USA v Australia kicks off in an hour, in Seattle …
And that concludes our World Cup build-up blog for today. We’ll leave you in the capable hands of our live bloggers, with Beau Dure on duty for USA v Australia (noon local/3pm ET/8pm BST/5am AEST). John Brewin taking on Scotland v Morocco later (6pm local time/11pm BST/8am AEST).
Thanks for reading, commenting and emailing, and everything else. Bye!
Members of a news crew in Argentina have lost their jobs after falsely reporting the death of Lionel Messi’s father.
Florencia Peña announced on Luzu TV that Jorge Messi had died. went on to suggest that Messi would not play any further matches in the World Cup. In the aftermath of the report, the Messi family issued a statement on Thursday announcing that Messi Sr. was in hospital with an undisclosed medical issue, but was “progressing favourably”.
Algeria have lodged a complaint about alleged poor refereeing in their 3-0 World Cup defeat by Argentina this week. it was reported on Friday.
Algeria sent a letter to Fifa’s refereeing commission. with particular reference to the first-half incident when Argentina’s Lionel Messi stood on the calf of Algeria captain Aissa Mandi.
Algeria supporters screamed for Messi to be sent off – but the forward was not punished. went on to score a hat-trick.
The match in Kansas City was refereed by Szymon Marciniak of Poland. who was in charge of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, when Argentina beat France on penalties. Reuters
If you’ve not read Barney Ronay on England 4-2 Croatia, why not read Barney Ronay on England 4-2 Croatia?
England played like a Premier League team,. they were more like a Premier League team of the 2000s, all galloping adrenaline, running power, the can’t‑live‑with-it thrusts. This is not in itself a recipe for victory against elite opponents. But the key is that this team has that in its chamber.
The Canada midfielder Ismael Koné expressed his gratitude to God. his teammates and their fans after suffering a broken leg in his side’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in Group B on Thursday.
The 24-year-old was caught by a clumsy second-half tackle from Qatar’s Assim Madibo and had surgery to repair the damage.
“Your love and support has been felt, honestly thank you so much. You can’t even imagine, how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers. I thank god for that because not everyone is this fortunate,” Koné wrote on Instagram.
Several of Koné’s teammates looked on in shock as he received treatment on the field before having his leg placed in an inflatable support. “I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart. our brotherhood is everything to me,” Koné wrote.
“What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I’ll be back very soon and we’ll keep making more memories together.“
Canada are due to train at the National Soccer Development Centre at the University of British Columbia on Friday. before having a team barbecue. Their final group game against Switzerland is on 24 June. Reuters
Pickford and Kane were posed the following question from fans:
What are you having on your chips? Mushy peas, baked beans, gravy, or curry sauce?
Kane: “To be fair, if it was me, I’m just going salt and a bit vinegar. No sauce. The vinegar is kind of the sauce, no?”
Pickford: “I get all three. I don’t get baked beans. I get mushy peas, curry sauce and gravy. And just have a little bit of each.
Kane: “That’s next-level.”
Pickford: “I just have a little mix. I get loads of scraps as well. Salt and vinegar. Bosh.”
This is great banter, it really is.
Shall we dip back into that premium England content with Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane? OK.
Greetings from Los Angeles – from your own podcasting correspondent. England aside, it’s been 20 years since I was in the host country for a major tournament. Professional commitments make this a marginally different experience from driving around Germany with Ian, Matt. Oli in 2006 just wondering when the next stein was going to be thrust into my hands – dancing with Trinidad and Tobago fans, feeling lucky to miss out on Brazil v Australia tickets because my hangover was too much for the sun.
The question you are asked most by people back home is along the lines of: “Is there World Cup fever in the States?” I am reminded of a local TV crew who walked around central Cambridge on the eve of our FA Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace in 1990 asking people how they felt about the game,. being rewarded with lots of nice middle-class people who didn’t even know there was a football team in Cambridge.
Norway’s players have strongly defended the captain Martin Ødegaard after intense domestic media criticism of his performance in their opening match at the World Cup.
Ødegaard struggled in the 4-1 win against Iraq on Tuesday, appearing off the pace. failing to produce his usual creative fluency. He did provide the assist for Leo Østigård to head in Norway’s third goal before being substituted nine minutes from time.
Norwegian commentators rated the midfielder poorly, with television pundits pointing to recent injury struggles,. his teammates strongly defended the Arsenal player before their match against Senegal in New York on Tuesday.
“It is nonsense,” the defender David Møller Wolfe told Norwegian TV2. “He is one of our most important players and one of the best Norwegian footballers of all time. We know how important he has been over a very long period.“
The winger Jens Petter Hauge said the squad remained unfazed by the media scrutiny. midfielder Kristian Thorstvedt dismissed the criticism as “rubbish“, emphasising Ødegaard’s vital leadership on and off the pitch.
Meanwhile Norway’s player liaison officer, the former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, acknowledged that the team had room for individual improvement.
“I think many players felt after the Iraq game that they had more to give individually,. I think Martin would be completely honest about that too,” Hangeland said. “We expect that we will look stronger both individually. collectively in the next match.” Norway play Senegal on Tuesday, and France on June 26. Reuters
I know you’d like to read a bit more Harry Kane on singing Wonderwall with the England fans after the opening win against Croatia … so here goes.
“We love that stuff,” Kane said. “Me and Picks [Jordan Pickford], and all of the squad, we’re fans, we’ve grown up watching England in those environments.
“To be on the other side now doesn’t mean that we’re disconnected. it means we’re trying to give the fans special moments like yesterday.
“Hopefully we can give the fans more of those moments.”
The full, unredacted episode of the Lions’ Den is here on England’s
Spain entered the World Cup as one of the favourites. after an underwhelming display against Cape Verde, the European champions need a sharper attacking edge against Saudi Arabia in Group H on Sunday.
Luis de la Fuente’s side were held to a shock 0-0 draw by the World Cup debutants in Atlanta on Monday. return to the same stadium to face Saudi Arabia, who also drew their opener 1-1, against Uruguay.
Spain. Uruguay were expected to take the top two places in the group, with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde left to battle for one of the best third-placed spots.
Instead, all four have a point each,. De la Fuente may opt to start the winger Lamine Yamal to inject some pace in attack. Before the Cape Verde game. the Spanish manager said the introduction of Yamal from the bench would depend on how the match was progressing, with the 18-year-old returning from injury.
He can hardly have expected the need to turn to Yamal in an effort to win the game,. while the teenager did spark life into Spain for the final 20 minutes, it was not enough.
Nico Williams also came off the bench late,. both he and Yamal may get the nod this time, with the ineffectual Gavi and misfiring Ferran Torres poised to make way.
Yamal. however, is not ready to play a full match, so the manager must decide whether to start him, and hope to get the job done, or keep him in reserve again.
The striker Mikel Oyarzabal failed to touch the ball in the opening half an hour against Cape Verde. Those behind him enjoyed plenty of possession but did very little with it.
Spain may not be overly concerned with the opening result: but it is the performance which was worrying.
“There was a stir over a draw and in the end many teams have drawn, it means nothing,” Yamal said. “For me, winning the first game 6-0 doesn’t help you at all, then you have to win the knockout rounds.“
Saudi Arabia caused an upset four years ago when they beat the eventual winners Argentina in their opening game,. after frustrating another South American side, they will be buoyed with confidence.
The only time the Saudis advanced past the group stage was in 1994. the last time the US hosted the World Cup.
The anager Georgios Donis is expected to field a mostly unchanged side to the one. earned a valuable point against Uruguay. Reuters
Can Spain lift themselves out of a Cape Verde-induced attacking quagmire? Let’s turn to a piece from the nice people at Reuters.
The phrase “A paediatrician’s appointment cost me Portugal v Congo” has surely never been written in the English language before. so we can probably all just go home now.
Yesterday, meanwhile, we were talking about people mad committed enough to try and watch every World Cup game.
On that note Sid emailed this:
“My nipper was born just before the tournament started and we live in Brazil. So being on paternity leave with a convenient time zone means. I’ve made a great crack of it so far! A paediatrician’s appointment cost me Portugal v Congo yesterday. I fell asleep during a hydration break of Sweden v Tunisia, meaning I only saw one of the goals. But other than that, I’m 22 from 24. [ Correct at the time of writing yesterday.]
“Having the whole family and even the dog on the sofa for Iran v New Zealand was a great memory. Though with the baby becoming more aware of his surroundings, my ratio looks set to drop!”
“ Am I the only one who is annoyed that kick off times vary from day to day?” emails John.
I mean, the overwhelming chances are, no – you are not.
“Usually World Cup kickoff times are the same from day to day but this year they are changing,” adds John. “I’m in the States so it’s great for me. it’s also a pain that games begin at midday, 1pm or 3pm on the Eastern Coast depending on the day. Must be even weirder back home?”
Thanks Dominic. Hello everyone. What’s the vibe at the World Cup today? Let’s take a look. Feel free to Mail us.
Right, that’s the end of my stint and Luke McLaughlin is in the chair. Enjoy, Luke.
Lots of Scotland chat, both fun and serious, in the comments:
Dunno why the Scots are fussing about Brazil and Morocco?
It's 28 years since Brazil or Morocco beat Scotland in a competitive fixture.
Who else can boast a record like that especially against Brazil?
Scotland will need to defend for their lives tonight. I'd go a 4-5-1 though and try get into their midfield. If we can hit them on the breaks, we have the players who can punish them. I'm looking at you McSauce and McGinn.
You cannot really argue with Marsch’s hubris after that 6-0 victory. which virtually assures Canada of a place in the knockout rounds:
“To create an identity for what Canadian soccer could be, you can say. do all the right things, but you need moments like today, where everybody remembers what happened,” Marsch said after the victory, the joint-largest by any World Cup host.
“No Canadian will forget this day. There’ll be 40 million people that said they were here. It’s an incredibly seminal moment for everyone to understand that there’s talent in this country. that there’s mentality, desire, a lot of things that make this country special, even though it’s a hockey country. I’m very proud that we’ve accomplished a moment everybody can remember.”
Despite Canada’s demolition job of Qatar, it seems the jury is still out on maanager Jesse Marsch. Hmmm.
The Portugal squad are shutting out criticism of the team. captain Cristiano Ronaldo following an underwhelming draw in their World Cup opener against Democratic Republic of Congo, defender Rúben Dias has said.
Congo. playing in their first World Cup for 52 years, frustrated Portugal in a 1-1 draw that left the European side with just one shot on target despite completing 740 passes, prompting a barrage of criticism.
Ronaldo. in particular, found himself in the firing line as the 41-year-old’s goal drought at major tournaments extended to 10 games stretching back to the 2022 World Cup, despite being Portugal’s all-time top scorer.
“The criticism is not significant for us, it’s noise and part of the competition.. It’s all noise,” Dias told reporters at Portugal’s training camp. “It always happens if you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism.
“Cristiano. of course, is used to dealing with the media pressure we usually face in the club, the national team, world tournaments, European competitions. In this sort of competition, it will never be perfect.. this is a competition you can win only if you play well game after game.”
An email from John Brennan on probably the second most unpopular aspect of this World Cup (after hydration breaks. of course)… kickoff times!
double quotation mark Am I the only one who is annoyed that kickoff times vary from day to day? Usually World Cup kickoff times are the same from day to day but this year they are changing. I’m in the States so it’s great for me. it’s also a pain that games begin at midday, 1pm or 3pm on the Eastern Coast depending on the day. Must be even weirder back home?
It’s definitely strange, John,. then this is a World Cup being held across three very big nations, so timezones will vary.
Some interesting thoughts below the line re: the John Stones v Marc Guéhi debate at centre-back. Why not have both, Mr Tuchel?
All Manchester City fans know John Stones is a much better CB than Guehi.
Stones has not been played because injury earlier in season pissed of Guardiola. He has been fit to play and frankly should have been playing ahead.
There is a reason we got to FA Cup final (Stones). did not win PL or progress in CL (no Stones)
Tuchel knows this and Stones will rightly play. He needed some matches - the next games will be more match ready.
Time for a shameless self-plug. I wrote today’s Football Daily newsletter.
Please do sign up to get it slammed straight into your important inbox on every week day. or simply read via the link below. Your choice.
Harry Kane ranked the Oasis-themed England singalong with fans after their 4-2 victory over Croatia as one of his favourite World Cup memories.
Kane scored twice as the Three Lions ran out comfortable winners in their opening group game. after which the England players were serenaded – some even joining in – with a rendition of Wonderwall inside the Dallas Stadium.
“That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt, especially at a major tournament,” he said.
“I think they see how much it means to us,” Kane said on the England fans. We have that connection right now,. that moment, singing Wonderwall in the stadium — everyone knew the words — was really special.
“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.“
Some things I learned from today’s Guardian sports quiz: I know nothing about horse racing; basically all the boots at this World Cup are pink – if you hadn’t noticed already –. Lionel Messi just loves breaking records that Cristiano Ronaldo initially set.
algorithm has just thrown up this gem from the BBC’s World Cup studio at Brazil 2014.
Forgive me, some dark south Manchester clouds are gathering (yes, really) and I need to fetch the washing inside. My email inbox is still open to discuss all things Scotland v Morocco.
Turkey’s interior ministry has told governors not to permit the installation of giant public screens for the national team’s World Cup match against Paraguay, citing the need to minimise noise. traffic disruption during the country’s university entrance examinations.
Local authorities had previously planned to broadcast Turkey’s Group D match against Paraguay on Saturday (which kicks off at 6am TST – Turkish time) on large outdoor screens in a number of cities.
The ministry directive. issued ahead of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) due this weekend, has prompted local municipalities to cancel giant-screen broadcasts.
If you live in one of the 16 World Cup host cities in Mexico, Canada. the USA we would be delighted to hear from you …
England: I’m seeing a fair bit of selection chat after that opening win over Croatia, with much of the debate surrounding Marcus Rashford. Marc Guéhi and whether they should be starters under Thomas Tuchel. Presumably the England boss will continue to manage Bukayo Saka’s game-time over the group stage games. plus Noni Madueke did well so he probably deserves to stay in.
Rashford was able to have much more impact than Anthony Gordon in a shorter space of time on Wednesday. so he seems a shoo-in to come into the lineup for the Ghana game this coming Tuesday. Guéhi? Well it seems Tuchel is pretty set on a centre-back pairing of Ezri Konsa. John Stones, not that either was a particular shning light against Croatia. It’s odd, given Guéhi is/was way ahead of Stones in the Manchester City pecking order. The defence is a bigger worry than the atack for the Three Lions right now.
Tell you what, there’s no shortage of live sport being covered on the website right now. All the below, plus World Cup live blogs aplenty to come later.
Former Senegal striker Demba Ba has been named as the new sporting director of French Ligue 1 club Le Havre.
The 41-year-old, whose playing career included stints in the Premier League with West Ham, Newcastle. Chelsea, arrives from Ligue 2 side Dunkerque where he served for the past three years as deputy president.
He succeeds Mathieu Bodmer. who walked out of the club on the eve of the final matchday of the just-completed season with Le Havre finishing 14th. Bodmer has moved to third division side Caen, which is owned by France captain Kylian Mbappé.
A couple of emails from Scotland fans have landed in my inbox, as per request.
“I don’t think the narrowness of the Haiti win makes any odds. It would always have been a suicidal policy to hope to get through on three points and. dare I say, a team that aims that low doesn’t really deserve to go through (Portugal 2016). We always needed another point. A tough call, but not impossible. Morocco are very reliant on speed. They have a number of fine sprinters. are at their most dangerous when using that pace to attack from deep. We have to stop them doing that – sit deep. two holding midfielders, McTominay ready to slip back into the centre of a five-man defence when necessary, with Gannon-Doak as the escape route to barely deserved counter-attack glory. Would be nice.” Craig Ward
“Scotland sneak a win; Haiti hold Brazil to a draw. Scotland win the group before a ball’s kicked in the Brazil game. Easy.” Derek
Here’s some more info from that article Will shared about two World Cup being played in ‘severe heat’. according to experts:
double quotation mark Saudi Arabia’s game against Uruguay in Miami had the most severe heat conditions in the analysis of the first 24 matches of the World Cup, ie each team’s first game, in the tournament being held across the US, Mexico. Canada. The second most severe heat conditions of the first 24 matches in stadiums without AC were in Sweden v Tunisia in Monterrey.
These games, despite being evening kick-offs, were played amid wet-bulb temperatures of 28C (82F) or above, according to temperature. humidity data for the place and time of the games.
Scotland fans in Boston = in good spirits / bringing the vibes / making friends. Delete as appropriate, or keep all three.
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