the past five meetings.
Two of those contests are particularly memorable. The 2018 World Cup group stage encounter ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring an incredible hat-trick, but the UEFA Euro 2012 semi-finals ended 0-0 before Spain won on penalties.
Thanks to Opta’s supercomputer, Spain were the favorites for the repechage, with Luis de la Fuente’s side winning in regular time in 49.2% of 25,000 pre-match simulations.
Portugal are given a 25.6 percent chance of winning within 90 minutes, but in the remaining 25.2 percent of simulations, the level ends after the specified time, meaning that in the event of a tie extra time will be required to determine a winner, potentially resulting in penalties.
What are your predictions for USA vs. Belgium?
After beginning the history of head-to-head competition with a 3-0 victory over Belgium at the 1930 World Cup, the United States has struggled in the game ever since. The Americans have lost each of their last six meetings, conceding an average of 2.5 points per game during that span.
Their most recent match was an international friendly in March, when Belgium won 5-2 on American soil.
According to Opta’s 25,000 pregame simulations, the U.S.’s normal chance of winning is 37.2%. Belgium are rated as slightly underdogs with a 36.5 percent chance of winning, but there is a 26.3 percent chance that the match will remain tied after 90 minutes and be decided in extra time or penalties.
Remaining round 16 schedule:
Portugal vs. Spain: Monday, Dallas Stadium, 19:00 GMT USA vs. Belgium: Monday, Seattle Stadium, 00:00 GMT Argentina vs. Egypt: Tuesday, Atlanta Stadium, 16:00 GMT Switzerland vs. Colombia: Tuesday, BC Place Vancouver, 20:00 GMT
The following four teams made it to the quarterfinals.
Morocco vs France Norway vs England
What else is going on?
England’s dramatic win over Mexico
Ten-a-side England weathered the Mexican storm at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a Jude Bellingham double and a Harry Kane penalty, to beat their co-hosts 3-2 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the third consecutive year.
Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled against the co-hosts, but suffered their first World Cup defeat to Mexico at the iconic venue and booked a place in the last eight against Norway, who shocked Brazil 2-1 earlier on Sunday.
“It was a crazy game,” Kane said. “We had to fight. We had to find something. I can’t say too much. Yeah, the situation, the team, everything was against us. We found a way.”
Jude Bellingham’s two historic Aztec games
Jude Bellingham described England’s dramatic win over Mexico as the proudest moment of his international career and joked that his home country’s supporters should tell their employers and teachers they are taking time off to celebrate.
The star midfielder capped off a memorable spell for Tuchel’s side by scoring twice in the Three Lions’ thrilling 3-2 win at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday.
Neymar’s World Cup dream ends
Frequently injured star player Neymar said his time with Brazil’s national team was over, making the announcement after he and his teammates were eliminated from the World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Norway in the last 16.
“I tried,” Neymar said after Sunday’s game. “It started here at MetLife Stadium and I’m done here. I’m done.”
Neymar, 34, played his first game for Brazil on August 10, 2010, in a friendly against the United States at the Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
He will end his career as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer.
Erling Haaland leads Viking Row in Norway
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland gave Norway a famous victory at the Meadowlands, denying Brazil the chance to win a record sixth World Cup.
The 25-year-old scored twice after the break, beating Gabriel Magalhães to take the lead with a powerful header, before adding a second with a low finish past Alisson Becker to put Norway firmly in the lead at 2-0.
After the final whistle, Haaland led Norway’s now-famous “Viking Row” celebration, which quickly gained attention on social media after going viral throughout the tournament.
President approaches FIFA over red card
America’s World Cup campaign was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday when FIFA took the highly unusual step of revoking homegrown player Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension, making him eligible for Monday’s round-of-16 showdown with Belgium.
The decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly contacted FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to request a review of the incident, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
The intervention was immediately controversial, drawing criticism from Belgium, and attention shifted from the match itself to questions about FIFA’s disciplinary process and the influence of politicians.
The ruling quickly became one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
