Ronaldo sent Croatia home, Modrić left the World Cup for good

At BMO Field in Toronto, exactly what the Balkans least wants to watch unfolded: Portugal beat Croatia 2:1 and knocked them out of the World Cup. Croatia led through Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute, then Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from a penalty in the 68th, and substitute Gonçalo Ramos headed home the turnaround late on. Croatia had as many as three goals disallowed by VAR, including one in the 113th minute from Joško Gvardiol. The bottom line: Ronaldo goes on, while Luka Modrić - perhaps the greatest midfielder this region has produced - ended his World Cup career on the bench, watching. Some legends don't deserve an ending like that, but football rarely asks what you deserve.

Messi drew up art, Cape Verde nearly broke the world

Argentina went through to the quarterfinals, but not the way everyone expected - 4:2 against Cape Verde after extra time, after the Atlantic debutants nearly pulled off the biggest shock in World Cup history. Lionel Messi opened with a goal even the opponents called a masterpiece: his 20th at World Cups and his eighth match in a row with a goal. The islanders equalised twice through Deroy Duarte and Sidny Lopes Cabral, and Argentina was saved only by an own goal in the 111th minute. A team no one counted on nearly toppled the world champions - and stories exactly like this are the reason a small nation watches football at all.

Manchester City threw record money at a player many barely know

While the World Cup fills the headlines, Manchester City quietly spent 116 million pounds (around 135 million euros) on English midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest - a club record, surpassing the 100 million paid for Jack Grealish in 2021. A five-year deal, reportedly 300,000 pounds a week. Anderson isn't a name that fills stadiums, but statistically he was among the best midfielders in the Premier League last season. City is after reinforcement because Rodri is a question mark due to injury, and Kovačić and Gonzalez may be leaving. When a club pays that much for a player half of Europe wouldn't recognise on the street, it says more about the money in football than about the player.

Klopp is back - as Germany's national coach, no less

Jürgen Klopp, the man who put the smile back on the pitch with Liverpool, has confirmed he is in talks to become the new Germany national coach. In his words, German football is at a turning point and needs fundamental change - and coming from Klopp's mouth, that means something really is wrong. Germany went into the tournament as a favourite, then took a shameful defeat and were knocked out by Paraguay, a team half the fans couldn't find on a map. If a man like Klopp accepts the bench of a side that just suffered such a collapse, then not even the biggest football nation is immune to having to start from scratch.

Collina sent the referee home - an admission that something about Croatia wasn't right

After Croatia's three disallowed goals against Portugal, an epilogue you rarely see followed: Pierluigi Collina, the head of world refereeing, removed the referee of that match from the rest of the tournament. Official FIFA doesn't admit mistakes in words, but this is an admission in deeds. For a fan from this region the story is painfully familiar - your team plays, goals go in, VAR wipes them out, and justice arrives only once it's all over and no longer helps anyone. Croatia is home, Modrić has ended his career, and some referee paid for it with a summer break. Does that give anyone the match back? It never does.