Thank you for joining me for this glorious first stint. Martin Belam will fill in for the next hour before my triumphant return.
What has happened thus far today?
The Scotland love affair with Boston continues tonight
Ismael Kone’s horrific leg break
Rodrygo writes about how social media comments impact players
Iran to lodge complaint with Fifa over ‘restrictions imposed’
Igor Thiago did not have the best of times in Brazil’s draw with Morocco first time out. Will Carlo Ancelotti keep faith with the Brentford striker?
There was plenty of uncertainty over the availability of Côte d’Ivoire’s Elye Wahi for the match against Germany on Saturday. he has been allowed to travel, despite being at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal.
After a double in USA’s opening match, Folarin Balogun will be desperate to add to his tally. get back to the top of the scoring chart.
The Socceroos have their barista travelling with them. It sounds like an April Fools to be but the lad looks convincing.
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A photo of Vinícius Júnior celebrating a goal with one fist in the air was mounted near the entrance of the art exhibition. right next to an acrylic piece of a woman’s dreadlocks suspended in air as she heads a soccer ball.
A replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy was encased in glass nearby, surrounded by images, paintings. flags that document generations of African soccer dreams and stories. All of it is part of an exhibition celebrating Africa’s deep connection to soccer during the World Cup.
“This is what art is about,” said Alfonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, a foundation showcasing African and diaspora art. “Art has always been a platform to foster peace. understanding and give voice to those that can’t speak for themselves. “This is the necessary part we feel the need to do with AfriKin.”
Brooks — a longtime sound engineer turned art curator — spent about six months putting together the exhibition, titled “Art. the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage,” which opened in Miami ahead of the start of the World Cup. The collection by more than 50 artists from 25 nations traces soccer’s role in the continent’s history. while celebrating some of the game’s most influential figures from the late Pelé to French star Kylian Mbappé. AP
If you would like a look behind the curtain here at the Guardian. I will be carrying on here for another hour due to illness. And they say nurses have it tough.
Former Leipzig coach Ole Werner is unhappy he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye to staff after his surprise dismissal from the club.
Leipzig fired Werner. his assistant coaches Tom Cichon and Patrick Kohlmann on Wednesday after what many would consider a successful debut season – third place in the Bundesliga for Champions League.
“Ole did a great job, he led us to the Champions League,. we also have to look forward,” said Red Bull head of soccer Jürgen Klopp, who made the decision with Leipzig supervisory board chairman Oliver Mintzlaff.
Werner responded with a letter to the players, staff. fans of Leipzig on LinkedIn, saying “unfortunately the timing of this decision makes it impossible for me to say goodbye to all of you in person.”
The 38-year-old coach looked back on what he called a “very positive” time in which he’d been asked to “give the team a new look in terms of its demeanor. style of play, while establishing a new, sustainable hierarchy within the dressing room.” He said he made many changes and thinks “together we succeeded in fulfilling this mandate.”
With 20 wins. five draws from 34 rounds of the Bundesliga, Werner gained more points than any other coach at Leipzig. Werner thanked Leipzig’s sporting director Marcel Schäfer in his letter, but made no mention of Klopp or Mintzlaff.
Leipzig has been linked with a move for Mallorca coach Martin Demichelis as Werner’s successor. Werner was also fired from his previous job at Werder Bremen after he refused to extend his contract with the club. AP
Lionel Messi’s father is undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness. his family asked the media for “humanity” on Thursday amid rumours about Jorge Messi’s health while his son competes at the World Cup. “Jorge is going through a health situation,” the Messi family said in a statement.
The Tartan Army has taken over Providence, Rhode Island,. with it have secured an unofficial mascot in the form of Dawn the Duck.
Dawn has joint bagpipes and marching on the streets, resplendent in a gold chain and Scottish flag.
A big day for Connor Metcalfe after his fine performance in Australia’s win over Turkey. The St Pauli midfielder is wanted in MLS, with Sporting Kansas especially keen,. a good performance against USA will not do him any harm.
While everyone else is thinking about the World Cup, the Premier League announced the season’s fixtures.
Krishnamoorthy emails: “Round one is over. could we now say the score is Rest of the lauded players 1-0 CR7.
“If one of the most gifted players is not able to shrug off thoughts of his own achievements. focus on such a talented team, it would be a pity.”
Poor old Ronaldo. Will he bounce back?
Lionel Messi has company at the top of the Golden Boot list. Check out the latest scoring charts …
It was horrible for Ismaël Koné’s teammates to witness his injury against Qatar.
“I saw that something wasn’t right,. I just wanted for the medical staff to get in as quick as possible,” Stephen Eustáquio said.
double quotation mark The welcome extended to Scottish fans has been warm across the board. according to Adam Robb from Aberdeenshire. “The locals are just incredible, they’re so happy to see us,” he said. “Surprised to see us, I think, in these kind of numbers, but the reception has been unbelievable.”
After Abdukodir Khusanov took out a cameraman in Uzbekistan’s defeat to Colombia. the Manchester City defender made a lovely gesture of offering his match shirt to his unwitting victim.
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Mexican photographers do things differently.
A draw for Scotland later would almost certainly be enough to get them into the knockout stages. playing for a point is a dangerous game. If they do get out of the group. it will be the first time in their history that Scotland have made it that far at a World Cup.
“I don’t think any of the lads or the coaching staff. backroom staff have shied away from it,” Andy Robertson said. “We want to be the first team to be able to do that for our country. And it’s obviously a nice feeling to try and do that.
“We know how difficult it’s going to be. We’re now playing against one of the best teams in the world. But we also believe that if we perform to our maximum, then we can make it difficult for anyone. I think we’ve proven that over the years.”
How closely have you followed the sporting week? Test yourself with our quiz.
Tony Hughes emails to say: “Now that each team has played once, I can look at Scotland’s 1-0 win over Haiti. see it was a good result. Maybe even better than good. I’m from the era of ‘how many will we win by?’ when anticipating Scotland performances at major tournaments, however even I can see that many teams better than Scotland struggled against lower-ranked opposition, so the three points is the key. we - Scotland - move on.”
My close colleague Rodrygo has written another column for us on the impact of social media on players.
double quotation mark Over the course of two afternoons in New York I ran into true legends, icons,. friends I’ve made through football. They were precious moments where I could listen, exchange ideas. receive support from stars such as Marcelo, Kaká, Paul Pogba and Zinedine Zidane. What started as a scheduled appearance for a shared sponsor turned into a casual. friendly chat from different generations united by the passion football ignites. We were right there, close to the fans. Five guys representing Brazil. France, greeted by hundreds of fans from all over the globe, all hoping for a brief moment of proximity, a photo, or a wave. And yes, I have idols too; I managed to get an autographed shirt from Zidane, my former coach. a giant in the history of the sport.
Declan Rice, as Jacob Steinberg points out, looked rather weary against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel needs to manage the Arsenal man carefully throughout this tournament. he has had a relentless past six years.
Get your podcast listening in your ears right now! Max and Baz are here with the latest World Cup daily, including Ben Fisher and Nicky Bandini.
French court confirms Moroccan footballer Hakimi will stand trial for rape
A French appeals court on Friday confirmed Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi will stand trial charged with raping a young woman.
In February 2023. a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-De-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her.
The Paris Saint-Germain player. captain of the Moroccan national team, whose side are playing their second World Cup match on Friday against Scotland, has consistently denied the allegations. AFP
Frankly, anything other than Sweet Caroline would suit me.
Harry Kane hopes ‘Wonderwall’ can become the soundtrack of the summer as England plot their way to World Cup glory.
Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a great start with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L game in Dallas on Wednesday. where Kane scored twice to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals.
England’s victorious players celebrated in front of their fans while Oasis hit ‘Wonderwall’ blared out around the AT+T Stadium.
Kane, who appeared emotional during the singalong, will savour the moment. wants fans to keep rolling with it as they aim to achieve their masterplan of winning the World Cup.
“That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt. especially at a major tournament,” he said on the Lions Den. “I know it’s just the first game,. we’re not getting carried away, but just that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them. I think they see how much it means to us.
“We have that connection right now, but just that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium, everyone knew the words,. that was a really special moment, I thought. As first games go, to have that kind of support from everyone, and we know back home is the same.
“We know there would be plenty of beer getting thrown around. with it being a night game, so we love that stuff. All the squad are fans, we’ve grown up watching England. We’ve grown up in those environments, and to be on the other side now doesn’t mean that we’re disconnected. It just means that we’re trying to give the fans now special moments, like Wednesday. So, hopefully, we can have a few more.” PA Media
A bit more from the England camp …
David Hytner on England’s super subs:
Thomas Tuchel’s pub chat.
The later games will see Brazil take on Haiti in Philadelphia at 1.30am BST/8.30pm local time.
And after that it is Turkey v Paraguay at 4am BST/8pm local time.
Then we move to Boston where Scotland fans have been having the time of their lives. that will be punctuated with a second match of the tournament. Morocco should provide more stern opposition that Haiti.
Steve Clarke knows it will be difficult, that’s for sure.
Ewan Murray on Scott McTominay’s importance to the side.
Kick off is at 11pm BST/6pm local time
Let’s begin our look at what will happen later today.
First up is USA v Australia in Seattle at 8pm BST/12pm local time.
Jack Snape on the rivalry between the two.
How the game will be won and lost.
The latest from the Socceroos camp.
A little bit of history.
double quotation mark It would be wrong to describe. second half as a shedding of the Gareth-shaped homunculus on this team’s back. But sometimes you do have to stop trusting the process, change the patterns,. just run forward with a great deal more aggression. England burned an effigy of everything they used to be in the second half in Dallas. Is it real? And where will it lead them across the next two games and five weeks beyond that?
Barney Ronay on England’s bright start and what they need to do going forward at this World Cup.
I wonder if Rodri will be the next Spain player to head to pastures new for a decent chunk of change. With plenty of changes happening at Manchester City. Real Madrid clearly willing to invest in new players, including his former teammate Bernardo Silva, it could be the right time.
The Spain squad are moving for some hefty price tags while away with the national team. Victor Muñoz’s £34.5m move to Liverpool was confirmed yesterday. while Marc Cucurella is now a Real Madrid player, costing the Spanish side £52m.
double quotation mark I got a phone call one morning. My people told me the two clubs had the terms mostly agreed. that I had to decide if I wanted to go there. I had no doubts. It is a big step for me, very important in my career. It all happened in roughly a day and a half. For me, that was the best thing, so it could be all done. I could keep my focus on the World Cup.”
Iran are further pointing out how dreadful this World Cup is politically. Will Fifa do anything about it …?
Thomas Tuchel swapped the dugout for the mound as the England boss threw the first pitch for the Kansas City Royals the night after opening the World Cup with an impressive win.
Just over 24 hours after watching his side open their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia. Tuchel went to Kauffman Stadium to perform the ceremonial act.
Captain Harry Kane. defenders Dan Burn and Djed Spence were watching their boss throw the ball to Royals manager Matt Quatraro ahead of the MLB clash with the St Louis Cardinals. Kane is no stranger to finding the strike zone, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals with a double against Croatia,. as a keen fan of American sports, he would like to do it with a bat in hand.
“Great recovery day with the boys at the baseball,” he said on social media. “Would love to give batting a go one day! Thanks for having us @Royals.”
Kane, who was pictured leaving the AT+T Stadium in Dallas with his left leg bandaged, had a low-key recovery day. “He got a strike, so fair play to him,” Kane, who has thrown out a first pitch at Yankees. Cubs games, told KansasCity.com “It’s not easy. It’s actually… that was the first time I’ve been up mound in 12 years. so you forget how far away it actually is.
“So, watching the professionals do it, and they’re launching that ball at 90, 100 miles per hour, it’s pretty impressive. So the boss has done pretty well. I’ll give him that. He was a little nervous before.”
He added: “We really appreciate it. I can say, for us to come here and get the treatment that we have already is obviously great. And I’m not sure where we’re sitting, but I’m sure the seats will be great, as well. So, yeah, all we can say is thank you to them.” PA Media
Because I am really cool, I was speaking to someone about Johan Manzambi before the match yesterday. Freiburg are open to selling him this summer. it would cost any buyer around €60m, maybe even more after last night’s goals.
Granit Xhaka pulled no punches after capping Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia. Herzegovina, confirming his pointed “blah-blah” celebration was in response to accusations that he stoked negativity within the Swiss camp. Xhaka made a talking gesture with his right hand after scoring a stoppage-time penalty. afterwards said: “They know why I did it,” said the 33-year-old Sunderland captain. “I received thousands of messages. But I don’t read them anymore. I think I’m past that age. It doesn’t bother me at all. As mentioned, it’s something that can’t be influenced by me. That’s all I can say.” Swiss media reported Xhaka’s critical comments of the team’s performance in their opening Group B draw with Qatar went down badly inside the squad. “What I can influence is my performance on the pitch. And as mentioned before. if there is something to praise, then I am the first one who praises someone,” he said. “And if there is criticism, then I am also the first one who criticises someone. “When I criticise, it doesn’t mean that I criticise others and not myself. And I start with myself first. And I think now, I’ve played almost 150 games for the national team now. And by now, you should know me too. If some can’t deal with criticism, then that’s a pity. And if someone has something to say, they should come to me about it.” Johan Manzambi scored twice in the victory over Bosnia. Herzegovina but Xhaka said he had no intention of presenting the 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder with the chance to complete his hat-trick. “It’s not about the individual thing. We have rules,” Xhaka said. “He’s young. he has a big future in front of him, so let’s take the experienced players first for penalty takers. His time will come.”
On paper, yesterday’s fixtures promised little but it was a fun day across the tournament in the end.
Admittedly, Czechia v South Africa did not offer a great amount of quality. Hugo Broos did very angry about a few things. Sid Lowe was in Atlanta to watch and listen.
Ben Fisher was pondering what to write about with 20 minutes to go in Switzerland v Bosnia. Herzegovina until the goals came flowing in.
Jeff Rueter was on hand to witness World Cup history as Canada won their first match at the tournament. Nine-man Qatar were hit for six but at the cost of a terrible leg break for Ismaël Koné.
Last but not least, Jonathan Wilson saw Mexico see off South Korea.
Scotland are back in action, looking to back up their victory over Haiti against Morocco. They are in Boston, which is very convenient for the players and fans. If Steve Clarke’s can secure another maximum, it would put them into the knockout stages. the African champions will provide a much sterner test than Haiti.
We will have a thorough look back at yesterday’s results. Mexico became the first team to secure passage to the knockout stages by defeating South Korea. A new star was born in Switzerland as Johan Manzambi came off the bench to score twice against Bosnia. Herzegovina. Not forgetting that Czechia and South Africa drew.
All the latest from the England camp will be thrown your way, too.
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