Spain vs Argentina in the FINAL Preview | Morning Cupdate, Presented by The Home Depot

0:00Get that Amex Gold Card ready. I'm way too tired to cook tonight. You read my mind. With the Gold Card, we can get up to$120 a year in statement credits. Are you feeling the Cheesecake Factory? Five Guys? Either of those sound good? Yes. Which one? Both. Pay with the Gold Card to receive up to$10 a month in statement credits at participating partners. Uncover more ways to reward yourself at americanexpress.com slash explore-gold. Enrollment required. Terms apply. After 103 matches, 297 goals, 16 cities, we've now just got one match left. Woo, World Cup! Oh my God. I'm excited! I love it! Gallagherty scores again!

0:45We stole it from England! We have travelled all over the US, coming to you from LA, from sunny Seattle, from Atlanta, from Boston, from Texas, from New York, and have met some incredible fans along the way. U.S.A! U.S.A! Great fans, beautiful women, beautiful nature. What's not the like? Let's get in the party! We really looked the part down under, so get around the Socceroos. And now it all comes down to this, the biggest sporting event in the world. World Cup holders Argentina against the European champions Spain. Marla Marla! Everybody, it is time for the World Cup final.

1:30Hello and welcome to your 35th and final Morning Cup date built by the Home Depot. I'm Betty Glover. We're nearly there, guys. I'm Betty Glover. We're in New York City on our beautiful orange podcast bus that the guys at the Home Depot built for us. It has been a home away from home for seven long weeks, travelling from the California coast all the way to the Big Apple. so it does mean that it does smell a little bit. I'm going to be honest. Remember, the Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready. Come on, everyone.

2:06Subject to availability. Oh, 35 shows and we finally got it. Let's get straight into it then. The World Cup final takes place in New Jersey this afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern. Who will lift the biggest trophy in football? Will Argentina become back-to-back world champions or will Spain win their first World Cup since 2010? We'll begin with Spain, who, after being held to a goalless draw against Cape Verde in their opening game, have made pretty light work of making their second ever final. Here are the scenes in Madrid when they beat one of the favourites, France, on Tuesday.

2:45¡Vamos a España! Strong passing has always been part of the Spanish DNA. But underboss Luis de la Fuente, they have found a clinical edge that has seen them find goals at those crucial moments. They've also been rock solid at the back, conceding just one goal during the whole entire tournament. Excluding penalty shootouts, they're on a 37-match unbeaten run. And if they avoid defeat today and keep that run going, they will set a new record for the longest ever in senior men's football. Here's the Night Cup's Rory Smith on how Spain have slipped under the radar. I think we have probably underestimated Spain throughout the tournament.

3:21we've maybe been judging them against a standard that they're not trying to set. They're trying to do something else. They're not unbeatable, but it'll take a good team or a really good player. And I think that's probably more likely to beat them. Well, after that win over France, nobody is going to be underestimating Spain now, are they? As for Argentina, well, their journey through the knockouts has definitely put their fans through the ringer. Cape Verde took them to extra time. They had to come back from 2-0 down against Egypt. Switzerland equalised against them and gave Lionel Scaloni's side a real test.

3:55And then there was that semi against England in Atlanta. Argentina were 1-0 down with five minutes remaining, but this team just never know when they're beaten.

4:10Argentine commentator Pablo Geralt has been one of our absolute favourites for his passionate goal calls and his emotion from Lottaro Martinez's winner against England was no different. He bought all of that passion, didn't he? But it was an extraordinary game and it was evidence of Argentina's insane winning mentality. If they win the World Cup, they'll become the first nation to win four consecutive major tournaments. They won the Copa America both 2021 and 2024 and lifted the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. That would be some crown and glory for Lionel Messi, although he's yet to rule out playing in another.

4:46I actually think he will play in the next World Cup, you know. He's 39 years old. What? What? And today will be making his 207th international appearance. That is really crazy, isn't it? He surely put the goat debate to bed once and for all.

5:06One of the most crazy moments of this Men in Blazers tour was hearing, ludicrous of all people, give potentially the best speech about what makes Messi special during Wednesday's Matchday Live in Atlanta. I see just a love and a passion for the game, man. And to be in it this long and to be doing it for so many years and to still see that level of competitiveness is what is refreshing because people love this game and we don't take it for granted. And when you see somebody like that who makes that amount of money, but you could tell for him, he loves the game. You know what I mean? He'd be doing it if he wasn't paid that amount of money.

5:43We can't mention Messi now, can we, without talking about that photo. You know the one. The one when he was 20 years old with baby Lamine Yamal in a blue bathtub. It is not fake, everybody. It's very much real. And it's quite rightly dominated every single headline since this fixture was confirmed. On Friday night, Tom Brady asked Messi his thoughts about the iconic photo. You and Lamine Yamal, you guys took this iconic photo when he was a baby. And for you guys both to be going up against one another in his first World Cup final, and potentially, hopefully not, your last, is very prophetic. What does that picture mean to you?

6:24Honestly, looking at that photo is crazy because, well, that's life, right? I took a photo with him when he was a baby, and today we are both facing each other in a World Cup. One of the best photos in sport, I think that is fair to say. Now, in terms of team news for the final today, both sides have a clean bill of health. There was concern when Lamin-Yamal was pictured in training on Thursday with a bandage around his leg, but there are no serious concerns surrounding his availability. Spain are expected to name an unchanged line-up, which does mean that Pedri will once again have to sit on the bench, as Luis de la Fuente will probably opt for the effective midfield combo of Fabian Ruiz and Rodri once again.

7:03Argentina boss Scaloni is pondering some changes, apparently. Potentially, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul will come back in after his impressive cameo against England. And he's also considering bringing in right back Gonzalo Montiel, who scored that winning penalty in Qatar four years ago. But how are these two coaches going to approach this match? Let's drill down a little bit deeper.

7:29On today's Drill Down, brought to you by Makita, we have a fascinating coaching battle between Argentinian's Lionel Scaloni and Spain's Luis de la Fuente. Two coaches who know each other incredibly well, as de la Fuente was Scaloni's mentor when he completed his UEFA coaching licence back in the day. Now, could de la Fuente give his former student a lesson in wide play today? Well, it could be two of Spain's less glamorous players who Argentina will need to stop if they're to get that fourth star on their shirt. Their left-back, Mark Cucurea, and right-back, Pedro Porro, who've both had pretty outstanding World Cups.

8:04Cucurea's strong performances might come at a cost, though, as he's promised to get a tattoo of his coach's face on his body if they win the World Cup, which is quite some bold claim, isn't it? Porre's performance is particularly remarkable, given that he was a big part of Spurs' side, who were very nearly relegated. I'm very sorry, Tottenham fans, for having to remind you about that dreadful season, but maybe that experience made his call-up to the Spain squad all the sweeter. Do you remember this? his and his family's reaction to that news.

8:44Ah, very nice. But Porro didn't just make the squad. He has been absolutely key, scoring two goals in this tournament, including that clinching second against France in the semi, which helped him earn man of the match. Now, part of Spain's success has been the way that their fullbacks underlap and overlap with their wingers. Alex Baena on the left and Lamin-Yemal on the right. It drags defences out of position and that Porro goal was very much a case in point with France left-back Lucas Dina unsure whether to mark Yemal out wide or Porro who underlapped his way into the box. And here's a reason why it's a particular problem because research by The Athletic found that five of the seven goals conceded by Argentina have come from poor defending in wide areas.

9:29Argentina, of course, know that they have that X factor of Lionel Messi as their key weapon. But if they don't fix up out wide, Messi's magic may not be enough to save them this time. Next, who said the third place playoff was a waste of time? Football's most pointless game was Barns. Tell me on Fox, they've just called it the game of the tournament, yes. Completely meaningless with loads of goals. France is coming home. Oh, yes, it did. On yesterday's show, we predicted that France against England could be an absolute goal fest. And wow, I don't think we were expecting a 10-goal thriller, though.

10:07Honestly, unbelievable. This was probably the game of the tournament so far. It was certainly up there. England were 4-0 up at halftime. The French pinned it back to 4-3. And the match eventually ended 6-4 to England. What? What? What? What? What? What? And Mbappe brace and an assist saw him stake his claim for the golden boot. That's now 10 goals for him. So now it's over to Messi to see whether or not he can outdo the Frenchman. He is on eight goals, by the way. I think scoring two goals in a World Cup final is going to be hard. It's going to be hard. Both players are now tied on four assists as well.

10:43And if they're level on both assists and goals at the end, then the golden boot goes to the player with the fewest minutes, which would be Kylian Mbappe. assuming Messi plays 90 in the final. I think sometimes in life I'm too competitive. That mentality is clearly paying off. He also became the World Cup's leading ever scorer in this match on 22. At 27 years old, you'd think he's got a few more tournaments in him to extend his tally as well. Messi is one behind on 21. We've also got to give a shout out to England's Bakayo Saka. He bagged his first World Cup hat-trick, helping England to their highest World Cup finish since winning it in 1966.

11:22Are you happy with that, George? Should have been the final. But it wasn't. His performance yesterday also has a lot of people wondering why he didn't feature against Argentina. It is a good question, isn't it? Next, and I'm interested to know if you guys think that this moment is sweet or is it another case of games gone? Here's the moment that Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic was announced as today's official for the World Cup final. The referee will be Slavko.

11:53I personally think it's really nice. Vincic was in tears as he finds out that he will referee the biggest game in world football. It might not go down very well, though, with Spanish fans who also support Real Madrid as he controversially sent off Eduardo Camavinga during their Champions League quarterfinal, which they went on to lose to Bayern Munich. Tonight, after the final, tune in for the last episode of Night Cup. Rog, Rory and Humphrey will be live one last time to break down the final. It all kicks off after that full-time whistle here on the Men in Blazers YouTube. Now, a predictions update.

12:30I know you've all been waiting for it. After England's win over France yesterday and Rory's correct prediction, we've got some bad news for Morning Cup Day. It is 12.10 to the Night Cup and that means... Drumroll, please.

12:47Night Cup are the prediction winners.

12:53Bring back McGinn Oh dear Fair play, fair play to them I'm very pleased to say that they've won it and they have won absolutely nothing We haven't got them anything Sorry lads, but a really good performance But I'll be honest, this is the worst that I've personally felt since Wales failed to qualify for the World Cup

13:17On our final finishing touch brought to you by Bear Paint. We have some morning Cup Day awards to hand out, or should we call them cups to hand out? Cue the award music, please, everybody. OK, first up, we would like to hand out the mad story before the tournament even began cup. And the winner is... We need to talk about Tim Payne. Tim Payne. I'm just supporting Tim Payne. This feels like an absolute age ago, doesn't it? When New Zealand fullback Tim Payne was discovered by an Argentinian streamer who called him the least famous player at the tournament and got all of his followers to follow him.

13:51So he went from 5 ,000 Instagram followers to 5.7 million. He was sort of outdone though by Vazinha, wasn't he, who managed to get to 29.4 million, which is quite frankly ridiculous. Next up, our second award is the worst prediction of the Tournament Cup. Now, we thought maybe we could give it to this fan. I'm saying why not us? It's our year. We're winning them all! But at least that fan actually put their neck on the line and said something. So we're actually going to give this award to Kevin Hart, who said literally nothing. What do I personally feel they can get done? Look, it's a tough field.

14:31He honestly sat so hard on that fence that he would have broken it when I asked him that question. Anyway, next, and farthest under Things You Love To See, because it is time for the sweetest fan of the tournament. Now, we've got some really strong contenders for this one, including Shirley, the 96-year-old Boston superfan who befriended the French team. I cannot tell you how unbelievably fabulous this is. But our winner has to be this fan from Kansas, whose emotional welcome for the Algerian football team warmed hearts all over the world. Welcome to United States. Welcome to Kansas. Our next award is the musical moment of the Tournament Cup, a special nod to Captain Blueface, the Curacao fan.

15:18But our winner has to be the Scotland fan who decided to wake up a quiet suburb of Boston at 6.30am in maybe the worst way possible.

15:32No Scotland, no party The bagpipes really do go right through you though, don't they? Next up, it is the Animal of the Tournament Cup Now we did love the Mexico Chihuahuas As well as Chris Richards' Lucky Rubber Chicken But we're going to have to split this award Between the World Cup's two favourite ducks Merlin, the Mexico duck And Donny, the Scotland duck We do actually have a quick audio message here from Donny Quack, quack, let's go Scotland. Donnie, Scotland are out, mate. You've got to stop cheering them on now. Next, Anne, it is our funniest player moment. This is a really tough field, actually.

16:08Forget the golden boot. This is the one that everybody wants to win, right? We nearly went for Erling Haaland for the interaction with a random passerby as he tricked her into believing he wasn't actually a very famous footballer. Are you all on the Norwegian soccer team? No, not me. No, not you? Really? Really? I'm the social media guy. He had a very dodgy accent there. I don't know how he got away with that. But there is only one winner here, and it's got to be this. My voice is gone. Henlu just fell over there. I think it's OK. Just something to do with his arm. Never gets old. Harry Kane losing his voice after that Mexico win.

16:46Absolutely brilliant. He is never going to live that down. And finally, we couldn't end this without the best buzzer cup. Genuinely, most people who have given me feedback about this show, they're not praising me, they're not praising the incredible stories, they just want to talk about this buzzer that we bought for five bucks. It is a magic buzzer though, everybody, that plays everything you could possibly want in the world. So in number three, we'll have to give it to Sam Mewis. What? What? Love you, Sam. What? In number two, this very excited Japan fan that we have loved using throughout the tournament.

17:20I'm excited! The best, the best. No, no. But number one, it has got to be Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who really got that World Cup fever. Woo, World Cup! Woo, World Cup! Woo, World Cup indeed! What a tournament it has been. That is it, everybody. Thank you so much for sticking with us throughout this World Cup. It has been an absolute pleasure to bring you all of the wonderful stories from what has been, quite frankly, a ridiculous, beautiful, very long tournament. We've seen some incredible comebacks, some amazing fans, insane amounts of football, some ridiculous goals have been scored as well.

18:00And the best players in the World Cup have truly stepped up and served some of the worst. What more could we have wanted? I also just want to say we have seen a lot of America and everyone has been so incredibly lovely. I love it here. We all love it here. Thank you so much for having us. USA! USA! USA! So for one very last time, that is it for Morning Cup Day built by the Home Depot. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready. Subject to availability. By the way, we've heard a little secret that there will be 300 Banks of America fan bands, a.k.a.

18:41Charm Bracelets, at the final Match Day Live show today. So if the lineup of Vizinha, Method Man, Tiki Barber and Becky Sauerbrunn wasn't enough for you, then get there early and pick one of those bracelets up. Apparently they're nice. Stick around after the show as well as Rog will do a live watch along with Ryan Reynolds, as you do, and Flo Balligan. What more could you want? What a day! I also just want to give a massive, massive shout out to the wonderful Morning Cupdate production team, Sammy, George, Elizabeth, Teddy, Freddie, Thomas, Mike and Rob on the old decks. what an amazing job what an amazing time we have all had together thank you so much and also thank you to the rest of the Men in Blazers team as well what a wild ride it has been everybody thank you so much for watching, for listening but most importantly enjoy the final