Late Comebacks, VAR Decisions and New Rules Reshape World Cup Knockouts

Overview

• Belgium recovered from 2-0 down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time when Youri Tielemans scored a VAR-awarded penalty that sealed the win in the late minutes of the game on Wednesday.
• Harry Kane scored twice to overturn a 1-0 deficit and give England a 2-1 victory over RD Congo, a result that sets England up to meet Mexico in the next round.
• The United States advanced with a 2-0 win over Bosnia despite Folarin Balogun’s second-half red card and will face Belgium in the round of 16 match scheduled for July 6 in Seattle.
• Kylian Mbappé scored twice against Sweden to reach six goals in this tournament and to record 10 goals in World Cup knockout play, surpassing previous mata-mata marks and joining the top scorers list for the event.
• Tournament refereeing and discipline are influencing results as VAR interventions and FIFA’s new rule against offensive gestures have produced match-changing expulsions, a study shows World Cups produce more upsets than domestic leagues, and coverage also reports racist abuse of players and a reported spectator death at a public viewing.