Messi magic, England come alive, and an Algeria vs Austria shocker, featuring Peter Drury: Night Cup 06/27/26

22:22Rog:The substitutes were immediate. Sasha Kalanchik came on straight away. The coach may well have realised they were going out, but it looked to me like a deliberate ploy from Algeria to say, let's pretend we're doing what you did to us and then let's give you a taste of your own medicine. For this second, 93rd minute, Iran were through. Algeria through, Iran was through. I mean, this was almost like the revenge of Hee-Han in this moment. Always has been. Riyad Mahrez. Part of the game, innit? Yeah, you go, baby. Play the hits. Yeah, in comes Rand Nick. In comes Rand Nick. Throws on some players.

22:56Throws on, and this is quite a nice story as well, Rog. It's not quite as nice a story. Sasha Kaladzic, a giant 6 '7 striker who lost about two years of his career to a horrendous injury that he sustained at Wolves. He was the last roll of the dice. He was the kind of the pull emergency cord in case of emergency. I've not said that right. It was lump it forward and get it to the big fella. The ultimate football tactic.

23:20Rog:He kind of got his head on it, somehow just like prodded it home. What was the minute on that? That was 90. It was the 95th minute. Yeah, 96th minute he scored it. Of four minutes injury time. Yeah. I mean, one minute, Iran were in the knockout round. Just ecstasy. My God, they fought so hard. They deserve it. and then, boom, utter shattered everything there. Iran in the knockout round, a little bit like the streets of Hormuz. One minute it's open, the next it's closed. One minute you're in it, the next you're not. You can't keep up. Yeah, I mean, football is a cruel, cruel bastard. That genuinely was, and that would be in my top 10 World Cup minutes without a shadow of a doubt.

24:03I mean, the stuff that was happening, the layers upon layers between the second Marist goal and the Teladzic's equaliser, the kind of chaos in the stadium. I'm slightly annoyed that we're doing this as I'd quite like to watch it again.

24:16Rog:Okay, well, we can in a minute. My top 10 minute probably was when Roger Bennett awarded the superior player of the match. That's what people will remember from today. It was very beautifully done. We'll have to pop that photo up again one more time before the end of this. I'm so vain after midnight. And as the world arrives in the United States for the biggest spectacle in sports, we're going coast to coast, host city to host city to meet the world with the Men in Blazers Match Day Live Tour. These are free college game day style live events taking place just before kickoff at some of the biggest games of the summer where we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans.

25:00Rog:It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or from afar on YouTube. And let's celebrate this some other way. It's meant to be celebrated. Just head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football. To more together. Courage. Earlier in group K for Kevin James. It was Colombia nil, Portugal nil. Not as boring as it sounds, children. Battle Royale. Electric matchup with some real stakes. First in the group faced Ghana, second in the group would face Croatia, then Spain. No one wants to play Spain. And the first half really matched the hype. Two teams in an ecstatic, frenzyed exchange.

25:42Rog:It was pace-filled. Colombia were ferocious. They were roared on. I think 90 % of the crowd were there in their yellow jersey screaming for them. The team swarmed. They scorched forward. They fired from all points at Costa. I've got to say it was on right form in the Portugal net. Portugal tried to play on the counter, which was a choice. They actually had one exquisite save. Bruno blasted Vargas somehow. You can almost see him absorb the shot waves. It was an incredible save. Even better, Ronaldo tried to do an overhead kick and just went, I think the phrase in 1950s England was they went tit over arse.

26:17Rog:Sometimes the goals can flow and the game can feel magnificent. But this was one of those games where when no one found the back of the net in the first 45 minutes and it was still just eye-bulgingly gorgeous. Yeah, it was. And the setting helped because, you know, Miami full of Colombian fans. This was the most expensive game of the group stage. It was the one, it was kind of the big ticket item of the whole group stage, Colombia in Miami. You know, they were so value-driven. Exactly. But it was, for all that there weren't goals in that first half, it was entertaining. I don't know if I'd say the same about the second half.

26:49Rog:Can we have a quick word on Ronaldo? Quick little, I think, is it a heat check? 35 touches. is. I'm old enough to remember when he barked at the camera, I'm back! I'm back! Asterix, just against Uzbekistan. Here, the Colombian backline essentially treated him as like Caitlin Clark. They just slapped him around, roughed him up at will, really pissed him off, threw him off his game. This performance was kind of like rearing back into the, is he going to hinder Portugal's campaign and ambition roar? Are we allowed to ask the question, is Ronaldo back? No, we're not allowed to ask that. Because he's established that he is just he's scored against Uzbekistan.

27:29That's all you need to know. This is playing out, Rod, you did predict this. And it will play out exactly as you said. Because you're a prophet.

27:38Rog:We did predict this. That he would score against Uzbekistan. I think you said three, he got two. And that would justify him staying in the team. And it will ultimately cost Portugal. Please, no, I'm getting ahead of myself. But there is now no mathematical way that Argentina and Portugal can play until the final in New York. Narrator's voice, Messi and Ronaldo are never going to face each other. It's not happening. This World Cup second half, you've already nailed it. Less ecstatic. I think Colombia edged it with their ambition and verve cutting in from both the flanks at pace. Remarkable statistic.

28:11Rog:Colombia had never played a goalless game before in World Cup history. They kept shooting out the lights, didn't they? 24 shots. And they thought they'd stole it in the 93rd. Davinson Sanchez, just an incredibly acute, big air angled header. It was beautiful to watch. Ful Euphoric was varred off by a toe. And really the lack of furor was because, well, Colombia have won this thing. They can wrap up first place. Portugal, who seem to be making a little out of a lot at this tournament, face Luka Modric and Croatia, who we'll talk about in a minute. And Colombia, they know that I think if they can calibrate their shooting rule, they're going to face Ghana.

28:51Rog:they can really roar in this thing. Yeah, I thought Colombia, a little bit like Belgium, South American Belgium, which is not how you want to be described, I thought they were kind of at that same stage of being towards the tail end of one generation and they'd forgotten about the next. But the World Cup has kind of opened up a little bit for them. They're in the same quadrant as Argentina. And looking at those teams, I mean, I think Algeria are good. I think Switzerland are good. But Colombia should be favourites to make the quarterfinals there. And at that point, they'll run into Argentina. who have been the best team in South America for quite a long time.

29:23But you give Colombia a chance. If Luis D 'Anston find a little bit more form, then they have a cutting edge, they have a threat. Quintero's ball for the ruled out goal was outstanding today. They're not to be taken lightly, but I'm not sure they've got the quality to edge Argentina.

29:39Rog:I don't know what is Spanish for that. That's a lot of a percentage. Let's go to Group L for Love Island. England 2, Panama 0. In a perfect world, England would have limbered up to this one. in first place. Locked down. Could have been the dead rubber. They could have rested up. But no, that perfect world shattered by the dead legging that Garner handed out to them in the nil-nil stalemate, of course, because we were live streaming. Mission imperative that they clinch the top spot. So there could be no easing up. There were five changes to the Garner trauma. Quite fascinating. Some of these injuries, Rhys James tools out.

30:16Rog:We didn't know. How do you not know that Rhys James is essentially, you know, real sick new potential. Declan Rice is lower body slapped. The former out of the lineup entirely. They had to feel Gerald Quanta, which is, this is 2026. This is not a drill. It is remarkable. And the result was an England 11 never played together before and looked like it. Panama, God bless them. Simple aim, to not join the pantheon of doomed who have not scored a single goal at a World Cup. Can you name one of the teams in that realm that have gone through a World Cup without scoring yeah there's three of them ooh interesting Slovakia ooh you're speaking up names now Paradwine not in this World Cup ever ever yeah yeah yeah no go on I'll give you a clue Dutch East Indies 1938 I mean how you didn't get that piss poor I'm a lifelong fan of the Dutch East Indies piss poor where are they now Indonesia where are they is that what they're there China where are they now?

31:20Rog:2002. Okay. And then the other one. Well, it's hard because they're now called Dr. Congo. Ah, Zaire in 1974. Yes. I mean, I gave you that as context for England, really. This is heroically bad, historically bad. Still, England labored mightily in that first half. They had Elliot Anderson who is now a god of football. Is he Manchester City's Elliot Anderson? Is he 150 million rumored? Most expensive, soon to be crowned player in English history. he struggled without Royce by his side. England played essentially three athletes in midfield. There was almost no creativity. None of them had the ability to unlock a compact block.

31:59Rog:Really, the only one is Kane, who has that kind of passing ability. Jude Bellingham in that first half looked like a shadow of the man that spent the whole World Cup sitting on Timothee Chalamet's boot and getting ready to play the fantastic three neighbourhood kings. Yeah, maybe he's had his kind of confidence hurt by not being able to beat that trio of players. I love that trio of players. I've got to be candid. Maybe put them in. I think there is an issue with England and Kane. Miguel Delaney has written this today that Kane is good as kind of the playmaking strike when there is space to play into.

32:33That's when it gets the most out of his kind of passing range, which is amazing. I think today it's that really compact, low block, as everyone calls it now. England do seem to have an issue. And the problem is that if they can get to the latter stages, if they do run into a Brazil or whatever, they will have chance to play in space, but not as in like in outer space, but like they will have space to play in as well. I mean, it's late, Rog. But against Dr. Congo, what they're getting is a low block and they're going to have to break it down.

33:00Rog:I mean, Panama played on the break. Jordan picked for that to make a couple of saves. There was a sense of true staleness about this. Two hours without a goal, three halves back to back to back. You looked at Tuchel on the sideline. And there's a sudden dread that his selections for this squad were maligned in the first second. And everyone was like, no, he's just a reasonable man. Pragmatic. He's a winner. And we're starting to think, oh, my God, there's a sense. Do they lack sufficient creative spark? And with Croatia leading, England was sliding into second place. It was a shot at the 45 mark of Thomas Tuchel grinding on his chewing gum so aggressively, more powerfully than I think anyone's jaw should be.

33:44Rog:capable of, he's feeling it. He's pretending not to be feeling it, but he's feeling it. England had nine crosses in the first half, none of them successful. 0.49 actually. Kane walking around in disbelief. I think he had the face on it and it was like, I thought the curse had been lifted. I mean, it did feel like just general darkness was descending, cloaking, smothering this English team. You can feel the the complex starting to manifest itself. I think that's basically what the problem is. It's good thinking, that. They have that kind of suffocation, that frustration against Ghana. It's like a vice that's tightening.

34:22And then all of a sudden, with every kind of attack that doesn't work, they're getting more and more anxious that they're not going to be able to score. I think that is the English condition.

34:29Rog:Yeah, and then the 62nd minute, Saka took a corner, Bellingham kicked a leg out, made contact. Oh, Mosquera stood flat-footed, 1-0 to England. Just, oh, anyone that's really yearned for their bowels to release. We'll know that feeling. Cumulative 31 shots before netting that single goal. Not pretty. I'm not sure it would have won. The Marriott Bonvoy take your shot challenge. We'll talk about that later. We will. Been a big weekend. But he lifted England back to the top of Group L. Five minutes later, Harry Kane found the springs in both sketches and levitated to meet a beautiful ball from Jude Bellingham.

35:05Rog:Curse lifted. England 2-0. History. Harry Kane becomes England's all-time cop scorer in the World Cup. up 11 goals, one more than a man called Ronaldo, which, by the way, Ronaldo is absolutely fully aware of. Harry Kane, most superlative vanilla striker ever to do it, scoring all the goals, breaking all the records, getting, I'd say, little of the respect or thanks. Yeah, you can make the case that Harry Kane is England's greatest ever player, without a shadow of a doubt. You look at what he's done at club level in terms of the number of goals he's scored for Tottenham, what he's done since he joined Bayern Munich, which has been astonishing, the number of records he holds for England, the way the team is built around him, his record for England in terms of where they've got to with him in the team.

35:45He has been an astonishing player, and he is the secret. If England are going to win the World Cup, they need to find a way to get the best out of Kane.

35:52Rog:Three full games of football. I think they're played two good halves by my scorecard. They don't look like a side right now who are going to win this thing or really go deep unless they find an extra dimension in these knockout rounds. But this result, about the three points, It's almost like a cheap tailor, you'd say, never mind the quality, feel the width. Yeah, I think that the way the third place algorithm thing has worked out is probably helpful. There was a point today when they might have played Senegal, which would have been genuinely problematic for them. I think Dr. Congo, they should get passed, even though we know that the Condoleez will be able to put up more than a stout resistance and England don't like defensive teams.

36:34Mexico or Ecuador at altitude in Mexico City, that's a problem. That's not easy. As much as it looks like it's relatively kind on paper, the Ecuadorians will run you down and Mexico home advantage in Mexico City is an issue. Our boys are playing their way at Sunderland. And then you'd expect to see Brazil or Norway, I guess, later on. No! In the quarterfinals. No! I think, is that right? I'm very confused by this. I think that's the quarter, isn't it?

37:04Rog:I can't even see it. It's like an optician's board. I can't see a bloody thing. It maybe doesn't look that intimidating at first glance, but I think when you actually think about who they've got to play and how inland are playing, there are hurdles there. The game we're both at in Philadelphia. Croatia 2, Ghana 1. Black Stars came to this on the back of two clean sheets, very much in the image of Harden up with Carlos Kira as their manager. He was asked that to you, interestingly, if they might prove a loss here, because they didn't want to have to go back to Canada where Captain Thomas Potty's been denied a visa because of his pending sexual assault charges.

37:37Rog:And Kirill said, the game of football is so difficult. You cannot play two or three games at the same time. So it sounded like a yes to me anyway. Ghana began with a lot more possession than they're kind of customarily used to or even they want. They'd had 30 % in the first two games. Croatia almost just gave it to them, drew them in, tried to create space in behind. Tempo was so slow. It was remarkable. See, this was interesting. it's my first world cup game not been there for the hydration breaks before right they are so different in the stadium than they are on tv it is crazy the music is essentially like las vegas disco 1990 era it was a lot of macarada um and living on the prayer so loud and the crowd quite well served i think that's what i'd say in philly they go ballistic and it almost like The hydration break, it's almost as if the football is like that level of intensity and the hydration break just becomes like a rave.

38:38Rog:It is utterly insane. I realize everyone's acting for the fan camp. People are losing their minds all around you. It's almost like the football is ancillary. But I also realized the hydration break, another reason it's going to stay, it's two more times for the fan base to get concessions, beers, hot dogs and everything. There's so much money. They're like really making it. Oh, the hydration break, it's the funnest part. I love the hydration breaks. That's where we are, man. In stadium, it was madness. I can't wait for the hydration break. I'm going to go and get a drink. I think it was interesting that both of them got booed initially.

39:09And then as soon as the music started blaring out, the Macarena, obviously a traditional football song. They were, people do engage. And it is, as much as I don't like them, I don't think we need them. I understand why FIFA wants to have a consistency about them. I see that part of the logic. There will be games where they are necessary. but I just don't understand why you would be so excited at what very clearly is a breaking momentum of the play. I guess if you want a drink, whether you're at home or in the stadium, there's a logic there.

39:40Rog:Roger Loeb's. But the way people reacted, I do find very strange. People reacted like this, by the way. This is how people reacted. They were just like, boo, Macarena, Macarena. It was like so crazy to me and I'm just genuinely fascinated. Oh, at Clip22 says, hydration breaks are for the Rog Lobes. It's always going to catch on, baby. In terms of the football, Everton's former sweetheart Vlasic at the post catching the Black Stars in transition. 31 minutes. It's an Inter Milan midfielder. My friend, actually, Peter Suchic, spotted a gap in the Ghana defence. It was a daisy cutter from way outside the box, through legs.

40:15Rog:First man to beat, keeper Benjamin Asare in this World Cup. Celebration suggested. There's a little Suchic on the way. Big, big question everyone in football is asking. Was this a worm burner? Absolutely was a worm burner. Complete worm burner. I mean, it was almost the platonic ideal of a worm burner. How do you say worm burner in Croatian? One wonders. I have no idea. Yeah, I'll have to ask Peter Drury. I'm sure he'll know. Actually, it's more Derek Ray territory. Derek Ray definitely knows. No, it was exactly, it would be a Daisy Tutter in England, but it was... Worm burner is what Ray would say.

40:48It skimmed the sort of the top of the grass.

40:50Rog:Yeah, it's funny watching Garner. Anton Semenya is so clearly inhibited in the Kiroz system. A couple of moments, he seemed to be like, sod it. Let me show my manager fearlessly that I can lead this team and score the goals. Garner did grow hungry, more ambitious second half, surged forward in numbers, probed. But when they scored, it came from a set piece. Derek Lukassen, actually Dutch striker Brian Brobbies, brother, this is the World Cup of Brobbies, isn't it? Found himself free in the six-yard box, stuck home a fine cross inside the far post, goal given after a very long, slightly mysterious far review.

41:26Rog:But Croatia back in front, 10 minutes later, I was in the bowels of the stadium with my award just waiting when I heard the roar. Did I tell you that I gave the superior? No biggie. Croatia were back in front. Whip crowd swinger from old man Modric. We talked about him a lot in our match day live, in our preview, found the head of Lukas Vlasic. Raw, this Croatia team, smashed in the first game by England, but rumours of their demise, greatly exaggerated. Yeah, I was quite impressed with them. I was very down on them after the England game. They looked tired, they looked old, they looked like they had not thought about replenishing their resources as Modric and Perisic and all the others kind of aged naturally.

42:05But I think there was a bit of a response from them today. I think they realised that they had been quite disappointing in the first two games of the tournament. They looked a little bit more like the old Croatia, the Croatia of 2018 and 2022. And if they can build on that, They will pose a problem for people in the knockout rounds.

42:21Rog:News just in. Werm burner in Croatian is Zemijanalobda. Sorry, I'm just shouting words out to turn out the pronunciation. That's nice. It's literally ground ball, apparently. That's in the chat. You tell me Croatians if I'm right or wrong. Both teams have answered around the 32. Croatia will face Portugal in Toronto. And Colombia will meet Ghana in KC July 3rd. But we're all quickly, put one out. For the Tartan Army, this result officially brings to an end. Scotland's memorably, immemorable on the field, 2026 World Cup, manager Steve Clarke's subsequent resignation. If it was a Japanese movie from the 1940s, you'd do the old sapude with me whenever it is.

43:05Rog:Raw, no Scotland, no party has never sounded sadder. No, it's nice to finally be out of your misery, I think. It's not ideal, this sounds a little bit bitter. it's not ideal that Scotland kind of had their final game I think on Wednesday and which meant that the teams playing today went into it knowing what they had to do which was not a privilege afforded to the Scots but it's very hard to kind of believe that even if Scotland had known what they had to do whether they would have been able to do it Rip Scotland but live on Dr. Kongo in Atlanta Dr. Kongo 3 Uzbekistan 1 a match that has to be said without the quite magisterial presence of Congo superfan Lumambo Vea the man who honors there he is the revolutionary leader of Congo and independence Lumambo standing erect proud fist in the air I admire this man so much does it for the full 90 it's one of the most exquisitely executed just fan realities American fans why don't you draw inspiration from this man for our other combo you know what it is not going there in this moment he made it to the second game Mexico, but was not allowed back into the US because of visa issues related to Ebola.

44:20Rog:I found it very jarring. Precents can be found for the round of 32 Raw. World Cup needs that aura, right? Yeah, and it's such a shame that he's not been able to go to the game today, and it would be even worse for him not to have the chance to see Congo in a knockout game. It is such a kind of characteristic, idiosyncratic, such a special thing. If he's allowed into Mexico, I don't really understand why he's not allowed into the us um all i can say what that does is just so many layers to it pulls everything together just so perfectly it is just one of the most exquisite executions of football love of passion of love of your nation of knowing your history of just true true commitment and joy and feeling and balance i do i am in awe of it i do wonder whether he does like special training you know what i mean just like special sits around with little hand exercises.

45:14Rog:It's like someone with no core strength, I am in awe of that man. Do you think he's got a scaffold in his trousers? Like one of those mimes you do that. I don't know you'll have to, you know what, if we're in, we're going to Atlanta. We're going to Atlanta. We'll go and hang out with him. He keeps Insta-storying our posts. So maybe I'll hit him on the old DM and we can go and maybe we can work out together. Just us boys. Another fan stood in his stead. Life-size cut out of the Dapper Gent. did make its way in too. But initially, Leopards felt his absence as Bekistan came to life. Stunning finish.

45:46Rog:Great goal, actually. Shamoradov. Konko had to summon the tenacity that had gotten them here. They've come the long route. I think they were the second to last team to qualify. They had to outlast Jamaica and only just to become back in this big time for the first time in over 50 years. They did dig deep, stepped up the intensity in the third quarter. There was a great goal. From this one, I think it was, was it Fister Mayele? Won a name, played for the Pyramids in the Egyptian League last season. Made it two with a delicate, instinctive finish. Johan Wieser had converted a penalty just before he scored the third.

46:26Rog:And that's it. Beautiful. Congo qualify for the first time in their history for the knockout rounds. A human story of tenacity. This is a team that had to go to Belgium for three weeks before the tournament to quarantine because of the Ebola outbreak, had to leave all of their deeply passionate fans behind. They could not get visas because of that reason. They had to struggle with visa issues for their delegation. But they didn't just come to make the numbers. They've been ferociously tenacious whenever they've had the opportunity. They shot Portugal in that first game, were just outplayed by Colombia.

47:03Rog:and then they came back from a goal down to drop at the Uzbekis. The reward, really an epic matchup in Atlanta. We'll be there doing a match day live right before. They're going to play England and they will take the field without fear. Absolutely, and it will be the sort of game that inspires them because it is a World Cup game. It's easy for me, I guess, to be a little bit dismissive of England, but to the players on that pitch, some of them are English-born or live in England or have grown up in England. It will be special to them. even to the ones that haven't you're playing against some of the best players in the world you're playing one of the great football powers and it's your chance to bloody their nose so it's a hugely special occasion for Congo they have been magnificent Mario Balotelli, our close personal friend Rog said today smell that just to be clear ordinarily if someone says smell my hand I don't it does I can say with absolute honesty it does smell really nice it doesn't suggest you've washed your hand since you saw Mario Balotelli, which is slightly more...

48:01Rog:I'm never going to wash my hands again. Never going to wash my hands again. Hygiene is descending. Yeah, I haven't had a shower in about three weeks now. Thank God we're not on the bus. We will be. I've lost my track now. I've lost my train of thought. No, Mario said that the smaller teams, I can't just call him Mario, the smaller teams can stand up to the bigger teams because the smaller teams are good, which sounds like quite basic analysis, but it's essentially true. And Tondo were the same. Tondo weren't outplayed by Portugal. They were slightly unfortunate to lose to Colombia. Colombia were the better team.

48:34And then, as you say, they've beaten Uzbekistan as they should do. They are not here to be pushed over.

48:39Rog:At most gracious in the chat says, New chant idea. Our smell is shite, but we don't care. At most gracious, I do care. I just did like this effing four games a day, six games a day schedule. It just means it's just no bloody time. I can't even turn the shower on. Never mind getting it. But it's not about me. Poll from YouTube. What was your match of the day? Algeria 3, Austria 3. 74%. 13 % for Dr. Congo. 7 % for Jordan, Argentina. 6 % for Croatia 2. Ghana 1. But that was only because of the guy that gave the superior matches award.

49:17Rog:It is time. In a special edition of Nightcap, we're about to be joined by a gent who's one of football's true orators. He puts words to our feelings in his awestruck voice. He's a testimony to the artistry of this sport because as passionately as he loves this game, he loves its characters even more and loves the emotions that make it living, breathing thing we commit our lives to. He understands how we feel and he puts words to those feelings. Join us, cleanse the palate of the group stage, set the table for whatever the knockouts were served to us. Let's welcome, it's the great Mr. Peter Drury.

49:53Rog:Hey, Rog, how are you? I'm here with King Rory too, Big Pete. I know, I know.

49:59Peter Drury:Peter, how are you doing? Rory, I'm good, thank you. It's so good to see you and hear you. Bring some sort of intelligence and insight to Roger's company.

50:09Rog:That's not possible. It's not possible to elevate my crap. I'll say that. Thank you, Peter. Yeah, take it. Absolutely take it. He means it. Rory, I'm never going to hear the end of this, Peter, Jerry. Where are we finding it? Where are we finding it?

50:21Peter Drury:I'm in my hotel room in New Jersey. I've got a nice room which if I peek between all the high-rise blocks enables me to see the Statue of Liberty not at the moment because it's dark and I am based for the World Feed commentary here in New Jersey so I've done all five games at that stadium and we'll do the two knockout games so I'm very lucky France-Sweden is next on my agenda and then if it falls that way it'll be Brazil-Norway which you guys have been talking about and then I'll go and do a quarter-final in Boston and a semi-final in Dallas and end up here again for the final. So that's my World Cup.

50:57Rog:I'm just imagining Peter Drury looking out the curtains at the Statue of Liberty and saying, Lady Liberty, the passionate defender of... I mean, just giving it loads, just like dropping the poetry. But we've just made it through this supersized group stage. I mean, I feel like a celebration. It's why we wanted to bring you on to mark this. It's a beautiful moment. It's been a delirious, euphoric, slightly mad. It's been an ultra marathon. How do you, pointing your voice to it, orating it, you know, being the lead singer almost of the World Cup, how do you experience, which parts fly by, which parts drag for you?

51:33Peter Drury:Well, the bits that fly by, Rog, and I'm not just playing to your beautifully florid introduction for me, the bits that fly by are the proper emotional bits. Because they are what matter. And what you've just been saying about Dr. Congo is bang on. And of the games that I've been to in person, my favourite is Ecuador. You know, I did that Ecuador-Germany game and the emotion around that. And that coach who was about to be fired and suddenly wasn't, went up and hugged his wife and his children and his friends and danced up and down. And, you know, he looks like in 1978, you know, Rick Parfit, doesn't he?

52:17Peter Drury:He looks like sort of a lead singer of the status quo. And he's got these rock star looks and he's got this winning smile as if he, you know, sells Colgate. And his joy was so utterly unconfined. And Ecuador had to beat the four times world champions to stay alive. and they beat the four times world champions from behind. And, you know, the beauty of that is boundless. And those are the great moments. And those are the great moments which underpin the glorious moments of the superstars. And so we've had Kurosawa and we've had Cape Verde and we've had the Ecuador moment. We've had that ridiculous game you've been talking about involving Algeria and Austria.

53:09Peter Drury:and then we've still had Mbappe and we've had Haaland and we've had Kane. And, you know, so to me, I must say in our, what are you saying, Rog? Have I talked to you?

53:21Rog:No, no, no. I'm just saying Flo Balogun. Panda to the audience, Peter. Flo Balogun. And we've had Flo Balogun.

53:30Peter Drury:By the way, on the subject of Flo Balogun, in my experience of World Cups, the best World Cups happen when the hosts are happy. And so the fact that Mexico, Canada and the USA have all cracked it, that's all good news. That's all good news. I was talking to, sadly, they've gone out, but I was talking to a lady from South Korea last night and reminiscing about the World Cup of 2002 when I was stationed in Seoul. And South Korea kept beating people they weren't meant to be. And there were one or two questions around that at the time. But they did keep doing it. And the atmosphere in Seoul was unbelievable.

54:16Peter Drury:Unbelievable. It was the most beautiful place in the world to be. And one of the reasons that for me is still, I think, my favourite World Cup of the eight I've now been lucky enough to work on is because South Korea did so well. And the joy around it was fantastic. And you're also right to identify. Roger, you speak to an American audience a lot of the time and you understand it. You're right to identify the gear change in terms of the acceptance of the game that has happened. I think I perceive, you know better than me, within the USA over the course of the last three weeks, because it was incidental to begin with.

54:53Peter Drury:It was happening and it was accepted and it was there. But the Knicks were winning the NBA. I was in New York when that happened and that was crazy. And that was taking our game of football away from the centre of attention. But that's gone now. And it is a genuine part of the American conversation now. It's not a kind of what's this curiosity going on. It's actually a thing. It is a thing.

55:20Rog:By the way, I got to say, Peter Drury commentating on the Knicks, I think for our audience would be a dream come true. Peter giving a little bit of the bang would be genuinely amazing. Does that not exist in the NBA? Do you not have... We got many, but the game is... The game is... The joy of Drury is that he builds. He builds and then delivers. NBA commentary is just orgasm after orgasm. It's just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, which it would be... But it would be... I mean, the chat's going mad. Peter Drury, Mike Breen, crossover episode, everyone's demanding. Peter, you're completely right about the emotional moments.

55:59I think, to me, the first phase of the World Cup, it is always a global carnival, and that sets the tone. And then the elite sporting competition comes later. How much responsibility do you feel to your listeners, your viewers? Because when those moments are remembered, it is your voice etched in their memory.

56:19Peter Drury:If I thought about that, Rory, A, I'd be in danger of becoming, and I hope I'm not already, slightly pretentious. But B, becoming slightly worried and affected. I feel bad now. Honestly, because it's only authentic if it's authentic. And if you start worrying and overthinking about what people might be thinking and how you ought to reflect that, then it stops being a natural sentiment does that make sense it does it does i try not to think about it too much and yet that think think about it with us a lot though think about it with

57:02Rog:us a lot well come on i mean let's let me throw one out let me throw one out for you let me throw let me throw one out for you've said commentating on the Lionel Messi game you called it feels like narrating a piece of history. And when I read that, I was like, oh, my God, there must be an extra pressure to drop your best stuff because you know it's going to be on soundtracks for generations. I don't like to make you think about this or anything you don't want to think about, but it's going to be your voice. Archaeologists are going to find in a thousand years' time. Yeah, they're going to find messy.

57:34Rog:In the blue Peter box that's been buried.

57:40Peter Drury:The thing is, though, Rog, honestly, if you think about it if you start doing that too much it becomes an exercise in plasticness and it's really it's really important that you don't do that and as a commentator i'm sure would say the same about writing you know if you if you preconceive what you're going to have thought or said if you imagine a goal in advance then what actually happens won't properly coincide with the way you feel about it at the time. And so whilst I suppose it is true that sometimes your words get associated with a goal or a moment, the most important thing, I think, well, not the most important thing, but an important thing to remember is that the goals are scored by the footballers and you're just a lucky bloke who sits there and gets the chance to articulate it in the moment.

58:36Peter Drury:And that's really exciting. And when Ecuador scored, You know, that was really exciting. Once you've established who scored the goal, which is the first panic moment.

58:50Rog:We're getting a lot of questions in the chat. Emmanuel Estemos 8750 says, question for Peter Drury. What's the last word you looked up the etymology of and why?

59:03Peter Drury:I don't look up the etymology of words. Sorry, Rod.

59:07Rog:Do you look in the thesaurus for words?

59:10Peter Drury:No. You don't? God. I've met, you know, I've spent enough time with Peter to know that Peter just has quite an extensive vocabulary. I would never play Peter at Scrabble.

59:21Rog:Peter, are you good at Scrabble, Peter? Are you really annoyingly good at Scrabble?

59:24Peter Drury:I'm not bad, but I'm certainly not invincible within my family. My youngest son has beaten me. Peter, how do you feel about those annoying little words that store a lot of points but are sort of cheating? Non-commoncy words. I've got a very strong view on this. Like you. Go on. They spoil the game, don't they? They do. I agree. They distort the game. They distort the game. And honestly, I think there needs to be a way to bring Scrabble to an end in a juster way. I agree. Because people can steal points with a word that doesn't really exist. We've got to get FIFA on this. You're not clever because you know that XI is a spelling of the word chi.

1:00:07You don't deserve 27 points for that. It's ridiculous.

1:00:10Rog:This is amazing. I love how heated you become. It's like changing your personality. Essentially, little words that annoy you are ones that you're not allowed to use in commentary, and I do love this. At DRMO7C says, Peter, I'm putting that tone on it. I'm not sure if he says, Peter, I like it. I like that tone. Peter, what game from the group stage do you envy that you didn't call, but you wish you had?

1:00:33Peter Drury:Oh, well, honestly, Algeria or Austria tonight. I'd love to have done that. I mean, what fantastic drama at the end of that. I'd also, of course, I was envious listening to others eulogise about Cape Verde's goalkeeper. That would have been a lot of fun to do. Because, again, as you guys have been articulating for the whole of the evening, these are great human stories. You know, when you do the big teams, and this goes for club football as well as international football, truthfully, there's not a lot you can tell your audience. I don't mind that because really, as you've also said, you can articulate the emotion of it and that's fine.

1:01:18Peter Drury:But when there is, it's like in the English FA Cup, you do a first round tie and the postman scores the winner. There's a human story to be told there. You can tell people something they didn't already know. There's nothing you can tell them about Mbappe. So when a 40-year-old goalkeeper for Cape Verde, you know, does something and you've bothered to find out about him beforehand, there's a story you can pass on. So those human stories are the lovely ones. And again, I'm sure, Rory, you'd agree with that. I mean, you know, any of us who sort of make it our job to tell the story of football love those sort of tales.

1:01:59Yeah, and I wouldn't dare put myself in the same class in a different sort of scale as Peter, but I find those stories and the moments of greatness you get at World Cups. I was in Kansas City to see Messi's hat-trick, and I'd had a really long day. Kansas City is really far from Los Angeles. I was very tired. I hadn't really had any sleep. I had very little time to have a barbecue, and I was upset about it. And then you watch Messi play, and you feel this sort of childlike glee at seeing him play. And I found that incredibly easy to write about. It is genuinely, it feels like you are just, the words are there and you put them on the page.

1:02:32And whatever you say, he inspires you to be poetic. And I think that is probably a similar feeling to you, Peter.

1:02:42Peter Drury:That is bang on, Rory. That is bang on. And that is why the sort of reflected glory we sometimes get, and I do mean we, you and I, all of us who articulate the game, have to understand that it is reflected. and that we can only articulate what he and others do. But he is the best example. And, you know, the one thing, this is a silly little gripe of mine, but when I hear people say there's nothing more to be said about Lionel Messi, I think, well, come on, challenge yourself to say something about Lionel Messi because he deserves for you to find something new to say. And as you also rightly say, if you genuinely are imbued with a love of the game, how can you not be lifted to find something to say about him?

1:03:31Peter Drury:Because he's beautiful. I mean, he's beautiful and remarkable. And you know what? The only thing he's doing, Rory, I don't know whether you agree with this as well. You're well entitled not to. The only thing he's doing, which is mildly irritating, is laughing in the face of all of us who had the great privilege of working on his last World Cup final and treated it as if it was his grand farewell because he's going to flip and go and do it all again. And then we've got to find something new to say. It's difficult. And you've already reached such a pitch of like rhetorical, high-flown kind of ecstasy that it's very hard to find another dear to that, to be perfectly honest.

1:04:12Rog:Yeah, you'd be a very good rapturous priest. I mean, just like an ecstatic. I mean, you just got to keep... you know, here's what I do in these moments, Peter. I'm going to give this to you. I don't like to give out advice, you know, to legends, but what I do to find those new levels, those new kind of, it's very hard to make the inarticulate, the emotion real. I go to a thing called ChatGPT, and I say, how would Peter Drury describe Lionel Messi in new ways? And then I just rip you off. It's quite fantastic. It's very, very liberating. AI. do you know what Roger you know what Peter is Peter is English so this will make Peter feel awkward and I'm confident of that because I'm also British and it would make me feel awkward what I love most about Peter's commentary is the enthusiasm it's the fact that you can tell that you're really enjoying it and I think that it's really important a lot of the kind of media that surrounds football concentrates on the negative it's criticising things and that has to exist it's important it matters to people but I think we should never forget that this is a thing that people love.

1:05:21And what Peter does that makes his commentary so amazing to listen to is he conveys love. I think that's really important.

1:05:28Peter Drury:Rory, that is really kind. And I think it's also, if I may say so, whilst taking the compliment, I hope, with modesty, I think it's balanced as well, because you're absolutely right to say that there has to be a proper journalistic rigour around football. It has to be hate, too. And that can't all be fairy tales. and it's it's my great good fortune and those who do the same job as me that essentially our job is around the fairy tales you know we shout the name of the golf score as the ball goes in the net and so it's actually quite easy to live as I probably do because I'm childlike um and and and live as if I was a six-year-old in a in a utopian world that doesn't really exist and And it would be nonsense to assume in any way that that is in itself a realistic reflection of how sport is.

1:06:24Peter Drury:Because, of course, there's monstrous cynicism and there's big business and there are all the major issues. And those need to be journalistically dived into. But for some of us, and we're the very luckiest ones, really, it all begins with the first whistle and ends with the final whistle. And so in that regard, it's just fun. You say that, Peter, but I might be calling this wrong. Did I see you holding a pair of scissors in your hands earlier? Yeah. Why is that? Isn't that weird? Are you cutting out your notes? No. My notes, Rory, today in New York, New Jersey, what we're not allowed to call the MetLife Stadium, was we're right up in the gods without a roof, as you know, in that thing, and it rained.

1:07:16Peter Drury:And my notes became papier-mâché. They would not be cuttable at the moment. They are an absolute... Do you panic?

1:07:24Rog:Do you panic in that situation?

1:07:27Peter Drury:What I did say afterwards, Rog, was that if that game, which it couldn't, of course, had gone to a penalty shootout, I'd have had nowhere where I could write my little chart where I tick off who's scored and who hasn't scored the penalties.

1:07:39Rog:You would have been like a goalkeeper who had his bottle thrown into the crowd by the other goalkeeper.

1:07:45Peter Drury:That is a very good simile. That's exactly how I would have felt.

1:07:49Rog:You would have had to have navigated by the stars, Peter.

1:07:52Peter Drury:I'd have just dived left every time.

1:07:56Rog:I want to ask you about these things. It is amazing. English people are not known for their emotionalism. English commentary traditionally has been very rigorous. The greats would watch spectacular goals. When you do watch stuff in the 80s, there'd be like a howitzer from 50 yards and the commentator would just shout out the player's name. Goal! I remember when Ian Dark came over here and became beloved. 2010 World Cup, everyone loved him. We called him Sir Ian Dark on the show and it took Americans about five years to realize he wasn't actually knighted because they felt like kind of love and awe for him.

1:08:33Rog:But I do remember him going back to England after that and looking on Twitter and people, you know, in England did not like it in the same way as Americans do. And I remember one comment in particular was like, Sarian, no, not Sarian. It was that Ian Dart commentates on football as if he's like a seven-year-old baby watching the game for the very first time. It's that very difficult balance between over-emotionalism and nailing it. I find what you did in the Ecuador game so moving. when you said, put yourself now on the streets of Quito, feel what he is feeling, talking about the manager going over to kiss his wife.

1:09:08Rog:It seemed almost no one was more shocked than the Ecuadorians themselves, which was a real pantheon moment for me. And can you describe what you do try and do behind the mic in your mind, giving viewers what they need? You're almost trying to make emotionalism, which is very inarticular, real.

1:09:29Peter Drury:Yeah, well, first of all, Rog, on the subject of my friend Ian Dark, who's absolutely brilliant. The greatest. Yeah, and a really lovely, generous man. You know, he's really, God bless him, I don't want to wage him, but he's kind of the generation before me. He's always been fantastically kind to me. Big Portsmouth fan. Perhaps I'm not supposed to say that out loud. But anyway, Dark is a fabulous guy. And like all of us, you know, there are going to be there's going to be stuff he does in certain circumstances and around certain contexts, which is not necessarily appreciated and doesn't necessarily transfer from one audience to another.

1:10:10Peter Drury:And occasionally in that regard, I guess we all either get it wrong or feel sore that we're being criticized for the for the way we're doing it. But that happens. That's the world. And obviously, I mean, that that is the world. That's not a complaint. That's just how it is. In terms of how I do it, when I'm doing a regular Premier League game, this sounds more formulaic than I hope it really is. But genuinely, as I walk up to a stadium, I do think it's Chelsea against Nottingham Forest. If I was a Chelsea fan, what would I be thinking today? How will I react if we score? How will I react if they score?

1:10:50Peter Drury:And then I flip it over and say, if I'm a Nottingham Forest fan, likewise. You know, what's the vibe? If I was buying my burger outside the ground, I was talking to my mates, what would we be talking about? And I think if you can sort of get inside of that, and I'm not saying that's necessarily the right way, but that's the way I do it, because I am, I think, as you say, a commentator who bases his work on emotion. And there are other commentators absolutely as good, some would say better, who base their commentary on statistical knowledge or historical knowledge or tactical knowledge. You know, people who really understand the game.

1:11:32Peter Drury:You won't hear me articulate very often unless it's plain and obvious, you know, what a high press is or how it's morphing from three at the back to, you know, who's playing six and who's playing eight. which is i'm not going to demean myself by saying i don't understand that i broadly understand it but i don't feel expert enough to go into that stuff and there are some really good commentators who are expert enough to do that who's your favorite commentator i i find that awkward to answer because i've got so many friends with my friends who are commentators a nest of vipers

1:12:09Rog:commentators you don't offend people just whisper it just whisper just whisper it no i'm not going

1:12:14Peter Drury:to answer that question. I'm not, Rog, I'm not of the current law because they're all my peers.

1:12:19Rog:You can take the Fifth Amendment. Andres Cantor. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Good answer. There you go.

1:12:27Peter Drury:Well done, Rory. You've dug me out there.

1:12:29Rog:Oh, I'm trying to think of one for you to keep this. I think it's very beautiful.

1:12:32Peter Drury:I would give you the answer which would be cricket commentators, but that wouldn't work on here.

1:12:37Rog:It wouldn't. It wouldn't. It wouldn't. The answer's always, oh, Oh, it's Mike Tirico. At Van Frankenstein in the chat says, man, I love Peter Drury. Peter, we've got to go. I could do this all night. I do want to ask you very quickly. This World Cup has had incredible timing. It's a moment when football and the world, you know, the world has been in chaos. Football has come in. We've felt a sense of unity, even if it's fleeting. We felt a sense of openness, of joy, of fan bases, you know, engaging the world around them, inviting them in, in the most loving and wondrous way. If the tournament ended tonight at the end of the group save, we've already played more games than in a normal 32-game, which is crazy.

1:13:22Rog:What would you say has really defined this tournament? This World Cup has been a World Cup of what?

1:13:31Peter Drury:It's proved again, Roger, that there are certain things in the world that only sport can do. If sport was put in charge of the world, And it's it's not impossible that we could derive some sort of universal happiness. Now, ultimately, people would lose, you know, and we all get grumpy eventually. But funnily enough, I was reflecting the other day with someone. I remember, you know, eight years ago, I remember walking through Red Square, Moscow. And look what's happened to the world since then. And not least to Russia since then and its place in the world. and seeing supporters from every corner of the planet, hostile countries, hostile countries embracing each other and kissing and cheering and singing and screaming and putting their arms around each other.

1:14:23And it genuinely, I don't want to over-end the putting a set

1:14:26Peter Drury:and move me to tears, but I was on my own and I welled up. I welled up. I thought, this is what the world could be if you just let sport take charge and wipe the rest of the nonsense away. And essentially, you could say all the same things now.

1:14:46It's absolutely right. I don't know if it's sport, I think it's people. I think that's what the World Cup, every four years, whether it's in, because I had the same experience on Nikoskaya in Moscow, where it did feel like the whole world was in one street. I had the same experience in the suit in Doha. I'm sure that when we get to, we've not been in New York yet, but I'm sure when we get to Times Square, it'll be the same. we saw it a bit in Seattle and a bit in Philly it's amazing, did we just invent democracy? No I think do you know what it is, it sounds really stupid but when you put people together whether you're from Peru or Russia or wherever it is the people people are alright, people are nice

1:15:19Peter Drury:correct, smiling the whole world smiles with you honestly I'm going to use that line for a song

1:15:25Rog:and I think it's going to be a big hit PJ we've got one last request we have fallen in love with the word this World Cup. I'm going to get Rory to define it for you because he loves it even more than I do. But when he has I want you to tell me what you think of this word. And the word is worm burner.

1:15:44Peter Drury:What does it mean Rory? I heard you talk about it earlier and I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up. Peter, it's American for daisy cutter and Roger and I would very much like it if you got it into commentary. Can you just fit it in?

1:16:01Rog:it's when it's a low drive it's a daisy trotter so the first Croatian goal today was a worm burner so like when the ball is driven along the ground into the net it's a worm, can you say it's a worm burner

1:16:15Peter Drury:a worm burner and that's that is the goal which is prevented from happening by the bloke who lies down behind the defensive wall presumably, that's what he's there for he's technically the anti-worm He's the worm protector. The worm retardant. That's what he is.

1:16:35Rog:We're not asking. We're not begging. By the way, Worm Burner would get 20 points in Scrabble. We're not asking. We're not begging. Yeah, isn't that crazy? W4, 1, 1. There should be extra points for length of word.

1:16:49Peter Drury:Yeah, and by the way, you'd surely be on a few double word and double letters.

1:16:52Rog:Yeah, you would.

1:16:54Peter Drury:You'd hit at least two.

1:16:56Rog:So we're not asking. We're not begging. We're going to end the convo there. But you've got a lot of games to go. A lot of games to go. And if you see it, we've just given you a gift is all I'm saying. Peter, who's going to win this thing?

1:17:09Peter Drury:Well, let me get – France is the obvious answer to me. France is the obvious answer. But if I'm allowed a little dark horse and if I had so much money I could throw it away, I would throw it away on Norway. Oh. Okay. Interesting. Wormburn. Wormburn. So well done the Ivory Coast for winning the next game.

1:17:34Rog:Peter, can I just tell you, you are a man built of joy and love and the ability to articulate things on a regular basis with a defiance and just a consistent brilliance. To spend some time with you at this time of night is an absolute joy. I'm sure everyone who's listening to this, we're all fatigued, we're all high on life, we're all high on football. to spend time with you is to really take this moment, this end of the group stage, the ultra marathon stage, and to really appreciate it. And I'm incredibly grateful for you taking this time. You really are a beautiful man. You've lifted all our spirits.

1:18:10Rog:No, Rog, it's a joy.

1:18:11Peter Drury:It's a joy. We all just love it, don't we? It's only fun. It's only fun. So it's great. Thank you for having me on. And great to talk with you, Rory, too, always. Always a pleasure, Peter.

1:18:23Rog:Peter, big, big love. Courage. Thank you, man. I feel amazing you're never in a bad mood when you're speaking to Peter Drury do you think he's going to worm burn I think it'll be in his head we need we need some we need the next he's doing the games at MetLife and they're coupling one in Boston one in Dallas I'm going to that game in Dallas I'll just shove it back in yeah but it'll be in his head if he sees it I think he'll I think he'll deliver it as a and that's what the Americans call a worm burner I think that's how he's not going to be like it's a worm burner he's got more class than that there's either I'm going to take that clip I'm going to get my producer to take that clip it's going to be my new ringtone but I should have got him to say piss boiler too no I wouldn't like that I don't want to hear that in Peter's voice Peter can you get this it's the comedy it makes my piss boil I've got a feeling we think it's really nice but he's just got off and just like put his laptop down and gone those two dickheads how dare they think they can put words in my mouth Peter has already thought of the word worm burner he's rejected it Jane Austen did Jane Austen what is this cameo did Jane Austen get music suggestions I don't know it doesn't it doesn't have the right cadence yeah he's the expert and then he'll be shaving later tonight he'll be like hmm worm worm worm worm worm it'll be like practising and it'll just stick it's going to be glorious when it happens this is now a 12 hour podcast we're going to blow through the back end we're going full rodent yeah we're going We can never go full rogues.

1:19:55Rog:Roger Loeb. By the way, it's time for the previews. Thank God to shorten this thing. There's just a solitary game. What are we even going to talk about the other 22 hours of the day? Go outside, talk to our loved ones. Canada against South Africa. Two teams who've never made it to knockout round before. Canada, whom I love and adore and admire. Finishing second, the awful reality is they no longer get to play. In Canada, they're on the outside in. They're going to Los Angeles for this time. They're going big time. Hooray for Hollywood, Canada. They're going to become the first host nation to play outside their own country, which I think is an agony and should not be occurring.

1:20:31Rog:Of all the teams they could have drawn, though, you've got to say they could have had South Korea in Los Angeles. That would have been a human darkness. They've got South Africa, may have secretly topped their list of opponents at the end of the day, Ro. Well, I mean, I learned enough about Los Angeles in my time there to believe that there's probably a large and vibrant South African community as well. There's everything else. 100 ,000 Trevor Noah fans packing the plate. Trevor Noah will be there, topless, sort of screaming at people. Tops off. Tops off for Trevor Noah. Tops off, Trevor. It's a, don't attempt fate.

1:21:01It is annoying that they're out of Canada, but it's a good draw for Jesse Marsh and his brave maple syrup flavoured boys.

1:21:09Rog:Hey, big question is, Jesse Marsh admitted he was bluffing about Alphonso Davis being ready to come back to action. No crap, man. He said it was quoted decoy in a lie and the injured players need to be treated, quote, like a Ferrari. Now we're in the knockouts. Do we see Fonzie on the field? I wonder if they're behind and it's narrow and you've got 10 minutes left, maybe you throw him on. I mean, it'll be up to Alphonso Davies to decide how fit he feels, how much he's willing to take that risk. To be honest, if he's not ready to play, he shouldn't play. Alphonso Davies has got another World Cup in him.

1:21:46It won't be a home World Cup, but then you could make a case that this game is not a home World Cup game.

1:21:50Rog:Yeah, I'd say if Marsh is trying to use his gamesmanship again, it's probably not going to distract the South African manager, 74-year-old Hugo Bross, who said, quote, I do not read social media trash. I don't know how to make social media work. I don't know if he is actually South African. Someone let me know if he is or not, because I didn't want to chance the wrong accent there and come out. But that was very good. I've just gone for it. You've got accents, man. I don't have accents. By the way, I've really loved being in each city on these tours. It's been incredible to see the energy. I love Philadelphia.

1:22:20Rog:I'm so sad to leave it. We're leaving in about three hours. I love the love between the cultures, the hope from the American fans everywhere. We've seen our merch out in the wild at games. I saw a bunch today. Our shows out on the streets. We even saw our Why Not Us scarf. There's a TV commercial of Fox Keep showing to kind of hype up the next game. and it's got that why not us score front and centre which is just unbelievable now I've said it they'll probably cut it out you'll never see it again but check it all out at the Men in Blazers shop the link is in the show notes I'm really grateful to all of you it brings me incredible love Hugo Bruce is Belgian he's probably picked up a bit of the bro yeah same thing same thing well we've reached that part of the night where we figure out what everyone suddenly believes we're going to look at calcium percentages to peek into the brains of football fans everywhere tonight we've got the pleasure of a fully realised round of 32 and America loves a bracket.

1:23:15Rog:Popped up on the screen and the 16 teams have the lowest percentages to advance to the round of 16. Raw, who do you think can overcome the odds on this list and stay in this tournament? I think there's a few that have got a chance, Rog, to be perfectly honest. I think Canada, for a start. Yes! I think they stand a chance. Ecuador could do. I think they will. Morocco is 50-50. And to be honest, Croatia, I think Croatia, having not looked great against England, might well not even stop at the round of 16, to be honest. They are a tourney of Mannschaft. By the way, I'll tell you, save some money.

1:23:46Rog:I'll tell you now a secret. Iran are not going to get out of the round of 32. Oh, God bless. I think we must have made this slide in the 93rd minute. I think we 93rded. We put on the cool meme glasses a bit early on this one. God bless Raw. We are going to do tomorrow the Blazies, the awards for the opening rounds. We'll go through those tomorrow. So this is not a 12-hour podcast. But we are going to ask for such things as the best uniform, the best player, the best surprise player, the hottest manager. Yeah, I don't know why we're doing the hottest manager. Because it's a very competitive field.

1:24:22Rog:I know it is. The fast food restaurant, the stock price, you know, these kind of things. Send us your suggestions for what you want us to get into. Meninblazer, gmod.com, and we'll give you our answers. But now it's time for the food. It's the European mind. Can I comprehend? Yesterday, we tried my favorite Jim's South Street cheesesteaks. Check that out on our socials. Roar actually gave it a whopping 9.2 % to top the leaderboard. Someone had to dethrone air one, which I think is disgusting. Come on in, Kippo. Next, we're going to cheesesteak it up again. A cheesesteak on cheesesteak battle. A lot of you are pissed off we did not go to D 'Alessandro's, the North Philadelphia institution.

1:25:03Rog:and we're going to officially declare the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia. Oh, my God. This is – look at that. That is genuinely erotic. It's a lot of meat. Look at it. I mean, that is genuinely – it's like a Georgia O 'Keeffe painting. It's gorgeous. Look at that. Oh. Oh, my God. Raw. Save every second. Write down your score, I'm going to guess. This is really –

1:25:32Rog:I do believe there'll be peace in the world when you eat your cheesesteak. This is my third cheesesteak of the day, guys, by the way. I'm running on health. If you don't want to know what we're competing with, that's where we are. I can't believe everyone's so high up on that list. I can't believe my favorite Roscoe's chicken didn't make this. Okay, I think you're going to give this one. I think this is an 8.4.

1:25:58Rog:this is a very odd game where I guess before he's even written it's just stupid go on oh my god until officially the other the other day was nicer he gave a 9.2 this is really good as a I will say as a third one it's a nice little nice little runner the other one had a bit more yeah zing it did the other one was like the Mario Balotelli aftershave of g-steaks I love Jim South Street, and I'm not afraid to admit it. It is my spot. When it burnt down, I was devowed for a while. Support it. Love it. All enjoy every cheesesteak. We shouted a few out at Matchday Live. Everyone's got their thing. There it is.

1:26:35Rog:Stop the count. We've got an official cheesesteak champion of the city. Only judge from Yorkshire has declared it. You're welcome, America. Last but not least, we invite you, dear listeners, share your World Cup journey to us. We want to hear from you. How are you feeling? What are you doing? How are you marking all of this wonder? And remember, meninblazersgmail.com or you can go to our incredible Discord. I was in there today doing bits and you guys make me laugh so hard in game. I love it. I love it. I love it. This quite creative note comes from GFOP Matt Brady. Hit our Instagram DMs with a really beautiful message.

1:27:06Rog:We're all duly honest. So initially it takes the form of a poem, Rog. So I'd like it if we could all just kind of relax. Murmur. As if from nowhere, one muddy day in June, they suddenly appeared, drunk on place and space. They darted freely, together, synchronised joy, convergence, verve, connected. They showed us how life could be, not the unrelenting imagined one before us. real no Scotland no party for some reason seeing the Scots from afar I'm much more comfortable with prose inspired me in an entirely unique way surely like many others out there maybe it's the crazy world we live in today all that's gone wrong and the way it seems that it's continued unraveling is inevitable I had a thought then that I turned into a poem it's not the best and maybe I've unconsciously stolen elements from elsewhere we apologise for the plagiarism but thought I'd share in the event it resonates with you all.

1:28:17Rog:That's a beautiful way to end the Scotland run. That had me laughing. It's a first for us on Nightcutter Poem. Finally, a good one at that. What you say is true, Tarn Army came, made us sore. And you've really reflected. One of the greatest phrases for me in poetry is life is slow dying by Larkin. And that is beautiful, beautiful truth that your poem tries to articulate. We love you, Matt. Keep sending us your poems for this World Cup and your chants, your songs, and wrong live the Tartan army. I look terrible. I look ill at the end of the opening round. I'm almost translucent. I've been in conference rooms in the bowels of hotels watching game after game, and I wouldn't want it any other way, watching with you, watching with all of you.

1:29:03Rog:We'll be saying goodbye to Philadelphia in a moment. Breaks my heart. I do love this city. But we're headed back to another amazing, oh, Metropolis. this Atlanta. We're going to do back-to-back matchday live shows. Are we really? The Founders Green in South Downtown, first of which is this Wednesday, July the 1st. We're all in for another day of days with our friend the great James Horncastle is coming. Look at that. When has that trio ever been on a poster together before? That is the wrong order though. Horncastle should be the headliner. Yeah, 100%. We've got my favourite NBA player and my favourite Leeds United pot owner Larry Nance Jr.

1:29:37Rog:coming back. And what show in Atlanta would be complete without a visit for your night in rhyming armor. It's a big boy. I love that man. He loves his football. He loves his city. He loves his owls. What else do you need from a human being? It's going to be an unbelievable show. It's free. Come be with us. It is our favorite thing. It's a morning show. We'll be on the coffee. We'll be on the beer. Come be with us. Hit the link. You'll get more details. But come and give us a hug. You can actually also win tickets for the World Cup final, which is amazing. We'll be back tomorrow night, live once again.

1:30:09Rog:We'll be in Atlanta. So excited. I really, really am. Come check out our YouTube channel. Until then, we'll leave you with another incredible moment from today's Matchday Live on Marriott Bonvoy Take Your Shot Challenge. It was a really lovely moment this, Rob. It was, I, I, Peter was saying he welled up. I welled up at this moment. It was, it was beautiful. This time, oh, we're just giving away free World Cup final tickets at this point to everyone. Come see us on our next show, Wednesday, July 1st in Atlanta. You can win. You could be this human being with World Cup final tickets of merit bombay it's really amazing this is my favorite part of the world cup this is rog send big big love and courage roll tape

1:30:51here we go

1:31:05Oh my God! Vamos!

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