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For a few moments, it looked like Iran had found the goal that would send it through. In the 93rd minute deep in stoppage time against Egypt, Shoja Khalilzadeh struck the ball into an empty net after a wild sequence inside the box. Iran celebrated like it had just scored the late winner that would secure qualification to the knockout stage as the second-place team in Group G. Then VAR stepped in. The goal was ruled out for offside, and at first glance, it was easy to see why the decision looked confusing. Yasser Ibrahim was behind Khalilzadeh when the ball came to him, so the natural reaction was to think he had kept him onside. But Ibrahim was not the second-last Egyptian player; he was the last one. That is where the position of Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir mattered. Shobeir had come out and was ahead of Khalilzadeh on the play, which changed the offside line. Usually, the goalkeeper is one of the two opponents closest to the goal, so it can be perceived to think of offside as being the “last defender.” But the rule is not based on the last defender; it is based on the second-last opponent. Because Shobeir was further up the field, Ibrahim being behind Khalilzadeh was not enough to keep him onside. Ibrahim was only the final Egyptian player back. The second-last Egyptian player was Hamza Abdelkarim, and Khalilzadeh was ahead of him when the ball came his way. That put Khalilzadeh in an offside position. So even though there was an Egyptian defender behind him, Iran’s goal could not stand. Khalilzadeh needed to be level with or behind the second-last opponent, not just one Egyptian player near the goal line. It was a devastating moment for Iran. A 93rd-minute winner would have sent it into the knockout stage automatically. Instead, the match stayed 1-1, Egypt held onto second place, and Iran was left waiting on other results to see if it would advance as one of the best third-place teams.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The day was supposed to be defined by Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé going head-to-head at the World Cup, and Lamine Yamal facing his biggest test of the tournament yet. It ended with Haaland riding the bench, Mbappé and Yamal failing to score and Ousmane Dembélé stealing the show. Here is everything you might have missed on Day 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup: BEST OF THE DAY Moment Of The Day Ousmane Dembélé was absolutely unguardable in France’s 4-1 win vs. Norway on Friday at Boston Stadium. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner scored a first-half hat-trick and brought his overall tally for the tournament to four goals, one shy of the tournament-high. Dembélé had gone 19 previous major international tournament games without scoring a goal before France’s last game; he now has four in the last two. Goal Of The Day Pape Gueye has not started a match for Senegal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup; that might not be the case for much longer, with Senegal successfully advancing to the round of 32. In 33 minutes against Iraq, Gueye scored two goals and recorded an assist. He ended the match with the highest number of goal contributions on the team (3) despite coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute. Super sub. Assist Of The Day Nicolas Raskin and Romelu Lukaku both subbed on in the 85th minute. One minute later, the two connected on Belgium’s fourth goal of the night as Lukaku drove it home. Talk about instant impact. Save Of The Day Any hope Norway had of mounting a comeback against France was crushed when Les Bleus goalkeeper Mike Maignan denied Jørgen Strand Larsen from the penalty spot. Maignan is the second French goalkeeper to save a penalty in the World Cup — excluding shootouts — after Joel Bats against Zico in the 1986 quarter-final against Brazil. Norway vs. France Senegal vs. Iraq Uruguay vs. Spain Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia New Zealand vs. Belgium Egypt vs. Iran​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

How quickly this game of ours can change. Belgium, which had been extremely disappointing in the 2026 World Cup, finally shook off its inhibitions and won emphatically, 5-1, over New Zealand on Friday night in Vancouver. As a result, the Red Devils avoided an early embarrassment. And, just like that — with some late drama from substitutes Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers — they secured top spot over Egypt in Group G, thanks to a greater goal difference. A brace from Leandro Trossard and another one from Kevin De Bruyne secured the win in a complete performance, and this was exactly what the doctor ordered. As for New Zealand, after a well-earned point against Iran on the first match day, the Kiwis sadly lost back-to-back matches and bowed out of the World Cup. Here are my takeaways: 1. Finally, Belgium Arrived At The World Cup One of the reasons why we have appreciated Belgium for many years is the aesthetically pleasing football. At its best — thanks to the talent at its disposal and specifically in the midfield — the Red Devils push the ball forward with so much ease. That’s what happened Friday. From the first whistle, Belgium pushed, dominated possession and, when entering the final third, it changed from a 4-3-3 to a 2-1-7 formation. Fullbacks played as wingers, wingers as forwards, Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans directed all the play and De Bruyne essentially turned into a striker. More on them later. But the point was to be more fluid up top and not have a target man. In fact, they were all the targets. Trossard put on that Arsenal title-winning confidence to good use tonight with a great brace too. He was excellent tonight. The cherry on top was Lukaku’s goal, as he came on as a late substitute to rescue the goal difference. And then Saelemaekers added the exclamation point. But overall, as far as Rudi Garcia’s entire team was concerned for tonight, it was a great performance from a national team, which finished in third place at the 2018 World Cup. Perhaps this is the start of a momentum for Belgium. 2. Jérémy Doku’s Return Ignites Attack After the birth of his first child, a son named Praise, alongside his wife Shireen, Doku’s teammates undoubtedly praised — sorry, I had to — his return to the lineup. The Manchester City winger often plays like a video game character, where his change of direction and speed can be a nightmare for any opposing defender. Garcia, therefore, made him switch from right wing to left with Trossard on the other side, and New Zealand just couldn’t deal with his trickery. He didn’t score tonight, but he didn’t need to. Doku is just a continuous weapon that does not stop to surprise you with his runs. When you have someone like him, everything becomes easier because he demands so much attention it opens space everywhere else. 3. Youri Tielemans And Kevin De Bruyne: A Brilliant One-Two Punch As a lifelong Aston Villa fan, you already know my thoughts on Tielemans, so it was disappointing to see him start so badly in this tournament, especially after having his best ever season in the Premier League and Europe. But Friday against New Zealand, he was fantastic as he played the role of conductor, directing the Belgian orchestra in the middle of the park. If the team enters the final third, it is almost always because of him. Then there’s De Bruyne, one of the finest attacking midfielders of the modern game. He turns 35 on Sunday, but based on tonight, you wouldn’t have ever known, as he constantly penetrated the box and opened up opportunities for his teammates. In the 66th minute, he scored the team’s third. Forget his passing, which is obviously world-class. Youth players should just watch his movement. It is tremendous. 4. New Zealand Got It All Wrong — Until It Was Too Late In the first half, Darren Bazeley’s side had zero shots and only one touch in the box. It only managed 38-40% possession and just couldn’t create anything of value. It improved in the second, but it was too late. The strategy was also perplexing as it decided to sit back and allow Belgium to keep attacking the box with very little room to counter. It was the equivalent of a boxer asking to be hit with no plans to protect their face. I always felt that New Zealand’s best asset was its physicality and ability to hit opponents with the counter. It did not succeed in doing any of that tonight. Shout-out, however, to Elijah Just, who had a great tournament with three goals. In the end, Belgium was too strong, secured the win and finished top of the group. Now, it will have to wait another day to see which team it’ll face in the round of 32 in Seattle on Wednesday.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports