World Cup: Ronaldo's final bow, Messi's quest and questions for Infantino

Lionel Messi will be the man to watch when the Pharoes take on Argentina on Tuesday night. Can the Argentine football god steer clear of Erl...

Lionel Messi will be the man to watch when the Pharoes take on Argentina on Tuesday night. Can the Argentine football god steer clear of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe? (Photo credit: GOAL)

The World Cup is now at the business end, and it's a good time to take some stock. Let's have a look at some good, bad, and ugly moments from the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

It's wonderful to note that the entirety of the event hosts have been eliminated at the same stage. The USA tried to manipulate laws, but it didn't amount to anything as they were pummeled by Belgium. A 4-1 loss to a team led by Rudi Garcia. It's shameful to say the least.

Speaking of the USA and their irresponsible manipulations, it has never happened in the history of the game that a player's red card is suspended due to external interference. Social media caught wind of a tweet from the office of the U.S. President, Donald Trump.

What have we allowed into football? How is a political figure influencing decisions on the pitch? Gianni Infantino has many questions to answer. How did Folarin Balogun's red card get suspended? Where did the law that exonerated Balogun come from?

Moving on from that, it's becoming worrying that many horrible tackles go unpunished at the World Cup. The game between France and Paraguay recorded over 30 fouls for the South Americans, and not a single one of them got booked. Is Infantino up to something on the bookings too?

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal lost to Spain on Monday night, bringing an end to the superstar's glittering national team career. Ronaldo's place in the history of the game is forever secured, but he must not ruin his legacy with childish comments.

"I'm sad to leave the World Cup this way," he said. "As I said yesterday, I gave it my all, and I leave with a clear conscience. That's the life of a footballer. You have to move forward.

"It was my last World Cup, yes. But as for the rest, there's time to think, to be with my family, and not say things in the heat of the moment." He went further to talk about winning three trophies with Portugal, something that hadn't happened before him. Did he have to say that?

Finally, we take a look at the Tuesday fixtures. Argentina is expected to beat Egypt. Lionel Messi will have the opportunity of taking his goal tally beyond seven, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe tied with the Argentine on seven goals.

The final fixture of the round of 16 is the game between Colombia and Switzerland. We already have five Europeans in the last 8; Morocco is the only non-European side in the quarterfinals. Will Switzerland make it more European? Or will Colombia and Argentina spice it up with South American flavors?