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Cristiano Ronaldo is drawing a line in the sand ahead of Portugal's World Cup showdown with Spain. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner told reporters flat out that he decides when he walks away from the game, nobody else. He did acknowledge he's no longer the player he once was, but don't mistake honesty for vulnerability — Ronaldo is still treating this tournament like unfinished business.
Meanwhile, Belgium are furious after FIFA wiped Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension ahead of the United States and Belgium last-sixteen clash. The Americans' striker was controversially sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and FIFA's decision to suspend the ban has left the Belgians feeling blindsided. They've called it astonishing, and frankly, it's hard to argue the timing doesn't raise some eyebrows.
And over in England's camp, Thomas Tuchel is dealing with a defensive injury crisis that could force Declan Rice — one of the best central midfielders on the planet — into a right back role against Mexico at the Azteca. That is not a sentence anyone expected to write at this World Cup, and England fans heading into that fortress of a stadium are already nervous enough.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
