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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Guardian.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Cape Verde hold Spain in Atlanta, utterly heroic defending from every single one of their players. An unflappable, flawless performance from 40-year-old Vazinho in goal, who wept at full time. He commanded his box and stopped everything that Spain threw at him, which ultimately wasn't that much. And they had the chance to win it in injury time.
Just imagine. Also in that group, Saudi Arabia cling on to a point against Uruguay. Meanwhile, in Group I, New Zealand 2, Iran 2. Two great goals by Elijah Wood for the Kiwis, but they couldn't hold on. Iran's equaliser, a brilliant header. Their fans booed the anthem, but supported the team. Belgium needed Romelu Lukaku to help them to a point against Egypt, an own goal that deserved to be his.
Egypt with a better side. If either side deserved to win, it was them.
Chapter 2: How did Cape Verde manage to draw against Spain?
We'll find out how hard it is covering the game from the UK. Answer your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly. on the panel today in the studio with me in LA Barry Glendening welcome hello mate in Dallas ahead of the England game Barney Ronnie welcome Barney
Hi there, everyone.
And in Birmingham, not Birmingham, Alabama, but Birmingham, England, Dan Bardell has been awake all night.
Chapter 3: What was Vazinho's role in Cape Verde's performance?
Hey, Dan.
Hello. I mean, Birmingham is not the most glamorous of places at the best of times, let alone when you're all where you are.
Well, we'll find out what it's like watching four games through the night. But let's begin with Group H in Spain, Neil. Cape Verde, Neil. Sidlow was there and I caught up with him earlier and asked him how he found it.
Isn't football great? And my favourite statistic of the game, which unfortunately I'm so stupid because when you're in the process of writing the match report, you lose track of things, is that Cape Verde did that, that incredible defensive performance against Spain and committed one foul.
That's extraordinary, actually. And the scenes afterwards, I mean, were exactly sort of what you'd dream of.
at a world cup right for that goalkeeper the noise the noise as well at the full-time whistle was was incredible uh i'll be honest so obviously when you when you're working you've got if earpieces in a lot of the time because you're trying to catch up with with what's been said on the radio or details that you might need and stuff but then you know just before the end you take it out and you get the sense of the noise and the noise that the full-time whistle was fantastic and the goalkeeper crying uh and saying that you know his grandparents had passed away and couldn't be there that his mother couldn't be there because they
couldn't sort out the visa in time and and just a real sense of history made the other the other nice moment max obviously unfortunately this wasn't probably wasn't seen but i'm sure that someone somewhere will have taken a video even though they're not entirely supposed to was the cape verde players coming uh conga lining out of the mix zone at the end of the game didn't actually get the shazam on in time so i can't claim to be able to tell you what the track was they were listening to but they were enjoying it
Yeah, and they defended.
I mean, in the end, like, because the keeper was brilliant, but he didn't actually have that many unsavable, like, there weren't any extraordinary saves. He was sort of unflappable in his box, but it wasn't like Spain really did that.
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Chapter 4: What were the standout moments of the match?
Spain had that little flurry after the water break until halftime, and then maybe a little bit of a flurry at the very start of the second half. But after that, I would agree with you. I didn't think they made a huge amount happen. I felt they were a little bit blunt. I felt that Cape Verde defended brilliantly, really, really well. Probably deserved it.
Now, look, obviously, you can look at the stats, you can look at the XG, you can look at the number of shots and all those kind of things. But actually... In those last four or five minutes, the best chances were theirs. It's the centre-back, that moment when he's rising in the area, and you think, here we go, this is it. And it wasn't to be, but it was pretty brilliant anyway.
I'm trying to imagine what the reaction in England would be to drawing Neil with Cape Verde, and it would be utter panic. You know, like panic, panic, panic. Will it be the same in Spain?
Look, I don't think it would be panic. I think it would be some concern with some of the things that happened. Luis Lafuente and this team has enough credit in the bank that I don't think there will be an attack on him. I think there will be a recognition that this team with Nico Williams and Laminia Mahal fully fit is slightly different.
And I think there's an element there, which is that when you have those two missing, it's not just that you're losing two of your best players. It's that the alternatives are of a different style, a different type. So you've got to change the way that you play as well. I think there will be a doubt about how that midfield works.
And I felt like Pedri was too far up the pitch rather than a base of what they do. And rather than having the game in front of him, I felt like he had the game behind him a bit. And I think those questions will be asked of Luis Lafuente. I think the starting position for Gavi will definitely be asked of him. And I think there will be big doubts about that.
Um, but I don't think it will be panic because as I say, because this is a good, good enough team, because I think there are some mitigating factors. I think there will be a recognition that if they take one of those chances in the, in the final bit of the first half, as I say, all the second quarter, if you like of the game and I don't like it, but you know, that's what it is.
Um, then, then, then perhaps you get a two or three nil victory and it looks a bit different.
Yeah, I mean, it did look different when Jamal came on. And I guess there was a question about up front for Spain?
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Chapter 5: How did Spain's strategy affect their game against Cape Verde?
Oh, I totally agree. Well, have a lovely day. We'll catch up with you soon, no doubt. Cheers, pal. Nice one. Thank you. Sid in Atlanta there. And he's right. Like he said at the top, Barry, football is great. And that was great.
Yeah. I said yesterday that I hoped Cape Verde didn't get humiliated in this game. And it was Spain who ended up embarrassed, hugely embarrassed, hideously embarrassed. By result, I just didn't see coming at all. I thought Cape Verde would do well to hold them to 5-0, maybe. I think I was in tears three times today before 2pm.
The first was when I saw footage of the Scotland supporters led by bagpipers and drummers converging en masse on Fenway Park last night. That really got the hackles raised and the tears, the eyes moist. And then at the end of this game, I was genuinely emotional on the back of what Cape Verde achieved in pulling off what I think is arguably the greatest World Cup upset of all time.
Then a third time, that was a chopping chilli related thing.
incident but yeah three times by two o'clock this afternoon i i had cried and i don't cry very often no so this this was just sensational various cape verde players have been singled out has been outstanding i think every single one of them was just brilliant because that was a real team effort it was a demonstration of togetherness unity organization concentration mental fortitude
They could have nicked it at the end, but they didn't, sadly.
But what a result for them. Yeah, it wasn't just you that cried. Their keeper, Vazinha, cried. He said, I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago. My mum could not be here either because of a visa issue and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.
We work in life to have moments like this. I'm 40 now. I was not a professional up until I was 25. This is a reward for all this journey. It was just Barney.
he was i thought he was he was just so i've seen games like this where the keeper is a bit flappy and eventually cost him and he was just brilliant for the whole game yeah i mean barry's right they were incredibly disciplined and it wasn't it wasn't simply up backs to the wall kind of frantic defending it was a brilliant team performance i have to say i do like watching spain malfunction you know spain have been the most beautiful team of the last 16 years
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Chapter 6: What is the significance of Cape Verde's defensive performance?
It's not the best version of Spain that we've ever seen, but Cape Verde took complete advantage of that and got a result that they'll remember forever. The World Cup isn't won or lost in a single game. It isn't won or lost in a day and I'm sure Spain will get better and they've got players missing that obviously make a huge difference to their team.
But it did feel like they just kept trying the same thing over and over again. They were the 2-3-5 in build-up but the 5 always looked very static to me. They've obviously got the solutions on the bench and when they're fully fit they'll come into the team.
I just thought Spain's selection didn't really suit the game either and actually played into Cape Verde's hands a little bit because Llorente at right-back, he played the game like a traditional right-back. So if they were going to do that, I would have thought Pedro Porro swinging some crosses into the box, who's got a good delivery.
would have been more beneficial than some of the players they had out there. But Spain were poor, but you can't take anything away from Cape Verde. I know that's cliche, but they were absolutely sensational. And in my time, I can't remember a bigger upset in a World Cup.
I suppose the definition of an upset, it feels to me like you have to win for it to be an upset. And maybe I'm completely wrong because it's still an unbelievable result.
I don't think you have to win. I mean, if they had won, and they had that chance right at the end when Dine Borges headed straight at Una Simon, if that had gone in, the world, the planet would have shook on its axis, I think.
I obviously, I like to think I played my part in this by tipping Mikel Orza for the golden boot and he needless to say became the first player in I think recorded World Cup history not to touch the ball in the opening 31 minutes of the game. and then missed two quite presentable chances.
I mean, it's not really his fault he didn't touch the ball because his teammates couldn't get the ball to him. But if he'd had his head aligned a bit better, he might have scored one ahead or he had a couple of decent chances. But Laminia Mall came on. The very fact they had to bring on Laminia Mall and Nico Williams spoke volumes for the obduracy and stoutness of the Cape Verde defence.
And what must they have felt like when they saw the numbers going up, the two lads on the touchline, what I think was around the 70-minute mark. Because... Defending like that is so mentally draining and physically exhausting as well. But, I mean, Jamal came on, he flickered a bit, threatened with a couple of early moves, and then he sort of seemed to realise, no, it's not our day today.
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Chapter 7: What concerns do Spain's fans have after this match?
Well, I watched this game with Lars Siversen in a bar while eating a really, really massive burger. And while Lars told me a story about Thomas Myra doing his...
Everton medical in the nude being forced to remove his pants in a room with a really old man at the top of the terraced house I'm just being made to do the splits and take everything off because there's an example of how primitive English football so my mind just kind of reeling with burger Lars naked Thomas Myra take your pants off while I was watching this so that's kind of similarly
All I really took from it. I'm always impressed by the athleticism and energy of Saudi Arabia. I remember the last World Cup. They were kind of terrifying. And, you know, there were a lot of strong teams out there. And it's kind of...
it's one of the reasons this, this has actually been for all the, for all the things around it, that frustratingly, not frustratingly, I mean, distractingly good round of games. Like the world cup is good. I know, I know England are coming. It's going to happen. There will be pain, ball, anxiety, you know, terrible feelings of self loathing and all the rest of it.
And that drum beating really slowly, but the games have been really quite perky so far. That's,
I mean, in this game, I thought Uruguay were really poor in the first half, and I thought Saudi Arabia were really poor in the second. And I think what made the difference was that half-time, Fede Valverde was moved from the right wing, where they were struggling to get the ball to him, into the centre of midfield, which is where Fede Valverde should be playing, instead of Manuel Ugarte.
And that made a huge difference. And I think the half... in which Uruguay played well, they played a lot better in that half than Saudi Arabia played in the half they played. So I think Uruguay deserved to win. They didn't. Their goalkeeper, Alloway, I think had to make nine saves, something like that. But it was all right. It was all right.
And that'll do for part one, which was also all right. Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So Iran 2, New Zealand 2. Just shut your eyes for five minutes, Dan. You're all right there. But this was a really good game, Baz. And, you know, I don't know if New Zealand, but I think it's probably a fair result. I'm not sure. The New Zealand goals were brilliant.
And the header for the second goal for Iran was great, too.
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Chapter 8: How does the panel analyze the implications of this game for the World Cup?
But now you're going to fix it up. afterwards i know i won't fix it it's all right no you can if you want i don't have to no no you can't fix it it's you have to be natural max you just let it go is it like you with the hobbit who then became the west ham hard man yeah yeah yeah exactly a bit like julian dicks also had the same trajectory but anyway uh yes Carry on with Elijah Justin.
No one has ever scored two goals for New Zealand at a World Cup, I think in total, not just in one game. So we should at least give him his correct name.
Yeah, so he plays for Motherwell. He's apparently had a good season. Motherwell have had a good season. He's scored two goals. New Zealand went ahead. We're pulled back, went ahead again, we're pulled back again. And I think I ran the better of it towards the end of the game, if I remember correctly. There was... Sorry, I've seen so many games today, they're all just a jumble.
It's like Irish weddings. You go to an Irish wedding, one of your mates gets married and so it's, you know, church, country pub, country house, bar open till four in the morning. Most of the same people are at the mall. You just can't remember which one was which. Anyway, so I'm just going to say, yes, Elijah Jones. Yeah. Two goals, two good goals. Yeah.
for new zealand uh fair play what a what an evening for him yeah and actually barney warren barton on commentary said uh just after the uh second elijah just goal if that had been spade or argentina we were saying that was right off the top shelf which is not how i would have described it necessarily but it was a lovely move that's the interesting thing about a lot of these teams there's real sort of quality in them i just want to you know about the booing of the
flags and the the booing and the flags it's really important to be i mean it's very complicated but but those are expats booing them those are americans but they they have fled the regime that i i sincerely doubt that those are iranians who have flown to america to boo i mean they can't be because they wouldn't be yeah they're not allowed into the country so
I mean, it doesn't devalue the fact that they are doing that. It's very complex. Here you've got people supporting the team who don't support the regime, which is presumably persecuted and caused them to flee and holding up flags of the previous regime while also they're Islamic. I mean, it's quite, it's very complex and sort of reflects the strangeness of that. But it's not exactly a
I wouldn't say it was a revolutionary act for Iranian expats to boo the regime that made them flee, if you know what I mean.
I know what you mean, which wasn't exactly an answer to Warren Barton talking about the top shelf in a way that he didn't necessarily mean.
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