Ready your tiny violins: that’s all from me on this blog. The good news is that our MBM for Côte d’Ivoire v Norway is live, live, live! Join the esteemed Scott Murray here for build-up to what should be a ripsnorter of a knockout tie.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the actual football! Cheers.
Germany's Manuel Neuer retires from international football (again)
Manuel Neuer has retired from international football for the second time after Germany’s World Cup exit.
The 40-year-old Neuer, who was coaxed out of retirement just before the tournament, said in TV interviews that Monday’s surprise penalty-shootout defeat to Paraguay would be his last international game.
“Yes,” he told broadcaster Sportschau when asked if that was it, while he told Magenta TV he would not play on. “No. It’s very bitter to end it like this.”
Neuer had already retired from international football after the 2024 European Championship and had insisted he wouldn’t return. Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann took over at Germany’s No 1, following injuries to Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. Despite denials from Neuer and Germany head Julian Nagelsmann, speculation about the legend’s potential return continued until Nagelsmann included the Bayern Munich goalkeeper in his World Cup squad, demoting Baumann to back-up.
The move didn’t pay off. Neuer saved a penalty in the shootout against Paraguay but it wasn’t enough as three German players missed their spot kicks. Neuer, who made his Germany debut in 2009, was the sole surviving member of the 2014 World Cup-winning squad. He played 128 games for Germany. AP
Chelsea in talks to sign Pep Chavarría
Chelsea are in talks over a deal to sign the Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarría. The 28-year-old would provide cover following the sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid. It remains to be seen if Chelsea lodge another bid for Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Germany once scored 22 consecutive penalties in major tournament shootouts. They missed three as Paraguay won 4-3 from the spot. Here’s Andrew Beasley on the Germans losing their penalty-shootout streak:
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A couple of transfers to keep you updated, both involving players that are still at the World Cup.
First off, Portugal forward Gonçalo Ramos has signed a five-year deal with Milan, reportedly for a ridiculous €74m, rising to €90m. Not quite sure what the Italian side are thinking with that one. When Ramos joined PSG in 2023, it was for €65m from Benfica, and he has largely been underwhelming for the French side, mostly used as a substitute. Milan have paid more for a striker that is three years older and certainly not as in demand as he was. They have had their pants pulled down there.
Secondly, Atlético Madrid have signed Spain defender Álex Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen for €23m. A better player than Ramos for a fraction of the price.
“(Grimaldo) has signed for our club until June 30, 2030,” said Atletico in a statement. “A versatile left-back who can also play as a wing-back, central midfielder and even attacking midfielder, he stands out for his technique and vision.”
The 30-year-old, who spent time at Barcelona’s academy before joining Benfica in 2016, moved to Leverkusen in 2023 and was a key part of their Bundesliga winning side in 2024 under Xabi Alonso. The attacking full-back is a set-piece specialist, netting six free-kicks over the last three seasons, and no player has more in that period in Europe’s top five leagues.
If you didn’t know the background of Paraguay’s 6ft6in goalkeeping hero Orlando Gill, you do now.
In 2018 Gill was playing amateur football and even last year he was a back-up goalkeeper for San Lorenzo de Almagro. This summer he is going to the World Cup. His career got off to a difficult start but the goalkeeper, nearly 2m (6ft 6in) tall, has now seen most of his dreams come true. “Orlando sold some of his gear to cover costs [so that we could eat],” Gill’s wife said with tears in her eyes after he had made his international debut in the historic World Cup win for Paraguay against Peru in Lima. “Our son was fighting for his life, and his father was always there for him.” He was never trusted in domestic football back in Paraguay, hence the move to Argentina in 2024. He then had a stroke of luck. San Lorenzo were trying to sign Keylor Navas but ran into financial difficulties and with no new goalkeeper arriving Gill was given a chance by the manager, Miguel Russo. He impressed – and has been the No 1 ever since.
A reminder that our World Cup player interactive is the gift that keeps on giving. It really is a treasure trove.
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Mexico will play Ecuador in their round-of-32 match, with that one due to kick-off at 2am BST/7pm local time at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Having previously hosted in 1970 and 1986, El Tri is so far undefeated at the stadium across nine tournament games, a stat that some have attributed to the altitude.
“We have a massive advantage as the host country because we’re playing at the Estadio Azteca with our fans and the altitude,” Mexican football commissioner Mikel Arriola said before the tournament. “It is a very potent setting.”
This year, Mexico swept through their group stage matches at the tournament for the first time in its history, but the unbeaten run came with a caveat. All three victories took place at venues more than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) above sea level. They looked much stronger late in the games, scoring five of their six goals after half-time, perhaps as fatigue began to take its toll on their opponents.
The thing is, Ecuador, unlike Mexico’s previous opponents, should be well-suited to playing at roughly 7,300 feet (2,200 metres) elevation at the Azteca. Ecuador often plays home matches at more than 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) in Quito, and went unbeaten there at home during qualifying with victories over Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Venezuela. Ecuador also joined Argentina as the only nations to win a qualifier at Bolivia, who play their home matches at almost 12,000 feet (3,657 meters) of elevation.
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Mexico have made a habit of qualifying from the group stage and then falling at the first hurdle in World Cups. They are hoping the memory of 1986 will help end the curse against Ecuador. Here’s Raúl Vilchis on El Tri’s most terrifying opponent: the ghost of World Cup game four.
It’s not been a great 2026 for Mendy, who might have been a contender for the France squad, perhaps instead of Lucas Digne, had he not suffered a quad injury that required surgery earlier this year.
This summer, Real Madrid signed another expensive left-back in Marc Cucurella for £52m – adding to last summer’s €50m purchase of Álvaro Carreras – so it seems likely that Mendy’s Madrid days are over, regardless of whether the 31-year-old goes to prison.
Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy will stand trial after one of his dogs allegedly attacked a teenager and two other dogs after escaping from his property, according to reports.
The private prosecution is asking for a six-month prison sentence to be issued for causing injury by gross negligence, as well as fines, a Madrid court said in a document dated 7 January and seen by AFP. The public prosecutor’s office is requesting fines for a minor offence of causing injury.
Spanish media said the events took place in January 2023, after four dogs owned by Mendy escaped from his property in the affluent Madrid suburb of Alcobendas when the gate was left open after a vehicle entered.
The reports said one of the dogs bit another woman’s dog which was injured and later needed to be euthanised, before a 17-year-old boy tried to intervene and was bitten himself, along with a relative’s dog that he was walking.
Left-back Mendy, 31, signed for Real Madrid in 2019 from French side Lyon but several injuries have disrupted his career. AFP
Thanks Martin, and hello world!
I’m a simple man that loves the 1990s, so let’s start with this masterpiece from the excellent Jonny Weeks. It really is a magnificent piece of work.
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OK, from one MB to another, which does make our rota a bit confusing at times. Michael Butler is up next. I will see you tomorrow.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham and Burnley’s Axel Tuanzebe are both likely to start for DR Congo against England tomorrow, which is something that has not escaped Kobbie Mainoo’s attention. PA quotes him saying:
They have some great players that we know, in Axel and Aaron, so we know them well as players. That might help us a bit but they’re still top players and they’re a top nation, so it’s a tough game and we’ll approach it how we’ve done for the other games.
There is more than one World Cup going on at the moment, and Australia v West Indies. the first semi-final in the Women’s T20 World Cup, is kicking off due to start at 2.30pm BST/11.30pm AEST. Cameron Ponsonby is at the helm for that live blog.
“On Sunday, I said in my post that I could come to the office on Tuesday with serious egg on my face if Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands all lose within 12 hours. This morning, I am sitting on my desk with a poster taped to it saying ‘No Refunds’ and a Dutch flag at half mast …”
That is the glorious opening from a mea culpa by Joachim Klement, who you may recall is the economist who prides himself on successfully predicting World Cup winners, and who this year plumped for the Oranje. As he puts it “Eventually, after 12 years and being lucky in three World Cups, I ran out of luck.”
Next up for hosts USA is a potentially tricky round of 32 match-up against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jeff Rueter has this profile of Wisconsin-born Esmir Bajraktarević, who used to play for New England Revolution midfielder, and came up through the US system.
Esmaeil Baghaei, who is the foreign ministry spokesperson for Iran – I’m getting flashbacks to my day job on the newsdesk – has had a pop back at the US over the World Cup in his press briefing today. According to Reuters he said the tournament was “highly politicised” and that the US acted contrary to hosting principles. Earlier the US department of homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, said “I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance” when Iran were knocked out.
This is not a drill. New World Cup David Squires just dropped.
Do you want some exciting news about referees in England? Reuters reports that the much-maligned Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) organisation is going to rebrand as Professional Game Referees, or Pro Ref. That should sort all that out.
There is a slightly more significant change buried in the details, which is that Premier League and EFL Championship referees are going to be combined into a single group serving both divisions.
It isn’t nice to kick people when they are already down, but I cannot stop looking at this photograph of crestfallen Japan fans in Tokyo after that last-gasp defeat to Brazil yesterday. The juxtaposition between the dismay and the inflatable cosplay is *chef’s kiss*.
Plan to expand Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams is rejected
Osasu Obayiuwana has this exclusive:
A plan to expand the Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams has been rejected, the Guardian has learned.
The proposal had been made by the Confederation of African Football’s president, Patrice Motsepe, in February at a press conference in Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Had had it been agreed would have been put in place for the 2028 tournament.
Two Caf executive committee members, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the idea had been voted down.
Read more here: Plan to expand Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams is rejected
Good morning/evening/afternoon, I stayed up too late watching football and have lost track of the time. I am here with you for the next couple of hours, so let’s start with some quotes that have just dropped on the wires from England’s Marcus Rashford who was explaining how he is relishing the celebrations with fans after matches – although presumably not after that England v Ghana match which we promised never to mention again. He told the Three Lions podcast:
For us as players, every game’s a stepping stone to get to what we want to do. But that is probably the only bit of the whole camp when we get to see the enjoyment of winning a game.
So you really enjoy the moment because for us, we have a game and regardless of the result, you have to go and prepare for the next game in the group stage or whatever is next. It’s an ‘onto the next one’ mentality so you don’t always enjoy those little moments of winning a game or getting through the group, but the fans definitely remind us of how exciting it is and how happy they are for us.
And that is me done for now, time for Martin Belam to take over. See you soon.
Here is the full story on the depressing but entirely predictable news coming from the US this morning.
With Bono saving Morocco’s skin, some love has to be shown for Zion Suzuki’s brilliant reflex stop to keep out what might have been a contender for goal of the tournament from Brazil star Vinícus Júnior. There might be a few clubs circling for the 23-year-old Parma shotstopper’s signature after a fine tournament for Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WBmSEgmCCgo
If you like your podcasts in moving picture form then do I have a treat for you! Max, Barry, Archie and Nicky in glorious technicolour on the thrills and spills from yesterday:
The fallout from South Korea’s disappointing exit continues with captain Son Heung-min apologising, saying he is “indescribably hurt” and eager to “win the hearts” of the nation once again.
In a long post on Instagram on Monday night, Son said he understood the upset from supporters after Korea’s performances drew harsh criticism from the country’s president and led to the resignation of coach Hong Myung-bo.
“I don’t dare to convey the disappointment and hurt of the fans with a single word ‘sorry,’” Son wrote, “so even saying those words feels insufficient. The ‘child’s dream stage’ that I always talked about has collapsed. I’m indescribably stuck and hurt. To be honest, it’s still not easy to accept this reality.”
Son, who started on the bench for the defeat in the group stage against South Africa, didn’t score a goal at the World Cup and said he felt a personal responsibility that “[he] couldn’t repay the time, heart, and constant support and love” that the fans gave.
In a signal he wouldn’t be retiring from international soccer, the 33-year-old said “I will do my best in my position again to win the hearts of the Korean people and football fans”.
Son also called on the team’s supporters to “send warm support and encouragement rather than criticising and hurting all the players”.
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Tino Livramento undergoes calf surgery
England defender Tino Livramento has undergone surgery after being forced to miss the World Cup, his club Newcastle have confirmed.
The full-back endured a calf injury in the days prior to England’s first match at this summer’s tournament against Croatia. He was replaced in the squad by Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and returned to Newcastle for treatment.
The club issued an update on his condition on Tuesday. A statement read: “Newcastle United can confirm that Tino Livramento has successfully undergone a minor surgical procedure. The defender, who returned from World Cup duty with an injury, is expected to return during pre-season.”
Livramento, 23, missed the end of Newcastle’s 2025-26 campaign with a thigh injury but had made a comeback as a substitute in England’s friendly against New Zealand on 6 June.
Coming back to the shootout between the Netherlands and Morocco, Gary writes in with some love for Bono’s match-winning save:
Am I alone in thinking that not enough was made of Bono’s penalty save for Morocco? Had he dived, it would have been described as “No goalkeeper saves that”, but he didn’t and he did. A genius move with cojones to spare.
Having just watched the full shootout I am inclined to agree. Absolute nerves of steel and a hand of steel to read where Crysencio Summerville is going and just perfectly bat the powerful strike away.
In other goalkeeper analysis Bart Verbruggen must be absolutely gutted he backheeled in Soufiane Rahimi’s effort after making a fine save.
Agony and ecstasy for the keepers. Oh and plenty of agony for Quinten Timber with a classic ‘he never looked like he was going to score’ horror miss for the Netherlands.
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Here we have Aaron Timms weighing in on the delight of a World Cup cult hero. And what a hero the Ecuador manager Sebastián Beccacece is after going full Pat Cash after his side qualified for the last 32 with a shock win against Germany. Sorry, Paraguay, they got there first! Oh and some help for pronunciation of his surname would be much appreciated as I’m going a bit Fast Show trying to figure it out.
Beccacece’s side are up against a host nation in the late game tonight, it is bound to be an absolute cracker.
Ecuador face Mexico at the Azteca on Tuesday night – a daunting assignment in which failure would bring no shame. But whatever happens on the field, Beccacece’s legend is already written. The footage of Jürgen Klopp at this tournament, working for German TV and pretending to find Thomas Müller funny and encouraging us all to book with Trivago and smiling his dazzling iceberg smile, has offered a mournful reminder of how sorely football needs big personalities. Club competition is increasingly the roost of guarded, technocratic types, all those Artetas and Marescas in careful control of the on- and off-field script. But international management remains a place for dreamers and madmen, and the World Cup – which still flickers with the power to inspire and uplift, despite all of Fifa’s best efforts – is all the more entertaining for it. No manager has brought more joy to this tournament than Ecuador’s flaxen dugout guru – a man whose every flail, every strop, seems to channel the anxiety, fury, and elation felt by each one of his team’s supporters.
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Reaction to Germany’s defeat continues to roll in with brutal headlines and angry commentaries in some of the country’s top media titles.
Bild’s front-page headline described the result as ‘The next German football nightmare’ while columnist Marion Horn took strong exception to how Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had reacted to the defeat.
Merz wrote on his official X account: “Even though the elimination hurts: What a game, @DFB_Team! With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you.”
Horn said the post was a “disaster” and “devastating”, adding: “The brutal World Cup defeat against Paraguay, the coach, the attitude and the performance of the German players are symptomatic of the state of the entire country.
“We are at best second-class: Our economy is experiencing an unprecedented downward spiral in every respect, with bankruptcies and de-industrialisation on a daily basis.
“And German football is now living solely off its past reputation. And if I’m to believe (1990 World Cup-winning captain) Lothar Matthaus, then within the team, it was a more important issue whose mother was allowed to fly on the private jet and whose wasn’t, than how we would win the cup.
“Man!!! Football is a COMPETITIVE SPORT!
“And the worst is yet to come. Following the defeat, Chancellor Merz writes : “With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you’.
“Chancellor, that’s simply not true!!! I will not accept second-rate treatment. I’m not proud. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. I’m furious! Our children only know Germany as a loser!”
Die Welt columnist Ulf Poschardt took a similar line, in a piece headlined: “Only a successful Germany is worth living in”.
“Germany is once again eliminated early from the World Cup, and the Chancellor even congratulates this miserable team: “We are proud of you”. No, we are not. Quite the opposite,” Poschardt wrote.
Football news outlet Kicker described the result as “a damning indictment of German football – and Nagelsmann”.
Its chief reporter Oliver Hartmann wrote: “The German national team, the biggest disappointment of the tournament so far, leaves the World Cup stage after the first knockout round. Julian Nagelsmann failed to harness and develop his team’s strengths.”
A comment piece by Claudio Catuogno in Suddeutsche Zeitung was headlined: “Someone should tell Julian Nagelsmann: This can’t go on.”
Hello, hello! And goodbye, Tom. You are now riding with me (Graham) for a little while as we continue to chop up the high drama of last night’s action.
Personally I am still trying to piece it all together after falling asleep on the sofa during the second half of Germany’s defeat then taking myself to bed where I saw Germany had scored in extra time so naturally assumed that was that … oops. Then I committed the cardinal sin for my sleep score and checked my phone a little after 4am to see Germany had been knocked out (what?) and the Netherlands were just beginning a shootout with Morocco. So on went the BBC Sounds app and I listened to what I think was loads of penalty misses until Morocco finally put it to bed.
I get the feeling there might be a few more broken night’s sleep yet as my interest in the knockouts has been well and truly piqued.
The England – DRC countdown begins with a tasty slice of on-brand pessimism in the inbox from Richard Lapworth:
England fan here. Genuinely think England are going out to Congo DR on Wednesday and not via a penalty shoot-out! It’s plainly the year of the “underdog” with Paraguay and Morocco both through. Okay so Morocco aren’t actually underdogs anymore but you get my point! Wissa et al will have far more shots on goal than England.
On which note, it’s time to sign out of my stint and hand over to Graham Searles. Catch you soon.
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In European domestic managerial gossip news, Sky Sports is reporting that Liam Rosenior is set to take over at upwardly mobile Paris FC after his hiding-to-nothing spell at Chelsea. He is reported to be signing a two-year deal there on Thursday. Paris FC finished 11th in Ligue 1 last season, their first in the top flight for 46 years.
Tuesday’s World Cup Daily podcast has dropped. Max, Barry, Archie and Nicky chew over last night’s drama:
A couple of videos for your delectation now. Photographer Shaun Botterill has a World Cup portfolio spanning 40 years – here he talks about the moments that made those memorable images:
While Toby Moses reflects on trying to concentrate in an exam while his Arsenal hero David Seaman was being lobbed by Ronaldinho for that quarter-final winner in 2002.
A near-immutable law of World Cups is that the best team in the group stages never actually wins the thing – think Brazil 82, USSR 86, Italy 90, Argentina 2006, the Netherlands 2014. Can France buck the trend? Well Didier Deschamps – back with the squad after the death of his mother last week – has vowed to stick with the attacking approach that showed France as head and shoulders above the rest in the groups. Paul MacInnes looks ahead to their game against Graham Potter’s Sweden – who’ve had a mixed but lively time of it so far – later on Tuesday.
Didier Deschamps has warned France’s rivals that the team will not change their attacking approach to this World Cup, saying as he prepared for the last-32 tie against Sweden on Tuesday: “We have a capacity for danger, and I want us to keep it.”
The France head coach said it was “good to be busy” as he returned to the camp after time at home following the death of his mother last week. Deschamps expressed gratitude for the support he had received from his team after his bereavement, in another sign of the tight bond among Les Bleus this summer.
“We’ve been labelled as favourites before and, after what we did in the last three matches, that hasn’t gone away,” Deschamps said. “But it’s back to square one now. We’re preparing for a competition within the competition. We have to face a team who have nothing to lose and can give us some problems. We are confident, not overconfident, but in terms of intentions we will look to continue what we managed in the group.
Klopp plays down links to Germany head coach role
Jürgen Klopp has been prominent on broadcasting duties at this World Cup, which has of course sparked speculation about his future managerial intentions. And on cue he has said it is “not the right moment” to talk about becoming head coach of Germany following their World Cup exit, PA Media reports.
Defeat has seen pressure mount on Julian Nagelsmann, but former Liverpool manager Klopp – now Red Bull’s head of global soccer – played down talk of him taking up the national-team reins.
Asked as a pundit on MagentaTV what would have to happen to consider the job, Klopp said in quotes reported on Bild: “I haven’t thought about that yet. I’ve often been in that situation myself as a coach, where a big dream has been shattered.
“I understand that when people talk about the national coach, my name is mentioned. But it’s not the right moment to talk about it, especially not with me.
“I have a job that I really enjoy [as Red Bull’s head of global soccer]. And as far as I know, it’s not a part-time job. The fact is, Germany was eliminated today, and this is not the moment for me to think about Jurgen Klopp’s future.”
Nagelsmann vowed he would stay in the role if the DFB wanted him to continue. He told a post-match press conference: “I’m not one to run away. It’s not the first time, but it’s been happening for a while now that we’ve been delivering tournaments like this and yes, there are certainly a few basic things that I don’t want to go into now.
“I’m not one of those people who sits here and says, ‘I’m resigning now, just because we’ve been eliminated’. If the DFB wants me to continue then I’ll continue and if they don’t want me to, then they can tell me that.”
The other big talking point from that game in Boston for Premier League set-piece grapple fans was the Jonathan Tah header ruled out near the end by VAR, the kind of goal that has been the norm in the English top flight in recent times. Ultimately though, Germany never looked convincing in this tournament.
Our graphics boffins have produced this neat little playable guide to the penalties in yesterday’s Germany v Paraguay shootout, a handy pointer to what type of kicks succeed and fail, which I fully intend to use against my 10-year-old son in the back garden later
Joy and disturbances on the streets of The Hague after Morocco win. This just in from AFP:
Morocco’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win over the Netherlands sparked scenes of joy Tuesday in The Hague, home to a large Moroccan community, but also violent arrests amid clashes with police.
In the Schilderswijk district of the city, AFP reporters saw fans draped in Moroccan flags dancing and cheering in the streets, as car horns blared and firecrackers exploded.
Several hundred supporters gathered at a crossroads in the district, kicking a ball in the air and celebrating wildly with passengers of passing vehicles, sometimes jumping on cars.
Around one hour into the festivities however, the mood soured as riot police arrived on the scene, deploying water cannon and conducting baton charges to clear the crowd.
AFP reporters saw around a dozen arrests, with police pinning several young men to the ground after striking them in the legs with batons. Handcuffed, they were driven away in police vans.
Dutch police on bicycles played a cat-and-mouse game with youths through the streets but there was no major damage caused.
Despite multiple attempts, people declined to speak to the media, preferring to keep their identities secret. Many on the streets wore balaclavas or other face coverings.
One of the stories of this World Cup has been the Democratic Republic of the Congo, England’s opponents on Wednesday. The assured progress of the team from Africa’s second largest country has really meant something, as Louis Mukoma writes:
The DRC is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. There are hundreds of ethnic communities. And hundreds of languages and dialects. Four national languages have been adopted to help create cohesion. There are different cuisines, customs and histories. And today, profound political and societal fractures.The biggest story here is not a sporting one. It is what the Leopards have done for their country.
Eastern Congo has spent decades living through successive wars. Many people there have long felt abandoned by Kinshasa. Whenever violence intensifies, discussions about federalism, autonomy and the country’s fragmentation resurface. Yet, whenever the Leopards play, those divisions seem to pause.
Following the draw with Portugal, celebrations erupted not only in Kinshasa but also in Lubumbashi – in the Katanga region, which has its own secession history – as well as in Goma and Bukavu. The same happened again after the victory against Uzbekistan, but with even greater intensity.
And it is, of course, a disgrace that the DRC’s most celebrated fan, “Lumumba Vea” (nicknamed in tribute to the country’s independence leaer), has been denied a visa to the tournament that brings the world together.
Department of Homeland Security secretary celebrates Iran’s exit with ‘happy dance’
In ‘staying classy’ news, here’s Reuters’ latest report from the Dept of Keeping Politics out of Sport:
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin celebrated Iran’s elimination from the World Cup, saying he did a “happy dance,” Sports Business Journal reported on Monday.
The Iranian team barely missed out on reaching the knockout rounds of the tournament. They drew all three of their matches in Group G and finished as the ninth-best third-place team after Austria scored a last-minute goal against Algeria in the final group-stage match. The top eight third-place teams earned spots in the round of 32.
Mullin didn’t hide his overjoyed reaction to the news that Iran was eliminated. He spoke at a World Cup security briefing in Washington, per SBJ, saying he was “so glad they’re gone” and that he was “very happy they’re going back because there wasn’t a single team that we dealt with more than them.“
With the United States in the middle of a military and political conflict with Iran, the U.S. government restricted the Iranian soccer team’s movements during the World Cup. Prior to the event, Iran moved its planned training base from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana. The U.S. limited the amount of time the Iranian team could spend in the country preceding each match and required the squad to exit the nation right after each contest.
Mullin told reporters following the Monday briefing, according to SBJ, “I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the U.S. soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.“
Essential reading: here are yesterday’s match reports:
And a word on Cody Gakpo, scorer of a rasping goal for the Netherlands but having a horrible time right now after the loss of his and his partner’s unborn son, as our man in Monterrey, Nick Ames, wrote:
Football is a vessel for myriad thoughts and feelings so it was an intensely affecting moment when, after he had rammed his team into a 72nd-minute lead, the entire Dutch squad piled on to the pitch in joy. More than that, they had done so in support. Gakpo had elected to play despite the announcement that he and his partner had tragically lost their unborn son. He was tearful upon making his way back to the centre circle, pointing to the sky and being comforted by his teammate Denzel Dumfries.
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Preamble
Greetings all, and welcome to the latest from the World Cup that never sleeps. When the draw was made back on that infamous night last December, it always had a lopsided look. And so it came to pass that Monday saw three potential winners (kind of) turfed out of the competition. Japan’s dark horses ultimately paid the price for sitting a little too deep against an uneven Brazil side nonetheless stacked with match-winners (how they could have done with a Mitoma to take the pressure off). Then Germany were smothered by a ruthless Paraguay defensive masterclass before choking in the first of two inept penalty shootouts. The other came in Monterrey, where Morocco beat the Netherlands who, unlike Paraguay, paid the price for being too defensive. Given Morocco’s world ranking and recent pedigree, this one was no shock.
Later on Tuesday, we’ve got another possible tie of the round in Côte d’Ivoire v Norway, the former slick and well organised in the groups, the latter a known attacking force. We’ll be across the buildup to that, as well as France v Sweden and the all-Latin American face-off between Mexico and Ecuador at what – Fifa branding conventions be damned – we will always know as the Azteca Stadium.
