O Canada! The knockouts begin with a win for Marsch’s men: World Cup Daily

0:00Mark Langdon:This is The Guardian.

0:30Mark Langdon:then fair play to all involved. Algerian fans celebrating Austria's late equaliser because it means they avoid Spain. Meanwhile, Leo Messi comes off the bench and scores a free kick, but who's better, him or Ronaldo? Then we'll look ahead to the rest of the last 32. Some great games. We can really get ahead of ourselves and plot England's route to the final semi-quarters. Delete as appropriate. It's the final Langdon vegetable count. Get your totalisers out, your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly.

0:56Mark Langdon:On the panel today with me in LA, Barry Glendening. Welcome. Hey, Max. from the Racing Post for the last time. Not ever, Mark, just so you know, just for this tournament. Mark Langdon, welcome. Hi, Matt. And out in Houston, preparing to go to space, Jonathan Wilson. Hey, Wilson. How are you doing? Let's start then with Canada's 1-0 win over South Africa. I have been practising Eustachio so many times because he deserves to have his name pronounced correctly. Colin Miller writing, he's the first ever number seven who's represented Portugal to score a goal in a World Cup knockout game. But Barry, what a moment for him and what a moment for Canada.

1:34Max Rushden:Yeah, it was a real thrilling outcome to a game I was certain was going to end in a penalty shootout. I think that's what South Africa set out to play for. Canada were the only team who tried to win this game and they should have won it more comfortably. They missed a couple of brilliant chances in the first half. were denied a penalty, a correct decision to deny it, I think, but it looked 50-50 at first. And just with the game in added time, everyone resigned to another 30 minutes of not the most entertaining fare we've ever seen. Up pops Mr. Stachiau to welly the ball into the bottom corner from just outside the area and win the game for Canada.

2:21Max Rushden:and it prompted a rousing address from Jesse Marrisham. What a good one, I thought. Yeah, it wasn't as... Mighty Ducks as you wanted it to be. Well, I thought it might be a bit more Jake Humphrey, but yeah, it was quite impressive, I suppose, for him. He's clearly very proud of what he's achieved with Canada. He's clearly very proud to be Canada manager and despite being an American, and he gives it socks when they're singing Old Canada before the game. And they thoroughly deserve to win this because, as I said, they were the only team trying to win it.

3:04Mark Langdon:I've been looking up, you know, great moments in Canadian football after this, you know, thinking, where does this sit? Because, you know, you can forget if you're from the UK, right, that, you know, it doesn't really matter how England do, football will still be big, but this could be sort of life-changing for Canada. They won the Olympics in 04, but that only included three teams in a total of four matches and Galt FC based in Cambridge, Ontario finished first and earned Canada an Olympic gold. They won the Gold Cup in 2000. The women won the Olympics in 2012. 04 by the way, 1904 they won Olympic gold.

3:37Mark Langdon:So this for them Mark is just enormous. Absolutely and you're right Max. I think in Europe you do take it for granted that football, soccer isn't kind of the main sport and it'll be the same in Australia. I remember Ange Bostokoglu talking about this exact same thing in terms of, you know, like you become national heroes and Jesse Marsh said basically the same thing afterwards. You know, all of these players or virtually all of them would have had to have left the country to kind of make a name for themselves in terms of football because the standard just isn't there at home. They would have probably been mocked in the playground if they liked football at one stage, given in Canada, hockey would be huge.

4:23Same in the US with all of their major sports. So it would have been a hard slog for those players to have got to where they've got to. In terms of this game, you're right to say it wasn't the classic. I actually think the hydration break really helped Canada because South Africa, I felt, were kind of dangerous in that first 20 minutes. And then Jesse Marsh, he changed the way that Canada played. They stopped pressing South Africa and South Africa wanted Canada to sort of come on to them. And then they tried to play around them. And after that hydration break, they just stood there. And the South African goalkeeper, there were times when he had the ball at his feet for 20 seconds and was just waiting and it never came.

5:03So, you know, football is changing with these kind of breaks and turning it into quarters. and not the first game where the rhythm of the kind of game has completely changed after a manager's had that kind of moment a quarter of the way through a game. How did you see it, Wilson?

5:19Barry Glendenning:I was a little bit disappointed in South Africa. I've been disappointed in them all tournament, really. I saw them in 2023 when they got the semifinals of a couple of nations and they were really good then. They were really good with the ball, playing in possession. Then the semifinal of that tournament, they played a back three for the first time against Nigeria and nothing happened in the game and they lost. And then the opening game of this tournament, they weren't great at the Cup of Nations this year. They looked a bit flimsy and they lost to Cameroon, which was last 16, I think. And it's as if that defeat sort of really spooked them.

5:56Barry Glendenning:So the opening game against Mexico, they played a back three again. I think that's the only time or the first time they played a back three since that game against Nigeria. It was actually in 2024, even though it was the combination of 2023 and it feels like they've been too passive too often i'm not really sure that's their their strength so i mean they got through and hugo bruce deserves great credit for that um but i do wonder if it might have been better serve playing their more

6:25Mark Langdon:natural game heroes are made from this right and players that we know nothing about yes he played for Porto for about four years until he moved to LA and lost his parents recently. Both of them quite quickly together. Played Portugal under 21s until he opted to play for Canada in 2019. Just think what an enormous moment for this guy. From living in Australia, I understand, and you touched on it, Mark, this idea that as far as this team get, like every round that Canada get through or Australia get through. Actually, the US has got through. And Alex and the US guys that have been in this pod have mentioned this.

7:05Mark Langdon:It isn't just for these players. It's actually for anyone involved in this sport in Canada. I think we have our fifth biggest audience in Canada. For those people, everyone involved in grassroots all the way up,

7:14Max Rushden:this will mean so, so much. Oh, it absolutely will. And got next, the Netherlands and Morocco. They'll fancy their chances against either of those sides, even though they'll be underdogs. More and more eyeballs will be on the screen. I mean, my sister is married to a Canadian. She lives in Halifax in Nova Scotia. He's a big hockey man. I don't know if he's in the slightest bit interested in the World Cup, but he is into sport. And if he wasn't watching this game today, I would imagine he will certainly be watching the next one. My experience of going to sports bars in Canada is hockey is the only game in town or the only show in town.

7:56Max Rushden:And if they're not watching hockey, if it's the off season, and then it's generally basketball that's on. One day last year, I asked for them to put on a Women's World Cup match in the bar. They did, but they had no idea what the Women's World Cup was. It took them a long time to find the game I wanted. It was England women were playing someone, I can't remember who. But yeah, no one was in the slightest bit interested in football.

8:22Mark Langdon:But we did see, Mark, and there'll be listeners who were in those fan parks in Vancouver and Toronto, So I don't know, I get quite emotional just seeing those moments when that goal went in. Yeah, they're definitely special, the watch party that we saw in Vancouver. I think as well, the hope will grow because they've reached this stage mainly without Alphonso Davies, their best player. The crowd reaction when he came on, although it was a neutral venue, Los Angeles was mainly full of Canadian supporters. He made a difference just in terms of lifting the team when he came on. Jesse Marsh has been saying throughout the World Cup, he's fit, he's available.

9:00And then we've not seen him. He did the same before this match and he's managed to get 30 minutes into his legs. I think to stand a chance against Netherlands or Morocco, I'd be less confident than Barry of them being able to give them a proper game. I'd say they're big outsiders. He needs to be fit and he needs to play and he needs to be able to impact and affect the game. because, as Jonathan said, South Africa weren't great. I think we have to say that.

9:32Mark Langdon:Even if they weren't great, Wilson, it's them getting to the knockouts. We talk about the impact on Canadian football. And I know it's a bigger tournament, so getting to the last 32 is not the same as getting to the knockouts in a previous World Cup. But do you think, even if they didn't perform brilliantly in this tournament, they will view it as a success when the dust settles? I think they will.

9:52Barry Glendenning:I mean, South African football has gone through a slightly strange process that if they won the cup of nations in 96 they were sort of decade after that they were a pretty dominant side and then they've really faded in the last 20 years and getting to the semi-final in the 2023 cup of nations played in 2024 was a huge thing so you know the first time we've got to the stage first time we've got out of the group that is a big thing i don't think people would say this is as good a side as a side that qualified for world cup in 98 after 20 years 25 years away it clearly is a major thing i just think they might be slightly frustrated that they didn't give it more of a go they've got mamelody sundowns who won the african champions league this year so it's not that they're not used to success it just tends to have come a club level rather than at national level and obviously it is different in an african

10:40Mark Langdon:context to a to a global context you mentioned they play uh canada play netherlands or morocco

10:44Max Rushden:more in the last 32 in a bit for quite a long time during this game the most interesting thing about it was the fact that Danny Rojas from Ted Lasso was in the crowd and I want to know did that woman get her phone back? The lady who dropped her phone during the Mexican wave had it knocked out of her hand out of the top tier. Super slow-mo you could see it just going over the barrier.

11:07Mark Langdon:And the look on her face.

11:08Max Rushden:Did she get it back?

11:10Mark Langdon:I reckon she'll get it back and I reckon we'll hear more about that. Did it have its cover on it? On that note I think there was an Argentinian fan who lost his wallet at some stadium and then a fan found his wallet and started a chant for the person's wallet and eventually it got around all the Argentinian fans and they reunited the wallet. It was like a sort of tempered down version of long lost family. Anyway, that'll do for part one. Part two, we'll look back at last night's games in Group J.

11:45Mark Langdon:Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. so Group J, the last group to finish Argentina won all their games, 9 points Austria 2nd with 4 Algeria 3rd with 4, Jordan got no points Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 but Algeria 3, Austria 3 and Barry we were talking about, you know could this be a draw, you know it suited everyone involved but I think it's fair to say this was not disgrace of hee-haw, this was not

12:13Max Rushden:No, as Wilson said on the group chat this morning it's the most complicated recipe for a biscotto there's ever been if it was a biscotto this was a brilliant game and a really odd game because I think we all thought it's going to be a draw but they traded goals Austria went one up, Algeria came back, Austria went two one up Algeria came back and that seemed to be that, they seemed to have more or less have an unwritten agreement. We'll just finish this out as a draw. And then two minutes into added time, Riyad Mahrez pounces to put Algeria 3-2 up. And everyone, you can see all the Austrians are just like, what the hell are you doing?

13:03Max Rushden:What's happened here? And Riyad Mahrez has since said, you know, he's acknowledged it was awkward. He said, I have to score. I have to try to score if the ball comes my way like that. I know it's football and I have to respect it, but it was awkward. So that's kind of what he said. So we thought, right, that's it. And the thing is, this goal he scored means that Algeria, instead of having to play Switzerland in the next round, now have to play Spain. But we're deep and out of time, but Austria go on and Kaladzic scores with his header, his first touch of the game, to restore parity. there's no way that the Algerians let them walk that into the net or anything so if it was a fix it was the most well choreographed fix of all time and so now it finished 3-0 much relief in the Austria camp and they have to play Spain while Algeria gets Switzerland I mean Iran have been through every emotion in this tournament and like Tarami spoke afterwards as well just about kind of how disgraceful he thinks they've been treated off the pitch but just on it as well um you know to have had that goal disallowed in the 93rd 94th minute for var offside call that's so marginal they hit the bar twice as well late on and they will have expected that austria game to finish in a draw but when mares scores um they haven't got that long and they're in so they've gone through that agony all over again.

14:38I think Austria, though, are quite dangerous opponents. I mean, you know, Onatovic is playing well and Sobica scored a brilliant goal as well. So they've got talented players in the team. But I assume this game is going to be a Paraguay-Australia part two and I'm glad it wasn't.

14:54Mark Langdon:Yeah, and actually, Wilson, this weird moment then, Klasic scores, the Austrian fans are happy and the Algerian fans are happy. So you just get a situation where just everyone's happy.

15:02Barry Glendenning:Yes. I mean, I guess from their point of view every every game is is every game more they play is valuable so they wouldn't be looking too far down the line but yeah i mean it's it's i think it suggests something about how odd the format with best third place teams going through is that there is such an obvious difference having to play spain having to play switzerland but yes it was a a rare instance where the group stage ended with everybody apart from iran being absolutely delighted i would also say there's a big advantage for those third place teams when you play last so austria and algeria were the last teams to play and they've got the whole picture in front of them and what they need so we need to play all the games at the same time it you know scotland have had a lot of criticism i'd say most of it deserved but they did have to go out early and try and sort of set a bar or whatever it was and you know a lot of those teams that went and played early they was like south korea you know weren't entirely sure what they needed to do.

16:00They went out. Scotland went out. So there was definitely an advantage to going late. I mean, Barry struggles to watch two games at the same time.

16:09Barry Glendenning:I can't do it. I cannot do it.

16:11Mark Langdon:You'd have to be a fly with compound eyes, wouldn't you, to watch all of those. Argentina beat Jordan 3-1. Going into the tournament, Wilson, I've said that Argentina weren't really at it. So they've confounded some critics already. I mean, they do look... I mean, Jordan, it's only Jordan, this one. but so far along with France have been the the best team in this tournament I mean they finished

16:33Barry Glendenning:top of South American qualifying so I don't think anybody thought they were terrible I think you look at that side and you'd say I think the problem a lot of champions have is they they stick with their champions for too long and there has been that run of champions going out in the group stage i mean obviously didn't apply to france last time but but the three tournaments before that was it that that happened um i don't think there was maybe a bit of a concern that would be true of argentina you knew i think it was entirely legitimate to wonder whether messi doing it in mls was the same as being able to do it in the world cup um so i mean there were doubts but i'm not sure they've entirely been answered by beating Algeria and Jordan and a slightly patchy win over Austria where they've got quite a lot of decisions seem to go their way.

17:25Barry Glendenning:So they've now got a really easy run as well, haven't they? They've got Cappard and then the winner of Australia against Egypt, which, I mean, there's obviously, certainly once you get to the last 16, there's no easy games in the World Cup, but still, some are easier than others. And I'd say of the sort of five or six probable contenders, they probably have the simplest run to the semi-final Messi again Mark He's good isn't he He didn't start why bring him on in the first place It was nice to see Gio Lo Celso He was somebody that I hadn't realised he was in the squad I'm sure it was kind of in the back of my mind he just sort of popped up and they were able to rest virtually their entire 11 some teams have been able to do that Others have been more at full tilt.

18:16It could be an advantage later on, particularly with the age of some of their players. But they just feel like a club team that's playing international football. Some of the sides are thrown together last moment. This Argentina team has just been together for such a long time. They all know their roles within the team and the squad. You don't hear of any arguments. Everybody knows that Messi's the star player. It's looking good for them. and as Jonathan said, the draw really couldn't have worked out any better.

18:47Mark Langdon:All right, that'll do for part two. Part three, we'll look at the round of 32.

18:58Mark Langdon:Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. We should do tomorrow's games first, then we can get into the brackets and the pathways. And actually, Wilson, it's so nice. Tomorrow is a great day. Brazil, Japan, Germany, Paraguay, Netherlands, Morocco. I think Brazil-Japan is perhaps the game of the round.

19:14Barry Glendenning:Yeah, and I'm very lucky that I'm going to it. So, yeah, really looking forward to that. Slightly annoyed that my flight from Houston to Dallas means I will miss the bulk of the Netherlands-Morocco game, but I'd say those two are the two standout games from this round. I've now lost all confidence in my capacity to understand Carl Ancelotti's sides because they seem to operate to a different logic to everybody else, that they can play quite badly and then somebody normally vinicius does something amazing japan i've seen twice i think they're really good i think if kubo is back which supposedly he should be that'll give them a bit of creativity that maybe maybe they lacked in um in that final group game uh but i saw them beat tunisio and they were they were playing well within themselves in that game after the first sort of 10-15 minutes they could have been three or four nil up and then they eased off still won it 4-0 so i think japan i mean it's such an odd sentence to say but i think japan

20:11Max Rushden:might have a beating of brazil in midfield i wouldn't be surprised if japan won this it's going to be i'm really looking forward to it's going to be a great contrast to styles because brazil are sort of this dysfunctional collective that are inspired by moments of brilliance from star players while the japanese team are very much quite a few of their star players aren't there because they're injured so it's just this brilliant collective who have great team chemistry they all work for each other and it wouldn't be it would not surprise me if they beat Brazil um I'm not saying it's going to happen but it wouldn't surprise me and Japan on their day when they get the ball moving quickly they're really really good yeah I'm going to go back to what I said before the Scotland Brazil game in that did Japan believe they can beat Brazil I still so many countries play Brazil with this psychological barrier there of it's Brazil and you get that in the Champions League with Real Madrid like often you'll think Real Madrid they're not playing well and yet the team that they're playing against just is not playing the team they're playing the shirts and the team that Real Madrid used to be and that would be my biggest concern for Japan because when Morocco played Brazil they were all over them they were playing better than them and they still couldn't beat them and like that would that's why I'm probably just edge towards Brazil and Ancelotti he is very good at this where it doesn't look like it should work necessarily on paper and it doesn't always work but he's so good at getting the best out of kind of individual star players and Vinicius has left his Real Madrid form behind from what wasn't a good season for him personally and he's been one of the best players in the World Cup.