Summary
Here’s David Hytner’s match report.
And so to England. There are some absolutely gorgeous shots here.
Headloss dept:
I’m definitely not above hunting for this footage.
This “I’m back” situation, though; it’ll take more than bagging a brace against Uzbekistan for that to be so.
Roberto Martínez has options, too. He could play a wide player up front – Pedro Neto has done it for Chelsea – or Goncalo Ramos, who’s a striker.
But it’s not just Ronaldo preventing this team from working as it should – Bernardo Silva was left out and, if they’re to fulfill their potential – they’ve got the players to win the thing – he must surely play a key role. I’d get him into a midfield three with Vitinha and João Neves, then have Bruno Fernandes and Neto with free roles behind – if we must – Ronaldo.
I think we’re meant to receive this as a point proven.
Surely no one whose surname isn’t Dos Santos Aveiro really thinks that, though? Ronaldo can still finish – he’ll never lose that – but it’s very hard to even come up with rationale, never mind believe rationale, that says the best version of this Portugal team contains him.
Preamble
Once again, we dive into the thrilling spectacle of this World Cup. Spain opened their campaign with a stunning victory over Uzbekistan, while England and Ghana have all but secured their spots in the knockout stage. Croatia edged past Panama, sealing their fate, and Colombia muscled through against DR Congo.
As we turn our attention to today’s showdowns, we’ll witness the final matches in Group B featuring Switzerland vs. Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar, followed by the clashes in Group C—Morocco vs. Haiti and Scotland vs. Brazil. Lastly, Group A will see South Africa face South Korea, while Czechia goes head to head with Mexico.
Expect plenty of chatter about these matchups. We’ll share insights from our writers, but we’d love to hear your thoughts as well.
Let’s get started.
