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In short
The episode is a World Cup Daily/Guardian Football Weekly roundup of Group H and Group stage fallout, plus previews for upcoming matches. Cape Verde reach the knockouts for the first time, finishing second behind Spain on three points after three draws; they drew Saudi Arabia 0-0 with “brilliant” end-of-game scenes and will play Argentina. Key claim: Cape Verde’s quality and Saudi Arabia’s lack of attacking intent made the result feel inevitable; notable example: Pico Lopez’s calm defensive control, plus Voizinha’s mum dancing in the stands. Spain top the group by beating Uruguay 1-0, but panelists call Spain’s performance underwhelming and Uruguay frustratingly wasteful (notably Canobio’s late red/anger moment). France top the group with a 4-1 win over Norway; Mbappe assisted Dembele’s hat-trick, though Norway’s reserve side and defensive frailties are criticized. Senegal likely qualify after a 5-0 win over 10-man Iraq. Guests/panel: Barry Glendening (Racing Post), Mark Langdon (Racing Post), and Philippe Auclair (night shift).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOCape Verde's Historic Achievement
0:56 to 2:06
Discussion on Cape Verde's progress to the knockout stage of the World Cup.
“Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly.”
Group H Overview
2:06 to 2:46
Overview of Group H teams and match results, including Spain and Uruguay.
“And on the night shift, Philippe Auclair.”
Cape Verde's Performance Analysis
2:46 to 4:00
In-depth analysis of Cape Verde's performance against Saudi Arabia.
“is probably the greatest day in Cape Verde history.”
Discussion on World Cup Expansion
4:00 to 4:52
Debate on the implications of expanding the World Cup to 48 teams.
“I wasn't surprised by how good they were, because we all know how good they can be now.”
Pico Lopez: The Defensive Star
4:52 to 6:06
Profile of Pico Lopez and his journey to becoming a key player for Cape Verde.
“But every single World Cup, you will remember something about that World Cup.”
Saudi Arabia's Underwhelming Performance
6:06 to 7:54
Critique of Saudi Arabia's lackluster efforts in the tournament.
“And actually, you know, Voisinia's mum celebrating the stand was great, Barry, but we haven't really mentioned Pico Lopez since the tournament began.”
Uruguay's Frustrating Exit
7:54 to 9:08
Analysis of Uruguay's disappointing exit from the World Cup.
“It's always a gamble to sign someone on the back of a good World Cup.”
Spain's Lack of Dominance
9:08 to 10:00
Discussion on Spain's performance against Uruguay and their potential in the tournament.
“Their football is very reactive and there just was never that intent to try to win the game.”
Analyzing Spain's Performance
14:00 to 16:26
Discussion on Spain's struggle to find their rhythm in the tournament.
“well, have they got the gears to go through if they need to or is this kind of just what they are?”
France's Victory Over Norway
18:37 to 22:35
Analysis of France's 4-1 win against Norway and its implications.
“Norway were in second at the start of the day.”
Show all 15 chapters
Norway's Tactical Decisions
22:37 to 28:00
Debate on Norway's choice to field a reserve team against France.
“Because they play again on Tuesday and they must have looked at it and thought, it's either the Ivory Coast they've got or probably Sweden, is it?”
FIFA's Decision on Player Solidarity
28:00 to 31:05
Discussion around FIFA's restrictions on player solidarity and Senegal's impressive win.
“And in this particular instance, we didn't have changed anything and the players just wanted to show their solidarity with their manager.”
World Cup Group Insights and Player Issues
32:03 to 42:01
Examining upcoming matches, player injuries, and tactical decisions for England.
“And we all know the worst part of being the one who fronts the money for the passes or housing.”
Food Conversations and Tacos
42:01 to 44:18
The hosts engage in light-hearted discussions about their recent meals and plans for tacos.
“I think as soon as Max stops asking us questions, we're off to get tacos.”
Technology in Sports Discussion
46:18 to 46:47
Discussion on how technology is impacting the current World Cup and its implications.
“And on the interface, we decode the tech that's rewiring your week and your world.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Philippe Auclair:This is The Guardian.
0:30And the best part is you can spend the money you get right away anywhere Apple Pay is accepted. Every payment is secure and protected by Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode, and your transactions are never shared on a public feed. Set up your Apple Cash today in the Wallet app. Apple Cash services are provided by Green.Bank, member FDIC. Terms apply.
0:56Mark Langdon:Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Cape Verde reached the knockouts in their first ever World Cup. Second in the group, glorious scenes at the end. Voizinha's mum dancing in the stands. Another clean sheet. They almost won it at the end, but it didn't matter. They'll play Argentina now. Messi isn't getting any change out of Pico Lopez. Saudi Arabia needed to go for it, but they were absolute garbage. Spain topped the group, beating a disappointing Uruguay. The players told Bielsa they were going to do it their way, and that way was about as effective as Bielsa's way. Paul Meslero spooning a soft Baena strike, getting hooked, and that was that.
1:26Mark Langdon:before Canobio Uruguay did up right at the end. Three wins from three for France, the current favourites for the whole thing, the big Mbappe-Harland showdown, undermined slightly by Haaland being on the bench. Along with Norway's entire first team, it kind of made sense, but made for quite a tepid affair. Usmane Dembele scored his way into the Golden Boot reckoning, while Jorgen Strand Larsson confirmed that he is very much the third best big man in Norway. Still, there's lots of big men in Norway. Senegal are probably through after a 5-0 win over 10-man Iraq. A couple of great goals in this one.
1:53Mark Langdon:We'll look ahead to tomorrow. Release the handbrake, Thomas. Rhys James is out for England's game with Panama. There's an extreme listener tactic for avoiding vegetables. Your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly. On the panel today, with me in LA, Barry Glendening. Welcome. Hello, Max. From the Racing Post, Mark Langdon. Hello. Hi, Max. And on the night shift, Philippe Auclair. Bonjour, ça va?
2:11Philippe Auclair:Ça va, mon gars. Bonjour, bonsoir. I don't know. Bonsoir.
2:15Mark Langdon:Bonjour, bonsoir, bon nuit. We are recording before Egypt, Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Group G, so we'll cover those on Saturday's pod. Let's begin with Group H. Perhaps not the greatest games of football today, but it's a day where the podcast is better than the football. But we will begin with Cape Verde getting through, Barry. The group finishes Spain on seven points, Cape Verde on three points, three draws. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both out. Cape Verde drew with Saudi Arabia, nil-nil. And the scenes at the end were brilliant.
2:44Max Rushden:Yeah, and it's completely unsurprising because this is probably, well, it is the greatest day in Cape Verde football history. is probably the greatest day in Cape Verde history. And I think they thoroughly deserve their place in the next round. And for them to get to play against Argentina in a World Cup knockout match is just a phenomenal achievement. And on the back of what they've done so far, who's to say they can't put Argentina out? I remain gobsmacked by how good Cape Verde are. They were up against very little in Saudi Arabia today who were hopeless. Saudi Arabia had to win this game. And at no point did they really seem to make much of an effort to try to win it.
3:33Max Rushden:And it looked like they might have had Anthony Alanga-itis in that they didn't quite know they had to win it. Because it was a dismal effort on their part. Cape Verde looked like the team that needed to win, even though they didn't necessarily. And they had the better chances. They dominated in pretty much every regard, especially in the second half after an extremely cagey first half. I wasn't surprised by how good they were, because we all know how good they can be now. But I was genuinely stunned by how bad Saudi Arabia were.
4:11Mark Langdon:Yeah, before we get on to that, I mean, they were awful, awful, Mark. But the moment where their game is finished and all the Cape Verde players were around there, mobile phones, just finding out, just such a great moment. It was, yeah. I don't know which sort of live score app it was, but it was great advertising. Surely the Guardian app is the one they would have been. I'm sure huge in Cape Verde, yeah, it would have been the one that they were. it's a great achievement we've already spoken a lot about the extension to 48 teams and the problems that that causes is it worth the trade off to have this one moment maybe it is, it certainly was a beautiful moment the World Cup always throws up these kind of it's not about every game being brilliant because that just can't happen particularly when there's 104 of them or whatever there is this time around.
5:10But every single World Cup, you will remember something about that World Cup. And I think Cape Verde will be that story for a lot of people. Yeah, and they're good, Philippe, aren't they?
5:21Philippe Auclair:Yes, they are. And actually, I must say that I don't buy into the expansion and the fact that this is the price we're paying in terms of games. We're getting back and having Cape Verde. If you look at the way they qualified for the World Cup, they were in a pretty tough group in Africa and they finished top of that group with four points ahead of Cameroon and before that they'd reached the quarterfinals of the Afghans so I think even they would have stood a good chance because they're actually a decent team which can actually play football and obviously now there's they have the new hero of the World Cup I mean it was extraordinary I don't think that Voysinha in his wildest dreams would have thought that there would be people all around the stadium with posters saying i want your shirt i want your shirt and absolutely absolutely extraordinary absolutely and totally totally merited even if i still feel a bit sick in the stomach for uruguay um who honestly will think back of that game against okay and still wonder what the hell happened how did it did we not win that but they did not and there we go.
6:34Mark Langdon:And actually, you know, Voisinia's mum celebrating the stand was great, Barry, but we haven't really mentioned Pico Lopez since the tournament began. He's such a... Because you talked about him a lot before, I think, or maybe we have. Who knows? I think we have. Who knows? But the way he marshals that defence, he gives me the air of like an under-18s team that's got one 50-year-old centre-back going, I'm in control of all this. He's a really calm, sensible defender.
6:59Max Rushden:Yeah, look, the story of how he came to play for Cape Verde has been well documented by now over and over again. It keeps coming up and no surprise because it's a good story. But he spent his entire career playing in the League of Ireland. He worked part-time in a bank and played for, I think it was Shells, I'm not sure. And then went, Samark Rovers offered him a full-time contract. So he quit his job in the bank and went to play for them full-time. Now a full-time contract with Shamrock Rovers is not good money. You'd probably earn better money playing in League 2 or even non-league football in England.
7:41Mark Langdon:England, you just switched off and on for England. No, sorry, I was just thinking. Sorry, I lost my train of thought.
7:50Max Rushden:So that was a big gamble he took because he almost certainly would have been on better money working in a mid-level job in a bank. so he's one of the stars of this World Cup already unfortunately for him he's of an age where he's probably too old to get a professional contract in England if a championship club wanted to take a punt on him I don't watch Shamrock Rovers anymore I used to go to their games when I lived in Dublin but I've kind of lost interest since I moved abroad and I don't know how good he is on a weekly basis with them but on the evidence of what we've seen in three games of this World Cup, you'd think he could more than hold his own in the Championship, but maybe he wouldn't.
8:35Max Rushden:It's always a gamble to sign someone on the back of a good World Cup. I spoke to him after Kay Ferdé had qualified, and he's a real nice fella, incredibly down to earth. He's become a bit of a celebrity in Ireland, obviously, on the back of this, and God knows what's happening at home in Ireland now. I'd imagine everyone in Ireland is rooting for Cape Verde because of Pico and good luck to him, let's see how he gets on against Leo Messi no pressure
9:06Mark Langdon:West Ham are in the championship so if anyone's going to spend loads of money on random players from the World Cup well it'd be great but I think he's 34 maybe, but anyway he can enjoy this moment, on the walk here we were just talking about how terrible Saudi Arabia were and how they just don't have it in their locker to attack? No, I don't think so. Their football is very reactive and there just was never that intent to try to win the game. Apart from a long throw, it was very rare to see balls come into the box. You do wonder for Saudi Arabia, they were humiliated by Spain in the last game and were lucky to still really be in the competition because I thought they should have been easily beaten by Uruguay as well on the first round of matches.
9:55I just wonder if that Spain game just left some scars on them that made it difficult for them to try to open up. But it was a stinking performance and they're not going to be missed in the rest of this tournament.
10:08Mark Langdon:They're not. Uruguay aren't going to be missed either, really, Philippe. I mean, they are. They lost 1-0 to Spain, but they are agonising. They just should be better than this. They managed, Philippe, to elicit the annoyance that you only get when you're watching your own team play this badly. I just found them so frustrating.
10:26Philippe Auclair:I found them frustrating, but I also found Spain really frustrating tonight. Maybe that was just me. And I think Uruguay were more or less what we expected them to be in that particular game against Spain. They were actually better, I thought, against Spain that most people were expecting. I think people were thinking that they would be, well, basically given the way they played in their first two games against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia that they would be ruled over. That was not the case. The one thing that was most frustrating for me was that they were that close from Spain. But you know this tiny, tiny space that I'm showing there?
11:08Philippe Auclair:It is infinite at the same time. Yeah, absolutely right. Because you knew that there were some really lovely movements from time to time which reminded you of Piazza Chile, for example, sort of really fast into passing. Araujo was good on his wing. There were a few players who actually came out. I thought De La Cruz was actually quite good when he came on. But there was always something missing at the end. It was either the ball, the control was not great, the cross was too long, the shot was, if there was a shot, was well wide of the goal. but mostly it was a lack of control and that showed and that went as well with frustration which grew and grew and grew and in very Uruguayan fashion finished I think if the game had been five minutes longer it would have finished as a, I don't know like trenches would have been dug in the pitch it was brutal some of it was absolutely brutal Canubio, I mean And I had marked his card.
12:19Philippe Auclair:Max, honestly, I thought, I was following him through the game and seeing the fount of anger growing and growing. And his face getting redder and redder. And basically waiting for the moment where he could explode. And he did. And that was not pretty. They're out and you might think good riddance. But on the other hand, I was really underwhelmed by Spain tonight, at least until Ruiz and Daniel Moore came on the pitch. I didn't see in that Spain against a very rugged Uruguay. I didn't see a future winner or a great favorite for the tournament. I thought Lamin-Yamal, despite what the English commentators, every time he touched the ball, they were going, I mean, oh, ooh, ah.
13:12Philippe Auclair:In fact, I thought he was rather poor tonight. Decision-making wasn't good. And I'm quite interested to see how you felt about it because I was really underwhelmed by that performance from Spain more than I was shocked by the quality or lack of quality of the Uruguayan performance. The Spaniards, I think, were a bit of a letdown for me. Mark? Yeah, I think they just did enough. and so they always felt in control and they didn't seem to feel like they were putting the effort in. You wonder if they would have needed to have scored a second goal or a third goal for goal difference reasons, whether you would have seen them kind of up it.
13:54But they were playing very much within themselves. I suppose what the question then is, well, have they got the gears to go through if they need to or is this kind of just what they are? Certainly in the Euros by now, they were looking more devastating. I mean, Jamal was fully fit, had Williams on the other side. And there was like this new Spain that I don't think people were necessarily expecting to see at the Euros. And this almost feels more like a kind of old Spain where there's a lot of possession. It's quite slow. And so they just need to find that sort of dynamic sort of play in the forward areas, which is not there yet.
14:30Maybe that's to be expected with Jamal not at full pace yet and Williams still feeling his way back from injury. but just going back to Uruguay I mean Muslera have made mistakes in every single match that has cost him he's had some great years this is not one of those great years this is not one of those great years but there were clearly problems in the camp you alluded to it at the start you said Valverde had told Bielsa we're not going to play how you want to play reports were that he went into Bielsa before the Spain game and said we can't press against Spain because they'll kill us we're going to play a different way.
15:09I don't know if it's a coincidence, but Valverde was taken off in the second half, having not played particularly well. But he is the star player. And if you need a goal, you would have felt like you'd keep Valverde on. It took 85 minutes for them to have a proper shot on target. Yeah, big disappointment. I agree that Spain need to improve. It's just a case of... I do feel like they've got another gear to go through, but they don't look as good as France, for instance, at the moment.
15:36Mark Langdon:when we get to France in a sec. Just one more on Muslera. It was quite interesting that on the US comms, Rob Green was commentating and at no point referenced knowing what it's like to throw one in for your team and then lose your place at a World Cup. And I really like him as a pundit, actually. I just thought that was a real opportunity for him to explain his lived experience that not many of us have lived.
15:57Max Rushden:Yeah, definitely was. I can only guess, and it's a total guess. Maybe he's forgotten. I doubt it I guess he just didn't want to remind everyone because I'd forgotten until you mentioned it but I suspect he hasn't forgotten No, probably Maybe it's a part of his life he would rather
16:22Mark Langdon:keep locked away I'm sorry for bringing it up Anyway, that'll do for part one Part two will begin with France's win over Norway Hi Podfans, Max here Barry's here too Hello. Global Weekly is supported by Gradient FC. Now, Barry, with the World Cup underway, we know player performance will be under a microscope, from superstars cementing legacies to upstarts vying for big summer transfers. But with 48 teams and up to six matches a day, it's hard to catch every moment, and that is where the Gradient FC app shines. Their player rankings update daily during the World Cup, so you know whose performances are trending up or down on the world stage.
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18:36Mark Langdon:Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So France, three wins from three. They qualify in first place. Norway were in second at the start of the day. We saw the team sheet. We thought they'll probably be second at the end of the day. And Senegal, with a resounding 5-0 win over Iraq, means they'll qualify. I don't know what the percentage charts are. Bracket man? It's very high. We're speaking, obviously, before the Belgian game, but it was very high going into that set of fixtures. OK. What did you make of the France-Norway game then, Philippe?
19:06Philippe Auclair:I thought it was a festival game more than anything else. And I really enjoyed it, as I'm sure we all did. I enjoyed the quality of the football. I enjoyed the goals, which were quite spectacular and magnificent, including the Norwegian goal, which was absolutely gorgeous.
19:23Mark Langdon:Great ballon.
19:23Philippe Auclair:Yeah. Oh, that drop of the shoulder. Don't we like it? But on the other hand, I didn't find myself being really taken by it as I was, let's say, when Germany played Ecuador, where I was jumping around the place. Because there was not this emotional depth to it because we knew it was going to happen. Because Solbaken had taken this decision, which, by the way, is getting him an awful lot of stick in Norway to field a second XI. And I don't know if you noticed it, but at one point, actually, the Norwegian supporters who were in the ground were singing, we want Holland, we want Holland, we want Holland.
20:02Philippe Auclair:And there has been a lot of criticism already in Norway about the type of team that he picked, which, by the way, was not ridiculous. They had their moments. They were even in the second half, a phase of the game where you thought, actually, they're playing rather well and they're creating problems. They did have opportunities. But from the French side, it was more, OK, what would be really great if Ousmane Dembélé, having broken his duck showed the real Dembele and guess what? He did and I think in terms of hat tricks that was a pretty decent once the finishes were absolutely extraordinary and the other very satisfactory thing satisfying thing was the fact that the creator of both his first goals, his first two goals excuse me, it's late was Kylian Mbappe and they were the first assist by Mbappe is pure genius.
20:59Philippe Auclair:Honesty is pure genius. Totally off balance. And the way they mirror each other as well is off balance as well for the second assist. It goes the same way and the finish is in the same corner of the goal. It's not a carbon copy, but it was quite close. So there are loads of things which went very well for a game which psychologically must have been quite difficult for this French team. Maybe we'll talk about that because their manager was not there because of the death of his mother. He had to leave the camp and will only come back later today to the United States, to their base camp. So it was a bit of a strange game in that.
21:35Philippe Auclair:But I find myself quite difficult to be enthused as I would be if it had felt like a genuinely competitive game. There were some beautiful things shown by the French team. There were some beautiful goals. But again, what's new? We know they can play like that, but we still don't know. I'm sorry, I'm repeating myself, but we still don't know, after this third game, how high exactly they can go. Because there were some defensive frailties which were exposed, even by the Norwegians tonight. And I know I'm being really picky here, because you will always, obviously, think of the quality of the goals, the fact it finished 4-1.
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22:20Philippe Auclair:They've had a very impressive group phase, which was not easy on paper, by the way. So we're all happy, but I wouldn't necessarily see in that the kind of signature performance of a team that is bound for the title.
22:36Mark Langdon:What do you make of that criticism then for Norway feeling a reserve side? Because they play again on Tuesday and they must have looked at it and thought, it's either the Ivory Coast they've got or probably Sweden, is it? It is the Ivory Coast. So it seems to make sense to me.
22:52Max Rushden:what they did um i didn't have any problem with it whatsoever i mean i know um erling allen did an interview with katie shanahan who's working for fox uh friend of the show and he said that uh norway this was before this game obviously and he said oh france will probably beat us they'll probably win the tournament so it doesn't really matter what what we do in this game and i think Solbaken has earned the right to do whatever he wants with Norway, how easily they qualified and what they did to Italy. So I am surprised to learn that he's getting stick because... Yeah, I just think the Norwegian fans should trust him that he knows what he's doing.
23:42Max Rushden:Then again, there is, I suppose, an argument to be made that fielding this second-string side, it halts momentum, means they're going into their next game against Ivory Coast on the back of a defeat, but I don't think it matters because, you know, and make no mistake, they were hammered today, they lost 4-1, their reserve keeper, Egil Selvig, was the man of the match for them, he was really good, so it could have been a lot worse, their defence was a shambles, they let Ousmane Dembele basically score the same goal three times to get a first staff hat-trick but yeah I have no problem with what Salbaken did but other opinions are clearly available.
24:25Mark Langdon:Just on Norway they did have that penalty Mark and I don't know what happened to me today I was so irrationally furious with Strand Larsen's attempt to score that penalty maybe I just thought this will make a game of it. Well it would have made a game of it because Norway came out quite fast after half-time. It was a lazy penalty. It was poor. They always look bad, though, when you kind of stroll up to them and miss them in that manner. I would say that Mike Magnon is as good as anybody at saving penalties and he is a very difficult person to beat even if you hit the penalty properly and clearly Strand Larsson didn't do that.
25:08Max Rushden:That penalty was identical to the one he missed for Wolves against Brentford back in, I think it was January, at Molyneux when he was agitating for a move to Palace. Just a lazy, careless penalty and it really turned Wolves fans against him. I think they were already against him, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back. and when he I remember that penalty when he went to take this one and I was thinking he's going to do it again and it was exactly the same Philippe?
25:41Philippe Auclair:Yeah, on the question of why are the Norwegians unhappy you have first of all to think like a Norwegian and
25:51Mark Langdon:everybody focus I'm getting pairing think like a
25:55Philippe Auclair:dance like an Egyptian think like a Norwegian and the one thing is that you have thousands of people who've flown from Norway and paid an awful lot of money specifically for that game.
26:08Mark Langdon:Fair enough, yeah.
26:09Philippe Auclair:And in Norway, it's been seen as very disrespectful towards the fans who will have spent an awful lot of money to actually put on the pitch a team which is not the team they wanted to see. And that's their opinion. I'm not talking about what I feel myself. I'm giving you the feeling that's been shared by my Norwegian friends saying, yeah, that's not great. Because Holland stayed on the bench, so did Odo Yard. And that's not exactly where they had come from. So that's the main reason why they are not happy. That's not because of the sporting side.
26:46Mark Langdon:Sure, I can see that being annoying. When you get the team, you've spent 50 grand, and then you look at the team and you go, who's that? I don't know who that is. at least Oscar Bob they were like Oscar Bob I know who he is you wanted to talk about Didier Deschamps he was great actually he was good you wanted to talk about the French team wanted to wear black armbands to honour Didier Deschamps mother and they weren't allowed to by FIFA yeah
27:07Philippe Auclair:no it's it's quite extraordinary Didier Deschamps lost his his dad four years ago and he's now basically doesn't matter how old you are he's now an orphan and he's probably much closer to his players than most people think, some of his players at least. And they wanted to wear a black armband as a salute to him because he was burying his mum at the time they were playing, right? And Ibrahim Akonate was particularly moved by it and really hugged Didier Deschamps as he was going in. So it was a really very emotional moment. and FIFA decided to prevent them from doing that. And to be honest, I have no idea because FIFA are the kings of performative sympathy.
28:09Philippe Auclair:And in this particular instance, we didn't have changed anything and the players just wanted to show their solidarity with their manager. They'd been hurt. The manager's been hurt in his heart and his flesh and they wanted to be with him. And FIFA decided, no, you can't do that. Did they give a reason? It's a pretty poor show. No, they must have given a reason to the French FA. But I can't tell you what this reason is because it hasn't been made public.
28:33Mark Langdon:Yeah, so at the moment, the French Football Federation have said this. FIFA haven't said anything. So we don't know what FIFA will say when they say something. We will let you know. In the other game, Senegal beat Iraq 5-0. They just had to score as many goals as possible. They did. Iraq had a man's heads off pretty early. But, Mark, can we just talk about Pap Gay's second goal? The levels of habit in that finish were just great. Yeah, you normally say ball stayed hit, don't you? Oh, ball stayed ball. Ball stayed ball, and it definitely did stay ball. And it wasn't the only... Well, actually, it did move quite a lot.
29:07Mark Langdon:Did it? I think it wasn't one of those ball stayed ball, but it definitely stayed hit. It did, yeah. Yeah, it did stay hit. And it wasn't the only thumping finish, actually. There was maybe a bit of anger coming out in Senegal that have lost two games where they'll feel like they contributed to the defeat on both of those occasions. And this was much more like it. I know the early red card helped them, but it was nice to hear, after review, wasn't it? I've written that down.
29:34Max Rushden:You've nicked Barron's dad. Sorry about that. I've written it down. Anthony Taylor, our first of the tournament. I'd say all the refs are upset having their thunder stolen by that fellow who sent off Miggie Almiron.
29:53Yeah, back to Senegal. Mendy's injured now in goal. Koulibaly wasn't playing. I presume he was awful in that game in the last time. So, I assume he's been dropped. So, it was like a new Senegal side, really. Ishmael Assar up front and Baye came in for a start. Assuming that they qualify, and as we speak, they're kind of really close and it'd take a lot for it to go wrong for them not to be in it and they could be England's opponents which I think is not the sort of last 32 team you'd want to play because they are dangerous they beat them in a friendly didn't they yeah they did and I think that against France and Norway they showed enough in bits of those games and just made some silly errors so Iraq were there for the taking obviously after the early red card but I think they're a good side Senegal
30:44Mark Langdon:Yeah, and Dye's finish was great as well, wasn't it? The fifth goal. All right. Well, tomorrow's pub, we'll do the Group G that's playing tonight and we'll do tomorrow's games, of course. A few tickets left for the live shows. They're selling well, so thank you. Vicar Street in Dublin on the 1st. Not selling so well that you don't, you shouldn't buy a ticket, just to be clear. But 1st of September, Vicar Street in Dublin, 9th of September, Soho Theatre, Walthamstow. Go to theguardian.co.uk slash footballweeklylive or just guardian.co.uk slash footballweeklylive. But hopefully both of them will get that.
31:15Mark Langdon:You can just come and learn. You can find it. You can find it. If you're not able to find it, we don't want you there. Because you're clearly a thinker. And that'll do for part two. Part three, we'll look into tomorrow's games.
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32:44Mark Langdon:Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. So then, Group L tomorrow, Croatia, Ghana, Panama, England. Rhys James ruled out the next two games. You're in England, Philippe. What's the... Presumably not panicking in your house, but have you sensed a level of panic after that Ghana game, just walking the streets?
33:07No.
33:08Philippe Auclair:No, OK. I did not. no I did not I think no nobody's panicking it's actually a bit strange honestly guys here because I really do not feel the kind of World Cup passion that I felt in the past and or the Euro passion or the Euro passion for by the way for the three lines or for the line SS and I'm still waiting to see the flags coming out and they're not so people are not that bothered to be honest and i think that's by sound silly but you're lucky because you're there in america it's nice and cool and fresh england has basically been baking in an oven for a week and people are going a bit mad yeah i i honestly i zoomed i zoomed my
34:01Mark Langdon:parents and my they had a fan on them and my mom's hair was blowing like a sort of 80s music video This is how hot it is. So you're saying it's too hot for anyone to care about anything. I know that feeling. When it gets above 35, you can't think about anything, can you? Anyway.
34:19Philippe Auclair:No, and I'm proving it to you right now.
34:25Mark Langdon:Tuka's got a bit of criticism, Mark, for not picking enough right-backs. Livermanto went home injured. He brought in Chalabar. Rhys James got this injury. so it would probably be Jed Spence moving over to the right tomorrow. Yeah, I mean, I think you could have predicted this would happen with Rhys James. He's somebody that has had a lot of injuries in the past. The idea of him being able to play seven games in like a month or something like that, I could never see it happening. So he needed another right back. I think he trusts Jed Spence. He rates him highly. I think he's spoken about what Jed Spence can bring to the team and his defensive qualities.
35:07Clearly something has gone on with Trent Alexander-Arnold that means he just wasn't picking him. I find it quite tiresome to keep going over the players that are not there. You brought him up. I would have picked him. You have to trust the manager that if he doesn't feel like somebody is the right fit for a group of players, particularly if they're going to be a sub to start with, then you have to go with that judgment. It's one of the biggest calls that an international manager has to make that sort of how a squad comes together because you see it quite often when players are not playing that they expect to, they cause issues.
35:45So I think you need to have the right kind of substitutes. Having said that, there was a slight unbalance because I think Konza and Chalabar kind of do the same thing. But Tuchel has got Konza, who he's tried at right back as well. So he'll feel like, look, we'll go defensive on the right-hand side and then you can bring Nick O 'Reilly on the left. You missed a no. I did miss the O. But it's such a difficult thing to Nick O 'Reilly. We'd have him. He's such a... He can go forward. So the balance of the team, I think, will still be OK. And it's Panama. You should be able to beat them, really, with whoever's playing right back.
36:29Max Rushden:I mean, if it wasn't the positive right backs he'd picked, it would be something else. There are pages to fill. There are podcasts to record, et cetera, and so on. I see that some English journalists are getting their panties in a bunch because Elliot Anderson is about to sign for Manchester City for some astronomical amount of money and there's talk he will undergo a fitness test in New York and they're saying, oh, he should be focused purely on the World Cup and how dare he go and do a fitness. There's always something that people get annoyed about. The fact of the matter is England should beat Panama comfortably.
37:18Max Rushden:I said the same about their match against Ghana. And I'm going to keep saying it about everyone they play. And hopefully, sooner rather than later, I will be completely wrong and they'll get battered.
37:30Mark Langdon:Croatia-Gala is also quite an interesting game because Croatia have a goal difference of minus one on three points. So they can't really afford to lose. So they have to get something from this game. And you imagine Carlos Quiroz. Well, we don't have to imagine what he's going to do. We know what he's going to do in this game. Group K, Colombia, Portugal, Dio, Congo, Uzbekistan. So Portugal need to win to win the group, Philippe. I was going to ask you a Ronaldo question, but no. That'll be a good game, actually, because Colombia have been quite fun.
38:00Philippe Auclair:Yeah, they've been actually better than I expected because I was a little bit worried after seeing them in the friendlies before the World Cup and I thought, oh my goodness, they're not quite as hot as people, as caliente as people would like them to be. Yeah, I still don't know what you think of Portugal. I think perhaps that this, because we have to talk about Ronaldo, because if we don't talk about Ronaldo, we haven't ticked the box, then this is what you've got to do. And I think maybe the fact he scored two goals is the worst thing that could possibly happen to Portugal, because he's going to have to play him now.
38:37Max Rushden:He would have played anyway.
38:39Philippe Auclair:Well, do you think that was one point at which he would have considered Perhaps, you know, it would be, you know, but I think now it's done. Yeah, I mean, I'm a little bit lost with the permutations, guys. Well, I have a man for you. Who is Portugal?
38:56Mark Langdon:What's your question? What do you want to ask? Just ask Mark.
38:58Philippe Auclair:Who is Portugal playing? Whoever wins this group, there's a definite advantage to winning the group because you'll likely play Croatia or Ghana in the last 32. but then if you look one round beyond that, the last 16 would be against Switzerland or a third place team. And if you come second in that Colombia or Portugal group, you play, like I say, Croatia or Ghana first. But then in the last 16, it would be Spain. So you really want to avoid Spain at all costs.
39:31Mark Langdon:Got it. OK, DL Congo can go through with a win over Uzbekistan. and then Group J, Algeria-Austria could be one of those handshake draws.
39:38Max Rushden:Well, there's talk that it could be even worse than a handshake draw because it could be beneficial to both teams to actually lose.
39:48Mark Langdon:If you come second in that group... Yeah, you end up playing Spain, which is not... I know Philippe was questioning their ability and the way they've played so far, but you definitely want to avoid Spain in the last 32. so I mean it's Ralph Riannick planning a defeat this is great fun isn't it I think it'd be quite fun to see it'd be better than some of the games
40:14Philippe Auclair:should I keep an eye on the betting markets and on prediction markets for this particular one you think yes absolutely questions will be asked if an Austrian smashes one into his own goal Arnortovich gets a hat-trick
40:28Mark Langdon:of own goals that's what we want anyway nice email to finish on from Paul says High Football Weekly I was married to someone for 20 years. They were literally obsessed with vegetables. Every single meal had to have at least four vegetables, regardless of whether that meal was actually supposed to contain vegetables at all. Carrots, spinach, broccoli, and even the dreaded aubergine. They all made daily appearances on whatever plate was in front of me. I was even mandated to include said vegetables when I was the one cooking. Failure to include at least three species of veg was met with a flaming that certainly focused my attention.
41:00Mark Langdon:I consumed said vegetables and even enjoyed some, but never felt that their presence was essential. Fast forward to today where after, let's say, a change in relationship status, I'm now living on my own. This has many advantages, not least the ability to actually eat what I want. I've not found the need to purchase any vegetables myself, and I don't feel their lack of presence to be a health hazard at all. Whether this could be the first stage of a more extensive Langdonification process, I don't know. I guess time will tell. Regards, Paul. Thank you, Paul. is everything okay at home Mark? For now well actually Mrs Langdon was absolutely furious she came home from work and opened the food waste bin to find the bin full of maggots is that your job?
41:49would have been my job I've done a bit of fishing in my time so I would be okay with maggots but she said that and I was in the swimming pool at the time so I didn't tell her it wasn't a FaceTime always FaceTime in the apartment that's the deal I wouldn't encourage everyone to go down this route of no vegetables do what suits you I'm certainly not here to encourage a life of done leading
42:20Mark Langdon:or just a divorce to get away from vegetables but since we last recorded honey nut cheerios for breakfast then I had the orange chicken that was left over as the bridge into my lunch which was which was lobster bisque and some sourdough bread haven't had dinner yet so just you did have a two ton bag of barbecue crisps yeah well they were they're very nice they're difficult to put down those barbecue crisps But, yeah, not had dinner yet. I think as soon as Max stops asking us questions, we're off to get tacos. Yes. Yeah, and that'll be meat-based tacos as well, yeah. Sure. And, Oren, the chicken that you ate, was that the chicken that was delivered to you by accident and you thought a listener had sent you some chicken?
43:11Mark Langdon:I wasn't sure. It's becoming quite chaotic, the food chat. And so I went out of my apartment about half ten this morning and there was a delivery of Panda Express hanging on the door. And it was very confusing because I was adamant I hadn't ordered it. And you're living with producer Joel. And it was, you know, half ten in the morning, something like that. So, I mean, not even I, you know, the animal that I am, would be smashing away Chinese at half ten in the morning. But I thought, well, what I'll do is I'll just take it inside. It must be producer Joel's, put it in the WhatsApp group. He said it wasn't his.
43:51it turns out that the delivery person had delivered it to the right number but the wrong block. Got it. So unfortunately when the security then came to pick up the Chinese I'd left the building. So we're still holding it hostage. The orange chicken. We have stolen it and there is now an orange chicken ready to be eaten at some stage tonight probably after gone in
44:15Mark Langdon:after a few pints. Good stuff alright well look that'll do for today. Thanks everybody Thanks for all the comments we're getting on Instagram, including the absolute masterclass of the side foot pass that I've exhibited on Instagram. Thank you to Ellis James, amongst others, who have enjoyed that one. But that'll do for today. Thank you, Mark. Thank you, Mark. Thanks, Barry. Thank you. You may go to bed, Philippe. Au revoir.
44:37Philippe Auclair:Yeah, au revoir. I'm a bit worried for your diet, though.
44:40Mark Langdon:Mate, you've only just started with these two, frankly. Orange chicken. We don't have time. Orange chicken. Okay. It's a different podcast. Cheers, Billy. Good luck. Football Weekly is produced by Rory Simon and Matt Bentley-Viney, our executive producers of Joel Grove and Danielle Stephens. And we'll be back tomorrow.
45:01Philippe Auclair:This is The Guardian.
45:10Mark Langdon:How are you doing there? This is David from the David McWilliams podcast, the podcast that makes economics as comprehensible as possible. we are going to look at economics through the lens of the World Cup and a special World Cup economic series. We're going to look at countries. We're going to look at players. We're going to look at culture. But we're also going to look at the economies of the countries involved in this World Cup as it unfolds. So this is one for economics fans who happen to be into football. Football fans who happen to be into economics. That's all on the David McWilliams podcast.
45:47Hey, sweetie, your mother showed me this Carvana thing for selling the car. I'm going to give it a try. Wish me luck. Me again. I put in the license plate. It gave me an offer. Unbelievable. Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check.
46:07Mark Langdon:Anyway, Carvana, give it a whirl. Love ya. So good, you'll want to leave a voicemail about it. Sell your car today on... Pick up fees may apply. Every story is a technology story in one way or another. And on the interface, we decode the tech that's rewiring your week and your world. On this week's episode, is AI pushing us towards an infinite work week? And this year's World Cup is the most technologically advanced ever. But is it making the game better or worse? Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.