VAR — 3 bad decisions in one day
Gary Lineker said VAR had a terrible couple of days with three poor decisions in the games played on the day of the DR Congo match.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Football
Kane to the rescue as England squeeze past DR Congo
Explore episode
Jul 2, 2026
Where this was said
Was England's Display Encouraging or Alarming?
At 7:29 · chapter starts 4:47
Gary Lineker makes the optimistic case: yes, the first 20 minutes against DR Congo were poor, and the team was shaken by the early goal, but from the hydration break onwards England looked assured, created chances, and — crucially — kept Congo largely quiet. He counters the criticism that England always expect to score freely without conceding, calling it an unrealistic standard. Joe Cole adds that going 1-0 down to Congo and fighting back showed mental fortitude that will matter in the knockout rounds. Brad Friedel, though, presses the panel on whether they are seeing real improvement. Brad Friedel points out that England's right-back crisis is self-inflicted — Livramento injured, Spence playing out of position — and that the midfield and defence look alarmingly uncoordinated. He argues that against better opposition the weaknesses will be mercilessly exposed, closing with the stark verdict that England will not reach the final if they keep performing like this. [1] — Micah Richards "I tell you now, if we continue to play like we are playing, then we're not getting to the final." 10:17
England's Slow Start Against Congo: Was the Reaction Too Harsh?
England were 1-0 down to DR Congo within 15 minutes and looked disorganised — but Gary Lineker says the last two-thirds of the match were genuinely encouraging, with chances created and composure shown under pressure. The goal was coming.
Kane's Penalty: VAR's Worst Day at the World Cup
Harry Kane was blatantly fouled by the DR Congo goalkeeper — a nailed-on penalty, per Joe Cole — and VAR somehow missed it. Gary Lineker says VAR has had a disastrous run of decisions and the problem is super slow-motion replays that allow officials to read anything into any contact.
England only 90 mins of decent football
Micah Richards argued England have played only around 90 minutes of decent football across their four World Cup games, with the defence and midfield remaining disorganised.
Micah's Warning: England Won't Reach the Final Like This
Micah Richards isn't buying the positivity. England have played roughly 90 minutes of decent football across four games, the right-back situation is a self-inflicted wound, and a disorganised midfield is leaving a vulnerable backline totally exposed. Without improvement, the final is out of reach.
Similar snapshots
CrossFit athlete: top 2,000 worldwide
Thomas's wife is already ranked in the top 2,000 CrossFit athletes in the world — roughly the top 1% — and Thomas wants her to pursue the sport professionally now that he is graduating law school.
Athletes improve with mental rehearsal
Research shows athletes who mentally imagine practicing basketball or soccer have better performance than those who do not include imagination in their training.
~10 rounds dominated vs Usyk
Rico Verhoeven dominated approximately 10 of 12 rounds against undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk before a controversial post-bell stoppage.
Stopped after the bell
Rico's appeal confirmed the fight was stopped after the bell rang, and the ringside doctor found no concussion or disorientation — yet the result was never overturned.
Glory uses 5 judges vs boxing's 3
Glory Kickboxing uses 5 judges rather than boxing's 3, which Joe Rogan argues reduces the chance of a corrupt or incompetent minority swinging the result.
1 professional boxing match before Usyk
Rico Verhoeven had only one professional boxing match before fighting undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title.
15 years of boxing training
Despite having just one pro boxing match, Rico Verhoeven had been training boxing for 15 years alongside his kickboxing career.
6-month boxing transition camp
Rico used a full 6 months to transition from kickboxing stance to a proper boxing stance under trainer Peter Fury, calling it essential rewiring.
75+ kickboxing fights in career
Rico Verhoeven has had approximately 75 professional kickboxing fights, giving him a massive combat sports experience advantage over pure boxers.
