The main event
Germany’s shock defeat to Japan was a strange game to parse. Hansi Flick’s men were probably the better side during the first half – they had the lion’s share of possession and chances – and yet Daizen Maeda would have given the Japanese an early lead from an onside position had he showed just a modicum of patience, then very nearly equalised Ilkay Gündogan’s 31st-minute penalty with a header that sailed inches wide on the stroke of half-time.
The second half was similarly – that is to say strangely – all over the place. At one point Jamal Musiala almost replicated Ricky Villa’s famous slalom at the 1981 FA Cup final replay; at another, Shuichi Gonda in the Japanese goal was forced to make four big saves in not many more seconds. But then Japan swapped out a few men, shoogled things around, and came at their opponents in a manner that would make a banzai charge look like a polite request for the vicar to pass the cucumber sandwiches. Germany froze, Japan scored twice, could easily have had another couple, and now the 2014 champions are on the precipice of a second group-stage exit in a row.
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A total debacle for one of the pre-tournament favourites, though it’s not as though Germany simply failed to turn up, or that they’re flat out rotten. It’s the unpredictability that’s killing them. The game against England in September illustrated their problems in microcosm. A nondescript first half was followed by 25 minutes of old-time strutting exuberance, which in turn was superseded by a farcical defensive collapse. A late equaliser scrambled a 3-3 draw, and nobody should be surprised by the way things have got out of hand so quickly in Qatar. It was all there in plain sight at Wembley.
Germany now need a result against Spain. With Musiala, Gündogan and Serge Gnabry in fine fettle, and Leroy Sané hopefully back from injury, there’s no reason why they can’t get one. On the other hand, the last time the teams met, a year ago in the Nations League, Spain won 6-0. The Germans haven’t beaten the Spanish at a tournament since 1988, when La Furia Roja were slap-bang in the middle of their 44-year phase of almost supernatural underachievement. Spain shook that monkey off their back with a symbolic victory over Germany in the final of Euro 2008, then put Die Mannschaft out of the World Cup en route to victory two years later. Godspeed, then.
“This is the first final for us at the World Cup,” Flick says, if nothing else showing admirable confidence that they’ll get to play a second. “We are optimistic. We want to stick to our game because we have the quality. We have to be brave and believe in our quality.” Flick could do worse than reminding his squad that far worse Germany teams than this have gone deep, using the 2002 runners-up as his starting point before bringing up Jupp Derwall. The odds may be against the Germans against Spain, but it’d be a bold punter who writes them off. SM
Talking points
Conservative Tunisia sunk by Socceroos
While France look like the class of Group D, it was Tunisia that were trending towards second spot after keeping Denmark at bay in their opener. Trailing 1-0 after 23 minutes against Australia, Jalel Kadri’s side needed a bolder approach but struggled to change gear and now find themselves needing an unlikely result against Les Bleus. It was telling how much of the ball was spent at the feet of centre-backs Yassine Meriah and Montassar Talbi rather than the more creative players. The half-time departure of Youssef Msakni – who was bright, if not a little wasteful – was a shame, but the absence of Anis Ben Slimane’s creative spark became increasingly bizarre as the game wore on. Perhaps a return to underdog status will suit the Eagles of Carthage. TB
Saudis’ spot of bother proves costly
At last, Robert Lewandowski came to the show, scoring his first ever World Cup goal. In a minor classic at Education City Stadium, Saudi Arabia could not repeat the trick of taking down one of football’s modern greats, as with Lionel Messi and Argentina. Poland, against the run of play, and under heavy pressure from highly physical opposition, picked off the Saudis where Argentina repeatedly failed to pierce their high line. Hervé Renard’s team will rue Wojciech Szczęsny save from Salem al-Dawsari and wonder whether Firas al-Buraikan, who was passed over for the spot-kick, might have done better. JB
Beyond the football
The sight of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, wearing a Saudi Arabian scarf, and Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, wearing a Qatari scarf during the World Cup opener suggested some form of detente between two nations at frequent diplomatic loggerheads. But then came the weekend’s news that Saudi viewers had been blocked from watching the tournament on the orders of Saudi Arabia’s ministry of media. Qatari-owned BeIn Sports, home of Richard Keys and Andy Gray, has the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the Middle East and North Africa. While 22 matches are broadcast free-to-air, the remaining 42 matches are live-streamed on a platform called TOD TV. That platform was scrambled in Saudi Arabia on the eve of the tournament around the time Al Thani and Bin Salman were palling up for the cameras. The dispute brings back memories of when a Saudi pirate station named beoutQ was broadcasting copyrighted BeIn content from 2017 to 2019. At least Saudi fans were able to catch their own team’s match on free-to-air, though the loss to Australia made for uncomfortable viewing. JB
Global media-watch
It’s been tit-for-tat in the Croatian and Canadian tabloids and Sunday’s Group F encounter will certainly not lack edge as a result. After Canada’s narrow opening loss against Belgium, when they largely had the better of their more illustrious opponents, the Maple Leafs’ coach, John Herdman, told his players: “We’re going to go and eff Croatia.” The Croatian media did not take this perceived slight lying down: the tabloid newspaper 24 Sata (24 Hours) ran a full front-page mock-up of a naked Herdman with Maple Leaf flags over his mouth and private parts, and a headline asking: “You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?” The Toronto Sun promptly hit back with “Our Balls are Bigger”, with a picture of some, er, footballs. The gloves are off. LMc
Be sure to check out today's Toronto Sun! pic.twitter.com/AAzhQuPcNA
— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) November 26, 2022
The internet reacts
Soon after the final whistle blew on Australia’s 1-0 win over Tunisia, video emerged showing what can only be described as “scenes” in Melbourne’s Fed Square. Thousands of Socceroos fans bounce around with abandon. They’ve waited 12 years for a World Cup win after all, so why not go wild? Mitch Duke, you hero. GB
Today’s matches
Japan v Costa Rica (Group E, 10am GMT, ITV1) The Samurai Blue are buoyed by their sensational opening win against Germany. Costa Rica are recovering from a 7-0 demolishing by Spain. All things point to a Japanese victory that would see them to progress with a match in hand. A point would even be enough to secure a place in the knockout stages should Spain defeat Germany. LMc
Belgium v Morocco (Group F, 1pm GMT, BBC One) How good are Belgium, really? After Kevin De Bruyne was named man of the match following their somewhat fortunate victory against Canada, he wondered aloud if he deserved it. “The team was better four years ago,” admitted Eden Hazard, meanwhile, of the supposedly golden generation that finished third in 2018. It will be understandable if Roberto Martínez chooses to freshen up his team for the second group match. Morocco, on the other hand, were heartened after they successfully denied Croatia three points. Might another shock be on the cards? LMc
Croatia v Canada (Group F, 4pm GMT, BBC One) “We have to be cautious,” said the Croatia coach, Zlatko Dalic, in assessing Canada’s strong first performance. “If you look at the tournament, many of the teams that were underdogs are now great … you cannot enjoy the glory of the past, we have to be at our best.” There are subplots aplenty – as mentioned in the global media-watch. The view of Ivan Perisic? “We have to be very fast and adopt an aggressive attitude.” A match that should answer the question: are Croatia capable of replicating that run to the final in Russia? LMc
Spain v Germany (Group E, 7pm GMT, BBC One) If Hansi Flick’s side fail to get a positive result, they would be in serious danger of going out at the group stage for a second straight tournament. The mesmeric passing patterns of Luis Enrique’s Spain are hardly ideal fare when you are fighting for survival, but it’s tough at the top. Flick is still waiting until after their final training session to see if Sané is fit. “I am convinced of the idea of how we want to play … we have courage and belief.” Now would be a good time to show it. Spain will almost certainly be through to the knockouts with a win, so will not lack motivation. LMc
Player to watch
Atiba Hutchinson The only Canada squad member old enough to have been around when the country made its sole previous finals appearance - 1986 - will pass another milestone when receiving his 100th cap against Croatia. Against Belgium, the captain became the tournament’s oldest outfield player at 39 years and 288 days, second only all-time to 42-year-old Roger Milla. “I think all of us are in a moment where we’ll be doing this as much for Atiba as we are to get three points,” said John Herdman. “He’s a legend.” JB
And finally …
It’s official, Fifa see diving for a penalty as fully valid. Or at least that’s the view of Sunday Oliseh, of the Fifa technical study group helmed by Arsène Wenger. Cristiano Ronaldo winning the penalty against Ghana enraged many, including opposition coach Otto Addo. “Why?” raged Addo. “Because it’s Ronaldo or something?” In Oliseh’s view: “The smartness to wait for that second, to touch the ball, continue his leg and then get the contact. That is total genius. Let’s give strikers the compliment for getting smarter.” Wenger may now wish to retrospectively consider his 2004 comments on Wayne Rooney’s “genius” in falling over Sol Campbell. JB
• This article was amended on 29 November 2022. An earlier version stated that Germany would be out if they failed to get a positive result, while Spain would be through to the knockout stages with a win. Both of these outcomes depend on the results of the final matches in the group. This has been corrected.
