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In short
The episode of Guardian Football Weekly (World Cup Daily) covers Group B’s Canada 6-0 Qatar rout, Group A’s Mexico 1-0 South Korea, plus Switzerland’s 4-1 win over Bosnia, Colombia’s 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan, and previews for Scotland–Morocco and other matches. Canada’s Jesse Marsh is praised for selecting a front line that delivered: Jonathan David hat-trick (first CONCACAF player hat-trick in almost a century) and a standout performance despite Ishmael Kone’s broken leg from a tackle by Asim Madibo. Notable claims include Canada’s host momentum and a tense Lopetegui–Marsh exchange after a free-kick/penalty sequence. Switzerland’s win is framed around 20-year-old midfielder Zeki Amdouni? (Manzambi) Manzambi, who scored twice and triggered a red card; Granit Xhaka’s earlier criticism is discussed. Mexico’s Luis Romo scores after South Korea’s late push; a disputed goalkeeper “mistake” is debated.
Guests
Barry Glendening, Ben Fisher, and Nikki Bandini (journalists/commentators on football).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOCanada's Historic Win
1:56 to 3:02
Discussion on Canada's 6-0 victory over Qatar and its significance.
“Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly.”
Match Analysis
3:02 to 4:19
Analyzing the match performance and key moments, including player injuries.
“Do you want to skip straight to part three?”
Jonathan David's Hat-Trick
4:19 to 7:18
Exploring Jonathan David's performance and his crucial goals in the match.
Impact of Ishmael Kone's Injury
7:18 to 9:06
Discussing the implications of Ishmael Kone's injury for Canada.
“They were all like brilliant centre-forward finishes, I thought.”
Group B Dynamics
9:06 to 14:00
Reviewing the implications for Group B following Canada's win and the upcoming matches.
“By the end, Baz, that game is faintly ridiculous, isn't it?”
Tensions in the Team Dynamics
14:00 to 15:53
Discussion on the team dynamics and potential tensions affecting performance.
“It does feel like a tension there, almost a little power struggle happening, which perhaps you can leverage that and make it a good thing.”
Mexico's Narrow Victory over South Korea
15:58 to 21:13
Analysis of Mexico's performance in their match against South Korea.
“we'll do group a featuring mexico south korea czechia and south africa Hi, this is Becca Moore for the girls podcast.”
Colombia vs. Uzbekistan: Game Highlights
21:13 to 26:31
A recap of the Colombia vs. Uzbekistan match, including key moments.
“kick off the line by Alvarez as well right early in the game which was offside anyway but it was brilliant overhead kick off the line still.”
Closing Thoughts and Future Matches
26:31 to 28:01
Final reflections on the day's matches and a look ahead to upcoming games.
“But Luis Diaz scored in this game as well.”
Celebrating Great Goals
28:01 to 28:20
Discussion about standout goals in the tournament.
Show all 17 chapters
Closing Thoughts and Future Matches
28:20 to 28:30
Final reflections on the day's matches and a look ahead to upcoming games.
Closing Thoughts and Future Matches
28:32 to 29:04
Final reflections on the day's matches and a look ahead to upcoming games.
“summer is here which means the group chats are already spiraling with festival and summer plans And we all know the worst part of being the one who fronts the money for the passes or housing.”
Previewing Tomorrow's Matches
29:44 to 31:29
Analyzing the key upcoming matches and team strategies.
“It may not if they get a draw tomorrow then doesn't matter how many goals they scored against Haiti.”
Tactical Insights for Scotland vs Morocco
31:30 to 35:02
Discussing Scotland's tactics and key player performances.
“They have got a lot of options on the flanks and they've got fullbacks who can really kick on, most obviously Hakimi, but I mean Masraoui and Canousa on the other side are also just as much going to get at you.”
England's Performance and Fan Reactions
35:03 to 37:58
Reflecting on England's recent game and fan reactions through videos.
“Heimer Halgrimson is the manager of the Republic of Ireland.”
Barry's Encounter with a Hollywood Star
37:59 to 42:00
Barry shares a humorous story about meeting a reality TV star.
“And then these 10 blue shirts jumping up.”
Lighthearted Banter About the Production Team
42:00 to 42:42
The hosts share amusing anecdotes about their production team's performance in a pickup game.
“As long as you don't, as long as you know when you are meeting Instagrammers, you're representing me.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This is The Guardian.
0:30Max Rushden:And 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.
0:52Nicky Bandini:Hi, PodFans. Max here. Barry's here, too. Hello. Football Weekly is supported by Hotels.com. Now, Barry, question, when you're booking a hotel, do you use Hotels.com? Actually, you're probably just going to say, I don't know. Producer Joel does it. I don't know. Producer Joel does it. Well, I think you should give it a try for yourself. Obviously, it's a massive summer of soccer and loads of our listeners will be travelling to watch the tournament and needing to book somewhere great to stay. So it's good to know that when you're a Hotels.com member, you can save up to 20 % on hundreds of thousands of hotels.
1:19Nicky Bandini:Plus, you earn rewards on every stay. So each trip you take helps pay for your future trips. Just use those rewards like cash. and importantly, there are never any blackout dates. What's a blackout date? Well, it's a date where you can't use travel rewards. Frustratingly, usually on or around major holidays or other peak travel periods. But there are no blackout dates with Hotels.com rewards. Superb. Yes, so next time you're booking somewhere to stay, just book it at Hotels.com. Hotels.com, it's all in the name.
1:56Nicky Bandini:Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Canada bat a nine-man Qatar 6-0, a hat-trick for Jonathan David, the first for a CONCACAF player in almost a century. A massive result for the dancing Jesse Marsh and a brilliant chance to top the group and stay in Canada for the start of the knockouts. Before that, the Swiss must have thought they were in pole position to win the group after putting four past the Bosnians in a game that didn't happen until the last quarter. In Group A, Mexico-South Korea looked the best game on paper. A big mistake by the Korean keeper gave Mexico the points.
2:24Nicky Bandini:It got pretty tense in the end. The Koreans really going for it but couldn't find a way through. And hosts doing well and staying home makes for a good tournament, so perhaps a good day for the neutrals. Also in this group, South Africa equalised late on against Czechia with one of those handballs. There's Colombia's win over Uzbekistan from last night. We'll look ahead to tomorrow, Scotland-Morocco, and the bizarre needle match between the US and the Socceroos. Two cool moving cameramen. I'll try and tell everyone the correct date for the London live show, and we've had more correspondence on one subject than anything else so far.
2:52Nicky Bandini:Stop laughing, Barry. We'll save that for part three. As always, we'll answer your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly.
3:01Nicky Bandini:On the panel today, with me in LA, Barry Glendening, welcome. Do you want to skip straight to part three? I think most listeners do, but no, I don't. Also here with us, Ben Fisher, hello. Hey, Max. And through the night, she's been awake watching all these games. Thank you for that. Nikki Bandini, hello. Hey, Max. Let's start then in Group B, with Canada's 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver. first time Canada scored more than once in a game at the World Cup equal biggest margin of victory by a host in a World Cup ever and it was as comprehensive as it gets
3:33Max Rushden:yep it was a brilliant performance by Canada obviously you can only beat what's in front of you and what was in front of them was a team of 11 players who were playing really badly that was then reduced to 10 players and then reduced to 9 and they got progressively worse the win for Canada featuring hat trick by Jonathan David and hats off to him will obviously be overshadowed by the broken leg suffered by Ishmael Kone. Quite gruesome looking tackle by Asim Madibo who he was genuinely contrite afterwards and I believe he went into the dressing room after the game and apologised profusely. But that's Ishmael Kone's World Cup over obviously.
4:21Max Rushden:He's a key player for Canada a really really emphatic win by them hat trick a goal scored by Nathan Saliba Kyle Lahren scored one as well and then a comedy on goal to just add Qatar as well but a dismal performance by Qatar but Canada were super impressive yeah makes you wonder how Qatar
4:42Nicky Bandini:drew with Switzerland in their opening game as we mentioned Ben like in the intro like it it's good for a tournament if the hosts do well right and so if Canada you know they could well win this group it's not done yet but if they do that then they stay at home and these things are great for the momentum of the tournament yeah this was massive for them obviously they got underway in Toronto a bit of lingering frustration it you know only a draw in that game but lots of positive signs in this for Jesse Marsh in Canada just feels yeah just huge I mean as you say now that the team camp is in Vancouver this game obviously in Vancouver the next game is there and like there's a lot of home comforts to be had and for Marsh in terms of the selection it feels like he just got that so right he put Laren this time up front with Jonathan David Laren didn't start the the Bosnia game was not happy about it but obviously came on it and got the goal and in that game Jonathan David was brought off on the hour and people were like oh what's he doing kind of thing but you know this was quite the riposte so yeah just perfect um day and result for canada and jonathan david interesting figure nicky you know currently at juve didn't have a brilliant season i guess but you know that there was a time at leal when he was linked to every club everywhere basically yeah he's clearly in the absence of alphonso davis who has been missing for them a lot in the last couple of years he's he's kind of the next star up if there's going to be a star in this team although i saw that in the build-up to this game there was even i don't know it felt like maybe this was deliberately provocative headlines, but there was, I think it was one soccer in Canada was pushing this suggestion of, oh, should Jonathan David even be starting after that first game?
6:19Is he still the guy who should be starting up front? And I don't think it was ever a really, very realistic suggestion that he wouldn't, but certainly good for him to get his tournament up and running. And yeah, he was certainly hot and cold. Juventus more cold than hot. There was a moment after Spalletti came in where he had this absolutely horrendous penalty that he got roasted for in the press, but I think a little bit excessively, even though it wasn't a good penalty. And then after that, Spoletti stuck by him and he got on a bit of a run for a while and you thought, is this going to be the moment when we see the best of him?
6:54And then he faded out again. So we haven't seen the best of him this year in Italy. And I do think he's got his flaws and perhaps not always finishing as well as he can do is one of them. But this was a great game for him, even if he even got his hat-trick at the end of it as well. So, yeah, very, very good for him. Very good for Canada to have him up and running.
7:17Nicky Bandini:And that's about it. He took his goals. They were all like brilliant centre-forward finishes, I thought.
7:22Max Rushden:Yeah, the first was a nice volley when the ball sat up for him well. The second was just a tapping, really, after Kyle Lahren had a header parried his way by the keeper. And the third, I think, was the most impressive. I think Nathan Saliba was shooting.
7:40Nicky Bandini:Oh, definitely, yeah.
7:41Max Rushden:All fizzing towards him. His first touch was brilliant, took him away from the defender and then turned and shot home. So brilliant first touch, brilliant finish. Three, well, two really good goals. The second I could have scored, I think.
7:54Nicky Bandini:Would you have been in the position is the question.
7:57Max Rushden:We've established I do have the fitness now, Max, or I had until a couple of months ago. That's true. Saliba obviously holds up the number eight shirt of Kona as well when they celebrated, which was nice. We will be interested in what they do on that going forward because spending a bit of time with Canada before that first game, they definitely felt Kone was the one who could elevate them, push them through. So that will be one to address. He's coming off a great season at Sassuolo. He's scored six goals from midfield for them and I think there's been a feeling in Italy that this was kind of his moment to launch to a big move this World Cup.
8:32There's been talk about some of the big clubs in Italy coming in for him and not insignificant amounts of money being thrown around, 30 million euro type fees for him, which I don't know if some of those, again, is paper talk. But listen, it's never, it doesn't matter what stage of the career you're in, it's never going to be a nice moment to suffer a horrendous leg break like that. And it was really encouraging to see him sitting up and giving the thumbs up to the crowd as he went off. But it does feel like it's an especially awful moment for a young footballer who was on the verge of, I suppose, having that, I don't know, explosion in his career perhaps.
9:06Nicky Bandini:By the end, Baz, that game is faintly ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, there was one point where the Canada keeper was sort of advancing into the opposition half and the fans were singing shoot and you just think, you know, even if it's a World Cup, Qatar just wanted to get off that pitch.
9:18Max Rushden:Yeah, they wanted to get off the pitch and Canada wanted to score as many goals as possible. There was no let up. So, I'd imagine Qatar were slightly fed up about that. Interestingly, actually, Nathan Saliba scored from a free kick and the Qatar wall was a man short, so he was able to bend the ball around the outside. But that was the first free kick that's been scored in this World Cup. And what, it was about 20 games in? I think that's the first one. And after the game, Julian Lopetegui and Jesse Marsh were having a conversation. Lopetegui was speaking very earnestly into Marsh's ear and it looked like they were having a very amicable discussion and then Marsh just turned away from Lopathegan, flung his hands up in the air and sort of stormed off.
10:11Max Rushden:So I'd be interested to know what was said there.
10:13Nicky Bandini:And also the Jesse Marsh sort of, I think it was when they got the free kick, they got the penalty that then became a free kick. He did a sort of odd, and I'm in danger of recreating things after I recreated what the VAR did by mistake the other day. But yes, I don't know what dance it was, but I look like an even more middle-aged man than Jesse Marsh when I'm trying to recreate it. Yes, Ben? No, Jesse Marsh I just find kind of semi-fascinating. Obviously, we know he's American. He's in charge of Canada. There's a sense that he feels pretty hacked off that he didn't get considered or was overlooked for the USA gig.
10:48And it just feels like he has got the Canadians in the palm of his hand, really. I mean, before this World Cup, they'd lost all six previous World Cup games. Obviously, they got four points from two. Even his comments on either of that first somewhere he's you know sort of made a dig saying that the canadians sing the anthem with real gusto when he was with the u.s set up you know it wasn't always that way we had to beg them to sing it he he's scoring lots of points for the canadians and you know they're uh they're going pretty
11:12Nicky Bandini:swimmingly so it's the four bosnian herzka vina one um all goals scored by substitutes uh and nikki you said you know this is a real game of one quarter and uh um i'll go to bed first because you were there what did you make of this yeah it was slow burner max as you say johan manzambi the 20-year-old, I was going to say the 20-year-old midfielder, but afterwards Mirat Yakin, the head coach, was saying, you know, he can play striker, he can play wing, centre mid, he actually even said defence. He was the player who changed the game, scored under three minutes of coming on and, well, scored twice then.
11:46It was his pass to release Briel Mbolo, which triggered the red card for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yeah, Manzambi was the match winner, really. obviously finished 4-1, Granit, Jacka took the penalty, wouldn't let Manzambi take it. You kind of were thinking he's going to let Manzambi take it, get his hat trick potentially. Afterwards, talking to Jacka, he said, no, these are the rules. And like any good captain would, I suppose. But Switzerland needed that and a big, big win for them.
12:15Nicky Bandini:I'm never sure, Ben, how much listeners care about the, you know, the travails of a journalist. But in terms of late rewrites, that was an arse of a game. wasn't it? Well it was a pain because it's a midday kick off locally but because of the time difference it does mean deadlines back home in the UK so yeah a bit of a pain but it was good to see the game come alive and Manzambi was kind of just sort of freestyling over the pitch, kind of yeah very much the architect of everything that was good for Switzerland. Wasn't Xhaka quite critical of him after the first game? Yeah it's interesting and afterwards Barry talking to Gwennett Xhaka he was sort of saying how good was Manzambi and he said yeah he's good when he's got a clear head and he he kind of resisted I suppose the obvious tapping of saying yeah he was brilliant you know what a player he he was keen to kind of balance it out and say yeah he's good when he's on it but in the first game he wasn't and the other key thing to say with Jacko is he was critical of that first performance against Cata obviously a dreadful result by their standards of the draw 26 shots their only goal the Mbolo penalty and in the Swiss media they were saying that that created kind of negativity even suggestions of sort of toxicity and Jack has said no if I'm critical you know it's me I'm the first person to criticize so he was very keen to talk after the game today spoke to almost a dozen outlets I would say I think he had a message to get off his chest.
13:40Nikki? Yeah it's an interesting dynamic isn't it because what he actually said after that that first game was he said if the coach brings players in and you don't have the discipline for certain positions, then it becomes difficult. It was basically having a go at Manzambi in his not quite so many words for freelancing, for not doing what the team required. So that dynamic at the end then of, well, no, the team rules say that I take this penalty and you don't get your hat trick. It does feel like a tension there, almost a little power struggle happening, which perhaps you can leverage that and make it a good thing.
14:12But I do fear with that sort of dynamic at a World Cup, these are the things that you all have to live together you all have to get on together in a training camp for this this period of time and it does feel like that's maybe not been resolved or maybe been brought to the fore some more yes we all have to live together barry i bet granite
14:30Nicky Bandini:jacker screws the lid onto the diet coke bottle properly i bet man's angry doesn't just burp in his face and not apologize but you know we'll get to that um look i mean i guess switzerland must have thought oh we've won the group now they've won 4-1 and so the way this is set up now you You know, Canada and Switzerland both on four points. Switzerland playing Canada, of course. So that is a big game.
14:51Max Rushden:Yeah, it is a big game. And Canada will desperately want to win it to stay in Canada. But more interestingly, now Bosnia have to play against and beat Qatar. They probably have enough about them to beat them. But they may need to beat them by a lot.
15:05Nicky Bandini:I mean, they will have a few suspensions. Have they got enough players? I don't know.
15:09Max Rushden:Well, we've now had six red cards in this tournament already, which is one more than the entire last World Cup. That is interesting, isn't it?
15:18Nicky Bandini:What happened in the last World Cup? Just everyone was fine. Everyone just got along. Everyone was nice. They weren't meanies like Granit Xhaka. Anyway, that'll do for part one. We have live shows in September. The 1st of September, we're at Vicar Street in Dublin. The 9th of September, is that correct? I'm just confirming. It is correct. Not the 8th. The 9th of September, we are at the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow. We have been saying the 8th for a number of days. So I don't know. look we win as a team and we lose as a team but you know i haven't a clear what it definitely isn't my fault it's not your fault it's not nicky's fault it's not ben's fault it may be mine uh but yeah the 9th of september at the soho theater in walthamstow go to theguardian.co.uk slash football weekly live and come along and have a nice time and in part two we'll do group a featuring mexico south korea czechia and south africa
16:10Max Rushden:Hi, this is Becca Moore for the girls podcast. All right, a quick shout out to our presenting sponsor Apple Cash. Summer is here, which means the group chats are already spiraling with festival and summer plans. And we all know the worst part of being the one who fronts the money for the passes or housing. That's why this year we're only using Apple Cash. It's a super easy way to settle up because you can do it right in messages. Just tap the plus sign to get started. And 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.
16:41Max Rushden:Set up your Apple Cash today in the Wallet app. Apple Cash services are provided by Green.Bank, member FDIC. Terms apply.
16:58Nicky Bandini:Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. so a huge win for Mexico then in Guadalajara just the one goal in it what did you what did you make of this one Nikki? It was a slow watch I would say at whatever it was by full time 4am local time it certainly took its time to come alive didn't it which is a shame because it was the one of the four games today that I was most looking forward to I think it was something like 0.1xg for each team at half time and even that felt like it might have been being generous And I think the first corner of the game was in second half injury time. So yeah, it was a slow burner.
17:34And I think that perhaps is somewhat what we're going to get out of Mexico at this tournament. I think they are not in a mood to give their opponents anything easily. They're not in a mood to push the boat out and be lavish in the way they played. It's interesting, actually, Luis Romo ends up scoring the goal. he did an interview last week um which some people weren't very impressed about where one of the questions that came up was do you feel a responsibility and obligation to win this game against career and he said well no actually we don't have an obligation to win it and actually what he was trying to say was we just have to go and play our game but i think that was read by some people as look at the lack of ambition in this team look at the lack of of courage to go out and say no we're going to go and win at home and then of course he becomes the hero scoring at the ground where he plays his home games for Chiever.
18:27So funny how that goes around. But it was a very stodgy game at the beginning. The inclusion of Romo was in itself a bit of a message because he is a bit more of a combative, less creative player, was a bit of a surprise inclusion, but again, took his moment brilliantly. And I also think part of it was the way Correa approached it. Correa, I think, clearly had seen in that first game that Eric Lina was really able to do a lot of the pulling the strings from Mexico from the base of midfield. They had a clear plan to get on top of him and not give him the freedom to do that early in the game, which was effective.
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19:02I thought Korea were crowding the midfield, but it just led to a very uneventful first half and even after the goal didn't get that exciting, did it?
19:12Nicky Bandini:No, I mean, it was good from about the 86th minute on, I think, Barry, when South Korea were like, oh, actually, we should go for this. And then they really went for it. and it was quite compelling for that last few minutes in injury tournament.
19:23Max Rushden:I would take exception, Max, with what you said in the intro, and you're not the only person who said it, that Mexico scored on the back of a terrible mistake by the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Sung-ju, because I don't think he made a mistake. He came for the ball, he caught it, and one of his own defenders was in front of him, He couldn't not drop the ball. Do you think? I just think he was unlucky. I don't see how he could have possibly held on to it in the circumstances he found himself in. But anyway, that's by the by. I think South Korea went into this game playing for a draw, and then they went to goal behind.
20:08Max Rushden:And they didn't start throwing the kitchen sink at Mexico until the last 10 minutes or so. And they had three, I would say, presentable chances. One massive chance. All from crosses in the last few minutes, but they couldn't put any of them away.
20:25Nicky Bandini:Yeah, a great say from Raul Rangel, who also, you know, is from there as well, and, you know, that was the key moment, right? Because they win the group now, Mexico, which means they are at home for the last 32 and last 16, if I think I'm right. Which could mean England going there in the last 16. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Obviously, they've got a cult hero, haven't they? Guillermo Ochoa the Mexico goalkeeper who's part of this squad we've seen him a few times the nice sort of camera angles and stuff of him but yeah this was hell of a save well double save and then his own defender Johan Vasquez ends up kind of falling over him it was kind of like a mini ruck on the goal line but yeah quite the crescendo to the game after quite a sluggish start but yeah and then it was the chance right at the end as well even 94th minute you know career still could have scored so It was a great overhead kick off the line by Alvarez as well right early in the game which was offside anyway but it was brilliant overhead kick off the line still.
21:19Nicky Bandini:Yeah, and that was Son, wasn't it? And Nicky, you sort of think, you know, there was a time when taking Hume and Son off for South Korea when you need a goal would be completely unheard of. I'm not sure if the point I'm making but people get older, I suppose, and Sonny gets older. They do. And it would surprise me. I mean, you're chasing a goal, you need that goal and you take off the guy who's still, I think, at least symbolically the talisman up front, isn't he? And perhaps it was in some sense vindicated by the fact they do get that great chance at the end i don't know what you think on that that chance the end the commentators on the bbc were being quite harsh on sure saying that they thought he should have done better but i think he heads it down across goal it gets the awkward bounce up i'm not saying it couldn't be better but i didn't think it was uh didn't think it was a shameful attempt on that header it just didn't quite work out the keep make a good save yeah um i mean the noise was great when mexico scored despite a few empty seats tarik panja writing should not be empty seats at a mexico home game in the world cup this country has gone bananas for its team's games there has to be a way to fill every seat i think we all agree with that i was just gonna say we might come to it but sort of related to that i was talking earlier to somebody and the tickets for the usa australia game some tickets selling for around eight thousand dollars which is insane so yeah i totally agree with the sort of sentiment, but also, what are the ticket prices here?
22:39Max Rushden:Why not 100 %? Can you imagine paying eight grand to watch that?
22:42Nicky Bandini:The first 85 minutes of that game. God.
22:48Nicky Bandini:Yeah, can you dynamically price it down as the game's going on, is the question. Exactly. But at South Korea, look, they should beat South Africa, who did get a draw against Czechia, which isn't really great for either of them. For those watching on YouTube, the scarf has fallen off the table. Hopefully people carry on watching. Hopefully that's not the thing that keeps us with this podcast and not a rival. You can try and put it back on, Barry. That's nice, isn't it? Come on, let's do it properly. Yeah, come on. Okay. God, we are a married couple. Yes, Barry. To me a bit, to you, to me to you.
23:23Nicky Bandini:Could be our catchphrase. Anyway, Czechia won South Africa one. Czechia haven't won either of their two opening games. Is that a surprise to you, Ben? A little bit. I mean, I'd probably thought they might have won this game I have to say I thought the penalty for South Africa to equalise was extremely soft, I remember a couple of years ago I was at a PGMOL camp, referees training camp and it was really interesting, sat with all the referees and they were watching, was it really interesting? No it was, they were dissecting clips and then basically going around the room saying what is that, is that a foul, is it not and the one thing that just sticks in my mind is that if it's soft or if it's perceived to be soft, which it feels like something we say a lot as fans and watchers of it, then it's just a non-starter.
24:09And to me, the fact that you can blast the ball at somebody and it's still handball. It feels like one of those handballs that we saw in the Premier League a little bit a couple of years ago when people were crossing it and just, yeah, I think it's a bit farcical. Like me and Barry were saying,
24:22Nicky Bandini:what's he meant to do? Like there's nothing he can do. It's completely ridiculous.
24:26Max Rushden:And his arms were kind of tucked in as well,
24:28Nicky Bandini:weren't they? Yeah, furious about it. But I suppose, Nick, it does set up the group in quite an interesting way because both Czechia and South Africa go into this final game knowing that if they get a big win, which may be unlikely, South Africa play South Korea and Czechia play Mexico, they can still get through. Yeah, it keeps it alive.
25:15It was a technically brilliant game of football, I thought. And I thought South Africa resorting and not just having a go from a long way out. And one of those when she gets them a penalty and Chechia, yeah, it was a nice goal from Madalek to get things going and a very quick goal. But it just felt like after that, that was the end of their ambition. They were just going to try to lock that down.
25:32Nicky Bandini:Yeah. Shout to the referee, even though we didn't agree with the penalty decision. That's more, I would say, the laws of the game than the ref. Tori Penso, the second woman ever to officiate in men's World Cup match. So well done to her. last night Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and actually Barrio this is quite a fun game of football I thought
25:49Max Rushden:yeah I watched this in a bar with a load of Colombians who had a very jolly evening did you make any friends no I didn't make any friends Max but the Colombians a great bunch of lads I'm going to say and weirdly as soon as the final whistle left they all they all left just pub emptied fine but anyway yeah they They had a good night. It was a hard-fought win for Colombia, to be honest. I thought Uzbekistan gave a pretty good account of themselves. And Colombia didn't put the game beyond them until very late with an excellent goal. Brilliant Kampas header from a brilliant Juan Hernandez cross. But Luis Diaz scored in this game as well.
26:37Max Rushden:Bit lucky the keeper sort of let his weakest shot squirm under his body. And Diaz also provided an assist for Colombia's first. A lovely pass over the top. And Daniel Munoz of Crystal Palace fame helped it along with a good volley. Passed the Uzbekistan goalkeeper. And Uzbekistan scored their first ever World Cup goal. So hats off to them. I believe a pitch side cameraman was also taken out. I think by Abdukadir Kushinov tackled someone and both players went into this pitch side cameraman and he looked like they'd done a number on him. Oh dear. Yeah. So I hope he's okay. But it was a decent game and Colombia were worthy winners but Uzbekistan were alright.
27:32Nicky Bandini:And a shout for the shot of the tournament in the last seconds of this game from Bekras Karimov Ben what a hit it was hell of a hit it was kind of like a FIFA street game breaker wasn't it it just cracked it 35 yards maybe yeah an amazing effort deserved more it deserved to go in I'm very sad I'd say the woodwork is still shaking I think you're probably right the Munoz goal was brilliant wasn't it we've already been treated to some great goals this tournament but that was right up there for me it was kind of the world's best toe poke in terms of the finish world's best toe poke that is a rabbit hole I could definitely go down anyway
28:10Max Rushden:does it still count as a toe poke if it's not on the ground
28:13Nicky Bandini:hmm I suppose it can I suppose it is still a toe isn't it but yeah it was a lovely finish anyway that'll do for part two part three we'll look ahead to tomorrow's games
28:27Max Rushden:hi this is Becca Moore for the girls podcast alright a quick shout out to our presenting sponsor Apple Cash summer is here which means the group chats are already spiraling with festival and summer plans And we all know the worst part of being the one who fronts the money for the passes or housing. That's why this year we're only using Apple Cash. It's a super easy way to settle up because you can do it right in messages. Just tap the plus sign to get started. And 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.
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29:33Max Rushden:Visit textnow.com for terms and conditions.
29:44Nicky Bandini:welcome to part three of the guardian football weekly so tomorrow scotland morocco usa australia brazil haiti turkey paraguay it's a great set of games isn't it we should probably start with scotland barry um because the game against haiti we got some pushback for saying you know they should have won by more because it was a win at the world cup and they haven't done that in a long time and Haiti actually played quite well I thought but they need a point like they need a point from Morocco and Brazil and that is not easy.
30:11Max Rushden:Yeah I kind of thought we would get push back but I stand over my opinion any win at the World Cup is a good win but I think the team they were playing were bad I don't think Scotland played well and I think Scotland on their day on a good day would have won by three or four goals but they didn't and that could come back to bite them. It may not if they get a draw tomorrow then doesn't matter how many goals they scored against Haiti. Whether or not they will get a draw remains to be seen because Morocco need a result as well after their draw with Brazil. Scotland are definitely capable of a lot better than they showed against Haiti so let's hope they showed against Morocco tomorrow.
30:57Nicky Bandini:Yeah and Nicky they need that midfield and they do miss Gilmore but they need McGinn and McTominay especially to really perform yeah McTominay obviously there was that talk of him having a bug right before the tournament so perhaps he'll be in slightly better um condition for this one um but it'll be interesting to see how they approach it right because it was a 4-4-2 against Haiti and will they take out one of Shea Adams or Shankland and pull someone else into that midfield because it does feel like it's going to be all about whether or not they can they can exercise some control there I thought I thought Lewis Ferguson was good against Haiti, but McTominay was a bit less his usual self.
31:33And so how you aim to, I guess, maybe it's too pessimistic to say, but I almost feel like the Scottish plan is going to have to involve a certain amount of how you aim to slow down this Morocco team because Morocco have got so many different ways of attacking you. They have got a lot of options on the flanks and they've got fullbacks who can really kick on, most obviously Hakimi, but I mean Masraoui and Canousa on the other side are also just as much going to get at you. So it feels like they're going to want someone else in that midfield. It feels like you're going to want an extra body in there.
32:03And how are they going to do that? We'll find out.
32:05Nicky Bandini:Yeah, I totally agree. And then the US-Australia, two sides who had absolutely brilliant, almost sort of life-affirming performances, you know, in their first games. And there's a sort of bit of needle now. I mean, mainly because the US have written off the Socceroos. And I saw my mate Craig Foster saying, you know, you don't want to piss off the Aussies, you know, because they don't like that. And I just think it'll be really interesting to see how this game plays out. Yeah, I think it's going to be a corking game. People keep telling me that Seattle, where the game's being played, is probably sort of the US stronghold in terms of football, soccer.
32:41Yeah, and it's going to be interesting. I suppose the big talking point is Christian Pulisic. Will he play? Won't he play? Feels like his every move has been tracked this week, sort of granular details, you know.
32:51Nicky Bandini:There's been a poor reporter at the ground for Fox and she's just basically watching Christian Pulisic pitch beyond where the other players are training on his own, trying to stare at how long the sock is on his calf. Yeah, yeah, I've seen that left calf too many times, Max. Yeah, Mauricio Pochettino kind of non-committal on Pulisic, which makes me think he might play, but equally, I don't think they need to risk him. I think the fact they got that win on the board first time round probably takes the pressure off. Yeah, and maybe he's just injured from advertising Wells Fargo credit cards. too many times.
33:25Nicky Bandini:And Hershey, chocolate bars. And Hershey and everything else. But good on him. Cash in when you can, Christian. So Brazil-Haiti, Baz, any thoughts? I think Brazil will win very comfortably. Okay, thank you. But I would welcome Haiti to surprise me. Yeah, oh, me too. A must win for Turkey after that defeat to Australia. Paraguay were not good against the US, so see how the dark horses can get on. Thomas Tuchel has won a battle with FIFA to get photographers moved away from the bench during the national anthems. He said he couldn't see his team before the win over Croatia. I have to tell you something.
34:00Nicky Bandini:I'm begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team. One of the best things, Nicky, about being here is not having to engage with people furious about whether Thomas Tuchel sings the anthem or not. I just wonder if he was sort of trying to placate them or he doesn't care about anything. So maybe he did just want to see his brave boys. Didn't he say that he isn't going to sing the anthem him until he earns it so it's not about seeing it himself but wanting to I suppose be able to share that moment I understand that as a coach wanting to see your players I don't know if you've seen like the actual images of what it looked like but he does have like a hundred cameras right in his face and I can I can imagine as a coach wanting to have some sort of line of sight to your players in that moment for a game just to I don't know transmit those subtle cues to each other and remind each other of what you've talked about in in in some way i don't know i feel like that is a moment that that's slightly been taken from from the coaches so i think it's i think it's a valid complaint even if of course all these things are blown up into far too much
35:02Max Rushden:discourse because it's a world cup it's also quite claustrophobic having this wall of cameras right up in your grill. And it's just ridiculous. It's another English obsession. It's like the captaincy. Heimer Halgrimson is the manager of the Republic of Ireland. He's Icelandic. I have no idea if he sings the Irish national anthem. I don't care if he sings the national anthem. He probably doesn't because it's quite hard to learn. It's in a different language. It's in Irish. And it's all about shooting Brits and whatnot.
35:39Nicky Bandini:But yeah, no one cares whether he sings. No, I mean, I certainly don't care. I wonder if King Charles cares if he's checking on Thomas Tuchel. How does Thomas Tuchel learn it? By winning football matches or by becoming more English? You know, if he just sort of, you know, I was going to say gets into Fawlty Tower. That's the wrong show to suggest, isn't it? You take my point, don't you? Anyway, what did you think of England, Nicky? What's the vibe? Is there a World Cup fever after that? Which I thought was a great performance against Croatia. Yeah, I thought it was really fun. I don't know if it's also partly a feeling reinforced by the fact that the BBC on the iPlayer, they've got all these reflective, nostalgic shows available to watch that I've been throwing on in the background while doing other things.
36:24So you've got the Dearingland, but there was a look back at the Golden Generation and how all that went wrong in 2006. And there was something when you just contrast, I think it's especially watching that Golden Generation one. you contrast how there were these periods when England had quite good players but somehow you knew that actually watching them at a World Cup was going to be dreadful it was going to be painful you're going to be sitting there for 90 minutes waiting for maybe David Beckham to do something that made it all okay and it was fun to watch an England team go out and score four goals in the first game of the tournament and and look like they had um a good energy about that and enjoy doing it i doesn't mean they're necessarily going to win it but personally i do think they are
37:08Nicky Bandini:in they're in the small group of teams that can win it um the videos of dr congo's fans celebrating are still filling me with joy and there is one where loads of them are in a sports hall some lad in the front row has the notification that they've scored which is normally incredibly annoying uh but this is watching the anticipation of this guy looking at his phone and looking it around going we're gonna this is gonna be a goal and then like a few people start dancing in the background and then they're all it's just absolutely it's so so fun and like there are obviously millions of videos from millions of different that's what the world cup does right but you know kids at school in career or whatever whatever it's great he did one last double take as well before the goal actually was confirmed yeah amazing to see him what was the one uh was it the spain cape verde no sorry what was the goal the other day where there was a pocket of fans That was D.R.
38:00Nicky Bandini:Congorazon. Actually, that was in Lisbon. That was a watch along in Lisbon. And so it is like a sea of red. And then these 10 blue shirts jumping up. We have a lot of correspondence, Barry, on your new friend. Right. Ken's Alpaca writes, new friend for Barry. It's not just England scoring. Cisco Jab says, I stopped listening to my pod just so I could come to YouTube and watch Barry squirm. Sim, watching Barry get uncomfortable about the reference to his new friend is chef's kiss. Nish Kumar got in touch, hey, Nish? Has Barry got a girlfriend? Has he befriended a Hollywood star? Is his girlfriend a Hollywood star?
38:33Nicky Bandini:Has Nicole Kidman rebounded into Barry? Do we need to buy a new hat, Barry? Are there wedding bells on the horizon? No, they're out. Okay.
38:43Max Rushden:Damn it. Basically what happened is I had a conversation with a woman in a bar. This is pretty extraordinary.
38:49Nicky Bandini:So, I mean, that's... That's something. That's something.
38:53Max Rushden:And I think she was quite smitten by my accent. Well, of course. Took selfies. I made the critical error of showing the selfie to the Wicked Witch of the North, Lucy Ward, who decided to roll that grenade in while I was in mid-flow yesterday. So, yeah, I wouldn't go buying a hatchet yet. I did meet a Hollywood star this morning. Yes, you did.
39:20Nicky Bandini:But I didn't realize it at the time. No, they were filming Selling Sunset. Our pool was closed because they were filming Selling Sunset. Mrs. Rushton very excited about this news
39:31Max Rushden:yeah and so you told me that that's what they were filming and I googled it and then realised I'd been in the elevator with the star of the show Christine Quinn Christine Quinn yes earlier this morning she was fumbling around in her purse looking for the key fob to work the buttons on the elevator so I stepped in and then I chivalrous I commented on And she was drinking what looked like a very healthy green smoothie, healthy and unpleasant. So I commented on that. And she said, oh, well, sometimes I blow out and have a pizza or some ice cream. But today I'm keeping it healthy. And then when we got out of the lift, we both turned the same way.
40:15Max Rushden:And it got to the stage where I had to say, look, I'm not following you. I lived this way as well. and then it turned out she's Christine Quinn from Selling Sunset. Do you know what Selling Sunset is?
40:28Nicky Bandini:I believe it's some awful reality show. They sell incredibly expensive houses for like $100 million. I think you would be an amazing addition
40:38Max Rushden:to this program. Well, I mean I looked out the window and they were filming a poolside interview and all I can imagine is I can't think of any reality show that would not be enhanced by me in a pair of speedos running across the courtyard and just top bombing into the pool You don't know Baz she might have been asking her friends was that Barry Glendening from Football Weekly?
41:05Nicky Bandini:She could have been It could be a collab, I'm not quite sure how it works but you never know, everyone is welcome Baz, the production team along with Ben and myself are playing a pick up game of football nine aside we are bringing in Lloyd Griffith as well from a comedian actor and doing a rival podcast at the moment so we'd like some tactical insight or a rousing team talk for you are you going to come? are you going to play? I'm not going to play
41:34Max Rushden:we did pass one of those little electric delivery boxes on wheels or we passed two of them on the way down here both of them stuck behind trees so whoever's waiting for their dinner is coming with those things I hope they're not too hungry but you did suggest that you could recruit one of them just to run up and down could work on the channels like Cristiano
41:58Nicky Bandini:would it be that more useful than you? I don't know
42:00Max Rushden:well I know some of our production team played a pick up game earlier this week and by all accounts disgraced themselves and were completely embarrassed you're representing the pod you're sort of representing me.
42:17Nicky Bandini:Don't make a show, man. Okay. As long as you don't, as long as you know when you are meeting Instagrammers, you're representing me. So, like, guys.
42:25Max Rushden:Well, my new friend is, needless to say, an influencer by trade. Oh, wow.
42:31Nicky Bandini:Okay.
42:31Max Rushden:But I have more followers than she has.
42:34Nicky Bandini:God. Or her. I think that stuck in her crawl. I bet it did. Anyway, but imagine the power couple you could be combined those followers together. Anyway, thank you everybody thank you for today thanks Ben thanks a lot thanks Baz thank you thank you Nikki thanks for staying up all night no worries thanks for having me Football Weekly is produced by Rory Simon and Matt Bentley-Viney our executive producer is Joel Grove we'll be back tomorrow
43:00Nicky Bandini:this is The Guardian