Should Cristiano Ronaldo start for Portugal? | Day Seven Preview | Morning Cupdate, Presented by The Home Depot

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2:44Hello and welcome to Morning Cup Date, built by the Home Depot, coming to you from Seattle, everybody, the place that I've realised does the best coffee in America. There we go, I've said it, I've said it, everybody. I've also been recommended some traditional American pies from Pie Bird. Somebody got in touch with us, they whacked it in the comments in the YouTube, in the YouTube, in YouTube. So everyone else, if you've got any other recommendations, Put them in there and we will go and do them. Anyway, join the Home Depot to welcome the world to our backyards and get fast free delivery on everything you need to get match day ready, subject to availability.

3:21Let's recap yesterday's action Argentina took on Algeria and it was all about this man.

3:31In Kansas City, you usually see a sea of red seats, but this time it was full of blue and white fans bowing down to one man and one man only. Lionel Messi broke all the records, his sixth World Cup, his first ever World Cup hat-trick, and he became the tournament's joint top goalscorer alongside the legendary Miroslav Klose. And he achieved all of this on his 200th cap, 20 years after his first World Cup goal. It really is poetic, isn't it? It is amazing. It is worth also pointing out, though, that a couple of his goals were down to some slightly questionable goalkeeping from Luka Zidane. but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was quite frankly a ridiculous performance so to celebrate Messi I feel like we should put a bit of this classic on the old buzzer I love it by the way we're getting a lot of love for this buzzer the amazing thing about it though is that you can just put whatever you want on it so you know if we want the Toronto mayor World Cup Little bit of Sam Mewis maybe What?

4:36Or this brilliant soundbite from a Japan fan I'm excited Yes, love it I can do requests if you want guys So send them in, send them in Give me whatever you want Anyway, the reaction online to Messi has been enormous And even Erling Haaland was enchanted Posting Messi is a madman on his Snapchat story It takes one to know one Erling, I think as while he didn't quite score a hat-trick, the Norwegian had a pretty good day scoring two goals to send fans back in Norway into delirium.

5:14It has been 28 years since Norway were at the World Cup and they were making up for lost time with a 4-1 win over Iraq. Erling Haaland grabbed a brace, the first player to score twice on their World Cup debut since Elia Just for New Zealand on Monday, who was the first person to do so since Yasin Ayari for Sweden on Sunday, who was the first person to achieve that feat since Flo Balogun for the US on Friday. It has been happening a lot, hasn't it? In the other game in that group, France took on Senegal and the French looked pretty woeful in the first half. Senegal's Ismail Assar blazed over a huge chance just before halftime that would have given the African side a deserved lead.

5:54But in the second half, Le Bleu turned on Le Style with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice in what was eventually a 3-1 victory, showing everyone why they are one of the favourites. In the final game of the day, Austria got their first win at the World Cup for the first time since 1990 after beating debutante Jordan 3-1. So we roll on into day seven then. Once the sun sets tonight, all 48 teams will have played their first match here in North America. It all gets underway at 1pm Eastern. I'm just too keen to smash this buzzer, aren't I? And it's all about this man. He is hated. He is adored, but he is never, ever ignored.

6:37Cristiano Ronaldo will play in his sixth World Cup at the ripe old age of 41 as Portugal face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group K in Houston. Of course, this Portuguese team is about far more than one man, but also it is all about one man. We put a poll in the Men in Blazers Discord to see whether you think he should be starting for Roberto Martinez's side, and it was a pretty resounding... No! Yeah, 88 % of you think that Ronaldo shouldn't be starting matches for the team, but yeah, Roberto Martinez isn't going to listen to you guys. Sorry about that. This is a very British meme, but it works here, so enjoy.

7:16We're going to do it anyway. We're going to do it anyway. Thomas, as our American in the room, our American producer, do you understand that meme? Have you heard it before? Never heard it. It does make sense, but great voice. He says he's never heard it. It does make sense, but great voice. I mean, fair play, great review, I think. In the unlikely event that Ronaldo doesn't start, Portugal have an embarrassment of riches. Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes, they're arguably an unimprovable midfield. Oh, and then you've got Bernardo Silva in reserve. You've got Ruben Diaz. He's a world-class defender.

7:55And then Diogo Costa in goal is a penalty-saving expert. It's all looking quite good for them, isn't it? Portugal's opponents are DR Congo, who are making their first World Cup appearance since 1974. That was one to forget, though. They conceded 14 goals and scored none. Now, they're very much more defensively robust side now. Their back line all play at top European levels. And then up front, their talisman is Johan Visser, although he only scored one goal in 19 games for Newcastle this season. Then in Dallas at 4pm Eastern. It's coming home. It's coming home. It's coming home. Oh, God. You can tell that the producer of this show is English, can't you?

8:34It's coming home! Oh, we've got five weeks of this. Five weeks of this. I, by the way, support Wales before anyone gets started in the comments. And yes, England entered the tournament. Finally, they take on Croatia in a heavyweight group L clash. These two nations are very used to playing each other. Croatia denied England a place at Euro 2008. Croatia broke English hearts in 2018 by beating them in the World Cup semi-final. But then England won the opening group stage fixture in 2020. One player who played in all of those games and will again today is the subject of today's drill down.

9:12Today's drill down brought to you by Makita is all about the 40-year-old Croatian legend that is Luka Modric. Everyone is talking about this being Messi and Ronaldo's last dance on the world stage. But let's not forget about the guy who famously broke the duo's stranglehold on the Ballon d 'Or in 2018. Modric is part of Croatia's old guard who love two things, keeping the ball and a physical battle. He opens up the pitch for players around him and his touch and vision are so good that he loves to suck in midfielders before releasing advancing wing-backs into space. Now, with England opting for man-to-man marking, the midfield will need to try and stop Modric receiving the ball between the lines and resist the temptation to be sucked into his vortex.

9:56Interesting. It is worth saying that Croatia are riding a wave of bad defensive form at the moment. They've conceded in each of their last six games, ten goals shipped in total. Next, and in Group L's other match, Ghana take on Panama in Toronto and the Black Stars received quite the welcome from fans outside their hotel.

10:23What a welcome. Ghana and Panama are two nations that have fantastic support, as you can clearly see. Their game gets underway at 7pm Eastern. Panama have a settled side and are hoping to perform better than their debut World Cup in 2018, where they lost all three group games. Ghana, on the other hand, have had a very chaotic build-up as they sacked their coach Otto Addo, just 72 days before their first match. His replacement is 73-year-old former Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz, and exactly how he's going to set this team up is a little bit of a mystery, to be honest with you. Their key man will be Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, and you just can't argue with his talent, really, and you can trust me because I'm a Bournemouth fan.

11:04Also, after scoring 21 times this season, he is in red-hot form. I bet that he is going to score many more goals in this World Cup. At 10pm Eastern, it is Colombia's turn to take on the World Cup. They are some people's dark horse picks, but Rory Smith isn't so sure. They remind me a little bit of a South American Belgium. They haven't really been willing to move on from the generation that made them feel good. If they are to do well in this tournament, it'll be much less to do with Rodriguez and much more to do with the sort of the clenched fist and the knife in the teeth of Luis Diaz. That is what will carry Colombia through.

11:39Savage from Rory Smith there. Colombia's first match is against Uzbekistan, who are competing at their first World Cup as an independent nation. Colombia were runners-up at the 2024 Copa America, but have had some poor results in the last six months. Luis Diaz is the key man for them, and up front will be their main striker, Luis Suarez. No, not that one, everyone. This is the Colombian Luis Suarez, who is a little less bitey. Will he handball one on the line to save his country? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. As for Uzbekistan, or the White Wolves as they're known, They are coached by legendary Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, 20 years on from lifting the World Cup with Italy.

12:17Could he do the same with Uzbekistan? Probably not, but I'm sure he's going to give it a go. And if you need a little incentive to watch this game, none of Colombia's World Cup matches have ever ended nil-nil. I've definitely cursed this now, haven't I? Later today, directly after Ghana take on Panama, I'm going to be joining Rog and Rory on the night cup to break down the action of the day, including England's opening game against Croatia. I've been promised that I'm going to get some American food treats. I wonder what they're going to be. Check it out later today, right here on the Men in Blazers YouTube.

12:52And throughout the tournament, I'm going to be going head to head with a prediction challenge against one of the night cup team. Yesterday, I took on Rog and I was so close, so close, everyone, to getting France against Senegal. Bang on. I said 2-1, but Kylian Mbappe's 96th minute goal made it 3-1. robbing me of a valuable perfect score. Rog said 2-1 to Senegal, so no points there. Sorry, Rog. Then in the late game of Austria against Jordan, I predicted a win for Jordan and Rog got a perfect 3-1 prediction for Austria, meaning that the Knight Cup go 2-1 up in our prediction battle. It's an absolute nightmare, guys, but this is a very long tournament, so I'm going to get myself back on track.

13:33Today, I'm trying to get it all sorted and back. I took on Rog again. OK, Rog, predictions. What are you going for? First up, we've got Portugal against DR Congo. We do. What do you want me to say? Your prediction, yeah, come on. I think Cristiano Ronaldo is going to score twice. Oh. So you're going to go 2-0? I'm going to go 2-1. 2-1. OK, I am going to say 3-0 to Portugal, but I don't think Cristiano Ronaldo is going to get on the score sheet. OK, next one. Very supremely chill with that. England against Croatia. Oh, a tough one. I think Croatia are going to win. England are winning. 1-0. 1-0 to England.

14:22I am going to say 2-1 to Croatia. I think Croatia will get on the score sheet. The winner gets the sausage. Can't wait. A word from our friends at 14.40. The 2022 World Cup final drew 1.5 billion viewers. It's 11 times this year's Super Bowl. To understand how football became the world's game and what drove it, listen to 1440 Explores with Financial Times journalist Simon Kuiper. It will give you the inside scoop into the depths of the tournament. Listen to 1440 Explores wherever you get your podcasts. Has cruel fate smashed your dreams of footballing glory during this FIFA World Cup? Fear not.

15:01You're now a sporting free agent with your choice of squads, the opportunity to pick someone new. The teams were the catcher songs, the country you studied abroad in, the goalkeeper with the magnificent hair. When your team's gone, fun doesn't have to be because on the Lays bandwagon, every match is another excuse to grab a snack and pick a new favourite. There are no wrong answers, only good times and tasty snacks. So jump on and enjoy the rest of the tournament because Lays keeps the party going and the bandwagon has never tasted better. Lays, official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. 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.

15:48These are free college game day style live events taking place just before kickoff at some of the biggest games of the summer. But we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans. It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or from afar on YouTube. And let's celebrate this summer the way it's meant to be celebrated. Head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football, to more together courage.

16:20It is time for Finishing Touch, brought to you by Bear Paint, and we have some very distressing news to bring you, because DR Congo's most famous fan, Mikel Kuka, who goes by the nickname of Lumumba Vea, will not be present in Houston today for their game against Portugal. He is, of course, the man who dresses in colourful suits and stands like a statue with his right arm elevated for the entire match, even if it goes to extra time. Just like this. Now, my producers, Sammy and George, actually tried to see how long they could do this for. They lasted five minutes. It's really hard. It's hard. Pathetic, guys, actually.

16:56You try. The pose is dedicated to Patrice Lumumba, the country's first president, who has a statue in the capital where he does the exact same pose. So that's where it comes from. But he's been caught doing this since 2013. But he really caught the headlines around the world during last year's AFCON. However, I do have good news, everyone. You can breathe a sigh of relief because despite having issues obtaining a visa, the DR Congo players appealed to the president and he intervened in order to get Mikel to the state. So he will be present in Atlanta for DR Congo's second game against Uzbekistan.

17:31That is it for Morning Cup Day today. Thank you so much for joining us. Built by the Home Depot. Join the Home Depot to welcome the world to our backyards and get fast, free delivery on everything you need to get match day ready. subject to availability. This Friday, we've got an incredible lineup for our free Matchday Live show in Seattle, just ahead of the USA against Australia. On Pier 58, Rod and Rory will also be joined by Marshawn Lynch, DeAndre Yedlin, John Green and the greatest mariner ever, Ken Griffey Jr. They'll be getting the crowd ready for the USMNT's second match. Check out the link in the notes below for more information.

18:08And we will be back tomorrow. We'll see you then. Thank you.