The House of Representatives has passed President Trump's voter identification legislation, known as the Save America Act, after Speaker Mike Johnson navigated a difficult internal rebellion within his own party to get the bill through. The path to passage was far from smooth, involving days of stalled action and last-minute negotiations. A Rocky Road Through the House Floor Just days before the bill's passage, a renewed rebellion among House Republicans had brought action on the floor to a standstill. The internal pushback was serious enough that Speaker Johnson made the decision to send members home early ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, effectively pausing progress on the legislation until tensions could be addressed. The rebellion reflected divisions within the Republican party over specific provisions in the voter ID bill, with some members expressing concerns that ultimately required further negotiation before they were willing to support the legislation. Getting t...
The Netherlands produced a commanding and thoroughly professional performance to beat Tunisia 3-1 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday night, finishing the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage as the winners of Group F. Two Tunisian own goals and a third from in-form striker Brian Brobbey sealed a straightforward victory for Ronald Koeman's side, who now turn their attention to a Round of 32 clash against Morocco. For Tunisia, a disastrous tournament came to its inevitable end — the Eagles of Carthage exiting without a win and with a winless streak that now stretches to six consecutive matches.
The match began in the most unfortunate fashion possible for Tunisia. Inside the third minute, Netherlands right back Denzel Dumfries drove a dangerous low cross from the right side across the face of goal, seemingly targeting striker Brian Brobbey. Tunisia captain Ellyes Skhiri, attempting to intercept and clear the danger, succeeded only in turning the ball into his own net. It was a nightmare beginning that immediately put the eliminated Eagles of Carthage on the back foot against one of the tournament's more polished sides.
Netherlands doubled their lead just four minutes later when Brobbey powered home to score his third goal of the tournament — a tally that makes him one of the leading scorers at this World Cup. Koeman's side were fluid and incisive in the opening stages, with Virgil van Dijk marshalling the defence imperiously while Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch controlled the midfield with ease.
Tunisia showed genuine character to get a goal back in the 54th minute when Hazem Mastouri redirected a corner kick into the net, briefly giving the already-eliminated Eagles of Carthage something to cheer and injecting a moment of life into what had been a one-sided contest. The response from the Netherlands was emphatic and immediate. In the 62nd minute, Jan Paul van Hecke rose to meet a corner kick, his powerful header glancing off Anis Slimane's head and into the net for another Tunisian own goal. The deflection was unfortunate for the North Africans, but Van Hecke's header had been perfectly executed and left little room for error.
The Netherlands controlled the remainder of the match as a first-half drizzle turned into a proper second-half downpour, managing the game expertly without expending unnecessary energy ahead of the knockout rounds.
Tunisia's Disastrous World Cup Comes to an End
For Tunisia, the defeat completed one of the most difficult World Cup campaigns imaginable. The Eagles of Carthage had arrived in North America with genuine ambitions of making an impression on the expanded 48-team stage, but the tournament had gone wrong almost from the very first whistle.
Their opening match against Sweden produced a shocking 5-1 defeat that immediately placed enormous pressure on the squad and coaching staff. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was sacked in the aftermath — a dramatic and humiliating decision that reflected the chaos within the Tunisian camp. French coach Hervé Renard was brought in to steady the ship, but a 4-0 defeat to Japan in the second group match confirmed elimination before the third game had even begun.
Reports of tension and infighting within the Tunisian squad had circulated throughout the tournament, and little on the pitch suggested those issues had been resolved by the time the Netherlands match arrived. Thursday's 3-1 defeat against the Dutch ran Tunisia's winless streak to six consecutive matches — a run that speaks to deep-seated issues within Tunisian football that will need to be addressed before the next cycle begins.
The Netherlands enter the Round of 32 in increasingly impressive form. After an unconvincing 2-2 draw with Japan in their opening group match raised early doubts about Koeman's side, the Dutch responded with a statement 5-1 demolition of Sweden and then a controlled 3-1 win over Tunisia to finish the group stage unbeaten and as comfortable Group F winners.
The key to the Netherlands' improvement as the group stage progressed has been the form of Brian Brobbey. The Ajax striker has taken to the World Cup stage with remarkable confidence, scoring in consecutive matches and establishing himself as one of the more dangerous centre-forwards remaining in the tournament. Alongside Cody Gakpo — who had two goals in the Sweden win — the Netherlands possess a genuinely threatening attacking partnership that opposing defences will find difficult to contain.
Virgil van Dijk has been the commanding presence at the heart of the Dutch defence that opponents have expected. The Liverpool captain has read the game superbly throughout the group stage, rarely allowing any opponent to create genuine danger and leading by example in both defensive organisation and in driving the ball forward to start Dutch attacks.
The Netherlands will face Morocco in the Round of 32 on Monday, in what promises to be one of the most intriguing knockout stage matchups of the opening round. Morocco — who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in a historic run that captured the imagination of the entire football world — advance from Group C as runners-up after a draw with Brazil and a win over Scotland.
The Atlas Lions are organised, defensively resilient and capable of the kind of tactical discipline that has caused major European nations serious problems in recent tournaments. For the Netherlands, the Morocco match will represent a genuine test of whether Koeman's side have the creativity and patience to break down a deep, well-drilled defensive block — a question that has not yet been fully answered in the group stage.
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