OK it is time for the football to get going again. Japan v Croatia – it has the makings of a classic. Daniel Harris is your man with the MBM, so go and join him, and I will see you here tomorrow.
Morocco have warned Spain they will “come out swinging” in a bid to pull off another huge World Cup upset. Walid Regragui’s team finished top of their group and now face a Spain side in the last 16 still reeling from their own unexpected setback at the hands of Japan which almost cost them their place in the tournament.
“We will come in with a winner’s attitude, we will come out swinging,” PA Sport report he said.
“We want to hoist our Moroccan flag way up high, first and foremost for us and our country and yes, for all Arabs and Africans – we want to make them happy. We want their prayers and we want their support.
“Spain have a lot of experience, we haven’t been here for 36 years. It’s important for us to put our emotions aside and pull out all the stops. The great nations are here and it’s important for us to give them a run for their money.
“We’ve got 24 hours to prepare and make history. It’s worth a shot. We’re going to give it our all and we don’t want to leave with any regrets.”
Bukayo Saka has said some words from the England camp about the sudden departure of Raheem Sterling following a burglary on his house back at home.
Saka said “He wished us the best as he was going back. I’ve messaged him and hopefully he’ll get back [to me] and hopefully him and his family are OK.”
Asked if Saka had increased the security around his own house, he said “Not really something I’ve managed to discuss. When it happened yesterday, I was very focused on the game. I just hope Raheem and his family are OK and he does what he needs to do.”
If you are in the market for animal predictions, can I offer you Kurizo, who appears to be half-dog/half-teddy bear by the looks of it?
ワールドカップ
— くり蔵 (@kurizo_chow) December 5, 2022
日本🇯🇵 VS クロアチア🇭🇷
くり蔵の予想は....！#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qc5uisYgDL
I can tell you that at Zagreb Zoo in Croatia, they have been trying to get Kent the gibbon to predict the winner of today’s match.
Kent made a name for himself – well according to the Google search I’ve just done anyway – during the 2018 World Cup with a string of successful predictions, although he came a cropper when he predicted that Russia would beat Croatia in the quarter-finals, which is why I’ve not called him a “psychic gibbon”.
Here is a little bit more detail on that Japan team courtesy of Reuters:
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu brought Takehiro Tomiyasu into his defence in place of the suspended Ko Itakura as one of three changes to his side for the World Cup last-16 game against Croatia on Monday.
Itakura received a second yellow card of the tournament in Japan’s stunning upset of Spain in their final group match, so Tomiyasu, who has made two appearances off the bench as he struggles to shake off an injury, starts.
Moriyasu also brought Wataru Endo and Ritsu Doan back into his midfield at the expense of Takefusa Kubo and Ao Tanaka, who scored against Spain.
Japanese fans have been bring their social media A-game to this tournament and I’m loving this little video of the team all ready to go in a vintage video game style.
W杯クロアチア戦スタメン🇯🇵⚽️#FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #daihyo #サッカー日本代表 pic.twitter.com/fDAJCoyt33
— 千田純生 (@chidajunsei3163) December 5, 2022
Spain coach Luis Enrique is convinced his players can overcome Morocco in the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday and deal with the lottery pressure of a penalty shootout if they need to.
Rohith Nair was at Enrique’s media doo-dah today in Qatar for Reuters, and reports that Enrique actually said penalties shouldn’t be a lottery at all.
Over a year ago, in many national camps we told players, ‘You have homework ahead of the World Cup. You must take at least 1,000 penalties with the club’. You can’t just train them when they’re with the national team’.
I don’t think it’s a lottery. If you train often, then the way you take penalties improves. Obviously, you can’t train the pressure and tension, but you can cope with it.
It doesn’t depend on luck, the goalkeeper is key in the shootout. All three of our keepers are good at them. In our sessions we have players taking penalty kicks, it’s homework we’ve taken into account.
Enrique sounds on paper quite laid back about the whole thing, saying:
I couldn’t care less about the result, I want to control what I can control as a coach. I encourage my players to forget about the result too, the result will come.
Football is not always a fair game. I’m convinced we have more merits than Morocco. If we don’t, I’ll be totally fine.
Our philosophy is the same. We try and entertain the fans so they have fun watching us. We shouldn’t just go and get the victory, we need to entertain the spectators.”
He also had some respectful words for tomorrow’s opposition, telling reporters:
We have a clear idea. We don’t have to dominate all opponents for 90 minutes. In the World Cup you have the best teams, you’re playing against top level coaches and players.
Morocco are in the best mood at the moment, they’re highly motivated after a spectacular group stage, they topped a tricky group.
I’m very satisfied with what I’ve seen in training, I’m convinced we have a great chance to achieve a good result and advance.
Team news: Japan v Croatia
Japan are bidding to get beyond the round of 16 for the very first time. Croatia lost the final last time out. They’ve only been out of the group stages on two previous occasions, and both times made it to the semi-finals. Something will have to give.
Japan: Shuichi Gonda, Shogo Taniguchi, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan, Hidemasa Morita, Yuto Nagatomo, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida, Daizen Maeda
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Borna Barisic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Bruno Petkovic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic
Your officials today are referee Ismail Elfath (US), the assistant referees are Corey Parker (US) and Kyle Atkins (US), and Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) is the fourth official.
At the helm for our minute-by-minute is Daniel Harris where he has teed it up by saying that “it’s the only one of the eight ties in which the outcome seems in doubt at the outset – and feels by far the most likely to give us extra-time and the lottery of successfully executing a precision-skill under intense pressure.”
I’ll keep this blog running up until kick-off for all the rest of the World Cup news, which includes some corking quotes from Spain’s Luis Enrique about *cough* penalties being a lottery *cough* that have just dropped, and then I’ll be off.
There are some rumblings afoot in the Portugal camp ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Portugal and – imagine my surprise – a Mr C Ronaldo is right at the heart of it.
Coach Fernando Santos has said he was deeply unimpressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour as the forward left the pitch against South Korea and refused to guarantee that the striker would captain Portugal in Tuesday’s last-16 tie against Switzerland on Tuesday. The Portugal head coach insists Ronaldo has been dealt with following his latest outburst but considers the case closed.
Ronaldo reacted angrily after being withdrawn midway through the second half of their defeat against South Korea last Friday. Ronaldo put his index finger to his lips as he left the field and later claimed he was irked by the opposition striker Cho Gue-sung for asking him to speed up his exit. “Before my substitution, one of their players was telling me to leave quickly,” Ronaldo said after the shock defeat. “I told him to shut up, he has no authority, he doesn’t have to say anything.”
Asked about Ronaldo’s substitution at a press conference on Tuesday, Santos replied: “Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it, not at all. I didn’t like it. I really didn’t like it. But from that moment onwards everything is finished regarding that issue. These matters are resolved behind closed doors. It’s resolved. Full stop on this matter and now everyone is focused on tomorrow’s match.”
Santos would not confirm whether Ronaldo would captain Portugal against Switzerland, who are hoping to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954. “I only decide who is going to be captain when I reach the stadium,” Santos said. “I still don’t know what the lineup will be. That’s what I’ve always done and that’s what I’m always going to do and it’s going to be the same tomorrow. The other topic is solved. We have fixed that in-house and that’s it.”
Socceroos players have returned to a heroes’ welcome at a packed Sydney airport, with fans clapping and cheering for the players after a historic run to the knockout stages at the World Cup.
About a quarter of the squad that lost valiantly to Argentina in the round of 16 arrived back in Sydney on Monday night, with another contingent landing in Melbourne.
Supporters carrying signs and flags chanted and stomped for the players, creating a ruckus to welcome back a squad that had captured the heart of the country.
Australian captain and goalkeeper, Matt Ryan, told reporters the response from fans had been “phenomenal.”
“After the games we’d have over there, we’d see the reaction from the Australian public, through footage and videos, at Federation Square and lots of other places, and the support has been unreal.”
“And its nice to come back here and see it with our own eyes, we can’t thank the Australian public enough,” Ryan added.
Read more here: Mostafa Rachwani – Cheering crowds welcome home Australia’s World Cup Socceroo heroes
Away from the World Cup there is still plenty of domestic football – men’s and women’s – going on in the UK. On Saturday I was at Brisbane Road to watch top of the table Leyton Orient beat Bradford City in League Two. You won’t regret watching this goal from Tom James.
On Sunday I was at an FA Women’s National League cup game, which pitched my local team London Seaward against Plymouth Argyle from the division above, who ran out 4-0 winners in a game that was more closely fought than the score ultimately suggested.
The top flight is still in action in the women’s game too, and Suzanne Wrack, Sophie Downey and Renuka Odedra have got six talking points from the Women’s Super League weekend action for you here …
From the pictures, it seems like the atmosphere is already building up on the way to the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, where Japan will be facing Croatia at 3pm GMT. We should have team news in just under an hour.
Croatia are getting set.
The most beautiful flag is ready at the Al Janoub Stadium. #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/rAI0H37CGg
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) December 5, 2022
PA report that Callum Wilson did not join England’s other non-starters at training on Monday due to a minor muscle strain.
The Newcastle striker has made two substitute appears in Qatar and was an unused substitute in Sunday’s 3-0 World Cup last-16 win against Senegal.
England’s starters worked inside the following day at their Al Wakrah Sports Complex base, where the rest of the group worked outside with Gareth Southgate and his coaches.
Wilson was the only absentee from the session for non-starters, with a slight niggle meaning the striker sat out as a precaution. England are set to have a day off on Tuesday.
My colleague Kim Willsher in Paris has been reading what the French press has to say about the prospect of Saturday’s quarter-final against England:
For a country that sent its king and queen to the guillotine France has an enduring and surprising fascination for the monarchy. So it is no surprise that Saturday’s quarter-final between England and France is being seen as a royal duel between King Kylian and Prince Harry.
After Sunday’s matches set the scene for a battle between the two countries – historic rivals on and off the pitch despite the Entente Cordiale – Eurosport carried a picture of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé and declared: “The quarter-final on Saturday will have an unusual flavour: for the first time in history the French team and the English team will cross swords in a direct elimination match”.
France Info headlined with France meeting its “best enemy” and “Prince Harry” referring to Kane making the “French kingdom tremble”.
No reference to the Anglo-French rivalry is complete without a reference to “perfidious Albion” and France Info did not disappoint. “Between France and England, [football] history dates back more than a century to the first match on 1 November 1906 [which England won 15-0],” it said.
“Since then, Perfidious Albion have won 23 of the 40 official duels, with 11 victories for the French and six draws. But 16 of these successes were achieved before the war … In the 21st century, Les Bleus have won four of the six encounters, with one defeat and one draw. And while this match has become a European classic, it will be the first time the two nations have faced each other in an international tournament’s decisive match.”
Read more here: Kim Willsher – King Kylian v Prince Harry: how French media sees the World Cup quarter-final
I should imagine that the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta has not crossed your mind recently. The exclave sits right at the tip of northern Morocco, and is the kind of place you could be forgiven for not putting much thought into until, say, Spain and Morocco are facing each other in a World Cup round of 16 match. At which point it is an absolute magnet for journalists looking for a bit of colour to add to their coverage.
Antonio Sempere and Joseph Wilson for AP have been doing just that, with a piece talking to the people who live there, and finding out where their loyalties lie. The long and complex relationship between Morocco and Spain will no doubt be part of the backdrop to the game in Al Rayyan.
Sulaika Hosain, a 26-year-old Ceuta native, feels “100% Spanish,” yet when the game kicks off on Tuesday in Qatar, her sympathies will tilt toward Morocco, the land of her grandfather.
“I am a Spaniard and want Spain to win, but I am rooting for Morocco. When Morocco plays, something moves inside me,” she said at the indoor playground where she works. “Let them win something, so people can say, look, Morocco is not just a poor place.’”
Mohamed Laarbi, 28, manages a bar in Ceuta that is showing all the World Cup matches. He is a third-generation Spaniard and is fully backing Spain. Regardless of the result, he does not expect the game to lead to any serious problems like the riots in Belgium and the Netherlands after Morocco beat Belgium in the group phase.
“Morocco is playing well, but when they meet Spain they will hit a wall,” he joked. “And then the game is over. That is it.”
Even so, Laarbi acknowledged that he and other Muslims from Ceuta or the other Spanish territory of Melilla further east on the coast are caught in an no man’s land.
“Moroccans say that we are not Moroccan, that we are sons of Spaniards, while Spaniards from the Iberian Peninsula say that we are not Spaniards,” he said. “There are people from the peninsula who when you say you are from Ceuta, you have to show them where it is, and they say that is Africa.’”
Ceuta has been a Spanish possession since 1580 – although it is not formally recognised as Spanish territory. It has a mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, and has become a political flashpoint over border controls.
For Mohamed Et Touzani, a 35-year-old hairdresser in Ceuta, the message is clear: just enjoy the game. Originally from central Morocco, Et Touzani has lived in different parts of Spain for 15 years and said it is “like my home.”
He has a house, like many people with Moroccan roots, across the border. He plans to watch the game with Spanish friends at what he called a “Christian” bar in Ceuta. He will cheer for Morocco.
“Soccer is soccer, and politics are politics. So we are going to play a soccer game and have a good time, but with respect. That is the most important thing,” he said. “Morocco has red and green (in its flag), Spain has red and yellow. We have this in common. We are neighbours, and we must live like we were brothers.”
Updated
Bless him, Marcus Rashford has just posted up a proud picture of him with his mother in the stands in Qatar last night.
A special moment winning my 50th cap with my mum in the stands 💫🏴 pic.twitter.com/qESJGC96kg
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) December 5, 2022
Here is an update on the latest situation surrounding Raheem Sterling, via PA Media:
Surrey police have confirmed they are investigating a burglary in which jewellery and watches were stolen after reports of a break-in at the home of the England footballer Raheem Sterling.
In a statement, the force said: “We are currently investigating a report of a burglary at an address in Oxshott, Leatherhead.
“Police were contacted just before 9pm on Saturday 3 December after the occupants of the property came home and discovered a number of items including jewellery and watches had been stolen.
“Inquiries to establish the circumstances are under way and the investigation is ongoing. No threat of violence was involved as the items were discovered stolen retrospectively. Inquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.”
Ben Fisher is in Doha for the Guardian, and here he is reporting on how Poland’s Matty Cash coped – or not – with Kylian Mbappé:
“I spent the afternoon watching his clips and I knew it was going to be a tough test, but when he gets the ball, stops and moves, he’s the quickest thing I’ve ever seen,” Matty Cash, the Aston Villa defender, says. “I said to him at the end: ‘Can I have your shirt?’ and he gave me his match-worn shirt so I’m delighted with that.”
What’s the difference between mapping out how to halt Mbappé while studying footage of him and trying to stifle the real thing on the pitch? “I’m watching the videos while lying in bed,” Cash says, laughing. “In real life he’s burning my legs –that’s the difference. It’s a massive difference. When he stands you up and moves he does it really well. He drops the shoulder, goes short then long. I got into a couple of races with him, and I did all right. You look over your shoulder and he’s there.”
Read more here: Ben Fisher – ‘Mbappé burned my legs’: Matty Cash on how it feels to face France star
Morocco will be playing only their second ever World Cup finals knockout match tomorrow. They last reached the round of 16 in Mexico in 1986. They drew 0-0 with Poland, and then England – that was the Ray Wilkins’ match – and then beat Portugal 3-1 in the final group match to book a slot against West Germany. Here’s how that went down …
Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Madrid, has been speaking to Spain’s Marca newspaper in the build-up to Tuesday’s clash between Morocco and their European neighbours. He told the paper:
Spain are a top five team and always come to the World Cup to win. But our coach has also taught us to have a winning mentality; it doesn’t matter who we are up against. We are going to try to play our way and try to beat them.
We finished first in the group and I think we deserve a little respect. I think that Spain knows that and that they have to be a little afraid of us. And why can’t we pull off a surprise again?
It is something unique, playing for your country. And especially now that we are making history. It’s incredible to see how people are living it with us, and that energy transmits a lot to us and gives us strength to continue and look to do great things.
Morocco met Spain in their final group game in Russia, where a 91st minute equaliser by Iago Aspas denied Morocco a win, levelling the match at 2-2.
France’s Antoine Griezmann has yet to score as he toils away at this World Cup, but Julien Pretot writes for Reuters in Doha that the attacking midfielder could not care less, as he is enjoying his comeback at the highest level with the defending champions.
While Kylian Mbappé has scored five goals in Qatar to take his overall World Cup tally to nine and Olivier Giroud has surpassed Thierry Henry to become France’s all-time top scorer with 52 goals, Griezmann has been working away tirelessly in the engine room behind them without reward.
“I had chances to score against Dennmark but I missed them. Maybe I’m not as close to the box as I used to be. I’m playing good games,” Griezmann, who has played a record 71 consecutive games with Les Bleus, told reporters.
“I’m still missing a goal but I don’t shoot 50 times a game and I’m not obsessing about it. The team need me in midfield to make the link between the defence and the attack. I’m very proud and happy.”
“I owe Didier Deschamps everything, so when I play, I play for France, my teammates, but also for the coach,” said Griezmann.
“Being well physically helps me a lot. There are no problems in my private life,” said Griezmann. “In my head I had tough moments at Barca and last year when I came back to Atletico. It was complicated, I had to make myself very small, I had to find myself, on and off the pitch.”
If you enjoy seeing people’s faces while they talk on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, then have I got the video clip for you. Here are Max Rushden, Philippe Auclair, Barry Glendenning and Mark Langdon talking about England last night, saying that Jude Bellingham had evoked memories of Gazza.
Southgate on France game: 'the biggest test that we can face'
England coach Gareth Southgate has said he is looking forward to England’s test against the “very best” after beating Senegal. PA Media reports him saying:
It’s the biggest test that we can face. They’re world champions, incredible depth of talent, outstanding individual players, very difficult to play against and to score goals against. It’s a fantastic challenge, brilliant game for us to prepare for.
The two quarter-finals that are already in place are fantastic, historic football rivalries and great games from the past. A brilliant game for us to be involved with and test ourselves against the very best.
Southgate went on to say:
Of course Mbappé is a world-class player and has already delivered big moments in this tournament and in previous tournaments. But there’s also, I think Antoine Griezmann is now over 70 consecutive games for France and I think he’s also a phenomenal player. We know Olivier Giroud so well and they have outstanding young midfield players as well.
So, everywhere you look when we’re studying France at every age group, they have incredible depth of talent in every position. It’s a huge test but one that we’re really looking forward to and it’s a great challenge for our team now.
My colleague Kevin Rawlinson has a piece featuring the views of Mike Dodds, who coached Jude Bellingham as a youth:
There was already excitement around Bellingham when he left Birmingham as a teenager to further his career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund – a club with a demonstrable record of giving playing time at the top level to young talent. “I think that [move] probably sums up his mindset because, when he made the decision to leave Birmingham at 16 or 17, his decision was a footballing decision,” said Dodds.
He stressed the maturity needed of a teenager to make such a decision as the world dealt with the kind of uncertainty at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
“He could have probably made easier decisions in terms of his lifestyle, his family. But he wanted to make a footballing decision – what was best for his career – that he thought was the next step for him.
Dodds described Bellingham as an “authentic” character, adding that the two keep in touch regularly. “I think the nice thing is we don’t really talk about football. Now we talk about normal life stuff. And I think that’s one thing I’m really proud of … Seeing him doing what he’s doing in the World Cup, I think I’m probably more proud of the fact that we have a relationship that transcends the football pitch.”
Read more here: Kevin Rawlinson – Jude Bellingham’s will to win set him apart, says youth coach
World Cup diplomacy latest: AP reports that the leader of the United Arab Emirates made a surprise visit today to Qatar – his first since leading a yearslong four-nation boycott of Doha over a political dispute that poisoned regional relations.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also serves as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, made the trip at the invitation of Qatar’s ruling emir, sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
Here are some vox pops from fans after the England v Senegal game yesterday, many of which seem a little bit nervous at the prospect of facing France next.
Aaron Timms has written for the Guardian on how Fox Sports’ US World Cup coverage is an unmissable abomination, with the broadcaster offering up “a feast of gaffes, stupidity, and unconquerable on-air awkwardness” which, frankly, sounds unmissable:
Insults to our collective intelligence have come from all angles: the constant, tedious analogies to American sports (stepovers and feints described as “dekes” and “hesis”, corners constantly compared to “pick and rolls”); the neverending quest to “contextualize” the world game by comparing whole countries to American states (“Qatar is the size of Connecticut,” we were told repeatedly on the opening day); the network’s embrace and promotion of the interminable “it’s called soccer” cause (who cares?); the strange extended segment in the run-up to USA v England about how much Harry Kane likes American football (ditto); the employment of Piers Morgan as a special guest pundit (no thanks).
On the field things may be developing nicely, but off it US football – or the version of it that Fox Sports serves up to us every four years – seems destined to remain stuck in a permanent 1994, forever on the brink of becoming America’s next big thing, forever hostage to a cabal of C-suite cable bros intent on translating this exotic, bewildering sport into the language of touchdowns, home runs, and alley oops for what they see as the country’s blinking, insular Yankee Doodle millions. This bizarre cultural parochialism does a disservice to both America’s players, now a sizeable constituency in European club football, and the legions of fans on these shores whose understanding of the sport is every bit as sophisticated as anything you’ll find on the terraces of Camp Nou, Anfield, or La Bombonera.
Read more here: Aaron Timms – Fox Sports’ US World Cup coverage is an unmissable abomination
Declan Rice: other countries should fear 'great team' England
England’s midfielder Declan Rice has been speaking to the media, and said that France should fear England ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final. He told reporters:
I’ve said it all along. I don’t think we get the credit we deserve in our performances. I think if you look at other teams, like the Netherlands and Argentina, they win their games comfortably and they get called masterclasses. With us, it always gets picked off. The negative things always come that way.
If you look at the last couple of games, it’s been faultless. I think countries, like I said the other day, should be starting to fear us now because we’re a great team.
Rice was also bullish about England’s record in front of goal … and defending theirs, telling the media:
We’re silencing the critics. Going into the tournament, there was a lot of talk that we don’t score enough goals. That’s another one we’ve kept people quiet on. There was a lot of scrutiny around the defence and conceding goals, but it’s been solid. We’re going to keep building and pushing.
Asked if this England squad was better than the one that reached the final of Euro 2020 last year, Rice said:
Yeah. We’ve been pushing so well as a team. We’re really together now on the pitch and off the pitch. As a team we really complement each other really well. The boys I’m playing with in midfield, we really complement each other. The boys up front, he [Southgate] can bring in an attacker and nothing will change. And the back four has been absolutely solid. We’re building a really nice foundation but it’s down to us now. There’s no point buzzing about [beating Senegal] if we can’t push on and beat France.
He stressed that this England set-up doesn’t seem to fear the big teams in big games any more:
Against the big teams, there has always been a lot of talk on us using the ball. I think in this tournament we’ve pretty much controlled every game. We’ve had a fair share of possession, we’ve moved it really well.
The opening stages have been really shaky because teams are really trying to stop us playing. But once we get that goal, they have to change. It opens up and then you really start to see us play.
Against France, we’ve seen some weaknesses in them that we can try to exploit. It’s set up for a great game.
These are the games we want to play in. They only come round once: England v France, quarter-final, it doesn’t get bigger than that. We’ve got six days to prepare now and I’m sure the world will be watching. We really want to progress.
I’m going to confess that my Japanese isn’t all that, but some things about football transcend language. The Japanese team social media accounts have just put out an epic six minute supercut of Japan’s highs and lows at World Cups, as well as what it has all meant for the development of the sport in Japan. If you want old people playing football, kids playing football on the beach, blind football, disability football, interspersed with clips of the Samauri Blue looking dejected after various round of 16 matches, this is the supercut for you.
Whack the sound up, because it is all soundtracked by Syori No Emi Wo Kimi To from Ukasuka-G which the Guardian has previously described as “bombastic indie from J-pop’s answer to the Killers” which “builds to a climax so relentlessly silly that, by the six minute mark, you are somehow won over.”
4年前に痛感した。
— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 (@jfa_samuraiblue) December 5, 2022
試合終了のホイッスルが鳴る
最後の1秒まで。
スペイン戦で実感した。
ボールがピッチに残る
最後の1mmまで。
走ろう、声を出そう、
ともに戦おう。
そして、
日本サッカーを愛する、すべての人と
勝利の笑みを。#SAMURAIBLUE #サッカー日本代表pic.twitter.com/N1ARWAOnMJ
Jonathan Liew was at the Al Bayt Stadium last night to watch ENgland and Senegal, and today he writes for us that Phil Foden gave a seminal display to show England he really is sensational:
In England’s era of extreme competence there is a danger that nights like these, games like these, performances like these, somehow become normalised. There has been no outburst of national hysteria: no Gazza explosion, no Owen moment, no Rooney-mania. Foden’s image does not hang from one of Doha’s many skyscrapers.
Even in the aftermath of this 3-0 win against Senegal it was Jude Bellingham who seemed to attract the bulk of the tributes, Kane who claimed the player-of-the-match award (although when asked who really deserved it, Foden was the first name Kane mentioned). Here, as for much of his career to date, Foden’s gift was assimilated, priced in, accepted as established fact.
Perhaps, in the long run, this is for the best: a long-overdue recession in the hype economy of English football. In a sense Foden’s curse has been to spend his entire career surrounded by very good footballers in a successful team. There is no real sense of trajectory, no demons to slay, no haters to conquer. Foden was born sensational and everyone knew it. At no point has he really had the capacity to surprise us.
Read more here: Jonathan Liew – Phil Foden gives seminal display to show England he really is sensational
Just a quick note here that Saudi Arabia, who have been touted as potential World Cup co-hosts in 2030, look set to host the 2027 Asian Cup, after India, the other country bidding for the event, has withdrawn.
AP reports that the bids from India and Saudi Arabia had been shortlisted by the AFC’s executive committee in October and the final decision was expected to be made at a regional congress in February. Saudi Arabia is now the only candidate.
The 2023 edition will be played in Qatar after China was replaced as host because of the complications around China’s zero-Covid policy. Qatar are the current champions, having won the event when it was last staged, pre-pandemic, in the UAE in 2019.
Juninho Pernambucano’s point there about Brazil being just expected to go through against what are perceived to be weaker sides did ring a little bit of a bell, having lived in England for quite some time.
Here is how the English newspapers reacted to yesterday’s victory for the Three Lions over the Lions of Teranga, which you suspect has merely postponed the gnashing and wailing of teeth about “Why didn’t Southgate pick Grealish / Foden / Rashford / Saka / Mount / Maddison” [Delete as appropriate depending on who he does pick against France]
Speaking of Brazil, Juninho Pernambucano writes for the Guardian this morning to say that Brazil are the best team in the world but pressure weighs heavily on the players:
For a football team to be successful, just in a developed society, you need its people – ie, players – to work together to achieve something special. In real life you need people to collaborate to evolve. That goes for every country. But in Brazil we have something different that I cannot see in other countries.
There is an enormous amount of passion around football in Brazil and the way everyone in the country analyses the national team is radical, at times simplistic and often overwhelming when it comes to criticising the players and the coach, making it seem as if football is very easy for those who play, especially if they are professional players. In Brazil it seems to be difficult to accept that football, as well as life, evolves.
And so Brazil are under enormous pressure before their last-16 game against South Korea after losing their third group game against Cameroon. They also lost two more players to injury, Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus, but Neymar should be fit again. The fact that they are playing South Korea, who everyone thinks they should beat, only adds to the expectation, the pressure and the sense that Brazil have to go through. It would have been different if they were facing Portugal or Uruguay from that group.
Read more here: Juninho Pernambucano – Brazil are the best team in the world but pressure weighs heavily on the players
Away from the World Cup for a minute, overnight AP have been carrying an update on the condition of Brazilian legend Pelé.
Mauricio Savarese writes that two of his daughters and one of his grandsons has said the three-time World Cup winner has been hospitalised since Tuesday to treat a respiratory infection aggravated by Covid-19. They added that the 82-year-old is under no imminent risk of death.
Kely and Flavia Nascimento and Arthur Arantes do Nascimento said in an interview that aired Sunday night in Brazil that Pelé, who is also undergoing chemotherapy in his fight against cancer, is expected to leave the Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo once he fully recovers from the respiratory infection. Neither the family nor the hospital have any predictions in that regard.
The hospital said Saturday that Pelé is responding well to treatment for the infection and his health condition had not worsened over the previous 24 hours. The hospital did not issue any statements on the former footballer’s health Sunday.
“He is sick, he is old. But at the moment, he is there because of the lung infection. And once he feels better, he will go home again,” Kely Nascimento told TV Globo. She lives in the United States and spoke on video. “He is not saying goodbye in a hospital at the moment,” she added.
You know the drill by now. Overnight Max and the gang have been producing more podcast goodness for your delight. Barry Glendenning, Mark Langdon and Philippe Auclair joined Max Rushden, and it says here “the panel spend most of part one waxing lyrical about Jude Bellingham. And who could blame them?”
Get it in your ears here …
Preamble
We know half of the final eight at this year’s World Cup like no other: Netherlands, Argentina, France and England. That is an incredibly strong looking line-up of past winners and finalists. Today we will be adding two more teams to their number.
First up at 3pm GMT, Croatia will be looking to emulate the run they made to the final in 2018. Two 0-0 draws and a thumping of Canada in the group stages sees them unbeaten so far, but suggests they haven’t quite clicked yet. They face a Japan team who have shocked both Germany and Spain and must be on a high. This is Japan’s fourth appearance in the round of 16. They have never won one. Could today be the day?
Then at 7pm GMT Brazil will start as perpetual heavy favourites against South Korea, despite the South American side’s stumble against Cameroon in their final group game. Brazil had only needed a point to top their World Cup group for the 11th consecutive time, but instead a much-changed lineup fell to a defeat, and only their superior goal difference over Switzerland kept them in top spot. South Korea’s late winner against Portugal came in a game that they, frankly, had never looked like winning. It means they have a chance to emulate the squad of 2002, the only other time South Korea have been further than the round of 16.
Please join me for all the buildup to those games, and no doubt a lot of analysis of yesterday’s performances by England and France – both of whom ended up winning by scores that perhaps flattered how tricky they had initially been finding their respective matches with Senegal and Poland. We should also get press quotes from the remaining four teams in action tomorrow – Morocco, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Do drop me a line at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
