Right, signing off, the real quiz starts here.
An England line via ESPN’s Mark Ogden: “Jude Bellingham avoided a red card for covering his mouth in a conversation with Jordan Ayew during England’s goalless draw with Ghana because it was “not in a confrontational manner.”
Craig Tower gets in touch: “Now that we’re getting into the final matchday of group play, I can tell you I’m quite tired of seeing certain faces in ads nonstop (*cough* Christian Pulisic *cough*). As an American watching on Fox (no comment) I’m quite curious if Brits are seeing as many ads with SIR David Beckham as we are - in the US, he’s in ads for Lay’s, McDonald’s, Home Depot, Stella Artois, Verizon, Bank of America, Adidas, and Pepsi. Last night I saw him several times in back-to-back ads. What a joy! I’m really more interested in what kind of cultural cachet he has in the UK now, regardless of how many ad contracts he has. Is he still all that over there, or is he only all that over here?”
Oh, Becks is on a lot of adverts here, though I think we call Lay’s “Walker’s”. He’s still very famous here, but it’s a legacy thing, even if certain organs are obsessed with his family politics.
Scotland v Brazil World Cup memories
1974 Scotland 0-0 Brazil: The sides’ first competitive meeting came in West Germany. After dominating much of the first half in Frankfurt, the reigning champions were pushed on to the back foot by a strong Scotland team that included Kenny Dalglish and Peter Lorimer. Scotland came agonisingly close to victory: Davie Hay, Lorimer and Joe Jordan went close and Billy Bremner missed from three yards on the rebound. Both sides finished the group stage undefeated, but Scotland were eliminated on goal difference.
1982 Scotland 1-4 Brazil: “A one-sided affair in Spain, despite the Dundee United defender David Narey’s strike giving Scotland the lead in the 19th minute. The Brazil 1982 team, arguably the best side not to win a World Cup, hit back in style in Seville with an equaliser by Zico and three impressive second-half finishes from Oscar, Eder and Falcão. Scotland would face more World Cup heartache, again being eliminated at the group stage on goal difference.”
1990 Scotland 0-1 Brazil: “Scotland matched Brazil up until the last 10 minutes in Turin, when Muller’s strike after a Jim Leighton fumble consigned them to defeat. Scotland needed a point to progress and nearly got it in the closing stages but Cláudio Taffarel produced a point-blank save from Mo Johnston. Scotland’s exit was confirmed the next day, with results elsewhere depriving them of progress as one of the best third-placed teams.”
1998: Scotland 1-2 Brazil: “In the opening match of the 1998 finals, the holders Brazil took an early lead in Paris through a César Sampaio header. They threatened to run away with the game, with a 21-year-old Ronaldo in scintillating form. Scotland hit back before the break with a John Collins penalty but fell behind again late on when Cafu’s shot was saved by Leighton, only for the ball to hit the Celtic captain Tom Boyd and creep over the line. Scotland once again fell at the group stage after a 1-1 draw against Norway and a 3-0 defeat by Morocco. Brazil lost 3-0 to France in the final.”
(Thanks to PA Media.)
Ahead of the third round of group matches kicking off later, here’s the key table, the best third-placed teams.
Third-place table
1 Sweden 3pts (6-6) 0GD (two games played)
2 Scotland 3pts (1-1) 0GD (two games)
3 Croatia 3pts (3-4) -1GD (two games)
4 Algeria 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team conduct -1
5 Paraguay 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team conduct -11
6 Cape Verde 2pts (2-2) 0GD (two games)
7 Belgium 2pts (1-1) 0GD (two games)
8 Czechia 1pt (2-3) -1GD (two games)
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9 DR Congo 1pt (1-2) -1GD (two games)
10 Ecuador 1pt (0-1) -1GD (two games)
11 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1pt (2-5) -3GD (two games)
12 Senegal 0pt (3-6) -3GD (two games)
More here:
Tom Mansell gets in touch: “I’ve been dismayed today by all the hope evaporating out of England’s fans. In my view, last night couldn’t have gone better. England were on a 13-game winning streak and just from a probability perspective, I was not optimistic of England stretching that out to 20 games to win the world cup. But England seized the perfect opportunity to break the streak and reset their form, they didn’t use up any goals and they’re now ready to peak in the knockout rounds.”
Senegal’s first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, once of Chelsea, was injured against Norway and will not play against Iraq in a game in Toronto on Friday where the winner could land one of the prized eight third-placed positions.
Andrew Beasley runs the stats and data on the World Cup’s first two round of group-stage matches.
While it’s reasonable to think the rate might dip as the tournament progresses and the stakes increase, that wasn’t the case in 2022 or in Russia in 2018. The goal rate increased after the conclusion of the group stage, albeit extra-time played a part. If that pattern continues, we could be set to enjoy one of the all-time great international tournaments.
Derek McInnes, the new Rangers manager, spoke at his first press conference today.
“Obviously a very special moment for myself, my family, there’s a lot of people I can think of on a day like this. But obviously, having known the club for a long time, supported the club, I’m well aware of the responsibility that being the manager brings.
“I feel it’s the right time for me and I feel I’m ready for it. I feel as if I belong here and I’m ready to get going. We just want to deliver a team that meets the demand here. I feel as though the Rangers fans, with one title in 15 years, they’ve suffered for a long time and it’s up to us to play a key role in driving the standards and get a winning Rangers team on the pitch more often than not.
“I’ve got an idea of what my Rangers team needs to look like and hopefully it’s something similar to what the Rangers fans want as well. They need something to believe in, they need something real.”
David Wall gets in touch: “On the subject of the various pundits across the BBC and ITV (15:41), I’ve also been impressed by Thomas Frank.
“The discussion at half time between him, Ellen White, and Micah Richards was both entertaining and enlightening (and whatever the worth of pundits on ITV they get so little time to go into depth between the adverts and competition promotions, they feel wasted). The fact that the players at Spurs didn’t want to listen to him reflects worse on them than him.”
Yes, both Frank and Big Ange have been good, and Ellen White was very good last night when I was watching the Croatia v Panama game in the dead of night.
One of the stars of 2002 is back in the game. Cristiano Ronaldo likes this.
Here’s today’s Football Daily, as penned by, well, me. It’s a celebration of Englishness.
Stadium red-tape latest via Reuters:
Fans entering World Cup matches have been shocked to find they can’t take their big purses or backpacks in with them due to a clear-bag policy in place for security reasons.
Many find themselves scrambling to get their belongings out of their own bag and transferred into clear plastic bags — and for that, most stadiums are surrounded by clear-bag hawkers selling their product usually for around $20.
Manager news, again via PA Media: “Wales seem set to lose manager Craig Bellamy with talks to take charge at Championship club Burnley.
“Bellamy – who is halfway through a four-year contract – was initially prepared to commit himself to Wales and their Euro 2028 campaign amid speculation linking him to Celtic and Burnley. But Burnley have pushed hard for their former coach to succeed Scott Parker following their relegation from the Premier League, and the Press Association now understands Bellamy is in contract talks with the Clarets.”
Transfer news, via PA Media: “Tottenham have made Martin Dubravka their fourth signing of the summer in a move which will pave the way for Antonin Kinsky to become first-choice goalkeeper.
“Experienced former Newcastle and Manchester United stopper Dubravka has agreed to join Spurs on a free transfer after he left Burnley at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. The decision to turn to Dubravka instead of target a high-profile keeper is the latest show of faith in Kinsky.”
Adrian Chiles has divided loyalties at this World Cup.
Having enjoyed the uncomplicated letdown of our (as in England’s) match against Ghana, it was time to watch us (as in Croatia) kick off at midnight against lowly Panama. A win was essential. I was so overwhelmed by the purity of this need that I’m afraid I fell asleep. I woke up with five harrowing minutes left to play as we (Croatia) clung on for a 1-0 win.
Nick Ames spoke to the Arsenal player who is just as important to his national team.
Havertz is speaking at Germany’s World Cup base in Winston, North Carolina, where a sense of momentum is building. For one thing, Germany have a monkey off their back. Group stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022 added to this year’s mental burden, but they have already been confirmed winners of Group E.
In the second of those exits, Havertz scored twice against Costa Rica but they still tumbled out. “Qatar was anything but successful for us as a team and for me personally,” he says. “There’s a different energy in our squad now. I was quickly convinced that things would go better this year. We knew we had a duty not to fail early on again. We are Germany. But now the tournament is really just beginning.”
Good afternoon, is tonight when the phoney war closes. There will Caledonian hearts a fluttering.
Righto, that’s it from me for now; here’s John Brewin to take you closer to football.
For context, Lord’s – where I’m headed in a few minutes – has relaxed its pavilion dress code. Summer shirts, shorts and trainers are all allowed; whatever next? I don’t know: the UK used to be a country…
Question: are schools being closed because of global warming, or because previous generations of kids were sent in when really, they ought to have been kept home?
There are still people who think that politics can and should be kept out of an event featuring nation-states competing against one another, whole flags are displayed and anthems sung. Er, OK.
More generally, and perhaps for the first time since ITV’s famous 1970 panel, their coverage has been the better – principally thanks to the wonderful Emmas Hayes. Her refusal to dumb-down, delivering bitesized analysis with seriousness and detail, has been the revelation we’ve known we’ve needed for about two decades, and though Wayne Rooney has been excellent on BBC, he’s learning that game – Hayes is already an all time great.
BBC will be relatively happy with their England v Ghana viewing figures – though, as the Guardian’s Matt Hughes points out, the key number is the same as watched the Croatia game on the ITV channel.
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There was a peak of 15.4 million for England’s second group stage match against Ghana on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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There was a record 8.3 million digital requests for the match on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app - the highest of any major football tournament on the BBC.
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Fans continued to choose the BBC’s UHD format with a record breaking 1.3 million concurrent streams.
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BBC Sport’s live page on the website and app had over 10 million page views with audiences following the late-night match.
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BBC Sport’s new 3D Experience continues to provide audiences with an alternative way to watch the World Cup with the feature used 300k times during England v Ghana alone and 2.2 million times during the tournament so far.
“If Ben N thinks England are a mediocre side,” retorts Peter Mumola, I suspect he hasn’t watched much of Mexico. Of course, they’re one of the hosts, but I think their ceiling is well below England’s.”
I agree with that. Mexico could absolutely beat them, but they’d need to no-show. Should they meet, most likely, some combination of Harry Kane and England’s athletic power proves to be too much.
Norway are another team I’m absolutely rattling to see in the knockouts. But before that, I’m excited to see how they go against France – though I think there’s a strong chance both managers rotate. Either way, though, with Sander Berge and Martin Ødegaard in their midfield, with Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland up front, they’re a threat to pretty much anyone.
Norway's 'Viking row' celebration irks neighbours
Norway’s success at the World Cup has triggered euphoria at home, but the team’s trademark “Viking row” celebration is beginning to test the patience of their Scandinavian neighbours, drawing shrugs from Sweden and envy from Denmark.
The “Viking row” celebration has become a phenomenon at the World Cup, with captain Martin Odegaard even leading the players, coaching staff and supporters in a synchronised performance after the final whistle in their 3-2 win over Senegal, with Norwegian fans later trying to get the King of Norway to join in during the subsequent celebrations.
For the Swedes, however, their neighbours’ celebration is more of a nuisance than a novelty, with some finding the rowing simulation too reminiscent of the “thunderclap” made famous by Iceland fans in previous tournaments.
“I am never going to do it. We just sigh. Perhaps mostly at the TV crew who choose to zoom in on it every single time,” Sweden defender Gustaf Lagerbielke told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. “It is very similar to the Icelandic volcano, after all. But, whatever floats your boat.“ Other members of the Swedish squad were similarly underwhelmed.
“It is probably starting to get a bit overused. It feels like they run it every time they get the chance. But it does work well for them, after all,” teammate Elliot Stroud added. Yet while the Swedes can remain focused on their own camp, the Danes, absent from the tournament after a qualification play-off defeat to the Czech Republic, are finding the Norwegian euphoria much harder to stomach.
“It is bordering on Nordic adult bullying. The Norwegians are currently experiencing the party of their lives. And what is more, in the company of a national team that can actually play football,” Danish journalist Johnny Wojciech Kokborg wrote in the tabloid B.T.
“The fact is — unfortunately — that the Norwegians could end up hurting a lot of teams. But most of all, it hurts us Danes to admit that we are no longer the best in the Nordic region.”
He added: “It is simply unbearable. You are mocking us, Norway.”
Updated
It’s going down in Miami tonight. Imagine if Scotland get a result!
I feel similarly about Senegal, so impressive against France. If Ismaïla Sarr scores that chance just before half-time, when in front of a gaping net, who knows; now, even a win over Iraq might not be enough. And what a travesty that’d be – they’re a top-16 team, not one of the 16 worst.
I mentioned Côte d’Ivoire a few minutes ago – they’re another team I’m really looking forward to seeing assuming they do enough against Curaçao to make the knockouts. Simon Adingra opting not to shoot first time and give them the win over Germany might come back to haunt them, but I really enjoy the bravery and aggression in their play.
“I suspect this is quite a mediocre England side, with, furthermore, a positively not very good defence, writes Ben N. “If they win the group they will probably struggle to make it past Mexico in the last 16. Would say on Ghana, while they are getting bigged up to some extent (as reflected in the player ratings), and, yes, they should have had a penalty, they otherwise, to state the obvious, didn’t do much, except try to stop England playing. They achieved that, but it is dull as all heck. As such, I’m not bothered they were denied the penalty. Carlos Quieroz is like the Darth Maul of football management, an out of time, second-rate, bad guy. I feel that’s over generous, because Darth Maul was actually quite good, but I cannot remember any other Darths, beyond the obvious (Darth Vader = Jose Mourinho?). Anyway, you get the idea.”
I think that’s harsh on Quieroz, who is elite at setting up a defence, but less so at the rest of the stuff. As for England, I think they’re a lot better than mediocre, but I don’t like the midfield balance, nor the attacking options for when things don’t go to plan – a problem entirely self-inflicted. The players were there, they were just left at home.
Nevertheless, they are potential winners, but an outside shot – I don’t think their defence could cope with France’s attack, though I’d give it a better chance if Harry Maguire and Lewis Hall were in it.
Of course, what USA don’t have that Spurs had is the goals of Harry Kane. But over the course of a tournament, relative to a season, it’s possible to spread them around or win narrowly, just as it is for one player to hit a seam unsustainable over the stretch but enough to influence a cup competition.
lSo how do we think USA will fare in this competition? I really like their chances of going deep, if you don’t mind my slipping into local sportese: they’re settled, confident and physical while, for the first time since he was at Spurs, Mauricio Pochettino has a squad with the capacity and desire to do what is required to make his football effective. No one will relish facing them, and that’s even before we consider home advantage.
Like Mr Pleat and I imagine, pretty much everyone else, I’m taken with Ayyoub Bouaddi. I do, though want to see more incisive forward passing from him – to be the complete midfielder, it’s essential, the absence of it a major reason England didn’t create much against Ghana. Morocco aren’t anyone’s idea of prolific scorers, which may be by design but, as they move through the tournament, they’ll need to find a way of altering that – they can’t rely on penalties, which got them past Spain and Portugal in 2022.
I’ve a name i’d like to add to that list. This boy is a player.
Hello, hello. It’s good to be back, good to be back.
Looking at this week’s The Knowledge, below, I’m reminded of, topically enough, being in the away end when Ghana visited Wembley in 2011. Daniel Welbeck made his England debut that night and, as a British-Ghanaian, was given all sorts of aggravation from the visiting support.
However, Welbz was already doing his best for the motherland – when he broke into the Manchester United team, he was still living with his parents, so would bring Ghanaian rice, stew and meat into training for Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley. I’m absolutely certain that changed their lives – it certainly did mine when I started seeing my wife, also British-Ghanaian.
Thanks Tom and high again everyone. We’re six hours away from football…
Right, that’s my stint in the chair done. Time to hand back over to Daniel Harris to lighten your long hot afternoon/morning/evening.
Seattle sticking with World Cup 'Pride Match'
Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalised, can be an opportunity to change minds. Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, before December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organisers designated the 26 June match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.“ Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body Fifa to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with Fifa.
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned. “The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organising committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration ... has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years. It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.” Reuters
Seems a strange day for Derek MacInnes to be conducting his first press conference as Rangers manager, with Scottish focus on Miami later in the day, but then the Old Firm have always lived in their own bubble (and a large chunk of the Tartan Army have no time for either of them, to put it mildly).
More Brazil now, and Carlo Ancelotti says Scotland need to be respected, as PA Media reports. “It will be a difficult game. Scotland has quality, they are fighters, they are well organised,” said the Brazil manager. They have good players, [Scott] McTominay, [John] McGinn that are experienced players. Easy games at the World Cup were finished a long time ago. We are ready to play a difficult game.
As, inevitably, for Neymar, Ancelotti said: “He is available, he trained very well this week, he is fit and able and ready to play. We are very happy that he is back, he is a high-quality player.”
“He can play half the time or the whole 90 minutes. He is very well, he worked very, hard so he is ready.
“His attitude is very good, he is in very good spirits, he’s a good player and team-mate, he’s very serious and we want to put him back to play as soon as possible. He brings experience and knowledge, he is doing very well.”
One player who will miss out is Raphinha, who sustained a hamstring injury in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti.
One of the tastiest fixtures of the final round of first-phase fixtures is Group J’s Algeria-Austria face-off on Sunday in Kansas City, the first meeting of the countries since the notorious “anschluss” match between West Germany and Austria, when the teams played out at walking pace the 1-0 win for the former that would take both through, at Algeria’s expense. Forty-four years on, both sides could similarly play out a draw to progress. As Finchleyjohn points out BTL:
The Group stages conclude with Group J … By then, the 3rd place qualification requirements will be crystal clear, so a “Disgrace of Kansas City” between Algeria and Austria is a looming probability. An uneventful draw would see both through, likely at the expense of a team with 3 points and a negative goal difference. Are the Scottish media, players, management and fans prepared for potentially being sent home in this manner?
I actually reckon it’s worth lumping on a swashbuckling attackfest – 4-2 Austria (Algeria’s defence has looked wobbly so far). Don’t thank me.
As healthy multiple national identities become more acknowledged. this week’s Knowledge looks at international players not celebrating goals against countries with whom they have a connection, in the light of Sweden’s Yasin Ayari not celebrating scoring against Tunisia.
“It might just be the massive pedant in me,” admits Steve on email, “but was anyone else irrationally enraged by the commentator chortling over Queiroz’s ‘spin’ last night with his ‘we don’t lose, we win or learn’ as if Queiroz had made some silly phrase up?
“For a start it’s something Mourinho said in a football context a few years ago so it’s hardly new, and he himself stole it from Nelson Mandela. I’d put money on how if Kane had quoted Mourinho quoting Mandela it’d be seen as Churchill-esque iron spirit too, not ‘spin’.”
We’re a year out from the next Fifa World Cup, the 2027 edition of the Women’s World Cup in Brazil, and enthusiasm is mounting, as Júlia Belas Trindade documents in this week’s Moving the Goalposts newsletter:
“Brazilian women’s football has a history marked by great struggle and resilience, … It was built by women who dared to play football during periods when it was banned, and also in the years that followed, when they still faced many barriers. Listening to, valuing and honouring these stories is essential if we are to make historical amends.”
Attendances on track for record highs
The US knows how to fill its stadiums, and official crowds are heading towards record levels, reports Reuters:
World Cup attendances are on track for record highs despite daunting ticket prices and Trump administration travel restrictions. Experts say it is less a reflection of America’s fondness for soccer, and more a measure of its love of spectacle.
Through 44 matches, total attendance topped 2.85 million, with the average stadium about 99.6% full, according to a Reuters analysis based on Fifa data.
“Americans like big events,” said Dan Rascher, a sports economics expert at the University of San Francisco. “They want to be there for the big moments.“
While this year’s World Cup is bigger than its predecessors – totalling 104 matches, up from 64 – attendance is on pace to break the all-time record well before this year’s 64th game. The existing mark of nearly 3.6 million spectators was set in 1994, the last time the U.S. hosted.
“Part of it is that we have these gigantic stadiums,” said Victor Matheson, an economist and sports business expert at the College of the Holy Cross.
But stadiums in 2026 are also fuller, on a percentage basis, than nearly any World Cup this century, with the possible exception of Germany’s in 2006, according to FIFA annual reports and a Reuters attendance analysis.
There are some stunning images in this here gallery on the different ways fans around the world are watching the World Cup. Am a particular fan of the big screen in a Stuttgart church. Fill yer boots …
A delve below the line now, and English failings, on the pitch and in the stands, are still exercising many of you. Here’s ChrisBedford:
At one point the BBC highlighted that Guehi and Konsa had both made more passes than the entire Ghana team.
They didn’t point out that most of these were sideways from one to the other and back, over and over again.
While Chris282 has a valid cringe about one song sung by England’s fans:
I especially enjoyed the England fans singing “Rule Britania... Britons never, never, never will be slaves” to two teams, one composed of Ghanaians and the other largely composed of players with some Afro-Caribbean heritage. Those back in the studio didn’t try and unpick that one but I’d have been grateful if they’d had a go at explaining the thought processes there.
Some transfer news now: the Yorkshire Evening Post is reporting that Leeds have sealed an agreement to sign Harry Wilson from Fulham. The Wales midfielder becomes a free agent on 1 July and has interest from Aston Villa and Everton but it now looks as if Daniel Farke has sealed a handy deal to bring Wilson to Elland Road.
My pleas for pessimism are granted: here’s Tom Sanderson on the mood in Brazil:
Expectations back home are low. Brazil could face Japan or the Netherlands in the next round, then possibly Germany or France in the last-16 depending on results. A quarter-final showdown with England can’t be ruled out either.
On the subject of Brazil v Scotland, here’s Stephen Pye on one of the Scots’ most famous World Cup goals: the best Scotland team to go to a World Cup, for my money.
World Cup gripe: I’ve just been watching Sky Sports do vox pops with Brazil and Scotland fans in Miami and Glasgow and every single one of them predicted a favourable result for their team? Do they sound like the sort of people you go to matches with week-in, week-out? Where’s the gloom and pessimism and “I’ve got a bad feeling about today” that you’d get in every pub or cafe before any football match in the real world?
Lazio to pay compensation after landmark Cas pregnancy ruling
Away from the men’s World Cup, an important legal ruling in the women’s game, as Tom Garry reports
Lazio Women unlawfully ended the Swedish footballer Maja Göthberg’s time at the club because of her pregnancy, the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) has ruled, ordering the Italian club to pay compensation.
The landmark case revolved around Fifa’s maternity regulations, which were enhanced in 2024. This was the first case in which Cas found a club unlawfully ended an employment relationship because of a player’s pregnancy and, significantly, the court found in the players’ favour even though she had not signed her proposed new contract at the time.
Göthberg had helped Lazio win promotion to Italy’s top tier in the 2023-24 campaign, before entering contract negotiations. No deal was signed but both parties had agreed on the key terms of the 28-year-old’s contract. Before signing, Göthberg discovered she was pregnant. Despite not being obliged to inform Lazio of her pregnancy at that stage, the former Sweden youth international chose to tell the club. Cas heard that Lazio then withdrew from the contract agreement. Cas also heard that Göthberg’s teammates had been informed of her pregnancy without her consent.
Updated
On this day in World Cup history: who can forget this one, from 2014?
Thanks Daniel. Not sure “chill” is the easiest thing to do right now amid this oppressive London swelter (the only way in which I felt jealous of anyone in Boston Stadium yesterday was of the murky drizzle they were all blessed with).
Nevertheless, we persist, and look ahead to what is surely the busiest day of any World Cup ever: has there ever been six games in a single tournament day before? Am looking forward to Switzerland v Canada first off – I’ve enjoyed the attacking cut of each’s jib so far, particularly that of the co-hosts.
Righto, that’s me done for now. I’ll be back this afternoon but, in the meantime, here’s Tom Davies to chill with you for the next bit.
Of course, this won’t be the first time we’ve seen Scotland take on Brazil, needing a result to progress.
The Tartan Army in Miami is one of those pairings no one would ever have thought to make, but now we have it, we can see it’s immense.
I’m not certain where Neymar fits into Ancelotti’s XI, and Clarke is right to be respectful of a player who, bafflingly, doesn’t seem to get the vast quantities of respect he deserves. But behind closed doors, he’s not one I’d especially fear.
At the start of the competition, it didn’t look like a 1-0 win and two one-goal defeats would be enough for Scotland, but now, that seems likely to qualify them. However, Brazil looked much better in their second game than their first – admittedly against far worse opposition, but it did also look like Carlo Ancelotti is clover to finding his best team. Against Morocco, I was shocked to see Igor Thiago selected ahead of Matheus Cunha; I think we can safely say that will not happen again.
Which I guess brings us to our next round of action. Before we properly dig in, let’s acquaint ourselves with the panoply of permutations.
Colombia played pretty well, I thought, and would’ve won by more were it not for Lionel Mpasi in the DRC net. I was disappointed by the winner because on first look, I thought Daniel Muñoz had done him with the eyes, but it turned out to be a deflection.
Panama have come on loads since England clattered them in 2018 – Ghana also got away with it against them. Luka Modric, though, what a player.
Qatar’s manager, Julen Lopetegui, has revealed Assim Madibo spent the eve of their final Group A match visiting Ismael Kone after the Canada midfielder underwent successful surgery for a broken leg.
Madibo was sent off after inadvertently injuring Kone in last week’s 6-0 defeat to Canada. At the time Madibo was visibly distraught and he has since visited Kone in Vancouver, Canada’s base for the tournament. Kone, who plays in Serie A for Sassuolo, is expected to miss at least five months of action.
“It has been very tough for him,” Lopetegui said of Madibo on Tuesday afternoon. “We wish him [Kone] all the best to recover as soon as possible.
“Now in the current moment Madibo is in Vancouver visiting Kone because he was very, very affected by this injury – it was never his intention. It was a very clear accident. We wish him all the best.”
Madibo is suspended for Qatar’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on Wednesday. Homam Ahmed is also suspended after being sent off in the same game last Thursday.
Iran prepared for their final Group G match by highlighting the US’s deadly attack on a school that killed at least 168 people, predominantly schoolchildren.
Iran’s players trained at their base in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday evening with black corner flags adorned with the message: “#168” .
The number refers to the victims who were killed in a strike on an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, on 28 February, the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran. The attack was attributed to the US military, with Donald Trump last week saying: “Nobody did that on purpose. Mistakes are made. The war is nasty.”
When Iran first landed at their base in Mexico earlier this month, after a training camp in Turkey, they arrived wearing pin badges on their lapels that read: “#168”.
Iran will arrive in Seattle from Tijuana at 11.30am local time on Wednesday before facing Egypt on Friday after being granted special permission to arrive in the US two days before the game.
The match is the World Cup’s designated Pride Match, despite both teams complaining to Fifa about the celebrations which will coincide with Seattle’s Pride weekend.
After Sunday’s draw with Belgium, Iran left a handwritten note in the dressing room at Los Angeles Stadium in which they called for peace.
The message, which also featured #168, read: ““From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilised Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honour, and leave with dignity
“Thank you Los Angeles for your hospitality. And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes. May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
Fifa’s view of Iran training with #168 flags remains to be seen. Their regulations state that “equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” or players and/or the team may be sanctioned by the competition organiser.
Iran were only permitted to arrive in LA before draws against New Zealand and Belgium 24 hours before the games, leading their head coach, Amir Ghalenoei to label Iran the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.
Also at training on Tuesday, the former Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakshsh was given a commemorative Iran shirt after reaching 100 caps for his country against Belgium.
Fifa has been contacted for comment.
I don’t want to get all conspiracist, but you don’t have be John Le Carré to wonder if TV companies benefitting from ad revenue has an upside for Fifa even though they’re not cut in on each specific deal.
Infantino defends hydration breaks
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the introduction of hydration breaks at the World Cup, insisting that for football’s governing body they are driven purely by sporting considerations and not commercial interests.
Mandatory three-minute breaks, introduced in the 22nd and 67th minutes of every match at the tournament, have drawn criticism from players, coaches and fans since the opening round of fixtures. The breaks, introduced to help players cope with high temperatures across North America, have opened up additional advertising windows for broadcasters.
This has fuelled debate over their impact on the game, with some viewers complaining about being exposed to commercials during the three-minute stoppages.
“There is no additional revenue for Fifa, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance. So, this is not a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter,” Infantino said in a statement on Wednesday.
The breaks allow coaching staff to give in-game tactical instructions, a shift critics say disrupts match momentum and fundamentally alters the nature of the game.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said the additional break “interrupts and changes the identity of the football match“, while Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said dividing matches into shorter segments takes away the fundamental characteristic of the game.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk have supported the intent behind the rule in extreme heat, but questioned the need for it in cooler conditions and at covered venues.
“The main reason is the heat, but we also have to understand that in a competition like the (FIFA) World Cup, played over 39 days, with teams potentially playing eight matches in those 39 days, having a moment to rest is extremely important,” Infantino said.
“What matters even more to us is ensuring that all teams, in every match, are playing under the same conditions.
“It’s very difficult to accept that a coach might have the opportunity to influence a match by making adjustments simply because it’s hotter, while in another match, where the temperature is slightly lower, the same coach doesn’t have the same opportunity.”
Infantino added that the breaks had not reduced the intensity of matches, suggesting players were able to maintain a high level of performance throughout games.
“Is it possible we all got over excited by England beating an old and possibly quite poor Croatia team (who laboured to a 1-0 win over Panama)?” wonders Samuel Dodson. “Tuchel’s record against any reasonable side seems to be losses against Japan and Senegal and a draw against another ailing once-decent side in Uruguay. Friendlies don’t really matter, of course; and that second half surge for 15 minutes really was very fun. And not very much like how we expect England to play. This stodgy draw against Ghana however is exactly how I expect England to play. Remember 0-0 against Algeria? The USA? The good news of course is that the performance and result means we can go back to what we do best – endless debate and faux controversy and anger over team selections. Had we beaten Ghana comfortably here in not sure we or the media would have quite known how to react or what to talk about.”
Croatia definitely played into England’s hands, but the way they took control of the game was impressive. Watching it, my sense was that at some point, the defence would let them down, and Japan are a particularly difficult opponent for how they’re trying to play – so too Spain – but on a good day they can beat anyone and even on a bad day, they’ve the attacking talent to save themselves. Do I think they’re likely champions? No, but I don’t think it’s impossible.
Aha, the latest World Cup Daily is here for your ears.
Remember 2018, when Emmanuel Macron got drenched as Vladimir Putin relaxed under an umbrella held for him? How will Trump assert himself to this level?
I was really disappointed with Reece James. He’s a superb player capable of so much better going forward and England really needed that from him – overlaps, underlaps and crosses. But he delivered almost nothing.
Email! “‘I don’t care about Messi’ was such an insulting and insensitive remark from such a talented player,” says Krishnamoorthy V of Ronaldo. “This is what ego does to your personality. Ghana sending CR7 and co home will be so satisfying.”
I think that imperviousness has made Ronaldo what he is. Of course, he’s not really impervious at all, but thinks he is, and that’s all that matters.
Jacob makes a fair point here, that Palmer and Foden didn’t do enough to force their way into the squad. But both are special talents who’ve shown quality miles beyond that which we’ve seen from Madueke and Gordon, who are not, and neither of whom were all that good last season either.
Again, though, I come back to the big-space/small-space thing, and the lack of balance in the squad. And, judging by the substitutions, it’s not something management see as an issue – the changes were like for like, rather than seeking to alter or vary the method of attack.
The good news for England is that, as they progress, teams will, most likely, look to attack them, leaving space for their speed and physicality to exploit. But the squad lack guile and magic, completely unnecessarily, and it’s not clear Tuchel really groks that.
Anderson, Rice and Bellingham are all fantastic players, but none have the deftness around the box to play quick combinations, or the eye to thread through little passes. It was obvious at half-time that, given what was available, the wise move was to hook one of the first two for Kobbie Mainoo, who is brilliant at finding space in traffic.
Or, in other words, a balanced midfield is not three power-players; at least one touch-player is required, and Mainoo is the only one England have. Perhaps you might say Eberechi Eze is that too, and he came on far too late to influence the game or for it to look like the coaching staff are on top of the problem.
I agree with Barney here: this was a small-space game, in which England used big-space players.
Partly this is because of the squad Thomas Tuchel picked. If I was facing England and you offered me Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, I know which of those three I’d back myself against. Madueke is a decent player, but no more than that; he isn’t special, and the other two are.
Palmer, in particular, has the ability to change the pace of a game and do surprising things others can’t, exactly what you need against an organised low block. But that wast the only glaring issue: Lewis Hall would’ve given England natural width on the left and also excellent passing out of defence, but he’s not even in the squad; and, though Trent Alexander-Arnold is no one’s idea of a proper defender, if you’re using him it’s because you need a goal, and leaving his delivery and craft at home makes absolutely no sense.
I wonder if these errors reflect a manager unfamiliar with tournament football; Tuchel has decided to play a particular way, and picked a collection of profiles he thinks can do that. But that’s left him without the means to change things properly; if things go wrong, he can swap players, but what if, as yesterday, the issue is the system and its principles?
And was Jordan Pickford fortunate not to get a red card when he hared out of box to collide with Abdul Fatawu?
I feel not. Had Fatawu got a touch on the ball, Pickford was toast, but because neither player did, I don’t think we can say there was a foul. Both went for it, both missed, so it makes most sense is to call it a collision.
How do we feel about the penalty that wasn’t?
I don’t really see how you can’t give it. Fatawu was in and Konsa launches into him, getting nowhere near the ball with no chance of getting at the ball – which makes it a red card too.
You can relieve the game with the great Rob Smyth’s MBM.
As far as goalless draws go, I thought it an engaging one. But plenty of things for Thomas Tuchel to ponder, which we’ll dig into into which we’ll dig presently.
Summary
Here’s David Hytner’s match report.
And so to England. There are some absolutely gorgeous shots here.
Updated
Headloss dept:
I’m definitely not above hunting for this footage.
This “I’m back” situation, though; it’ll take more than bagging a brace against Uzbekistan for that to be so.
Roberto Martínez has options, too. He could play a wide player up front – Pedro Neto has done it for Chelsea – or Goncalo Ramos, who’s a striker.
But it’s not just Ronaldo preventing this team from working as it should – Bernardo Silva was left out and, if they’re to fulfil their potential – they’ve got the players to win the thing – he must surely play a key role. I’d get him into a midfield three with Vitinha and João Neves, then have Bruno Fernandes and Neto with free roles behind – if we must – Ronaldo.
I think we’re meant to receive this as a point proved.
Surely no one rhose surname isn’t Dos Santos Aveiro really thinks that, though? Ronaldo can still finish – he’ll never lose that – but it’s very hard to even come up with rationale, never mind believe rationale, that says the best version of this Portugal team contains him.
Updated
Preamble
We go again! We’ll begin by reflecting on the latest action – Portugal getting their competition going by thrashing Uzbekistan, England and Ghana near-enough securing passage to the knockouts, Croatia just about seeing off Panama, now eliminated, and Colombia forcing their way past DR Congo.
Then, when we’ve done that, we’ll build up to today’s action, featuring the final round of matches in Group B – Switzerland v Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina v Qatar; Group C – Morocco v Haiti and Scotland v Brazil… and Group A – South Africa v South Korea and Czechia v México.
I reckon some people might have some thoughts about all of that lot, so we’ll share those of our writers, but do send in yours too.
Let’s do it.
