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Hello, all!
Will today be the day the ramble and/or links are overshadowed by a signing? If you’re asking me, it’s fine if it is; I’m just glad I got the Discofoot ramble through in peace. (Also: I should stop asking.)
Ramble of the Day
The World Cup quarterfinals are underway, and the latest loser is Norway. The start of the team’s tournament was about someone else entirely — Ada Hegerberg, who’d quit the national team two years earlier. Once play began with a 3-0 win over Nigeria, though, conversation shifted to the players on the pitch. Norway really began showing off its talented squad in its second match against France, impressing from front to back. The team performed similarly in the Round of 16 against Australia — the opponent was inconsistent, but Caroline Graham Hansen and Maren Mjelde put on masterclasses. Unfortunately, when the time came to truly show off their abilities, Norway hardly managed to get started against England in the quarterfinals. It wasn’t just conceding an early goal — a defense with a record of inconsistency before the tournament showed why, and was no match for England’s many attacking options. They left the match with a moment for 39-year-old goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth, saving a second-half penalty.
tl;dr: The latest team out of France is Norway.
Links of the Day
Richarlison missed Brazil’s Copa América quarterfinal against Paraguay with the mumps.
Australia and Indonesia are considering a joint bid for the 2034 World Cup.
Transfer updates: Liverpool has signed Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle; Barcelona has signed Neto from Valencia
Today’s longer read: Hallie Grossman on Somali-Kenyan footballer Saadiq Mohammed’s journey as a star in the Kenyan league, fleeing both countries, and applying for asylum in the United States for ESPN