Uruguay 2 Portugal 1

Cavani and Suarez vs Ronaldo. Can those two out score the Portuguese master? Or will someone else emerge as the key player? Or will it be 0-0? At least both sides have their best players on the pitch but a very hard game to predict.

We had an answer within seven minutes as a superb Suarez cross found Cavani who faced the ball in.

And it stayed that way until ten minutes into the second half without much happening, but then Ronaldo drew a couple of defenders away which left Pepe free to head home. The first goal Uruguay had lost in the tournament so far, and suddenly Portugal looked the livelier side. For about five minutes anyway until Uruguay broke and Cavani swept a magnificent shot into the far corner.

Portugal did pile on the pressure from then to the end but to no avail. Ronaldo described by Tyldesley  at the end as the “big loser”. Wonder if he would say that to his face? And why aren’t the other Portuguese players losers?

Uruguay have wonderful attacking players and some solid defenders, but the way they fell right out of the game for long periods is a worry for them especially when they face better teams as they progress.

France 4 Argentina 3

Fairly predictable French lineup but Argentina again leave out Aguero and have Messi in a “false 9” role. Which is madness as he is a number 10.

A cagey start until Mbappe’s surging run was ended by a foul by Rojo and Griezmann slotted in the penalty. Pogba’s long, cultured pass (or punt if it had been anyone else) found Mbappe again but this time he was fouled just outside the box.

France appeared to be in control until Di Maria produced a cracking equaliser while enjoying plenty of space on the edge of the area. Mascherano was lucky to stay on after a two-footed lunge, and on a couple of occasions later too.

As was Banega early in the second half as he also lunged in.

Probably just against the run of play Argentina enjoyed a big slice of luck as Messi’s shot was deflected in off Mercado, but back came France with another brilliant strike from Pavard.

The 64th minute saw the fifth goal, from the incredible Mbappe, although Armani could probably have saved it with his feet rather than going for it with his hands as ‘keepers often do.

On came Aguero but it was that man - sorry wee boy - Mbappe who scored France’s fourth. Only downside was that it killed off the game with Argentina heads going down with only Aguero causing the French defence any trouble although Messi did have one great chance which he scuffed.

There was one last act of defiance as Messi set up Aguero for a header to reduce the deficit to one, but the two minutes remaining just weren’t enough for them.

France favourites now to get past Uruguay or Portugal, and would then be confident of getting past probably Brazil or maybe Belgium to get to the final.

As for Argentina, a team who arrives without knowing who their best goalkeeper is, plays Messi in the wrong position and leaves Higuain and Aguero on the bench doesn’t really deserve to go any further.

Bohemians Prague 1 Celtic 0

A strong Celtic lineup for thieir second pre-season game in Austria with Craig Gordon in goal and Odsonne Edouard up front. Keiran Tierney also in the side - not holding talks with Everton then. 

The Celts started quickly, Forrest hitting the bar after seven minutes, Sinclair having a header saved soon after then Hayes coming close with a shot, although he had to go off after half an hour with a knock as his injury woes continued. 

Bohemians went ahead after a mistake by Tierney (sell him!) and a deflection, the very definition of “against the run of play” as Celtic had dominated, and continued to make chances.

Tierney was hauled off at half-time (along with nine of his team-mates) and Bohemians came much more into the game in the second period, Scott Bain having to make a few saves. Celtic still created some opportunities with Mikey Johnston in particular looking lively. 

But a defeat and no goals was disappointing given the amount of possession. 

And - relax

After 48 matches in 15 days today was a rest day for the World Cup. You could have watched endless analysis of how far England can go and loops of previous interviews with the manager and players on Sky Sports if you really wanted, but I took advantage of the wonderful weather and went to the cinema (Sicario 2 if you must know, excellent even though the storyline was a lot simpler than the first one).

No live football to watch today, although Lincoln Red Imps are playing Drita in the final game of the Champions League preliminary round.

Best game of the World Cup far? Portugal 3, Spain 3 as a one-off, but the simultaneous third group games featuring Germany’s elimination and Argentina’s qualification were the most exciting. 

Best player? Coutinho. 

The winner? I’m sticking with France, to beat Spain in the final. Two teams that have been quietly going about their business, nothing spectacular, conserving their energy, no irreplaceable star players and with plenty in reserve to cover injuries and suspensions. 

Top scorer? Looking tough now for Ronaldo, but Lukaku could score a couple,against Japan which might be enough. Unless Harry Kane’s heel can deflect in any more. 

And what a day in prospect tomorrow with France vs Argentine and Uruguay vs Portugal. Perm any two from those four really. 

England 0 Belgium 1 / Panama 1 Tunisia 2

Southgate makes eight changes for this - “it shows the faith he has in his players”. Of course, if he had made no changes, it would have shown his professionalism. Winners get an easier looking last sixteen game, but a potentially harder quarter-final. 

Glenn Hoddle explains the way to maintain momentum - by winning games. Vernaelen is back to partner Boyata, but Kompany still on the bench. 

Within ten minutes England were looking shaky at the back, the consequence of coming up against a non-minnow. Talking of which, Panama went 1-up on Tunisia. 

Fifty-one minutes in and Januzaj scored a cracker. Soon after Tunisia equalised. Rashford missed a sitter and Tunisia went in front. Kompany came on but Belgium couldn’t add to their score despite more shambolic English defending.

And that was that. As Clive Tyldesley said, “the real work starts next week.” Yes, against another real side Clive, Colombia. Be afraid. 

Senegal 0 Colombia 1 / Japan 0 Poland 1

Poland, a lot of people’s favourites to win the group, are the only team out. A point does Japan and Senegal while a draw would only do Colombia if Japan lose.

A whole five minutes discussing the four teams before going over to Gareth Southgate followed by the tenth discussion about whether to make changes for the Belgium game. Yawn. 

Two quiet first halves, which seems to be developing into a bit of a pattern. All we had was a Colombia free-kick, James Rodriguez going off injured, a Senegal penalty given then cancelled after review and the ball saved right on the line by the Japanese ‘keeper. This prompted Mark Lawrenson to ask “Do they not check that?” Oh my God, does he retain any information in that head? We have had goalline technology for years. 

Then we must talk about England again, and the fact they don’t concede goals. That would be apart from the two against the minnows in the group that is.

Poland scored just before the hour, which worried Japan, but Colombia then scored which put Senegal in third on the FairPlay count. Japan played out the last few minutes without making any effort to equalise, which wasn’t great to watch but at least they understood the rules unlike some. Lawrenson even claimed at one point that FIFA were confused. Eh?

So the Senegalese the first team to be eliminated on yellow cards. Lawrenson didn’t like this of course, but couldn’t come up with a better alternative. Drawing lots? FIFA ranking? Neither better in my view. Playoffs would be better but impractical.

Serbia 0 Brazil 2 / Switzerland 2 Costa Rica 2

Costa Rica already out, a draw does both Brazil and Switzerland, Serbia need a win, or a draw if Costa Rica win. 

The pundits salivating over the prospect of Brazil going out on the same day as Germany, but they started the game in a rush. As did the Ticos who hit the post and had other early chances. Marcello had to go off after ten minutes not looking at all well. 

The Swiss went in front through Ljajic, as did Brazil when Paulinho finished off a sublime Coutinho pass. So everything going according to predictions at half-time. 

Costa Rica though equalised with a simple header from a corner, which didn’t really change anything but Serbia may have heard the news as they started to pile on the pressure and came close to a leveller. 

Their hopes were ended by Thiago Silva who also netted with a header so when Switzerland scored then Costa Rica again equalised with a penalty which rebounded off the bar onto the back of the goalkeeper’s head and in, none of it really mattered. 

Brazil the group winners then without looking like potential champions at most points, Switzerland happy to be through to face Sweden. 

SK Vorwarts Steyr 0 Celtic 1

Celtic got their pre-season campaign off to a winning start as James Forrest gave them a 1-0 win in Austria.

The Celts dominated the game and could have scored many more. A handball by the ‘keeper outside the box should have been a red card and there was a block on the line which could also have involved a hand but we didn’t have VAR in operation.

Lewis Morgan played the first half and looked the best player on the park. There was the usual deluge of substitutions and youngsters Stephen Welsh, Kerr McInroy , Ewan Henderson, Jack Aitchinson and Conor Hazard were all involved as were the returning Ryan Christie and Scott Allan.

Only problem was the 5.30 kick-off time which meant I was watching three games at once for a while.

South Korea 2 Germany 0 / Mexico 0 Sweden 3

All four sides still with a chance: South Korea need to win and hope Sweden lose, Sweden need a better result than Germany, Germany need to match Sweden’s result, Mexico need to avoid defeat or hope Germany don’t win. But it could get horribly complicated if three teams end up on three points which is possible. FIFA’s decision to use overall goal,difference over head to head results means that a team could go through against another which they have lost to which seems unfair. 

Coverage not starting today until fifteen minutes before kick-off which doesn’t leave much time for that vital Southgate interview. In fact Gareth must have found some work to do so Gabby had to make do with John Stones. And Martin Keown as she finally ran out of players. Then we had to endure Pearce’s customary dig at VAR and the number of officials (11 apparently). Amazing the things which annoy him. 

First half of both games started with a peculiar lack of urgency from all teams, but in the second things gradually heated up. Germany missed a couple of chances then the position shifted as Sweden scored. When they went two up with a penalty the Germans knew they had to win, and I’m sure many became desperate for them to do so just to,shut the commentators up as they were loving it. 

A fortunate third for Sweden ensured their - and South Korea’s - fate was sealed but a goal,for,Germany would still take them through and eliminate Mexico. Hummels shouldered wide and Kroos shot just over as the chances started to flow But as time ran out it was the Koreans who sensationally scored, the goal rightly standing after a dramatic VAR review. (“If there’s any justice” pleaded the loathsome Pearce.)

Hummels had another chance, but Neuer was by now playing in midfield, lost the ball and South Korea scored a second.

A sense of disbelief as the Germans exited, although there was joy unconfined in the BBC studio. The war’s over lads. 

Argentina 2 Nigeria 1 / Iceland 1 Croatia 2

Croatia through, almost certainly as winners barring a heavy defeat and a Nigeria win, Argentina needing a win and for Iceland to lose to avoid an ignominious exit, Iceland need to win and rely on goal difference, Nigeria need a win or a draw as long as Iceland don’t win heavily.

Argentina dropped Caballero and Aguero, bringing in Armani (with an expensive looking jersey) for his debut and Higuain. Once again the commentators’ tactical analysis of Nigeria almost entirely based on their friendly with England a few weeks ago. The definition of lazy journalism.

It took Messi fourteen minutes to spring into life, getting on the end of a long ball with a brilliant thigh-cushion, touch and finish. All going to plan for them at this stage, but Iceland were creating chances against Croatia, who had made nine changes, almost all from set-pieces, although Kalanic did have to make one great save.

Nigeria’s Balogun was a tad fortunate to get away with a yellow after a foul (Jermaine Jenas claimed he wasn’t last man, but of course this is not the law, it’s a Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity, pretty amazing that he doesn’t know this) and Messi struck the post with the free-kick. Nigeria weren’t threatening much, summed up by Etubo who came up with a Sebo moment as his shot went for a throw-in.

Half-time saw Gabby Yorath’s 94th interview with Gareth Southgate. 

Just four minutes into the second period Nigeria went ahead with a harsh penalty, slotted home by Moses, at almost the same time Badelj hit the bar then scored for Croatia. Iceland kept battling and hit the bar themselves. Argentina brought on Pavon and Meza, but not Aguero at this stage, he would have to wait for the last ten minutes. Nigeria and Iceland both still creating chances so nothing sure at this stage.

Fifteen to go and Iceland scored a penalty, Nigeria had a claim denied, Higuain blazed a chance over, and Etebo went close with a free-kick as the tension rose.

Then, with just four minutes left the unlikely figure of Rojo brilliantly finished to put Argentina back in the qualification spot. Right on full time Perisic finally extinguished Iceland’s hopes although they never stopped attacking. 

A thrilling evening ended with the prospect of France meeting Argentina rather than Iceland which has to be a good thing for the tournament. And the sight of Gary Lineker actually reading out the law on handball to the members of the panel, reminding them it has to be deliberate. “It was bad defending though” spluttered Ferdinand about the Nigeria claim as if that made a difference. Dear God.

And interesting to see Maradona in the crowd employing somebody with the sole apparent job of holding him up. Suppose somebody has to.

Denmark 0 France 0 / Australia 0 Peru 2

Peru out, France through, Australia needing a win, a France win and either a goal difference swing or to score more goals than Denmark if both games have a one-goal margin, Denmark need a draw to qualify or a win to top the group, France need to avoid defeat to win the group. All of which means a draw would probably suit both France and Denmark, although the group winners here may well end up playing Argentina.

So not quite the excitement of last night, especially after Peru scored after 18 minutes with a good Carrillo volley even though he looked just offside. Rogic had a great run and shot which was saved as he drove the Aussies forward in search of the equaliser. Giroud blazing over for France when he was probably offside anyway was the only chance in that game. Although Clive Tyldesley produced a real WTF moment when he said “two throwback centre forwards on the pitch today, just like 1966.”  Think that’s the award for the most tenuous ‘66 link right there.

Five minutes into the second half Peru scored a fortuitous second and that effectively settled affairs. Tim Cahill came on to make it four tournament appearances but that sentimental move kind of signified Australia’s acceptance of their fate.

Eriksen looked slightly dangerous as Denmark briefly seemed to decide they might as well try and win the game and group but that didn’t last and the game drifted off to become the first goalless one of the tournament.

Iran 1 Portugal 1 / Spain 2 Morocco 2

Morocco already out, Iran need a win, Portugal and Spain both need a draw but if both win or both draw it will come down to goal difference or disciplinary records (or even the drawing of lots) to decide the group winners, and the winners will meet Russia rather than Uruguay. BBC decide to switch the Portugal game to be the main one, presumably on the basis that both teams can qualify, with Spain relegated to BBC4 where coverage didn’t start until seconds before kick-off. And they managed a full thirty minutes of build-up on BBC1 without one mention of England. See, it can be done.

Ronaldo had a shot on target after just three minutes, the ‘keeper made a good save although he looked shaky at other times. Iran had a free-kick in a promising position which allowed Mark Lawrenson to tell us “England have been the best team at set-pieces”. Yeah, against the mighty defences of Tunisia and feckin Panama. Not the best game, but lit up by an excellent goal just before the break from Quaresma as he curled in with the outside of his foot from outside the box. Surprising to hear that this is his first start at any World Cup.

Portugal awarded a VARPEN but Ronaldo unusually missed partly because the ‘keeper was two yards off his line. Lawrenson thought it wasn’t a penalty because Ronaldo didn’t have control of the ball. Which is completely irrelevant. The Iranian dissent at this point was quite incredible.

Ronaldo was then yellow carded after a VAR review, then another VARPEN was given to Iran (encouraged by the “Uruguay”players apparently) for a really soft handball. They then had a good chance to win and eliminate Portugal but hit the side netting in a frantic finish.

Morocco put in a feisty performance against Spain and took the lead as Boutaib stole the ball on the halfway line, ran through on De Gea and put the ball through his legs. The lead lasted just five minutes though as a fine passing move ended with Isco lifting the ball into the roof of the net.

Spain fell asleep at the back again and Boutaib had another chance but De Gea saved this time. Spain did appear to be getting on top though.

Pique got away with a blatant looking handball, Morocco hit the post and Isco had a header off the line.. Morocco sensationally went in front with a great header from En-Nesyri with ten minutes to go but Aspas equalised - after yet another a VAR review overruled the offside - to give Spain first place in the group which hadn’t looked likely for most of the evening.

So Spain get the easier looking option of Russia, Portugal have to face Uruguay.

Uruguay 3 Russia 0 / Saudia Arabia 2 Egypt 1

So we move into another phase of the tournament with two games played simultaneously. The deciisio now is whether to concentrate on one, switch between the two (sure way to miss every goal) or use two devices. I went for the latter.

One of the less interesting groups at this stage with the two qualifiers already known and two already-eliminated sides meeting. Given that Russia and Uruguay will meet Spain or Portugal, but at this stage they don’t know which one the group winners will play, there is little reason for either to bust a gut to win. A draw would do for Russia in any case.

Egypt set a record right from the off by naming El Hadary in goal, the 45-year-old becoming the oldest ever player at a World Cup.

Russia made three changes but fell behind within ten minutes to a Suarez free-kick after a defender bizarrely decided to push aside the rwo attackers in the wall thus creating a huge space. Uruguay went two up thanks to a Kane-esqu deflection. Russia’s lack of decent opposition up to this point now being cruelly highlighted. When Smolnikov got himself stupidly sent off it looked bleak for the hosts.

Dzyuba saw more of the ball in the second half but didn’t look anything like the player he did in the last game and Uruguay predictably had more of the game with the extra man. Right on full-time Cavani made it three from three yards out, ensuring that Uruguay won all three group games for the first time.

In the other game, Mo Salah scored with a nice lob, but missed a bit of a sitter soon after. The Saudis then benefitted from a harsh penalty for inadvertent handball but the old man in goal pulled off a quite brilliant save. Another soft one in stoppage time though allowed them to equalise.

The game pretty much petered out in the second period, right until five seconds past the allotted added time when Saudi Arabia stole a winner.

Poland 0 Colombia 3

Any losers here and they are out. A draw and all four teams in the group still in with a chance. Ally McCoist started to give us his tactical insights, but as Alloa weren’t playing they were a bit worthless.  His advice to Poland when they were chasing the game was to punt high balls up to Lewandowski.

Neither side playing for the draw though, with both getting forward but it was Colombia who scored first with a simple cross from James Rodriquez and Yerra Mina header.

The second didn’t arrive until the seventieth minute courtesy of a fine Falcao finish from a slide-rule Quintero pass but that looked like the end of Poland. Five minutes latter a beautiful pass into the goal by Cuadrado on the end of another Rodriquez through ball confirmed it.

Poland out, Colombia need a win against Senegal and Japan need a point against Poland unless Senegal beat Colombia. Senegal need a point.

Interestingly, the Colombia manager has apparently only given one interview in six years. Can someone tell Gareth Southgate?

Japan 2 Senegal 2

Finally on to the next game after every single England player had been interviewed and some words from Rio Ferdinand which may just come back to haunt him: “I can’t seen any problems for England with any of the teams in the next round”. Oh dear. And they were still wittering on about Sterling when the teams were lined up in the tunnel.

Senegal looked the better side from the off and soon went in front after poor defending but they couldn’t capitalise and Japan equalised.

Both sides had chances in the second half, and Japan seemed to be getting the upper hand but it was Senegal who got their noses in front from a thunderous strike by Wagou with twenty minutes to go. Seven minutes later though Japanese sub Honda powered forward to equalise again.

A good game which leaves both in a good position but not yet through.

England 6 Panama 1

Catching up with the highlights on BBC, and it’s incredible how much Jonathan Pearce despises Germany. When the referee eventually showed Boateng the red card he spluttered “Do your job for goodness sake!”  Scary stuff, he should maybe consider seeing a therapist about that.

Panama made the early running here but England broke away to win a corner and go in front. England continued to give the ball away regularly but Panama not really good enough to take advantage. England went two up thanks to a very soft penalty despite the fact there were players inside the box when it was taken. Although Panama cut open the English defence at times they had no-one on the end of the moves and England finished them off with Stones’ second, a fine Lingard strike and another Kane penalty after some wrestling where players from both sides seemed to be at it.

Danny Murphy continually going on about “we”, “us” and “our team” during all this, obviously forgetting what the first B in BBC stands for.

Kane completed perhaps the worst hat-trick in World Cup history with a clearly offside deflection to add to his two soft penalties. Still makes him the best player in the world obviously.

Their dodgy defence though allowed one of the worst ever World Cup teams to score a goal, leaving 37-year-old Baloy totally unmarked. The Belgian game pretty much irrelevant now, but much, much harder tests to come for England.

Germany 2 Sweden 1

Germany in disarray gong into this because - well they lost  a game. Half the back four changed and Ozil dropped, but then they do have a strong squad. Given that the German’s last game is against South Korea, Sweden probably think they need a win as well rather than a draw which would leave them needing a result against Mexico. In that case though a draw would put them both through and their would be some sort of poetic justice in that.

The Germans came out all-guns blazing creating a couple of quick chances but Sweden had a great opportunity  to go ahead when Berg broke though but he went down under a challenge from Boateng. Nothing doing from the ref or VAR though.

Toivonen sensationally put Sweden ahead with a sublime finish (with a hint of a deflection) just after half an hour and suddenly Germany were in deep trouble. Berg almost added a second just before the break but Neuer saved well.

The panel of course loving the German “shambles” at half-time, inferring all sorts of internal troubles from on-field mistakes and really laying into Boateng in particular. But there’s only one goal in it.

And it took Reus just three and a half minutes to knee in the equaliser. Germany then dominated the rest of the game but with eight minutes left Boateng got a second yellow after a suspiciously long think by the ref given that VAR should not be intervening at this point. There was a bizarre explanation that he was waiting for the Swedish player to get up first. Mmm.

Gomez almost snatched a winner but Olsen saved, Brandt thumped the post and then, and then - never, never write off the Germans - with fifteen seconds to go Toni Kroos smashed in the most dramatic of winners.

Now all they need is a win over South Korea. Sweden must rely on the Koreans or get a result against Mexico who have not yet actually qualified.

South Korea 1 Mexico 2

An extra five minutes pre-game on ITV so they can - oh I’m sure you can guess.

Mexico - another team in their away kit for no apparent reason, white shirts with a strange shade of burgundy shorts - strong favourites for this based on both sides’ opening games, and they started strongly, gong ahead with a penalty after a clear handball.

South Korea responded well though and while the gap remained at one the Mexicans couldn't relax with chances being made at both ends.

On sixty-six minutes however Javier Hernandez turned brilliantly and scuffed a shot home to make it two. A touch of nerves at the back almost let South Korea in but they couldn’t take advantage of Márquez’s slip. But Son (or Spurs’ Son to give him his full name) smacked one in from distance with three minutes of added time left. Just a little too late to allow any attempts at an equaliser though.

Six points between the two sides now, but strangely Mexico are not through yet and South Korea are not eliminated yet. They both probably are though.

Belgium 5 Tunisia 2

An extra fifteen minutes build-up to discuss Belgium and Lukaku. For a a while anyway then Gabby Yorath interviewed Gareth Southgate about his feckin shoulder. Again! Please, can we have one game where we don’t discuss that?

Alex Scott then told us that De Bruyne  - one of the best players in the world - will be key. Good shout there.

Belgium ahead early thanks to a penalty - not a VARPEN as, although it was confirmed by VAR, the referee was convinced of the offence and that it happened on the line. Hazard calmly scored. And when Lukaku quickly added a second, it looked all over but Tunisia surprisingly hit back to reduce the lead.

A couple of injuries didn’t help the Tunisian cause and when Lukaku made it 3-1 it all began to make England’s struggle against them look very unimpressive. Especially so when Hazard made it 4-1 and Batshuayi five after he missed twice from the six-yard line before missing again from twelve yards.

Tunisia got a late consolation but the Belgians strong favourites for the group now.

Serbia 1 Switzerland 2

Looks like even the BBC have got bored interviewing England players as once again they just preview the game at hand. What an innovation, it’ll never catch on. One of the hardest games to predict, two evenly matched European sides. A draw probably most people’s guess.

Except that Serbia scored through Mitrovic in the first five minutes, sparking a goal-fest. Not really, but a decent half ensued.

Half time ended the England-free zone with Trippier trotted out again. Yawn.

The draw was back on the cards early in the second period as Xhaka fired in a long-range strike. Shaqiri almost went one better with a brilliant effort from the edge of the box which nicked off the bar, but with seconds left he broke free from the halfway line, held off a challenge and calmly finished to make it 2-1.

A very entertaining game, with both sides going for the win, it was never going to end in a draw was it?

Serbia now have to beat Brazil to progress, the Swiss just need a point against already-eliminated Costa Rica to be sure.

Nigeria 2 Iceland 0

The BBC actually managed to spend half an hour talking about the game they were about to show with absolutely no mention of England. Well, hardly any. Almost enough to make you forgive the cringe-making Dan Walker spy pastiche at the start. Almost.

It’s the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament against one of the biggest, not that I’ve ever understood the relevance of that. After all, you would expect China or India to regularly reach the final stages if that had a bearing. Nigeria wearing their spiffy new shirts this time.

Iceland’s long-ball game once again putting everybody to sleep, add in an uninspired Nigeria and we have a snooze-fest.

It looked like it would be a game of two separate forty-five minute periods though as Nigeria thrillingly broke and Musa brilliantly controlled and half-volleyed home early in the second. The game opened up a bit after this with both sides actually trying to create chances. Musa hit the bar then scored another great solo goal to seal  the win. Although Iceland did have a chance to get back in it with a VARPEN (a term which I am hereby copyrighting all right?) but Sigurdsson blazed over. Keown actually came out with “He had to score” after it. Please, enough with the truisms.

The result means that Argentina are still alive if they beat Nigeria in their last game depending on Iceland’s result with Croatia. Iceland not out of it though.

Brazil 2 Costa Rica 0

Evra’s bow tie has gone thank God. Fifteen minutes before the Brazil game - Gareth Southgate is asked about Dele Alli’s fitness. Way to build up the game you’re showing.

Things underway after the anthems, Costa Rica’s seemingly the longest in the world. Brazil wearing blue despite them being the nominal home team and the yellow not clashing with their opponent’s white. Unless you’re watching in black and white. And another stadium with a complicated stand annoyingly casting a shadow over the pitch. Tyldesley and Hoddle gobsmacked that Joel Campbell isn’t playing because - well, he’s an Arsenal player innit?

Costa Rica’s best chance amongst the inevitable Brazilian pressure came after wonderful work from Gamboa but was wasted (Hoddle of course sagely telling us that “you have to hit the target from there”). On this form you do wonder why the right-back doesn’t get a look-in at Celtic. 

Brazil upped their game after around twenty-five minutes and began to get in behind their opponents without breaking through, and the pattern continued as they came out all guns blazing after the interval. They hit the bar and had a shot blocked on the line by that man Gamboa although Costa Rica got forward dangerously at times too. 

Neymar tumbled in the box to earn a penalty, but good old VAR allowed the referee to realise his mistake and bravely reverse the decision although  for some reason he didn’t book him for diving. In added time Brazil finally went in front through Coutinho then Neymar added a second before, for some reason, bursting into tears. I have always enjoyed watching Brazil over the years but it is very difficult to support a side with the odious Neymar in it. 

Costa Rica eliminated, Brazil still not through.

One final thought - when did Costa’s first name become “Dooglas”?

Argentina 0 Croatia 3

Nobody scored more than one goal in the last five games, so surely Argentina and/or Croatia can break that sequence?

Croatia started confidently, soon forcing Caballero into a fine save,  and with Argentina also getting forward it was only a matter of time until a goal came. Surely. But despite some very dodgy defending it remained goalless at half-time as both sides spurned great chances.

During the break we were reminded about Southgates’s injured shoulder again. Did you hear about that yeah?

Another defensive blunder by Caballero presented Rebic with the chance to put Croatia ahead and he took it well. Higuain came on for Aguero allowing Messi to move into the middle and he immediately started to see more of the ball.

However there was still a lack of penetration from the Argentinians and Croatia piled the pressure on them with a cracking second from Modric. Rakitic thumped the crossbar from a free-kick but then scored an added-time third.

Croatia through, Argentina needing a win and a favour to survive.

France 1 Peru 0

During the break before the start, we saw that Stuart Pearce is still making money from his missed penalty. No shame some people. Then we had the obligatory catch-up with England, Trippier the one interviewed this time because, well, everyone else already has been. And Gareth Southgate dislocated his shoulder while out on a run, did you know? Think everyone in the country knows by now.

Patrice Evra sporting an atrocious black bow tie and red jumper combo. Wonder what Roy Keane made of it? Sadly he wasn’t asked.

Peru in the red stripes came flying out of the traps but France gave warnings with a couple of half chances, Guerrero had a great chance and managed to hit the target as the commentators are always exhorting players to do, but Lee Dixon told us that “he has to beat the ‘keeper from there”. (Later when a free-kick went straight to the ‘keeper he intoned “it was on target but that’s about all you can say”. I despair.)

Soon after Mbappe tapped in a deflected Giroud shot to put the favourites in front as they began to take control, but it didn’t last and Peru posed them plenty of problems without in truth looking like scoring. Loads of spirit and enthusiasm with an impressively large contingent of supporters but no killer instinct.

So Peru out, France with two wins but do they look like potential winners? Well, winners often start slowly and build up to the big games, and they still have a massively impressive squad.

Denmark 1 Australia 1

“A must not lose game for Australia” says McCoist, and as they’ve lost their first and only have one to go after this that is stating the bleedin’ obvious.

Those hopes dimmed early on though as Eriksen fired home but they soon recovered and gradually fought their way back in to the game, being rewarded with a soft penalty. VAR will of course be blamed but it was the referee who made the decision after watching the replays supplied by VAR, not VAR itself. Jedinak calmly scored despite some pathetic attempts at sledging from Schmeichel.

Surprisingly, it was Australia who went on to be the better side, but neither team could find the winner and a draw was just about fair as both had spells on top.

Oh and one more thing: if one more commentator tells us that someone “has to hit the target from there” I won’t be responsible for my actions.

Iran 0 Spain 1

Another game which looks like a hopeless mismatch, but it hasn’t really been working out that way so far. In fact only Russia and Belgium have won games by more than two goals so far.

Inevitable one way traffic but Spain finding it hard to break down weaker opponents, a bit of a theme at this tournament.

Iran almost upset the paella cart with a shot inches wide but wouldn’t you know it Spain went in front minutes later although it took a fortuitous bounce off Costa’s leg to do it. Iran then thought they had equalised but VAR yet again did its job and confirmed offside. Clive Tyldesley spent ages celebrating until he realised, then declared they were looking at a handball, then when he discovered it was offside reminded us that the assistants don’t flag if it is close despite the flag clearly going up instantly. Brilliant work there Clive.

At least all this opened up the game and we got some rwo-way traffic for a change, with a couple,of decent chances for an equaliser. Spain win but not looking like champions.

Uruguay 1 Saudi Arabia 0

Uruguay - and Louis Suarez in particular - aiming for a big improvement on their opening game, the Saudis trying to avoid another thrashing. As Steve Bower asked Phil Neville “how big a challenge is this for Saudi Arabia?”, back came the reply - altogether now - “it’s a massive challenge”. Thanks for the insight Phil. Bower then told us that the first corner of the game was “Egypt’s”. Sheesh.

Suarez’s poor run was always unlikely to continue and he soon took advantage of an inexperienced goalkeeper to tap his side in front on the occasion of his 100th cap. Saudi Arabia suddenly and unexpectedly burst into life though and enjoyed a spell of attacking football which gave them hope for the second half.

The second half did happen but it’s hard to remember anything about it.

Saudi Arabia out, an uninspired Uruguay through along with Russia.

Portugal 1 Morocco 0

Iran strolling through this group at the moment, but a great chance here for Portugal to catch them up.   Vicki Sparks a rare female voice on commentary, although she does have the severe handicap of Martin Keown alongside her. Although even he is now admitting “VAR has improved things”.

Ronaldo soon displayed his under-rated heading ability to become the all-time leading European scorer in international football, but Morocco well in the game and regularly threatening.

The pattern continued in the second half, with Patricio producing a great save to preserve the lead, and you just knew Keown’s next sentence would contain the words “Gordon”and “Banks”. Because no other ‘keeper has made a good diving save since 1970.

In fact the Moroccans became more and more dominant but just didn’t have enough guile to break the Portuguese down. So Iran knocked off the top and Morocco the first team out.

Russia 3 Egypt 1

Salah starts! But will be fit enough? Time will tell.

These two playing their second matches barely an hour after the last of the first round, and nobody has really stood out as potential champions. Spain and Portugal have probably played the best football but as they were playing each other it is hard to judge. My tip, France, look certainties though. Maybe.

In a disappointing first period Salah didn’t see much of the ball (clearly because Egypt are not as good as Liverpool as Jonathan Pearce insinuated) but neither did Dzyuba, isolated up front for Russia.

Yet another own goal, a particularly unfortunate one, gave the home side the lead. When Cheryshev got a well-worked second, to make him joint-top scorer, and Dzyuba added an excellent third Russia were flying and Egypt were on the brink.

That was despite a Mo Salah penalty, the award solely down to VAR which even prompted Pearce to admit through gritted teeth “it worked”. The penny has finally dropped. Hallelujah.

Nobody fancied Russia to do anything here, but quite honestly they have looked the best team so far, albeit against limited opposition. And they have home advantage. They couldn’t could they?

Poland 1 Senegal 2

ITV beat the BBC hands down, just the second word here being “England”. Jolly well done lads. No cooking segment though, come on.

Much huffing and puffing on the pitch too with little imagination, but Senegal - who have eight forwards listed in their squad - went ahead with a deflected shot. From a midfielder. They did deserve to be ahead as Poland were disappointing with Lewandowski invisible.

They looked a little better in the second half until some horrendous defending allowed Senegal to nick a second. Poland looked beaten from that point on. Well, until the 86th minute and a fine headed goal  which brought them back in it. But it was too litttle too late as Senegal took advantage of some good fortune and bad defending.

Quote of the day from Ally McCoist: “if you’re guilty of manipulating the game, you deserve a life ban”. Wonder if he can think of any examples where that hasn’t happened?

Colombia 1 Japan 2

Coverage of Colombia vs Japan begins on the BBC, and the ninth word after the “good sfternoon”s is - you guessed it - “England”. Followed by ten minutes discussion of yesterday’s game. And Phil Neville still “isn’t having VAR” because England didn’t get a penalty. Never mind the dozen or more decisions it has got right so far, we should just forget it bacause it missed one thing.

Bit tricky for some to concentrate on the opening stages of this as the draw for the Champions League qualifying rounds was taking place at the same time (why the hell couldnt they have done that an hour earlier?) but there was a dramatic opening with a penalty and red card (the second-fastest in any World Cup) after just three minutes which left Japan one up and Colombia with ten men. The rest of the half didn’t live up to that as the superior Colombian side struggled with the numerical disadvantage. Until a clever free-kick from Quintero snuck under the wall and over the line. Why the Japanese players spent so long arguing about it is unclear as the technology confirmed the goal - not that it was required as it was clearly in. But a great response from Colombia.

At half-time we were “treated” to film of the presenters taking a Russian cookery class. No, honestly, we were. I’m not making it up. Borsch it was. Then a taste test in the studio with Phil Neville. I assure you, this did happen.

Japan slowly began to realise that they should be aiming to win this game with the extra man so started attacking with a bit more purpose and got the second. Colombia, with James Rodriguez on, still looked dangerous but couldn’t get a second equaliser.

As Kevin Kilbane told us insightfully, the red card had a huge influence on the game.

Tunisia 1 England 2

First news of England fans arrests, with one apparently trying to snatch a gun from a Russian policeman. Great idea mate.

Rio Ferdinand parroting the familiar line about how well the players are getting on with press, along with yet more footage of them bowling and playing darts, conveniently forgetting about the treatment Raheem Sterling has been getting. And just wait until they have a poor result and see what happens. BBC getting the excuses in early with midges attacking the English players. But not the Tunisians presumably.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only to mute the anthem for this one - why can’t England get their own one?

England with an early chance thanks to the worst piece of defending in the tournament so far but they couldn’t take advantage. More poor marking allowed Stones to head and Kane to net the rebound despite a great save. The ‘keeper then had to go off as everything seemed to be going England’s way.

Equally bad English defending gave Tunisia a chance as the sides began to look more evenly matched and the limited Kyle Walker conceded a penalty under no real pressure. England then resorted to the familiar tactic of diving to win free-kicks but more dreadful play meant they couldn’t capitalise, Lingard’s prod off the post the closest they came.

Shearer had the audacity to describe the penalty as soft on the basis the Tunisian attacker wasn’t getting the ball, which is completely irrelevant, as is the fact Kane should have had one as well.

The second half was quite frankly dreadful, two very limited sides huffing and puffing to no effect. One of them grabbed a scrappy late winner, but neither are going far in this tournament.

Belgium 3 Panama 0

Despite VAR helping get to the right decision in the Sweden game earlier, ITV were still banging on about the uncertainty and confusion. How much would they have been criticising the referee if he hadn’t given that penalty and there was no VAR?

So over the the BBC for some sense from - oh, Danny Murphy and Phil Neville. Forget it.

A thrashing was on the cards but it didn’t pan out that way in the first half. Belgium obviously dominated but never really came close with Panama looking comfortable at the back. Another fancied team failing to live up to their reputation so far.

A fine early Mertens goal in the second period helped settle them though and Panama started picking up bookings as their discipline went. A second ended their resistance (VAR confirming no offside but Lawrenson still moaning that “we didn’t know though” - I think the game restarting was a clue) and the Belgians ran out easy winners, adding a third. 

Sweden 1 South Korea 0

Jacqui Oakley begins by displaying her huge brass neck and telling us that the England players “must be sick talking about the World Cup”. They’re sick of it? You could always stop asking the feckin questions.

Ally McCoist then started wittering on about his world class breakfast. Dear God. He then informed us that the six foot six Korean striker will be a “threat in the air”.  Oh dear God.

Jon Champion stated that the Koreans had a bond due to their shared military service. What, they all did it together at the same time? Really?

Not the most scintillating first half, with Korean ‘keeper Jo’s great save the highlight.

Sweden consistently the better side, although it took another excellent VAR decision to overturn another refereeing mistake to give them a penalty. Captain Granqvist stepped up after all the attacking players went missing and gave the Swedes the lead which they held on to fairly comfortably without troubling the ‘keeper again.

Well played VAR, well played.

Brazil 1 Switzerland 1

The World Cup starts here. Well it never feels right until Brazil play. The Swiss do have a decent World Cup record and are usually no pushovers. The studio panel once again absolutely baffled at how players who play in England aren’t in the team. And Tyldesley has his customary dig at VAR. Seriously, give it a rest.

Back at the beautiful game, Brazil as expected dominated and their ‘keeper hardly touched the ball, but it took a cracking Coutinho curler to put them in front and the Swiss came alive a bit before the break. Brazil ahead but it’s not exactly 1970.

Switzerland though equalised in the simplest fashion, an unchallenged header from a corner amid claims of a push. Brazil almost got a late winner with a similar attempt and a shot just past but it was far from a vintage performance. Good to see the restrained Swiss celebrations at the final whistle, it’s just a draw after all not a trophy.

Germany 0 Mexico 1

A tasty match ahead but Jonathan Pearce felt he had to have yet another o at VAR first: “They are becoming superstars” apparently - what, by sitting in a room where nobody can see them? It’s all becoming very tiresome. As is the debate over whether Sane should have been in the Germany squad because - well he plays in England you know. Ironically, the man who replaced him in the squad, Brandt, looked their best player when he came on.

Both sides had chances in the first three minutes, which augured well, and we had a period of end to end football with Mexico having the best chances so when they went in front you have to say they deserved it. They had a player booked for time-wasting after just 39 minutes which maybe gave an indication of their mindset.

Alan Shearer’s assertion at half time that Germany had been “absolutely battered” and that Mexico should have been two or three up was just a wee bit over the top. Then came the 48th Gareth Southgate interview of the week - doesn’t he have any work to do?

Germany gradually turned the screw on the increasingly pinned-back Mexicans who still had chances to seal the win on the break but couldn’t find that second. There was a growing feeling that the Germans would get the equaliser but it just wouldn’t come.

Marquez came on to make an appearance in his fifth World Cup, prompting Phil Neville to tell us that he was on for “his experience”. You don’t say Phil.

Costa Rica 0 Serbia 1

Widely predicted to be close, but Serbia looked much stronger on paper, Costa Rica’s previous tournament exploits probably making them appear better than they are.

And Serbia did dominate possession although CR looke dangerous when they broke. There was an injury scare for Kolarov before the start, but luckily for the Serbs he recovered to score a thunderous free-kick winner. 

Deserved victors too while Costa Rica were full of energy and running without properly threatening. 

Ian Dowie in the commentary box for this, and he gave us the classic “he simply has to score” nonsense at least twice. Also wondered what the delay was when the ref was clearly waiting for a VAR review. Talking of which, there were a couple of issues to be looked at in stoppage time which meant a few extra minutes had to be added. Which hardly made it a “never ending” game as was claimed.

Croatia 2 Nigeria 0

Nigeria sadly not wearing their nattty new strip due to a perceived clash of colours, too much white in both or something. They did sport a very smart all-greeen outfit though, Croatia in their famous checks.

Co-commentator was Ally McCoist, but why someone who was a complete and utter, abject failure as a manager can be considered an “expert”at the top level is a mystery. Like most of the others, his main contribution was to shout “he`s got to score, he’s go to score” over and over.

The game was quite a sedate affair with Croatia chipping away at the Nigerian defence until an own goal gave them the lead.

Nigeria had more of the game in the second half, but suffered one of those penalties - given without the aid of VAR - which was a foul but the type of foul which happens at every corner. The Nigerians unlucky that the ref had such a clear sight of it really. Modric tucked it away and the result wasn’t in any doubt from then on.

Straightforward win for Croatia, albeit from an og and a pen.

Peru 0 Denmark 1

The return of Peru and that iconic strip, voted the best World Cup one ever but that is surely Brazil 1970? At least they haven't messed about with a classic.

Anyway, they were on top in the lively early stages without going to close to an end product allowing Denmark to work their way back in although they weren’t exactly threatening either.

Another VAR decision gave Peru a penalty (again the right decision) but Cueva ballooned it over. “Aladdin”, as he is known, probably wished he could disappear.

The pattern continued in the second period until the Danes broke and Poulson put them ahead. Peru launched a mini-bombardment which the Danish backline (mmm, Danish backline) managed to repel as the match suddenly became much more exciting.

The Europeans ahead in this group now but not over yet.

Argentina 1 Iceland 1

Immediate escalation in the level of punditry with Henrik Larsson in the ITV studio. A touch of class at last.

One of those annoying pitches with half in sunlight and the shadow of the top of the stand across the middle. Both sides in their away strip presumably due to a perceived clash between either home/away combination.

Iceland held their own in the early stages, although I’m already sick of hearing about the thunderclap. Not the thunderclap itself just those telling us about it. Argentina gradually took control and Aguero got his first World Cup goal with a trademark finish but Iceland soon hit back through Finnbogasson.

As often happens Argentina failed to get the best out of Messi who looked fairly ordinary, especially when he missed a penalty. He did get more involved as the game wore on and he was played in his more favoured central position but a couple of long-range efforts just past were the sum of his endeavours.

Have to admit, I don’t get the Iceland love-in we are all encouraged to take part in. They pack their defence and lump the ball up to the big guys. Not great to watch but a great result for them so they won't care about my opinion.

France 2 Australia 1

Seems a little perverse to point to the absent players as a sign of France’s strength, but they still have the likes of Mbappe, Griezmann, Pogba, Dembele and Kante. Australia have Rogic though.

First disappointment of the day was the revelation that Mark Lawrenson is here, the king of the tumbleweed-followed joke and practiced cynicism, sighing and tutting his way through games. He moans constantly about the use of technology, he moans when it doesn’t make decisions he agrees with, he moans when it gets things right. 

Second disappointment was the first half where Australia nullified the creative French players without threatening much themselves, which didn’t make for a great watch. 

Then, inevitably, the first VAR controversy as the referee awarded France a penalty after watching a replay of a tackle himself. It hardly seemed a clear and obvious error not to give it. The Aussies soon got their own penalty, and no VAR required here as Umtiti handled for no apparent reason.

So the game brightened a little without setting the pulses racing and a Pogba goal which may or may not have been a fluke and crossed the line by an inch won it for an unconvincing France. 

Saturday Saturation

One of those delicious World Cup days with four live games. Four. And Ant and Dec nowhere to be seen. Nowhere. It’s the only day with four games with different start times so get the coffee on, get the beer in the fridge and make the most of it.

France, Argentina and Croatia the obvious treble if you’re having a gamble, with Peru vs Denmark one of those games which are very hard to call. BBC and ITV alternating coverage today with kick-offs at 11, 2, 5 and 8.

Looking back on yesterday’s matches courtesy of ITV’s budget highlights programme (no studio, just voice over - wonder if they’ll do the same after the England games?), Portugal looked a better side than Spain, Iran really stole that win and Uruguay will need a huge improvement if they are to go anywhere near the distance.

And Ronaldo leads the scoring charts. Who saw that coming? Oh yeah, me.

Portugal 3 Spain 3

Chaotic isn’t the word to describe Spain’s build up to this. Some are saying that losing the manager doesn’t really matter when you have such good players. In which case, why the hell are they paid so much? No, Hierro was in an invidious position here.

Especially when Ronaldo earned an early penalty. The commentators first instinct of course was to doubt whether it was a foul because - well because it was Ronaldo, but it clearly was.

A great spell of football followed with both sides surging forward, and Diego Costa scored a brilliant equaliser after what looked a clear foul on Pepe but VAR declined to see it that way. Isco then smacked the bar and this time the Goal Decision Technology showed it hadn’t crossed the line.

Inevitably quality dropped a little after this frantic opening but things soon livened up again with Ronaldo’s second, thanks to a howler by De Gea amid some vague pleas for an offside.

Fantastic first half which still couldn’t stop Gary Lineker and co talking about England during the break despite the fact they don’t play for three days.

Nothing much happened in the opening nine minutes of the second period before Costa popped up with another equaliser and Nacho volleyed a stunner to put the Spaniards ahead. Portugal never quite got in amongst the Spanish defence again until Cristiano fired in a spectacular free-kick for the hat-trick.

A brilliant game, both sides happy enough with the point given their next two opponents. But think what Spain might have done with a manager.

Morocco 0 Iran 1

Not the biggest match of the tournament, but with two big hitters in the group a draw here no use to either. And Morocco set off at 100 miles an hour, looking they were going to overwhelm Iran. They don’t really have a top striker though and it was Iran who ended the first period stronger, spurning the best chance of the half.

The rest was a bit of a non-event with neither side looking like they had the nous to conjure up a goal so it was almost inevitable that it was an own goal that gave Iran a dramatic injury time win.

Egypt 0 Uruguay 1

Bad news beforehand that Mo Salah wasn’t quite fit enough to start, bad for Egypt and bad for us neutrals watching. Plenty shots of him on the bench right enough, and plenty of empty spaces in the stadium which makes you wonder why they bothered erecting extra tiers at either end.

Martin Keown in action early to inform us that being able to pass the ball is important in football today. Meanwhile Jonathan Pearce managed to mention three different English teams in the first four minutes then constantly withered on about the Premiership. You’re at the World Cup mate, concentrate on what’s in front of you. Maybe then you would notice that Suarez missed a chance rather than it being disallowed. The ball finishing beside the net was a bit of a clue.

You may surmise that there wasn’t much happening on the pitch if I’m ranting about the commentators, and you’d be right.

Today’s VAR controversy - a blatant dive by El-Said received only a warning from the ref. Will he get a retrospective ban?

The match was drifting away to a goalless draw until the last few minutes when Uruguay first hit the post from a Cavani free-kick then scored a dramatic winner with a great Gimenez header.

Very disappointing performance from them though, while Egypt will hold out hope when Salah returns.

Russia 5 Saudi Arabia 0

Well I said expectations were low for the opener, but a goal afte just 12 minutes set us up for an entertaining affair. We even had a hint of our first VAR controversy as the defender fell to the ground but if it was reviewed (we never found out for sure) the correct decision was reached as it was clearly a slip. There was a penalty shout a little later but again no foul was correct. Ian Wright claimed a dive, somehow I don’t think he’ll be as quick to accuse when it’s Sterling or Dele Alli hitting the deck. Interesting too to hear Mark Clattenburg reveal the the assistant refs have been instructed not to flag for marginal offsides but to leave it to the VAR guys (who are in a booth somewhere wearing their full referee kit!)

Russia’s second was well taken but a result of some very poor defending, a recurring theme for the Saudis who looked a little out of their depth. As Glen Hoddle put it early in the second half “they’ve got to change something”. Any chance of doing what you’re paid for and suggesting what? No? Never mind.

Close up shots of the crowd and Mexican waves (are we really still doing those?) indicated that the game was drifting off to sleep, but another goal scoring sub changed that and excellent fourth (with a hint of offside) and fifth goals ensured an entertaining first game.

So a good start, with just one burning question left unanswered - who brought the feckin vuvuzela?

Happy World Cup Day

Looking forward eagerly to the opening match of the World Cup? I was until I saw the dreaded words – Clive Tyldesley and Glenn Hoddle. Yes, ITV have the honour of the first game. Gawd. Tyldesley joined ITV in 1996 as understudy to the great Brian Moore but has never quite got the knack of it despite working at 4 world cups, 4 European championships, 17 Champions League finals and 9 FA cup finals. As for Hoddle, his simplistic “he’s got to hit the target from there, he'll be disappointed with that, that's not the start they wanted, he shot and it went past the post’ style of analysis really does make you wonder how he ever had a career in coaching, even such a hugely unsuccessful one.

And as usual we can have the sweepstake on how quickly after kick-off one of them mentions England. Not counting before the start as most of the build-up will as usual be focused on Southgate’s team rather than the ones actually about to play. I’ll take four minutes thanks.

But the game itself – between the two lowest-ranked sides in attendance – should be better than expected, if only because those expectations are low. Saudi Arabia bring a completely home-based squad (not a good sign) while Russia’s lowly rank is partly due to the fact that they haven’t played any competitive games for two years apart from three at the Confederations Cup in June 2017 where they defeated New Zealand but lost to Portugal and Mexico. The Saudis have lost their last three friendlies and couldn’t provide a comfier opening challenge for the hosts, on paper at least.

So I’m going for a narrow Russian win with Smolov to score first. As always though, the best betting advice is to ignore all betting advice. Apart from this. The advice to ignore the advice that is, not the advice itself. Got that? Good.

 ***

The ever-contracting football calendar illustrated by the fact that the English Premiership fixtures were also published this morning and on the opening day we have the delights of Watford vs Brighton, Fulham vs Crystal Palace and Bournemouth vs Cardiff. Can't wait. Scottish games published tomorrow at 9am.

World Cup Eve

No that’s not the mascot, it’s the day before the world cup begins. D’oh. But there’s still a game to watch tonight to get you in the mood, Numancia vs Real Valladolid in the La Liga 2 play-off 1^st leg. It kicks-off at 19:30 and it’s on Freesports. The second leg is on Saturday but not due to be televised at the moment although Freesports may step in again. Not that there will be a lot of demand as the World Cup will be in full swing by then. These two finished 5^th and 6^th in the Segunda Division, and have already eliminated Real Zaragoza and Sporting Gijon who finished 3^rd and 4^th. Exactly why I hate play-offs, inherently unfair.

Also today, the hosts of the 2026 World Cup will be unveiled, which seems strange timing. Can we really not wait a few weeks until this one is done and dusted? Anyway, the only contenders are Morocco and a joint USA/Canada/Mexico bid. Trump has already threatened action against anyone who dares vote against the North/Central American one. FIFA of course have strict rules against political interference, so expect them to heavily censor Trump at the very least. Maybe. In any case, President Putin is in attendance to ensure fair play all round. And Morocco have been backed by Sepp Blatter. Oh decisions, decisions.

News to come...

Update...Update...Update...Update

And the winner is United! Which apparently is what we are calling the joint USA/Mexico/Canada bid. They won by 134 votes to 65.

In other, much more shocking news, Spain appear to have sacked their manager on the day before the World Cup, and two days before their first game. Julen Lopetegui announced that he was joining Real Madrid after the tournament, and that seems to have royally pissed off the Spanish FA. But the timing of this is incredible, especially for those who have already backed Spain to win.

Absent Heroes

Today’s live football is limited to a couple of women’s world cup qualifiers (don't worry, that will all change in a couple of days):

Poland vs Scotland (14:30 BBC Alba)

Wales vs Russia (19:00 BBC Two Wales)

There are also the absolute last friendlies before the big kick-off, Paraguay vs Japan in Innsbruck and Poland vs Lithuania in Warsaw, but neither televised.

Comfortable win for Belgium last night, but an injury to Eden Hazard was not good news, although it turned out to be not as serious as it first looked.More of a dead leg than anything else. Always the danger with friendlies so close to a major tournament, but they are a necessary evil, and even training can lead to problems, as Manuel Lanzini found out as he ruptured his anterior knee ligament while working with Argentina and has had to be replaced. With 736 players heading to Russia, there are bound to be some casualties along the way.

That’s not counting the ones who didn’t qualify of course, so how about this for a team of non-attendees:

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

Alex Sandro (Brazil)

Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands)

Sergi Roberto (Spain)

Fabinho (Brazil)

Dimitri Payet (France)

Leroy Sané (Germany)

Mario Götze (Germany)

Gareth Bale (Wales)

Karim Benzema (France)

Subs:

Sergio Romero (Argentina)

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Cesc Fabregas (Spain)

Juan Mata (Spain)

Scott Brown (Scotland)

Victor Wanyama (Kenya)

Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

Certainties to win the whole thing.

If You Know Your History Channel

We enter the last two days of pre-tournament friendlies with Belgium vs Costa Rica the only opportunity to view, tonight at 19:45 on MUTV (even though it is being played in Brussels). Will the Belgians live up to their promise at last? Maybe some pointers tonight.

Senegal beat South Korea 2-0 earlier in Austria (obviously), and you do fear for the Koreans in such a tough group (Germany, Sweden and Mexico) and with several home-based players in the squad. The Senegalese in contrast could spring a surprise or two and could well progress from their group with such luminaries as Mané, Sané, and Koulibaly in the side.

As an alternative to the lack of live football, I trust you have been checking out the History Channel’s series of football-related programming, in particular the official FIFA films of previous tournaments. Always an entertaining watch and an opportunity to see if you can remember where you were when you were watching some of the pivotal moments.

And the Winner Will Be...

Weekends really are strange without football. Unless you were able to watch the Brazil game today there was nothing to see. And I’m not counting the Soccer Aid game tonight on ITV: good cause though it is, it’s not real football.

It’ll soon be time to pick a winner though as the World Cup officially kicks off at 4pm on Thursday. The leading contenders are;

Brazil - perennial favourites, and do seem to be recovering their swagger but they’ve only ever won once in Europe, sixty years ago. Neymar may not be fit enough to be the star player, but they do have strength in depth up front if he is missing. 

Germany - “never bet against the Germans” is an adage that usually stands you in good stead, but they have been in stuttering form recently although are showing some ominous signs of improvement at the right time as they often do. 

Spain - the romantics choice and who wouldn’t love to see Iniesta hoist that trophy before his retirement? Will his legs last though? And do they have enough firepower up front? 

France - hard to describe a team so short in the betting as a dark horse, but few seem to be tipping them, perhaps due to doubts over Deschamps’ ability to pick the right team from so many candidates. But on the other hand the quality of the side that could be made up from the absentees points to their strengths. 

Belgium - their best players at their peak, this is their big (maybe last) chance. Worries remain about their ability to prevent more goals than they can score. 

Argentina - Messi would be another popular winner, but his country has never really worked out the best way to utilise him the way his club has. The supporting cast is not the best either so it would be asking a lot. 

So where to put your mortgage? Well, nowhere, but I’ll be having a small wager on France. And Ronaldo to be top scorer on the basis that he could score hat-tricks against both Morocco and Iran which could be enough.

Live Life Live

Six days to go and England are now the red-hot favourites. Apparently. Because they beat Costa Rica. With a wonder goal from a player who almost certainly won’t start.

In the meantime, there are a few friendlies over the weekend if you are desperate;

Germany vs Saudi Arabia tonight (on BT Sport 1). The Germans have gone five games without a win while the Saudis have been boosted by the latest FIFA rankings which show they aren’t going to be the lowest ranked nation at the tournament. That’ll be their opponents in the opening game, Russia (now 65^th to the Saudis 63^rd).

Spain vs Tunisia tomorrow (on Freesports). A bonus point if you can name the Spanish manager. And spell it correctly. Answer below. Tunisia are undefeated in nine games now (ooh, worried yet England fans?). Sneakily they are playing this one in Russia – nothing like getting a head start at acclimatising.

Austria vs Brazil on Sunday (bizarrely on Liverpool TV). The Austrians (not going to Russia) have won seven games on the trot, including a win over Germany, while Brazil have an injury concern over Fred but continue Neymar’s rehabilitation.

For a full list of what is available on any given day, head for Live football on TV which covers all major games shown in the UK, whether men’s, women’s, under-21s, youth, domestic or international.

For other countries, check Live on Sat.

And no, I don’t get any referral fees from them. Unless they are offering.

Quiz answer - Julen Lopetegui

A Week Approach

Could have sworn it was Wednesday when I woke up today, had to check my phone to find out it was actually Thursday – which means a week to go until the World Cup kicks off. Oh the excitement. 

Probably not as much as usual to be honest with all the misgivings about the host nation and the lack of a real exciting team who are expected to sweep all before them. Which does mean it is an open contest with maybe half a dozen sides with genuine prospects. Mind you, there have been five different winners of the last five tournaments so that is kind of the norm now. And it is also remarkable given that there have only ever been eight different victors of the twenty tournaments, three of which have only won it once. Only Italy, of those eight, failed to qualify.

Only six hosts have won (none since France in 1998) and Russia seem unlikely to extend that particular record despite a straightforward group, while Brazil, in Sweden in 1958, remain the only South American side to win in Europe.

So who will win? The top Europeans must be favourites; Germany (naturally), Spain (still a force and Iniesta could just inspire them again), France (who have been steadily improving in recent years), Portugal (reigning European Champions don’t forget and Ronaldo could do a Maradona despite the fact their odds are longer than England’s) or Belgium (maybe the last chance for their “Golden Generation” to prove themselves). With Argentina not at their strongest Brazil do seem the only genuine South American contenders, especially as they have stiffened up their defence since that 1-7 humiliation four years ago.

So bound to be someone else then.

Not Toulon To Wait

We are in the dark days of very little competitive football before the world cup starts, but tonight at least there is a game which may be worth watching. The Toulon tournament (an invitation event for international Under-21 teams) is at the semi-final stage and unbeaten sides England and Scotland meet in the semi-final. Mexico, who should beat Turkey in the other semi, are also unbeaten as are the luckless Canada who have to make do with the fifth-place playoff (!) against France.

England won the same fixture at the same stage 3-0 last year, so revenge is definitely in the air.

Kick-off is 19:30 (18:30 BST) and the match is live on Freesports, a relatively new offshoot of Premier sports which is, as the name suggests, free to view. You can find it on Freeview HD and BT (channel 95), Freesat (channel 252), Sky (channel 422) and Sky Ireland (if you tune in manually).

Wonderwall Chart

As I said, the wall chart is up:

There's nothing quite like being at a football match, but you can't go to them all. So the next best thing is watching it from the comfort  of your own sofa, surrounded by your loved ones (beer, snacks etc).

Starting with the World Cup in Russia, I'll be doing all the hard watching for you, keeping you up to date with the latest from the tournament.

The wall-chart of choice is already up (courtesy of the ever-reliable When Saturday Comes magazine), the squads have been named, and we are good to go.