In group E, Côte d’Ivoire secured second place with a hard-fought victory over germany. Emerse Faé, the ivoirian coach, shared his pride after the match: “we knew we could do it and we did. we’re happy and proud, but we’re already looking ahead.”

ecuador had struggled in their first two matches, including a surprising draw against curaçao. Gonzalo Plata, who scored the winning goal against germany, admitted: “it’s better this way. this experience will make us hungrier for the next round. this team truly believes in itself.”

after the victory, Emerse Faé addressed comments from Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had previously described african football as “sometimes unorthodox, a bit wild, and not quite as tactical.” Faé didn’t hold back: “i was disappointed by those words. when you know football as well as he does, it’s strange to hear such comments—ones that can only be described as racist without mincing words.”

he continued: “everyone has the right to their opinion, but i disagree with him. i have no choice but to accept it and move forward. we’ll just have to show on the pitch that african football is also about skill and tactics. i have no idea what was going through his mind… football attracts many pundits looking to generate buzz. now that he’s somewhat out of the spotlight, he’s trying to stay relevant.”

the netherlands dominated their group with ease, finishing top after a comfortable win over Tunisia. their fans brought the energy, and even the mayor of kansas city couldn’t resist joining the celebration.

mayor Quinton Lucas took the stage as a surprise DJ for the dutch supporters, dancing through the streets and hyping up the crowd. a rare sight for a politician more accustomed to speeches than electronic beats.

he may not have mixed any tracks, but his enthusiasm was contagious as he moved through the crowd, soaking in the atmosphere.

england’s Elliot Anderson, just 23, has become the most sought-after midfielder at the tournament. Manchester City has reportedly agreed to a deal with Nottingham Forest for a staggering €150 million.

the transfer shatters the english premier league’s previous record, held by liverpool for signing Alexander Isak. Anderson, who started both of england’s opening world cup games, is expected to finalize his move to manchester soon.

since the tournament began, south american teams have outplayed their european rivals. paraguay beat Turkey 1-0, argentina defeated austria 2-0, brazil crushed scotland 3-0, and ecuador stunned germany 2-1.

only spain and portugal remain as europe’s last hope, facing uruguay and colombia respectively in upcoming matches.

France’s Aurélien Tchouaméni expressed the team’s support for coach Didier Deschamps, who returned to France for his mother’s funeral. “on behalf of the entire team, we send our deepest condolences to the coach and his family,” he said. “we know this isn’t normal, but he gave us a mission. our goal is to make him proud.”

belgium, currently last in their group with just one point, must beat new zealand to secure qualification. “this is already an elimination-style match,” said new zealand coach Darren Bazeley. “we need points, and we’re going to fight for them.”

he added a warning: “after the draw, we were happy to play belgium last. we thought they’d already be through with six points and might rotate their squad. football never follows the script. they may not have delivered the performances they wanted, but they know they risk going home if they don’t win. it’ll be interesting to see how they react.”