Canada moves on! Plus Round of 32 Preview

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1:28Germany take on Paraguay and Chris Turner raps with the Dutch ahead of the Netherlands versus Morocco. ESPN FC is next.

1:46Hello everyone, good day and welcome to ESPN FC with myself Alexis Cunas alongside Stevie Nicola and Alejandro Moreno. No, let's get into some World Cup action because a big day awaits. But let's start off with what we saw yesterday. Canada. Oh, Canada indeed advancing to the round of 16 for the first time in their history. A late goal from Stephen Oestakio steeled the deal for the Canadians to get a narrow win over South Africa, just sending Canada fans everywhere into absolute pandemonium and jubilation. Now, it wasn't exactly the prettiest of game, but the Canadians were the first team to book their spot in the round of 16.

2:28But look at who could potentially await them, either the Netherlands or Morocco. We'll talk about that in a little bit. But right now, let's give Canada their flowers, shall we? Ale, like I said, it wasn't the prettiest of games, but they got the job done. So in terms of giving them their flowers, I'll give them a single flower. A little rose.

2:51fact that they were able to advance. The game was not an instant classic. Let me just tell you, as our late friend Paul Mariner used to say, it was a fascinating tactical battle, which is code word for it was boring. It was. Now, Canada certainly in the second half seemed like the more likely team to advance, and it was a good thing. Let me just tell you, Stephen Ostacchio, This is from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you for scoring that goal when you did, because none of us needed to watch 30 more minutes of that match. So in that regard, Canada advanced. They do just enough, just enough to advance.

3:35South Africa just did not offer anything of value, certainly in the attacking half. And so therefore it felt like it was always going to be Canada. It took a little bit longer to do it. They win it, won nothing. They advanced, go Canada. But let's not get crazy. Stevie, your thoughts on it? I would swap places with Canada from Scotland. Oh, of course. Even if it's ugly. In that case, I would too. Don't get us started, Ale. I can't argue with the quality of the game, but at the end of the day, it's really, for teams like Canada or South Africa, it's not about being silky. It's not about being dazzling.

4:09They were not. It's about winning. And yes, I'm with Ale. I thought they said extra time and penalties written all over it. But it was a great strike. And is there a better time to score with, what, a minute and a half to go? Just no time for the opposition to recover. So at the end of the day, Canada's through. They were the better side, I would suggest, just. But they march on to the next round. And who cares how good or how bad it was if you're Canada? Well, one good thing for Canada as well that we did see on the pitch, too, is the return of Alphonso Davies. Ale, he is their talisman. We know who they could face coming up next in either the Netherlands or Morocco.

4:46We'll preview that game in a bit, but is he coming back at the perfect time for them? If he's fully fit, yes. And fully fit Alphonso Davies means that he's got to open it up, meaning he's got to go on full sprints because that's where he can make a difference for Canada. When we think of Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich, he has a defensive presence who will support the attack. With Canada, it's different. It's a guy that will attack that will support defensively. And they look for him to be a difference maker in the attacking half. And in order for him to do that, he's got to be able to open up the legs and stretch them legs and be able to then showcase a change of pace that makes him an elite player when he is running at full speed.

5:26Not many people can keep up with him, but we don't quite know whether he's fully fit and ready to do that just yet. I think it's good for him that he actually got to get on the field and open his legs and get the cobwebs out. Because there's no question, when he came on, it was like a cage animal. He was running around, trying to beat 10, 11, 20. Whoever was in front of him, he was just trying to do everything. He was completely and utterly overdoing it. So hopefully he's got all the cobwebs out and he's ready for this next game and to be the Alphonso Davis that we know. You know, calculated, calm, yes, using his pace, but calm down a little bit.

6:08Calma, calma. All right. Well, I don't know if they can calm down for very long because just have a look at who Canada will be expecting in the round of 16. That's right. The Netherlands or Morocco. Easily the pick of the round of 32. We've talked about how it's an absolute sin that we have to bid farewell to at least one of those teams after tonight's game. Ale, I mean, I'm going to put it simple. Should Canada just celebrate now? Because whether it's Netherlands or Morocco, is it looking like the end of the road? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You started this whole show with, like, give Canada their flowers, all of their flowers.

6:42And then I said, give them a single flower. And I could sense that you were saying, why are you being so negative? They were able to advance. And now you're telling me, yeah, take that flower back. Goodbye. Ciao. See you.

6:56If I'm Canada, I'm looking at potential rivals here. And, of course, it's either Netherlands or Morocco. I'm not quite sure as to who I would prefer. I think there is a sense that if you play against Morocco, you're going to play against a team that has a tendency to getting disorganized. That perhaps the desperation to try to go and score a goal because they feel like they're favorites and they should be advancing, they're going to get disorganized, which then would open up an opportunity for Canada to get on the run, on the counter, Afonso Davies or Jacob Schaffer or whoever may be on the counter.

7:28I don't think you want to play the Netherlands in the sort of level that they are right now, where they're explosive, where they're dynamic, where they're creating chances and they're scoring goals. If this is about picking, if you're Canada, I suppose Morocco, but either one of these teams are going to be a really tough challenge. And tonight's matchup is going to prove that just as much. Stevie, if you're Canada, who are you hoping for? Oh, Morocco. 100%, yeah. I mean, the Dutch have been scoring goals for fun. They've been spreading it around. Morocco, who were in Scotland's group, were anything, but stellar for me.

8:04I thought they struggled. So, yeah, if I'm Canada, I want Morocco. All right, don't forget that the Gavin Jules show drops a new episode today. Make sure to check it out wherever you get your podcasts. Well, after the break, Jermaine is going to join us as we talk about another former world champion in Germany as they get ready to face Paraguay.

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9:54Is that water damage? And who should I even call? That's where Thumbtack comes in. Upload a photo or a voice note, and their AI-powered search helps diagnose the issue and match you with the right top-rated local pro. Instead of guessing or searching for hours, you get clarity and can hire the right pro with confidence. For your next home project, try Thumbtack. They know homes. Hire the right pro today. Welcome back. We're switching our focus to talk about the 2014 World Champions Germany right now. Now here's a look at how they booked their spot into the round of 32. They absolutely thrashed Curaçao 7-1 in their opening game.

10:31Then they were tested by the Ivory Coast but also got the win. However, they were stunned by Ecuador who were desperate to get to the next round as Ecuadorians were able to get the win in that one. Well, Shaka Hislop got to catch up with Jurgen Klopp about his thoughts on how his country is doing. Good. Curaçao, great game. I think it's a great game, Ivory Coast, great mentality and then a tricky game against Ecuador. You play a team that plays really for the World Cup, literally for the World Cup, stay in the World Cup, stuff like that, in an incredible atmosphere. I was there, Ecuadorian fans, oh my God, it was fantastic, I really have to say.

11:11And in football, the last 5 % make all the difference. You go into a game with 95 % motivation, you are motivated, but if you face a team who is 100 % motivated, you have no chance. And that's exactly what happened that day and that's completely normal. On a tricky pitch, I have to say, we went pitch side after the game. I nearly, I needed several when I stepped on it because it was really dry. Rain helps, so let's hope for the final when it's there that it rains. It's pouring down, let me say it like that, that would be really good for the game. Yeah, and that's it, nothing else happened. And now we have a chance against Paraguay, Monday in Boston.

11:53Yeah, and of course we have to play better than we did against Ecuador, but we played well before, so let's see how far we can go. In this moment, probably are not favourites, because France delivers, Spain delivers, other countries deliver already. But in the end, if you want to win, you have to win a specific game. And the last two games are not important. The last game is not important. You have to win the next one. So let's see who can do that.

12:22Jurgen Klopp there saying that Germany have a chance against Paraguay. Many of us would argue they have a bit more than a chance. Someone who will say that is our Jermaine Jones, who is joining us right now from the German House of Soccer in New York. Still a couple of hours to go before it fills up, before Germany play against Paraguay. But JJ, it seems like you've already gotten a beer. You've already gotten a bratwurst in Brotchen. How are you feeling about this game, Germany-Paraguay?

12:50Yeah, first of all, this is die bratwurst. I mean, it's how we say it in German. But it's a little bit Americanized with cheese and a hot dog bun. But yeah, it's good and we have a beer here. The Germans always like to have the nice beer. is a zero. But let's say, talk about the game. I think the country is split in two. There's some people that are really looking and saying, oh, this is a young group that can beat everybody when they play to their potential. But then there's some people that are a little bit confused now, especially after the last game, because they saw, okay, when they play against a team who takes them on, takes the bite, and the players are a little bit more aggressive, that they can struggle and they can lose a game.

13:38So it'll be interesting to see. You already see already now here, it's starting filling up. They had a request for over 2 ,000 people to come here and watch this game today. But at the end, I think it will be around 800 people. But yeah, like me, half German. So I'm definitely cheering for the country to get the win. All right. Well, Ale Moreno knows exactly how frustrating a team Paraguay can be to play against Ale, to watch and to play against. But even though JJ is saying that there have been some criticisms about this Germany, especially after they lost to Paraguaro, and Jürgen Klinsmann said he was really disappointed with what he saw from Germany.

14:17Surely they're going to win this one, Ale. Paraguaro is as frustrating as the hot dog bun on a Bradbury is to German Jones. You can tell. You see how he was hanging on this? Why would people do this? It's Germanican. Yeah, but he was not digging it. I'm going to tell you that. and I suppose that the people are coming to the German house. Soon enough. Soon enough they're going to be there. As for Paraguay, look, they will frustrate. They will put numbers behind the ball. But if you press Paraguay and you match intensity and energy in the midfield and you press higher up the field and you don't give them a chance to get out in transition or to get out from their defensive half, you're going to push Paraguay all the way back and Germany should be able to create opportunities, even against a team that will put so many numbers behind the ball.

15:07The movement of the ball from Germany today has to be much, much quicker than it was against Ecuador. If they do that, they'll be fine. If they put everything in front of Paraguay, then Paraguay will just sit there, make it physical, make it frustrating, and then it's going to get really not only frustrating, but you're going to reach a point of desperation if you're Germany, and that's where Paraguay wants to take you, to the desperation mode. You enter desperation mode, you make mistakes. Germany do not want to get to that point. Oh, I hate being in desperation mode. Don't you, Ali? We're still talking about football.

15:38Still talking about football-ish. All right, let's have a look at how Germany lined up last time against Ecuador in that loss. Now, JJ, I'm coming straight back to you because you know where I'm going with this one. Denis Undav, he has definitely been, we could say, the best player for Germany through the group stages, just coming off of the bench and banging the goals in. Should he start in this one? And has he earned a start, even if we know that Julian Nagelsmann won't? Look, I hear a lot of stuff coming back from Germany. And I know that a lot of people stand behind Dennis Undaff and they want him to start.

16:12They want to see him on the field. He showed it over, not only over the year when he played with Stuttgart. He showed it now here at the World Cup. And he presented the country pretty, pretty good. So, and it's interesting to see now what Julian Nagelsmann will do, especially now in this game because it's a knockout game. And you want to get your best players on the field. And yes, there are different players that can make the difference. But till now, when you watch the National Team playing from Germany, he was the difference. He made him to go win the games. He was the guy who came in and changed the chemistry on the field and created chances and made goals.

16:45And at the end, this is why he's there. A striker is there to score goals. It's not about like you have to have a lot of touches. You have to create a lot of chances. Your job is to score goals and he's doing that perfect and we hope that he can do it today against Paraguay. CV, what would you do if you're Nagelsmann? I don't understand how Undar wouldn't play in this game in particular. You know, all the things Ali's talking about is going to happen. Paraguay are going to be sitting deep, they're going to be pushed back. Regardless, whatever way it turns out, that's what they're going to be. And so you need somebody who is a natural goal scorer to try and break down a team that stick to you.

17:25And all it needs is a goal because if Germany get a goal, this game's over. Paraguay on a counter-attack are as bang average as any other team, including my country, Scotland. So why Undav's not playing? It makes absolutely no sense to me at all. None whatsoever. I don't know how Jermaine feels about it and how the German people feel about it, but something that doesn't help Kai Havertz is body language. You see the slow jog from Kai Havertz all over the field, and it was frustrating when he was at Chelsea. It is frustrating when he's at Arsenal. It's frustrating with the German national team.

18:00That slow jog and doesn't seem like he's really interested in the game or he's really interested in getting in a position where he can finish a chance doesn't feel like he's interested at all. He's as interested as Jermaine is on that hot dog bun. Not very interested at all. And so that body language, it's hard to ignore it. And then when you see Denis Undev come on the field, and he changes the energy of the team in the attacking half, in the final third, you kind of go, yeah, why are we not playing this guy? Which is a question that I think all of us are asking. JJ, is that something you've noticed about Kai Havertz as well?

18:38look Kai Havertz I think he's shown year for year too he's getting titles or he plays in Champions League finals he scores goals it's the same too it's just a different type of player Kai Havertz is somebody who is similar I look at the pictures here right now when they're in the moments they don't score and they're not in the game 100 % it looks maybe a little bit that they're like they don't have an interest they're not in the game But I would not say that. They still have the danger to score goals. But I think right now you just have to look at who is in better form, who can help you right now.

19:14And that's what it is. And I think there's Dennis Undorf before Kai Havertz. All right, JJ, thanks so much for joining us. We're going to let you go and enjoy your German-American hot dog breakfast, whatever it is at the German house of soccer. Thank you, guys. Hallo! Dankeschön, dankeschön. tschüss tschüss all right well the orange army is out as the netherlands will be facing morocco we'll take in on them and chris turner spin fast they're up in the brain like the windmills i got the power grind the grain to make the flower

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21:03Let's have a look at the World Cup bracket right now as we focus on the big game in the round of 32. That is the Netherlands up against Morocco. If you have a look, it would be the co-host Canada that await them in the round of 16. Right, let's talk about this one because as we said, we know that Brazil versus Japan is an enticing one as well. But Stevie, this is it. This is the big one. Well, this is a real test for the Netherlands. This will show us exactly what they're all about. Has all these goals and all this exciting attack in football, is it just the group stage? Which everybody tells you, yes, it's nice to play well, it's nice to score goals, but getting through the group, it's just the beginning.

21:43It's not the be-all and end-all. And they're going up against the Morocco side that we know, although they haven't shown us yet, that they, you know, to be AFCON champions, you've got to have a lot of things. You've got to be able to score goals. You've got to be able to win games. you've got to be able to fight allegedly allegedly allegedly well allegedly but the fact that they got the final they have to have so many tools and we just haven't really seen it so far so I'm expecting the Netherlands to show us exactly what what they've shown us again because Morocco I don't believe have been particularly great so far and if the Dutch can start the game well and get on top then I think the Dutch win but if Morocco somehow turn into the side that were so good in the AFCON, then this is a real test for the Dutch.

22:32I think the Dutch are just favourites, but this is going to be a huge test of what they've got in terms of strength and desire and fight. I think the real challenge for Morocco is sustaining a level of play. The first half against Brazil, really good. The first 10 minutes against Scotland, really good. And then after that, it's like... It's deflating to see them play when you think they're capable of much more. I also don't know if they have enough in the attack. Raheem Diaz will create opportunities for them, and Saibari may score a chance here and there. But as many chances as they do create, they don't put the ball in the back of the net, and they're going to need to do that against the Netherlands.

23:12You have to be far more efficient and effective than what Morocco showed in the group stage if indeed they're going to advance past the Netherlands. I think this is on the Netherlands on establishing themselves on the field very early on to Stevie's point and to make sure that they dictate how this game is going to play and they tell Morocco how this game is going to be played. If you allow this to become a game that loses structure and organization, then Morocco has a real opportunity. Stevie, who are you looking forward to watching in terms of the Netherlands? Because as you pointed out, they've been spreading the goals around.

23:40Brian, Broby has been absolutely brilliant for them. Cody Gatpo has been in on the goals as well. I have been surprised at Broby, to be honest. I see him playing for Sunderland. Sunderland are about power and strength. And he just epitomizes power and strength. But the way that he's finished in this World Cup so far has really surprised me. You know, he's not just brute force and fighting and energy. He actually has some qualities in front of goal that he's shown us. And so, yeah, I'm looking for him to continue to do what he's been doing in this World Cup. And that is, yes, hold the ball up and bring his team in, but continue to score goals.