World Cup 2026 Recap — Wednesday 1 July: Records, Red Cards and Late Drama
Available in USIf you clocked off before the late kick-offs, you missed one of the wildest nights of the tournament. Three Round-of-32 ties on Wednesday 1 July sent England, Belgium and the USA into the last 16 — and one of them produced the latest goal ever scored at a men’s World Cup. Here’s the wrap for the punters who were asleep, with the market read that matters heading into the Round of 16.
- Belgium 3–2 Senegal (a.e.t.): Tielemans’ penalty at 120+5′ (124:44) is the latest goal ever scored at a men’s World Cup — after the longest VAR review of the tournament.
- England 2–1 DR Congo: a Harry Kane brace takes him to 13 World Cup goals — one clear of Pelé on the all-time list.
- USA 2–0 Bosnia & Herzegovina: the Americans held on with 10 men after Balogun’s red — and he’s now banned for the Round of 16.
- Advanced: England (→ Mexico, 5 Jul), Belgium (→ USA, 6 Jul), USA (→ Belgium, 6 Jul). Out: DR Congo, Senegal, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
- Market read: the drama didn’t shorten the favourites — Brazil, Spain and Portugal all drifted longer overnight.
Belgium 3–2 Senegal (a.e.t.) — the latest goal in World Cup history
This was the one. Senegal led 2–0 through Diarra (25′) and Sarr (51′) and were 85 minutes into seeing the job through when Belgium detonated. Lukaku pulled one back on 86′, Youri Tielemans levelled on 89′, and the tie dragged into extra time. Then, deep into the second period of ET, the tournament’s longest VAR review ended with a penalty — and Tielemans buried it at 120+5′ (124:44), officially the latest goal ever scored in a men’s World Cup.
It was not without controversy. The Sky Sports panel let rip:
"I genuinely don’t believe that’s a penalty." — Gary Neville, Sky Sports (1 July 2026)
"It’s very, very harsh." — Roy Keane, Sky Sports (1 July 2026)
For the neutral Aussie watching at a sane hour, it was box-office; for anyone holding a Senegal ticket, it was daylight robbery after leading by two with five minutes left. Belgium march on to a Round-of-16 date with the USA on 6 July.
England 2–1 DR Congo — Kane climbs above Pelé
DR Congo actually landed the first blow through Cipenga (7′), but Harry Kane did what Harry Kane does at World Cups: two goals (75′, 86′) to turn it around. The brace nudged his personal tally to 13 World Cup goals — one clear of Pelé (12) on the all-time scorers’ list. (For the record, Kane had already passed Gary Lineker as England’s outright World Cup record scorer back on 27 June against Panama — this was the Pelé milestone.) England move on to a mouth-watering Mexico clash on 5 July.
USA 2–0 Bosnia — survival with 10 men
The hosts’ co-tournament got a scare-free scoreline that hid a nervy night. Balogun put the USA ahead on the stroke of half-time (45′), then was sent off on 64′ after a VAR check. Down to ten, the Americans dug in and Tillman (81′) settled it from a free kick. Coach Mauricio Pochettino was fuming at the dismissal:
"For me, never is it a red card." — Mauricio Pochettino, USA head coach, ESPN (1 July 2026)
The sting in the tail: Balogun’s automatic ban rules him out of the Round of 16 against Belgium (6 July) — a serious blow for a USA side that suddenly loses its main striker for the biggest game of their tournament.
What it means for the market
You’d think a night of chaos would shake the outright board. It didn’t — if anything it firmed up the story that the top of the market drifted. From the overnight moves (FOX Sports R32 odds, as of 2026-07-02 ~08:00 ET / ~10:00 PM AEST):
- Spain — lengthened around a half-draw path (7.00 → 8.00)
- Portugal — drifted on the advance/outright line (~10.62 → 13.00)
- Brazil, Spain, Portugal — all drifted longer tournament-wide
- Croatia & Colombia — both shortened ~45% ahead of their own R32 ties
The takeaway for punters: the market is treating the bottom half of the draw as the tougher, deeper side and nudging the European heavyweights out a touch. Whether that’s an over-reaction is exactly the kind of overlay we chase — see the full read in our World Cup 2026 outright odds before the Round of 16.
The Aussie angle
For the green-and-gold faithful, Wednesday’s results reshaped the half of the draw the Socceroos could land in. Win against Egypt on Saturday morning AEST and Australia go into the top half, where England now face Mexico and the winners feed toward the quarters. It’s a long way off, but the bracket just got a little clearer — and a little more inviting. Our Socceroos vs Egypt preview has the match that matters most to this country.
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