Scott Murray's Blog, page 43

World Cup 2022 briefing: what history tells us about Argentina v Mexico

Old results shouldn’t influence the present, not logically, but they invariably do

Argentina and Mexico go back a long way. All the way to the very first World Cup. They met in the 1930 group stage and it was quite the match. Three penalties were awarded, two of them scored by Mexico, one missed by Argentina, yet amazingly that wasn’t the main story. Step forward Guillermo Stábile, who notched a hat-trick for La Albiceleste on debut. Argentina won 6-3 and Stábile kept rattling them in all the way to the final, in which he put his side 2-1 up before Uruguay stormed back to win.

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England 0-0 USA: World Cup 2022 – as it happened

The US were the better side, but England dug in for a point that keeps them in control of Group B and all but qualifies them for the knockouts

England get the ball rolling. They take the knee beforehand.

The teams are out! England are dressed from tip to toe in white, changing their shorts because the normally similarly bedecked USA’s second-choice colours are blue. They sing their anthems. Mason Mount gets the lyrics of God Save The Queen (King remix) correct this time. The Star Spangled Banner is a much better number … so belated Thanksgiving thanks to John Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key for that. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.

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Germany 1-2 Japan: World Cup 2022 – as it happened

Takuma Asano – of Bundesliga side Bochum – scored a brilliant late winner to floor Germany, who are now in serious danger of going out in the groups again

4 min: Japan go long again, Maeda hassling Rudiger as the pair chase the ball down the right wing. Rudiger gets the better of the Japan striker this time, but this could become an interesting battle. Maeda briefly threatened to get past the defender there.

2 min: Tanaka takes his turn to launch it long, forcing Neuer to come out of his box to head clear. Germany counter, Gnabry dribbling with purpose down the inside-left channel. He can’t bust through Japan’s blue line. Meanwhile here’s Francis Lee reporting from Berlin: “The German TV interviewer has done her level best to give Hansi Flick a thorough pumping in the pre-match on-pitch debriefing zone etc., but all she could squeeze out of him was that Havertz will be playing striker, with Müller the no. 10.”

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Football Daily | Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the House of Saud

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The results are in, and it turns out that nobody on the internet knew what they were talking about after all. You see, Tuesday’s events finally settled the argument that’s been raging since time immemorial: who is best? Is it Messi? Or is it Ronaldo? Well, it transpires that it’s neither. We now have incontrovertible proof that Messi is a glaikit waste of space who isn’t fit to lace Diego Maradona’s boots, and Ronaldo is such a loser that his club have got shot, its owners seemingly so desperate to disassociate themselves with him that they’ve decided to sell up for that one extra level of remove. That’s all decided, then. Everybody happy.

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England 6-2 Iran: World Cup 2022 – as it happened

Two-goal Bukayo Saka helped England get their campaign off to a flyer at the Khalifa International Stadium

There’s more of your reaction to the armband fiasco, too. “It’s hard not to compare Ehsan Hajsafi’s risking his personal safety and freedom to criticize the situation in Iran with the European FA’s unwillingness to get a yellow card” – Zach Neeley.

“The only armbands needed today are those of the various Football Association’s performativity swimming around the shallow end of protest” – Jaz Evans.

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Football Daily | Gianni Infantino drops some bars. As if this wasn’t tough enough already

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“I feel Qatari. I feel Arab. I feel African. I feel gay. I feel disabled. I feel a migrant worker. Man I feel like a woman. I feel for you, I think I love you. I was dreaming when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray. I am a lineman for the county. I am the resurrection and I am the life. I am woman hear me roar. I’m the leader, I’m the leader, I’m the leader of the gang I am. I am the one and only, you can’t take that away from me. I am, I am, I am Superman and I know what’s happening. I I I I I I, I I I I I I I I, la la love plus one.”

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Wolves 0-2 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Arsenal go into the World Cup break five points clear of champions Manchester City after a routine win at Molineux

4 min: Xhaka’s back up and appears good to continue. He’ll battle on.

3 min: Xhaka squats on his haunches as he talks to the trainer and takes on some isotonic orange drink.

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Liverpool 3-1 Southampton, Tottenham 4-3 Leeds: football clockwatch – as it happened

Darwin Núñez and Rodrigo Bentancur both bagged a brace, for Liverpool and Spurs respectively, on a good afternoon for World Cup-bound Uruguayans

Well, well, well. Well, well, well, well, well, well, well.

Ivan Toney didn’t get the nod from Gareth Southgate. So having been told he’s not going to Qatar with England, there was only one way to respond. Look what he’s done to the title race! David Tindall has the details.

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The Fiver | England’s 26 for Qatar is hardly likely to cause a run on the pound

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All the waiting and speculation is over. Gareth Southgate held a press conference on Thursday afternoon, and now we know the names of the 26 lucky young men in with a chance of being scapegoated in the press, lampooned on television, ridiculed on podcasts, and abused on various social media disgraces when England get knocked out in the last 16 of the 2022 Human Rights World Cup. It’s an appalling ecosystem when you think about it. Unconscionable. The Fiver doesn’t know how much longer it can countenance being a part of it. Oh but for how much longer?!? Only time will tell.

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Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea: Carabao Cup third round – as it happened

Chelsea had their chances, but City put theirs away as the eight-time winners advanced to round four

4 min: Grealish absolutely steams his way down the inside-left channel, entering the box and having a pop. The shot’s blocked, and he looks to be feeling a twinge in his hip. Hopefully nothing serious, with You Know What coming up in less than a fortnight.

2 min: Mendy receives a backpass. He’s got plenty of time to deal with it, but faffs around, letting Alvarez close him down. His attempted kick upfield rebounds off the City striker and out harmlessly for a goal kick, but that’ll give him a shiver given the clanger he dropped earlier this season at Leeds.

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