This was uncanny. I watch the game a bit distracted by simultaneously posting on my phone and reading here, and see Lukaku being brought in. I had the immediate thought “He will score now.” Then looked for five seconds on my phone, then back at the TV, and alas, he scores!
Interesting that the hydration break includes one for the field, too.
I know it’s not exactly what you mean but interestingly Balogun qualified to play for the US because his pregnant mother went on holiday to New York while she was heavily pregnant. The airline refused to let her board the flight home to London because they were afraid she would give birth on the plane. And so little Folarin was born in an American hospital.
Gotta keep the pitch fast!
This may have been asked before, but do soccer teams ever pull their goalie late in the game, like hockey teams do?
He didn’t make the roster, but also Yunus Musah.
You can’t sub on the fly like hockey, so not exactly, but keepers will go up the field to help out, especially if there’s a corner kick.
And sometimes they score the last minute equalizer.
Jens Lehmann for Schalke, in a legendary Ruhr derby against BVB in 1997:
Technically they can’t sub on the fly, but Senegal’s M’Baye Niang did basically something similar to that in 2018 when his substitution was sneaky enough to catch Poland off guard and he scored a goal because Poland didn’t know he had come in, a big controversy.
That wasn’t a substitution, he was waved on after an injury. Subs have the board up and all that, you couldn’t possible sneak someone on.
I spent all day away from the computer (cleaning the house after contractors replaced the kitchen roof) and just now get online to find… what?
Spain tied with Cabo Verde? I’m the first person in this thread to know you can get back from a bad debut to then get far (happened to us TWICE, once against Cameroon and then against Saudi Arabia) but jeeez, Spain is the #1 favcrite to win the whole thing for many people (including me!) and now this?
Things like that are what keeps football and the World Cup alive no matter what Infantino and Fifa do to destroy them.
I think Argentina would have beaten Cape Verde. Spain is not going to win this World Cup.
Experience tells us that you can’t judge a tournament for a team by the first match. Let’s wait and see.
Today I’ve learned that there’s a community of descendants of Cape Verde immigrants (that came here about 75 years ago) in Avellaneda about 10 kms from my house.
They look happy 
Check me on this, but it is my emerging opinion that refs are broadly letting people clatter into each other as long as arms aren’t extended or they don’t hit them so hard they go flying. Any one else seeing that, or some confirmation bias on my part?
There was a Gavi tackle that I was surprised wasn’t called a foul, but was definitely within bounds of an early 2000s shoulder charge so I didn’t think too much of it. I’ll keep a look out.
For Christ sake, the underdog I’m actually rooting against just scored a goal.
This has been a battle of the goalkeepers. Saudi Arabia finally breaks through late in the first half.
This continues to be a very bad world cup for South American teams, I hope to Diego the streak breaks tomorrow 
Spirit of Diego Forlan has entered the chat.
But he’s alive! 