Key events
Billy Munday is here to see you through the next little while.
England reaction.
Tuchel is confident England can play much better than they did against Ghana and Panama and stressed the importance of building confidence among his squad.
“These players are used to these moments – they play Champions League and Europa League to the end,” the head coach said. “They know what it takes. We will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.
“There is no problem growing into a tournament like this. We have strong belief and trust in each other. It is important we keep believing in what we can influence and what we can improve. The most important thing is not to be afraid and be brave.”
The transfer drum keeps beating. And this is an odd move, even if Xhaka and Alonso have worked together before.
It is likely to be another busy summer at Stamford Bridge. Marc Cucurella has been sold to Real Madrid, who could also try to sign the Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández. Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign the Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra and are fielding interest in Trevoh Chalobah from Como.
David Wall gets in touch: “I think people are unrealistic in their expectations of England. They did pretty much what everyone asked for before the game yesterday. They attacked from wide, they ran at their opponents rather than just turning back and moving the ball to someone else (in particular Rashford and Saka), they attempted more attacking passes, they put more forwards on the field in place of the second defensive midfielder, etc.
“But all of those things are more risky: sometimes your opponent will tackle you, more of those passes will be off-target, and you’ll leave yourself more open to counter-attacks. But you can’t demand that people only take the risks that come off and not those that don’t. You have to accept that there will be a drop in accuracy when people take risks. But if you keep taking them, which is what England did, then sometimes they will come off, which is what happened. In that respect, I thought it was a positive performance, albeit an inaccurate one. “
Joe Callaghan on the co-host’s first ever foray into the knockouts.
Against one of the lowest-ranked teams to survive the group stage, Davies and Marsch have an opportunity to add another first to the pile they’ve achieved this month. They can also heal a wound which opened at this same sweeping fever dream of a bowl last March. With its more traditional name then, SoFi Stadium was the scene of the ACL tear which began both Davies’s injury nightmare and a fraught relationship between the national team, its coach, captain and Davies’s club, Bayern Munich. Perhaps harmony can lead to more history.
Ewan Murray
Roberto Martinez says Portugal’s players need not be overawed by paying tribute to Diogo Jota during Thursday’s last 32 clash against Croatia but that his team remain massively incentivised to win the World Cup for their late forward. The game between Portugal and Croatia falls just a day short of the first anniversary of Jota’s death, when aged just 28.
“I think every day is difficult,” said Martinez, the Portugal head coach, when asked whether the Croatia tie would have added resonance. “You are training and there are always moments when Diogo Jota comes into our memory. I wouldn’t say the anniversary is especially difficult. It is a little bit of a celebration, we need to honour Diogo. it is a moment to cherish.
“We won the Nations League with him, he is probably the sign and the light of the biggest stimulation we have. We want to win the World Cup for him. The anniversary means the game needs to be Diogo Jota’s game. It is not a difficult moment. When he is with us we are a stronger team. When we don’t win a game, we reference that his desire and his belief is always in our presence.”
In the aftermath of the 0-0 draw with Colombia, Martinez shrugged aside the question over whether he should limit the minutes of Cristiano Ronaldo. In a match where Portugal were second best, Ronaldo struggled. Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland have had their game time managed during this World Cup’s group phase. “We don’t compare players in our team with other players,” said Martinez. “That would be quite childish and unprofessional.”
England reaction from our writers in New York/New Jersey.
Bellingham can be dismissed a little by some as a player of moments. Is that bad? Moments win games. Bellingham is 22 and still finding his final form. He promises to do these things, walks and talks like he might do them. But then he also does them, which seems important. With England paddling here, he had the will and the craft to take out the spoons and rattle something off on his knee just when they needed it most.
Tuchel’s reaction to the Ghana stalemate was to frontload the attack, to leave Elliot Anderson as the only shield in front of a panicked back four. It felt light and breezy before kick-off. The big question was whether Tuchel had taken inspiration from Lee Carsley. Was it going to be fun? Were England about to wow the world by blending Carsball with Germanic control? Was there even any need for Rice any more? At last: an England manager who was finally ready to lift the handbrake and put all the fun guys on the pitch.
After two wins in their first two games, Germany have emerged from a World Cup group phase for the first time since 2014, when they went on to lift the trophy. Their 7-1 win over Curaçao was the biggest win of the tournament so far. Why do things still feel so unsettled, so unsatisfactory? In large part, it is a malaise encapsulated by two men: one inside the camp, one very much not.
Get your power rankings here.
The pod squad is here from Los Angeles.
Steve Clarke has resigned as Scotland’s head coach, with the decision announced within an hour of confirmation the country had been eliminated from the World Cup. Clarke, who had been in post since 2019, signed a four-year contract extension shortly before the tournament. The manner of Scotland’s exit has led to a sharp rethink from the 62-year-old.
Group L saw three teams go through.
So did Group K.
Group J reached its conclusion.
The third-place race reached its conclusion with heartbreak for not only the Scots. Iran will so rue a late goal against Egypt being denied by VAR.
Preamble
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. wherever you are.
The last 32 are decided, and there’s been further developments in the resignation of Steve Clarke following Scotland’s exit being confirmed.
This is where the real action is decided, and there’s just one game to be played, South Africa v Canada in Los Angeles, the co-hosts asked to cross the border.
Buildup to that and so much more. Join me.
