World Cup 2026 Recap — Wednesday July 1: Latest Goal Ever, England & USA Through

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Three Round-of-32 ties, three teams into the last sixteen, and one goal that rewrote the record books at 124 minutes and 44 seconds. Wednesday gave us Harry Kane pulling clear of Pelé, a Belgian escape act that Sky Sports’ own panel called a robbery, and an American win earned with ten men and a red-card controversy that will follow Mauricio Pochettino into the next round. Here’s the night that reshaped the bottom half of the bracket — and what it means for a Canadian side already waiting in the Round of 16.

A vintage sports-newspaper montage of three July 1 World Cup 2026 final scores against a stadium-night backdrop
Wednesday’s Round-of-32 scores at a glance — England 2-1 DR Congo, Belgium 3-2 Senegal (a.e.t.), USA 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Quick facts before we dive deeper

England 2-1 DR Congo — Kane passes Pelé, England march on

DR Congo stunned Wembley-in-exile early through Cipenga on 7′, and for an hour England looked rattled. Then Harry Kane took over — a poacher’s finish on 75′ and a cool second on 86′ to turn the tie. The double moved Kane to 13 goals at World Cup finals, one clear of Pelé’s 12 on the all-time list. (For the record-keepers: Kane had already passed Gary Lineker as England’s outright World Cup record scorer back on 27 June against Panama — Wednesday was the Pelé landmark, not the Lineker one.) England go through to meet Mexico on 5 July and shortened again on the outright board.

Source: Sky Sports; England Football; FIFA (2026-07-01).

Belgium 3-2 Senegal — the latest goal in World Cup history

This is the one they’ll still be arguing about at Christmas. Senegal led 2-0 through Diarra (25′) and Sarr (51′) and were 85 minutes into a famous win when Romelu Lukaku pulled one back (86′). Tielemans levelled at 89′ to force extra time, and then — after the longest VAR review of the tournament — buried a penalty at 120+5′, a clock reading of 124:44 that stands as the latest goal ever scored in a men’s World Cup. No side had ever trailed by two in normal time this late at a World Cup and still avoided defeat.

The Sky Sports panel was not convinced. "I genuinely don’t believe that’s a penalty," said Gary Neville, adding: "I don’t think it’s a penalty on the bar that’s been set in this tournament." Roy Keane called it "very, very harsh" and questioned the officiating: "You want conviction in the referee’s decision, and he was certainly hesitating a long time." Harsh or not, it stands — Belgium advance to a Round-of-16 meeting with the United States on 6 July.

Source: FIFA; Sky Sports; Opta Analyst; Yahoo (2026-07-01).

USA 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina — 10 men, one red card, one big argument

Folarin Balogun put the hosts ahead on the stroke of half-time (45′), then walked on 64′ after a VAR-assisted red card that left the United States to play a half-hour a man down. Malik Tillman’s free-kick sealed it at 81′. Pochettino was unequivocal afterwards: "For me, never is it a red card," and, "Never was there intention to step on the player." The bad news for the USA is that Balogun’s automatic ban rules him out of the Round of 16 against Belgium on 6 July — a marquee tie stripped of its in-form striker before it kicks off.

Source: ESPN; CNN; US Soccer; CBS; SI (2026-07-01).

The bracket picture — and why Canadians should care

Wednesday locked in the bottom half of the draw: England–Mexico (5 Jul) and USA–Belgium (6 Jul) are set, with DR Congo, Senegal and Bosnia all heading home. For a Canadian audience, the relevant reading is one step ahead. Canada have already done the hard part — a 1-0 Round-of-32 win over South Africa on Stephen Eustáquio’s 90+2′ winner delivered the country’s first-ever World Cup knockout victory — and now wait for Morocco in the Round of 16 on Saturday 4 July in Houston. The half of the bracket that firmed up on Wednesday is the one a deep Canadian run would eventually have to navigate.

24-hour outright moves

The money told its own story overnight. Croatia and Colombia both came in roughly 45% ahead of their Round-of-32 ties — classic pre-match steam. Meanwhile Spain, Portugal and Brazil all drifted longer, the market cooling on the pre-tournament favourites. France remains the board’s frontrunner but with a genuine split: 2.85 (+185) at FanDuel against 3.60 (+260) at FOX — shop that line before you stake.

  • Belgium survived on the latest goal in men’s World Cup history (Tielemans, 124:44) — and the pundits cried foul.
  • Kane’s brace moved him one clear of Pelé (13 WC goals); England face Mexico on 5 July.
  • The USA beat Bosnia with 10 men, but lose Balogun to suspension for the R16 vs Belgium.
  • Croatia and Colombia shortened ~45% overnight; Spain, Portugal and Brazil drifted.
  • Next up for Canada: Morocco in the Round of 16, Saturday 4 July in Houston.