World Cup: England and Bellingham Thunder, Uruguay Fell in Shame, and a Macedonian Guards Elbasan's Goal

England top the group, Bellingham settles Panama

England finished the World Cup group stage with a 2:0 win over Panama at the stadium in New York-New Jersey and took first place in Group „L", a point ahead of Croatia. The man of the match was Jude Bellingham - before the tournament there were questions whether he would even play, and then he scored with a difficult volley and set up the second with a perfect cross. It seemed the Real Madrid star was single-handedly carrying a pale English performance. But it's not all rosy: Panama created problems after every loss of the ball, and Thomas Tuchel must sort out the defence by the round of 16 if he wants to go further. When one player is patching up the whole team, the question is how far you get like that.

Muslera sent the whole national team home

Uruguay fell 0:1 to Spain and went out of the World Cup, and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, at 40, ended his career in the worst possible way. He needed only a draw to go through, but a strike from Alexis Baena in the first half nailed the end. And it wasn't the first time - Muslera erred in all three matches: he dropped the ball against Saudi Arabia, failed to save a long-range free kick against Cape Verde, came off his line and left the net empty. He asked for the substitution himself at half-time. Coach Marcelo Bielsa, a master of tactics that don't work at big tournaments, kept him for months even though everyone could see something was wrong. How many times does someone have to err before there's a reaction in time?

Cape Verde write the fairy tale of the tournament

While the big teams struggle, an island nation of fewer than 500,000 people is doing the incredible. Cape Verde, without a single previous appearance at a World Cup, went through to the round of 16 unbeaten in a group with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. A 0:0 draw against the Saudis earned them historic qualification - and at the expense of Uruguay, no less. They become only the third African side to pass the group stage on their debut tournament without a defeat. Meanwhile, Belgium finally woke up and hammered 5:1 New Zealand in Vancouver. Football needs stories like this more than it needs the favourites.

Igor Aleksovski with a new challenge in Albania

The Macedonian goalkeeper Igor Aleksovski has made a transfer to the Albanian top-flight club Elbasan. Until now he guarded the goal of Flamurtari, and now he continues his career at a club that will represent Albania on the European stage this summer. For a Macedonian goalkeeper, keeping goal at a club with European ambitions across the border is no everyday news - it's a step up, not sideways. The neighbourhood has long become a natural market for our footballers, and Aleksovski is now looking there for the minutes and the proving ground that don't always come easily at home.

Uruguay, after the disgrace, left without the private plane too

Uruguay's humiliation didn't end on the pitch. After a catastrophic showing with just two points in the group, the federation stripped them of the luxury - the private plane was cancelled and the players return home on a commercial flight, like all other passengers. From heroes that millions prayed for, to economy class in three days. There's something familiarly Balkan in that picture: while you're winning, everything is allowed and paid for; when you fall, the first thing they take away is your little chair. The question is whether the punishment for failure is one private plane fewer, or something that changes more deeply.