World Cup Round of 16 – France and England Clinical

The government of Qatar is repressive and fascist. FIFA is corrupt and hypocritical. Simple as.

Neither match was a close one in the end today, but we have ourselves a serious showdown set in the quarterfinals here.

France vs. Poland

This was the early match of the day and defending champions France won fairly comfortably in the end 3-1, but there were undoubtedly a few moments of panic for them before and after they scored the opening goal on 43 minutes via Olivier Giroud. The Polish defense gave him far too much space and he was able to redirect a shot back across goal. Giroud actually hit the ball into the ground a bit first, which caused it to bounce over the hand of Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny and in for 1-0. It could be argued though that Poland should have already been ahead, and would have been if not for some goal line clearances by the French defense around the 35 minute mark. Szczęsny had been brilliant up until then, but his defense really let him down.

France were the better team on the day, as they were frequently the ones pressing the Polish and winning the ball high up the pitch to create chances. When the opposition’s front four contains Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann, giving the ball away to them is suicidal. The Polish were lucky to hold the French out for the first 40 minutes, and they were also fortunate to keep it at 1-0 until the 76 minute mark.

It was then that Mbappe decided to take over the game, and he did so by scoring two goals in quick succession, each of them powerful and precise finishes over Szczęsny that gave him absolutely no chance. Mbappe is one of, if not the, best players in the world right now and he showed why with those two goals. Everyone knows he’s a world-class sprinter, but he showed a real striker’s instinct and technique today too. Mbappe is the current top scorer at this World Cup with 5 goals.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski got a goal back for his side from the penalty spot in the dying seconds of the match, and while it fooled French keeper Hugo Lloris it was nothing more than a consolation goal. Even Lewandowski knew it was just going to be one for the statistics, and of no other real significance.

France decisively move on to the quarterfinals. They look incredibly strong right now, even if it took them a while to score today. I was concerned about their injuries and team spirit coming into this tournament, but so far those worries have been unfounded. It helps that Mbappe is in absolutely scintillating form right now. Poland will be sad to be going home, but they lost to an extremely good team today.

England vs. Senegal

My stomach was turning itself inside out in anticipation of this match. England were favored coming in, probably in part due to the unavailability of Senegalese all-world winger Sadio Mané (injury) and industrious midfielder Idrissa Gueye (suspension). But the team known as the Lions of Teranga were not to be underestimated, as they are the reigning African champions.

And indeed, it was the Senegalese who were on the front foot almost from the off. They were using their pacey forwards to press England’s defense high up the pitch, knowing that England like to play the ball out from the back. This tactic employed by manager Aliou Cissé worked quite well for a bit, and they almost caught England out several times. Their best chance came around half an hour into the match, when forward Boulaye Dia found some space in the box and lashed a powerful shot towards goal that required a rather magnificent save from England keeper Jordan Pickford. He stuck out his left arm and held it firm to deny Dia, and England cleared.

England had a lot of possession in the opening 35 minutes or so, but they weren’t really doing anything with it. The middle of the park was devoid of England shirts, so there was nowhere for the center backs to pass it to. However, England finally got a meaningful attack going down the left wing on 39 minutes, and it resulted in the first goal from midfielder Jordan Henderson. A neat backheel fell to striker Harry Kane, who spotted the run of midfielder Jude Bellingham ahead of him. His weighted pass made it through the defense, and Bellingham latched onto the ball just outside the box. He ran into the box as his marker was level with him, but his cutback cross found Henderson in space. Henderson hit it first time along the ground, and it rolled into the goal just past the reach of keeper Edouard Mendy. A massive relief for England and very much against the run of play, but we’ll take it! Henderson is the 8th different English player to score at this tournament.

Senegal pushed forward to try and find an equalizer, but it was England who got an important second goal on the very stroke of halftime. England won the ball back via Bellingham after a deflected cross fell into his path, and he carried the ball forward while riding challenges from the opposition. He found winger/forward Phil Foden ahead of him to his left in a one-on-one with a defender. Foden hit a return pass into the path of Kane, who was running forward in support and unmarked. The ball deflected off a defender before falling to Kane, who took a touch and then buried a powerful shot into the net from about 12 yards out, just to the right of the penalty spot. Mendy had no chance, and Kane is now just one goal behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time England scoring record. Kane has been a wonderful facilitator of play so far this tournament, but getting him on the scoresheet today was very important. He showed his striker’s instincts with that finish, and England will need those instincts going forward.

The England fans in the stadium and around the world went from anxious to buoyant in the span of about 8 minutes! Cissé was forced into making three changes at halftime, but they failed to make much of an impact as England got the next goal on 57 minutes from winger/forward Bukayo Saka. This time it was Senegal giving the ball away in a dangerous area, with it being brought forward by Kane. Kane was tackled though and the loose ball fell to Foden, who beat a defender on the left wing before spotting the diagonal run of Saka across his man. The cross from Foden was inch-perfect, and Saka deftly lifted it over Mendy with his first touch for 3-0. England were running rampant and well on their way to the quarterfinals.

The tempo of the game slowed down a bit from there, as both managers made changes. England boss Gareth Southgate was keen to get some of his key players off to save them for the next match, while letting the talents of the bench players shine as well. Although no more goals were scored, England were closer to finding a fourth than Senegal was to finding a first. In the end it was a very satisfactory day for the Three Lions, if a bit nervy to start off.

Credit to Southgate for sticking to his guns and going with the team he felt was right. I was surprised at the omission of forward Marcus Rashford and the inclusion of Henderson in the starting line-up today, but both of those worries were without merit. It turns out that Southgate might just know what he’s doing, although I certainly could do without the slow starts in the future. In the first half hour I feared this game would go the way the one against the Americans did, with it ending 0-0 and England generally looking lackluster. But once England moved the ball up the levels of the pitch with pace and purpose, there was little Senegal could do about it. The first goal today was a product of Southgate’s system, make no mistake about it. The players’ positioning on the wings and playing the ball out from the back led to the opening for Kane to find Bellingham. The system does not always work of course, but today it did.

A special shoutout to Bellingham, who was Man of the Match (among many fine candidates) for me today. The 19 year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder showed a range of skills today I have not seen from an Englishman since maybe…ever? He can pass, he can dribble, he can head the ball, he can tackle, he has positional awareness, and while he did not score today he did so against Iran in the first match. This lad can do it all, and he can do it all at an extremely high level. If he keeps going like this, he can develop into the best midfielder in the world. Not being hyperbolic.

CAM ON INGERLAND!!!

Quarterfinals – England vs. France – Saturday, December 10th at 11 AM PST

World Cup Roundup – Groups C and D

Qatar is a socially backwards country but FIFA doesn’t care because they have money. There is nothing FIFA loves more than money.

Group D

Winners – France

Runners Up – Australia

Eliminated – Tunisia, Denmark

The French knew they were already through to the next round, so manager Didier Deschamps changed up his team significantly for this final group match against Tunisia. France are so deep in talent though that starting some bench players doesn’t necessarily mean a big drop off in quality for them. Tunisia needed a win from this match and then for the Denmark/Australia match to go their way as well. Even against a rotated side, Tunisia were still heavy underdogs.

But all credit to Tunisia for going out and earning themselves a famous 1-0 victory. France defended well in this match generally, but were rather toothless going forward until it was already late on in the match. Tunisian attacking midfielder Wahbi Khazri got what was ultimately the winner on 58 minutes, after he went on a long run with the ball in the center of the park. France did not get a challenge in until he was already in a position to shoot, and although his effort was rather tame it fooled France keeper Steve Mandanda just enough. It rolled over the line and the Tunisians were ecstatic.

Make no mistake – France were outplayed today. Tunisia were the ones playing the ball forward the most and had the most attacking intent. Les Bleus did have an Antoine Griezmann goal ruled out for offside late on, but that was their deadliest attack. France will need to be better in the Round of 16, especially going forward.

Tunisia did their part to advance, but needed a draw between Australia and Denmark to secure progression. After their final whistle blew, the Tunisians flocked to video monitors to see the final few minutes of the other match.

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Australia/Denmark was a much more intense affair, probably because both sides were fighting for their World Cup survival instead of just the one. Both sides really went for the winning goal, but it was Australia that came away with the surprising, maybe even shocking, 1-0 victory.

Denmark were the better side for the opening 45 minutes, as they created most of the chances. Aussie keeper Matthew Ryan made 2-3 fine saves to stop them, and on other occasions his defenders made a last-ditch tackle to help him out. They improved and started creating half-chances of their own in the second half, and it was on the hour mark that they finally got their breakthrough. They recovered the ball in their own final third, and it was eventually collected by attacking midfielder Riley McGree. He spotted striker Matthew Leckie in front of him making a run between two defenders. He played the ball to Leckie, who brought it forward while being closely marked by a single Danish defender. Leckie was allowed to carry the ball into shooting distance, and after some nifty dribbling he got a low shot away from just inside the Danish box that nutmegged his marker and beat Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel at the far corner. It was a well-worked counter-attack that could go down as one of the most famous goals in Australian history.

The Danish had more possession after that and tried to find a winner, but their finishing was truly woeful. Headers going wide or high every single time. Well done to Australia for holding on, but Denmark were just as poor today as they have been the whole tournament. A team with that level of quality in it should not be struggling as much as they are. They had a lot of injuries pre-tournament and several of the players were rusty as a result, but that’s not really an excuse. Against Australia and Tunisia at least, the Danish should be winning. Very toothless in attack for all three of their matches.

But Australia’s famous win sees them through to the knockouts for the first time since 2006. They can defend well and got just enough offense to progress. The win wasn’t without drama though. Had Leckie not scored and the match ended 0-0, it would have been Tunisia going through instead. Well done to the north Africans for getting a famous victory as well, but it wasn’t enough to secure progression. If such a thing as a “bittersweet victory” exists, this one for Tunisia was one of them.

Group C

Winners – Argentina

Runners Up – Poland

Eliminated – Mexico, Saudi Arabia

There was even more drama in this group than there was in Group D! Argentina beat Poland 2-0 today thanks to goals from midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and striker Julian Alvarez. Poland were in this match until the Mac Allister goal just after half time, as keeper Wojciech Szczęsny had saved a penalty from Lionel Messi on 39 minutes. The Poles were struggling in attack, but Szczęsny did well to make the save and keep his team in it for a little while longer. Poland looked rather toothless today, but I think that’s because psychologically they knew they were in a good place to advance, even with a loss. They went through today as runners’ up, but they will need to play much better in attack to have any chance at winning their next match. Credit to Argentina for improving over the past two games and getting the results needed to win their group. Their defense in particular has looked much stronger.

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The high drama was in the Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia match. The Mexicans were desperate for a victory, and needed not only to win but to do so by several goals to overtake Poland on goal difference. Saudi Arabia knew that a draw might be enough for them to go through, but realistically they needed to win to guarantee progression.

Mexico were the better team in this match, although it was 0-0 at halftime again. Carlos Vega had the best chance early on, although his effort after being through on goal was snuffed out by Saudi keeper Mohammad Alowais. The Mexicans kept their impetus though and found the back of the net (for the first time at this World Cup) just after halftime thanks to a header from forward Henry Martín. 1-0 wasn’t enough though, as they needed at least two more to overcome the goal difference tiebreaker. They either needed to score themselves or hope that Argentina could get a third against Poland. The Mexicans got their second however just 6 minutes later from a thunderous free kick from midfielder Luis Chavez. This was another Goal of the Tournament candidate, given that he was almost 30 yards out and still placed it into the top corner. World-class strike!

For the next 30-35 minutes or so, Poland and Mexico were level on points, goal differential, and goals scored. The final tiebreaker kept Poland ahead though, and much to my surprise that tiebreaker was/is yellow card accumulation. Poland had two fewer yellow cards at that point, so they were placed ahead of Mexico in the standings. That rule needs to be changed. Instead of punishing teams that are playing aggressively, why not have shots on target be the final tiebreaker? The rules of the game should be set up to reward attacking football, after all.

Ultimately however the yellow card tiebreaker did not matter, as the Saudis got a goal back in stoppage time from attacking midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari. That was a hammer blow to Mexico, as it largely ruined their chances of overcoming their negative goal difference. Mexico had the ball in the back of the net twice after they got their second, but each was called back for offside. The second decision was correct, but Hirving Lozano’s run and shot just a few minutes after the second goal was a much closer call. In all reality, it was too little too late for El Tri.

I think Mexico’s fate at this World Cup was sealed before a ball was even kicked though. There was no call up for Javier Hernandez or Carlos Vela by manager Tata Martino, and it was clear that Martino would be fired once Mexico’s World Cup run ended due to his contract situation. Martino is positively reviled by the Mexican media, and I can’t say as I blame them. His failures here are numerous. He did not call up two of Mexico’s best players, and no one seems to know why. He did not set up his team to win with his tactics, and he did not make the right substitutions when needed. Mexico have a fair amount of talent, but they need play in a tactical system that suits them. They did not do that until the second half of today’s match, when it was far too late to start doing so. If this is the last World Cup for legendary keeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, it is a rather lackluster way to go out.

The Saudis got off to a fantastic start in this tournament, and their upset of Argentina in the opening group game is probably the most famous one in their history. They did not do enough in the other two group games, and were particularly poor today against Mexico. They can take pride in their improvement, but they ultimately will need more talent to make a deep run at any World Cup going forward.

Argentina vs. Australia – Saturday December 3 at 11 am PST

France vs. Poland – Sunday December 4 at 7 am PST

World Cup Roundup – France Secure Progression and Argentina Arrives

Qatar is actually the perfect host country from FIFA’s point of view. It’s run by an authoritarian regime that is absolutely loaded with money. What a double bonus for them!

Australia vs. Tunisia

Australia got an absolutely vital victory today over Tunisia, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from striker Mitchell Duke on 24 minutes. He did well to get good contact on the ball, straining all the muscles in his neck to redirect a deflected cross from fellow striker Craig Goodwin past the Tunisian keeper. The Socceroos had to endure a torrid 68+ minutes after that from the overwhelmingly Tunisian crowd who created an extremely hostile atmosphere, but they kept them out and secured all three points.

Tunisia find themselves at the bottom of Group D with one point, with Australia in a surprising second place thanks to this victory. The Aussies would have been eliminated with a loss today, but they showed some real nerve and put themselves in good position to progress instead. The one thing Tunisia have going for them is that France might play reserves in their final match, so they might have a better chance at a result than normal. Unlikely given France’s talent, but possible.

France vs. Denmark

The other match in Group D saw defending champions France take on Denmark. Many tipped Denmark to be dark horses candidates for a deep run in this tournament, but that has so far proven to not be the case. They lost today 2-1 and find their World Cup hopes hanging by a very thin thread. Two scintillating goals from superstar striker Kylian Mbappe saw France through, despite being pegged back from a set piece header by Danish defender Andreas Christiansen. Both goals from Mbappe were from close range, but he was in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s all you have to do.

France have a lot of injuries right now, but as long as they have Mbappe, that’s really all that matters. While there are questions as to his ego and locker room presence, there is no denying his abilities on the pitch. The numbers speak for themselves. He has 7 World Cup goals at age of 24, something only Pelé has done. He has 32 goals for France as well. He is going to smash numerous international records if he keeps going like this.

By virtue of their victory today, Les Bleus have qualified for the Round of 16 and are the first nation to do so. They need only a draw against Tunisia in their final group game to guarantee 1st place in the group. The Danish are not eliminated, but they need a victory over Australia to secure progression. Anything less will do them no good, and would be a disappointment for team that is underrated in terms of talent.

Poland vs. Saudi Arabia

Group C was also in action today, with the surprising Saudis taking on a (so far) lackluster Poland team. This match ended 2-0 to the Poles though and was notable for the antics of the Saudis, who were flopping and diving so effectively they should have been awarded gold medals. They are a well-coached team, so it was no accident that the plan was to slow the game down as much as possible and make Poland really work to beat them.

Poland got their first from a swift move down the right flank, which ended with a deflected pass from striker Robert Lewandowski straight into the path of midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range on 29 minutes. The Poles were overjoyed at scoring their first goal of the tournament.

Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny was called into action on 55 minutes and made a fine double-save from close range to keep the Saudis out. The highlight of the match then came on 82 minutes, when Poland sealed the points via Lewandowski, who stole the ball off a Saudi defender on the edge of the box and slotted home Poland’s second and his first-ever goal at a World Cup. The joy on his face was impossible to miss, as he is 34 and therefore potentially at his last World Cup. His lack of goals at this tournament over the years has been the one black mark on his illustrious goal-scoring career, but today he can take pride in helping his nation go top of Group C on 4 points. Poland can advance with a draw against Argentina, and they can win the group if they beat them.

For the Saudis I have to feel that perhaps the success of the Argentina match was still lingering in their minds. They went behind fairly early and aside from the aforementioned close range chance on 55 minutes, they did not offer much in attack. They will need to regroup for their final group match against Mexico, as they are 3rd on 3 points. A win over Mexico sees them through for sure, although they might be able to get away with a draw depending on how the other match goes.

Argentina vs. Mexico

This match was highly anticipated by both sides, as there is a little bit of a rivalry between them internationally. For one reason or another, they always seem to be playing each other come the World Cup. Lots of shit-talking was happening online between supporters of both sides before kickoff. The Argentines would win 2-0, but it took two glorious strikes to get it done.

Before getting to the goals, a quick moment of recognition for how the Mexicans played for the first hour of this match. They were the better team in the opening 45 minutes. No two ways about it. They had the possession, they were passing better, and they had more attacking intent. Mexico’s best chance of the half came when winger Alexis Vega forced keeper Emiliano Martinez into a fine save from a free kick just before half time. It was 0-0 at the half but you sensed that the negative headlines in Buenos Aires were probably already being written.

The problem with Argentina however is that you cannot lose concentration when playing them, not once and not even for a second. They have a player named Lionel Messi that some may have heard of, and he proved today why he will go down as maybe the greatest player to ever kick a ball. He received a pass from winger Angel Di Maria and found himself in the most space he had been in the whole match, in the middle of the field just outside the penalty area. He took a touch or two forward and then lashed a low and powerful left-footed shot towards the right hand corner of the goal that beat Memo Ochoa and settled into the net just inside the post. The expression of joy on Messi’s face was similar to that of Lewandowski’s, and the Argentines inside the stadium were ecstatic.

Messi then turned provider on 87 minutes for the Argentine’s second, when he found midfielder Enzo Fernandez on the left side of the penalty area. Fernandez dribbled to create space and then lashed a beautiful curling shot into the opposite corner of Ochoa’s net. Points sealed, and it was largely thanks to Messi. Time and time again he has saved Argentina, and he was clearly not ready to bow out of this World Cup just yet.

Mexico will be disappointed with not capitalizing on their dominance in the first half, and for the momentary lapse in defensive concentration that led to Messi’s opener. They simply backed off him too far and let him do what he does best – run at defenses in space in the center of the pitch. That is a recipe for disaster against him, and it must be said that Ochoa did not cover himself in glory with his positioning either. The goal wasn’t his fault, but he maybe could have done better. Nothing he could do about the second goal.

Mexico’s problems are deeper than losing by two wonder strikes though. They are bottom of the group with just 1 point, and must beat Saudi Arabia to have any chance at progression. They were uninspired in attack against Poland and again today. They can play a lot of neat and tidy passes in the buildup, but then they fall apart when it comes to the final ball or getting a shot on goal.

It seems this team lacks a center forward, so one has to ask yet again why Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer Javier Hernandez was not included in this team. He is fit to play and was in good form pre-tournament, yet it seems there are some internal politics and ego in play here. Mexico manager Tata Martino apparently has some kind of personal, non-football related issue with the man nicknamed “Chicharito”, and it has led to him not being called up to this tournament. If that is the truth, and by all accounts it is, then Martino must be sacked as manager. Hernandez is arguably Mexico’s best player, so to leave out over a personal dispute is completely unprofessional and outright negligent. Couple this baffling decision with some of the questionable tactical decisions Martino has made during this tournament, and it becomes clear why so many Mexican fans are calling for his head.

World Cup Groups C/D Roundup – Saudi Arabia Shocks the World; and the Canonization of Santo Memo

Starting off as we always do – Qatar is an awful host country and FIFA are the most corrupt, hypocritical, and money-grubbing bastards on the planet.

Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina

Truthfully, this match was a blip on the radar of this World Cup when the groups were announced. Argentina are one of the top teams at this tournament in terms of talent, and given that it’s the last World Cup for the legendary Lionel Messi, many thought Argentina would be extra motivated to play well. Further, the gulf in talent between the teams in this particular match is about the size of the Grand Canyon. Everyone thought this would be a neat and tidy result for the Argentines without too much fuss from the Saudis. However, those predictions not have been more wrong. What happened in this match is arguably the most stunning upset in World Cup history, and it’s certainly the biggest upset in at least 25 years.

Argentina were on the front foot first via Messi, who slotted home easily from the penalty spot after a Saudi defender pulled down an Argentine in the box during a corner. It was a pretty clear penalty, as the tackle in the box was probably more appropriate for rugby than football. But with a 1-0 lead early on, everyone fancied the South Americans to kick on and win comfortably. They even had the ball in the Saudi net again a few minutes later, only for it to be called back for offside in the build-up. It was close call, but VAR was consulted and it was ruled out.

As the first half wore on though, it became clear that Argentina was going to struggle to get a second goal. The tactical discipline of the Saudi back line in this match was among the best I have ever seen. Every single player along that back line of defenders was on exactly the same page today, probably even the same line and word. They executed the offside trap perfectly at least three or four times, despite Argentina finding the back of the net those three or four times. To rely on the offside trap is dangerous, as a defense has to rely on the linesman to call offside when the trap is sprung. Relying on an official to get the call right/in your favor is risky, but the Saudis played it to perfection today.

They got their equalizer in the opening moments of the second half via striker Saleh Al-Shehri. Argentina lost the ball in midfield and it was played forward in the air towards Al-Shehri and fellow striker Firas Al-Buraikan. Al-Buraikan got a touch on the ball with his foot that directed it straight into the path of Al-Shehri. He took a touch to go around his marker on the outside before slotting home across the face of the Argentine goal and into the far corner. A goal from nowhere to be sure, but a very good goal nevertheless. Well done to Al-Shehri for maintaining his composure on the finish and to the Saudi players as a whole for pouncing at just the right moment. The Argentines were stunned.

They went from stunned to downright dizzy just five minutes later though when Saudi Arabia went ahead. The ball was being passed around in and near the Argentine penalty area, and the Albiceleste (as they are sometimes called) failed to clear their lines properly. The ball fell to winger Salem Al-Dawsari, and after controlling the ball he dribbled around just inside the left hand portion of the penalty box a bit to try and create an opening. He eventually found one and placed an excellent shot high into the opposite corner and beyond keeper Emiliano Martinez for 2-1. The Saudis players and supporters were jubilant!

The Saudis then had to hold on for another 35+ minutes and the Argies had their chances to find an equalizer, but the Saudi defense and keeper Mohammad Alowais held firm and the match ended 2-1. This is by far the biggest result for Saudi Arabia at a World Cup and the goals scored by Al-Shehri and Al-Dawsari will go down as the most famous goals in their national team history. The level of upset pulled off here cannot and should not be understated, especially given that this is the same nation that lost to Russia 5-0 in their opening match in 2018 and have generally been World Cup whipping boys for at least 25 years.

This is what I’m talking about when I say that team spirit and tactical discipline can overcome a lack of talent. Argentina should be playing a team like this off the pitch on paper. They are simply better in every which way. But this victory for the Green Falcons was no accident; it is the result of a specific plan put in place by French manager Hervé Renard and his staff. They offside trap was the key feature, and they also clogged up the midfield effectively in the second half. It also helps that nine of the starting XI players for the Saudis today all play at the same club in Saudi Arabia. They all know each other very well, to say the least. Renard also said that after the match he felt that Argentina did not take them seriously, which could explain some of their misfiring in attack in the second half.

Whatever the reasons, all citizens of Saudi Arabia get the day off tomorrow to celebrate this victory, as declared by the King himself. That’s a bit of sportswashing for sure, but it’s also sure to be enjoyed nevertheless. I like this Saudi team, but I have the same level of disdain for their government that I do for Qatar, maybe even more. I expect Argentina to bounce back from this defeat as well, and rather emphatically. Today was embarrassing for them, but it should serve as a wake-up call.

Mexico vs. Poland

With Saudi Arabia turning Group C on it’s head, both Mexico and Poland knew that a win for them in this match would take them top of the group and strongly increase their respective odds of progression. This match was very close on paper. Poland have all-world striker Robert Lewandowksi and a very good goalkeeper in Wojciech Szczęsny, but the rest of the team around them is fairly average. Mexico do not have a world class player at any position, but their talent is more evenly spread throughout the team. They have many above-average to good players, and today they had the support of the crowd. Credit to the Mexico supporters today for a fantastic atmosphere.

Mexico were on the front foot for almost the entire first half. They were pressing, passing well, and generally doing all the things a team needs to do to find a goal. Poland by comparison were poor. They didn’t appear to have a plan for Mexico’s press and were caught in possession several times and had to rely upon Szczęsny to bail them out. Lewandowski was isolated by the Mexican midfield and defense, and he can’t work his magic when he doesn’t have the ball. The tactics from Mexico were simple but effective in terms of keeping Poland out. Mexico failed to score at their end in the first half as well, but they looked like the team more likely to score when the halftime whistle blew.

Poland changed their tactics somewhat at halftime though, and they were better after the resumption of play in terms of pressing and getting the ball forward towards Lewandowski. They were rewarded for their attacking intent on 57 minutes when the referee gave them a penalty after a VAR check for a foul in the box. This penalty incident was a little more questionable than some others I have seen, but the decision stood and Lewandowski stepped up to the spot to take it.

But now we pause. We pause to stop and talk about Mexico’s keeper, Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. This man has been between the sticks for Mexico since the 2006 World Cup. He is adored nationally not only for his flying saves and wild hairstyle but for his leadership and reliability. The man is truly fearless, and that attitude is loved by Mexicans far and wide. He has saved their skin numerous times, and he was called upon today again to do so. Despite the big occasion and moment, Memo was certainly not going to be over-awed, even when facing a striker the caliber of Lewandowski. His nickname is “Santo Memo” for a reason.

With all of Mexico and Poland waiting with baited breath, Lewandowski struck the ball to low and to his right, but Memo was equal to it and parried it away after he dove. The overwhelmingly Mexican crowd roared in approval and there was a mad scramble in the box to clear the ball. Memo had done it again! Even if you’re not Mexican, you have to appreciate the level of goalkeeper he ascends to whenever playing for El Tri. His save today was celebrated as if the Mexicans had already won the tournament, and the fans were singing and chanting his name for the rest of the half! From a Polish perspective, Lewandowski’s shot was rather poor. It wasn’t far enough away from the keeper and it lacked a bit of power.

Despite Poland’s good spell of pressure for 20 minutes or so, the Mexicans regained a foothold as the match wore on. They created several half chances, but could not find a winning goal. Memo’s save was the highlight of this match, and it ended 0-0. Mexico can take some positives from the day, but it is clear they are missing a good center forward. They need a finisher, plain and simple. The absence of one Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez from this squad is rather conspicuous.

Group D

This part will be shorter, don’t worry.

France came from behind to beat Australia 4-1, while Denmark and Tunisia tied 0-0. The French keep losing players through injury, but that was not a problem for them today. Australia looked confident at times in the first half but it was clear the French were a step ahead today in terms of talent in attack. Kylian Mbappe is simply the best striker in the world when he’s in the mood. Their injuries could be a problem later in the tournament though. They are the defending champions and are easily the deepest team at this tournament talent-wise, but I worry that the French are due for an implosion soon. Injuries interfere with team chemistry, and the French have to be clicking with one another for them to be at their most deadly.

Both Denmark and Tunisia were both largely uninspiring in their match today, but it was nevertheless a massive result for the Tunisians against a Danish side many have picked as a dark horse to make a run in this tournament. Australia vs. Tunisia now becomes a very interesting match indeed, should the Danish lose to France. The winner of Aus/Tun could easily find themselves in second place in the group, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly.

United Draw With Leicester / World Cup 2022 Groups

Manchester United returned to action this past weekend in the Premier League, hosting Leicester City at Old Trafford. United knew that only a victory would keep them in the race for the top-4 and Champions League football next season. Unfortunately, due to illnesses and injury, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Edinson Cavani were available for selection. Manager Ralf Rangnick thusly elected to play without a traditional striker, deploying Bruno Fernandes as a “false-9”. There was some controversy among some pundits for choosing this particular approach when Marcus Rashford was available for selection. Rashford has not been in good form this season though, so Rangnick was kind of damned either way.

The tactic didn’t really work though. Bruno was torn between dropping back into midfield to get on the ball and getting forward to get on the end of crosses. He can’t do both. Rashford was brought on in the second half, but he did not make much of an impact either way. He was robbed of a good chance in stoppage time when Anthony Elanga mysteriously got in his way while Rashford was attempting to shoot. No coordination or communication at all there. The match finished 1-1 with United probably having the better of the chances, but it was only thanks to VAR that they did not lose this match 2-1. Leicester scored first but United got an equalizer four minutes later via Fred after Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel could only parry away a shot from Fernandes directly into his path. But for the most part, the false-9 strategy did not work. United looked toothless in attack for most of the match. They defended well (mostly) and were able to put together some good combination passes in midfield (sometimes), but the production in the final third of the field was sorely wanting.

United have a lot of problems to sort out this summer. Our midfielders are not consistently good enough. Both of our best strikers are on the wrong side of 30. The defense plays well enough at times but they still allow roughly one goal per game. When your strikers aren’t scoring, allowing a goal a game is a recipe for draws and defeats. Rangnick said post-match that the players lack physicality and tenacity, and while that is a mind-boggling concept at the professional level it’s hard to argue against him. Supposedly Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag will be brought in this summer and he could indeed get things back on track to a degree, but the problems at this club are bigger than one manager. The players are overpaid and unmotivated, and ownership has no aspiration or ambition beyond making the top-4. Old Trafford needs renovations, and the club’s training ground at Carrington needs revitalization as well. The Glazers have neglected this club for the past 17 years and must be held accountable for their poor stewardship. They need to either sell the club or give over majority ownership to the fans. We will not consistently challenge for trophies as long as the Glazers remain in charge.

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In more optimistic news, the draw for World Cup 2022 has taken place and England find themselves in Group B along with the Americans and Iran. They will also play one of either Scotland, Ukraine, or Wales. That has not been fully determined yet due to the war in Ukraine delaying their fixture with Scotland. Wales plays the winner of Scotland/Ukraine for the final spot in the group.

Iran on opening night of the tournament will be a challenging fixture most likely, as they always seem to give bigger teams trouble when the spotlights are on. Scotland/Wales/Ukraine will also be tough no matter who ends up qualifying. Scotland and Wales both despise England and will be highly motivated to get a result, and if it’s Ukraine then the entire world will be cheering for them to do well. England are used to being the villains at this point, but it would be especially tough to play against a country that almost everyone in the world feels sorry for right now.

But the mouth-watering fixture is on Black Friday 2022 against the Americans. I was rubbing my hands together in anticipation when I saw the potential for England and USA to be drawn in the same group. I’ll do a much more in-depth preview of the match once it gets closer, but I am beyond excited for this one. The Americans held England to a draw in the group stage of World Cup 2010, and they beat us outright back in the 1950s. England are in very good form right now though, and I am not sold on just how good the Americans are right now. They have talent in attack to be sure, but their midfield and defense are not as consistent.

Some other intriguing match-ups in the group stage:
Argentina vs. Mexico

Argentina vs. Poland (Messi vs. Lewandowski)

Spain vs. Germany

France vs. Denmark

Portugal vs. Uruguay

More to come on World Cup 2022 as it gets closer!

England Demolish Albania, Move to Within Touching Distance of the World Cup

The international break is on for the clubs across Europe, which means that not only are England back in action, I get to take a break from writing about the very negative atmosphere in the red portion of Manchester right now.

England played their last home match of their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign yesterday afternoon at Wembley, taking on Albania. Albania came into this match 3rd in Group I, while England were sitting firmly atop. Albania needed three points to keep any hope of making the playoff alive, while England knew that a win could potentially qualify them. That would only happen if Poland lost to Andorra though, which was a very unlikely thing to happen.

In contrast to previous matches where England got off to a slow and/or laboring start, England were at full throttle almost from the get-go. It’s very difficult to get all 11 players up and going right away usually, so to see such a fast start was welcome. England, in a resplendent blue kit, were positively flying around and passing the ball extremely well, and they were rewarded with the opening goal on just 9 minutes via a set-piece. England won a foul on the edge of the area and the free kick was taken by Chelsea right-back (today playing as a right-wingback) Reece James. He played a sublime diagonal ball over the top of the Albanian defense, where Manchester United center back (and captain) Harry Maguire met the ball with his head. He drove the ball back across the goal and into the net with Albanian keeper Thomas Strakosha beaten. He wheeled away in a celebration that perhaps indicated he was trying to silence the critics of his recent play at United. It’s true he’s had some shockers recently, but I think a goal for England is going to be good for his confidence. Maguire seems to be a confidence-driven player, and if he can start believing in himself a bit again it will be good for country and club.

It should be noted that England and Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was forced into a fine save just after the England opener, after Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker played a very poor back pass straight into the path of an Albanian striker. It ended up being a fairly tame effort on goal, but it could have easily been 1-1. However, it probably would not have mattered in the end given the eventual England onslaught.

It was only the beginning of a dream day for England and a nightmare for Albania. About 9 minutes later, England got their second via a wonderfully-worked goal down the right hand flank. James and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson played a lovely 1-2 around the Albanian defenders, with Henderson finding himself on the ball on the right side of the box near the end line. He spotted talismanic Tottenham striker Harry Kane in the middle largely unmarked, and played a delightful chipped cross to him. Kane rose highest to the ball and nodded it deftly past Strakosha for 2-0. A good goal, but Albania were completely lost defensively. The marking was so bad that England and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell would have also easily finished the cross had Kane not been in front of him. But a world-class striker like Kane does not miss from point-blank range. You expect a player like Kane to get into that position. Credit again though to James and Henderson for some very good build-up play.

The Three Lions smelled blood at that point and continued to pour on the pressure. It was Henderson’s turn to get on the score sheet, remarkably for only the second time in his England career. James was involved in the buildup again, with him winning a second ball from a poor Albanian defensive header in a dangerous area. He then played a short pass to Manchester City winger/forward Phil Foden, who then found Henderson about 20 yards from the box. Henderson played a sharp pass into Kane, and Kane controlled the ball beautifully. He played the ball with his heel back into the path of the onrushing Henderson, who took a very deft touch around an Albanian defender before pinging his shot into the bottom far corner of the goal. Henderson is normally a defensive midfielder, but England were dominating so well through the middle he was able to come forward and get involved with two goals. The floodgates were beginning to well and truly open and the only question was how many more England would get.

Then it was Kane time. He decided he wanted to score some more instead of providing assists. Albania gave the ball away very cheaply in midfield, and Manchester City winger/forward Raheem Sterling was allowed to run a good distance towards the goal. Kane was in front of him just off to his left. Sterling played an excellent through ball to Kane, who was being played onside by a defender fairly far away from him. He took a few touches into the left side of the box, before lashing a screamer into the far side-netting. Strakosha could do nothing about it. At 4-0 it was now over, just 33 minutes into the match.

Just for good measure, Kane secured England’s fifth and a first half hat-trick for himself a minute into stoppage time. England won a corner that was played into the box by Foden, and once again Kane was there to finish in spectacular fashion. He hit the ball on the volley with a scissor-kick, and Strakosha had no chance of keeping out a shot with such velocity on it. He saved his best finish on the day for last – falling away from the ball but still getting excellent contact with his right boot. Yes the marking was again by poor by Albania, but you can’t take anything away from Kane’s finish. It was 5-0 at halftime and if Albaia manager Edoardo Reja could have thrown in the proverbial towel, he would have.

The second half was dull in comparison, with England somewhat understandably in cruise control and not really trying all that hard to go and get another one. Albania had one or two shots on Pickford’s goal from long distance, but he was never really troubled. No more goals were scored, probably due to the substitutions, injuries, and fouls that created a very stuttered flow to the match. One notable moment was the debut of Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, a very promising young talent that has had a great season so far for the Gunners in the middle of the park. Again, nothing much of note happened for him, but it’s always good for a young player to get time in a competitive match.

Speaking of, Kane is now England’s all time leading goal scorer in competitive football matches, overtaking Wayne Rooney. He still has not eclipsed Rooney’s overall goal scoring record for England (53), but it is almost inevitable now that he will. With his hat-trick today he is now tied with the legendary Jimmy Greaves on 44 goals. He only needs 9 to tie Rooney and 10 to overtake him, and that could happen at next winter’s World Cup in 2022. England have never had a dominant center forward such as Kane, and we have never had a man score so many important goals for us.

Southgate of course will be happy with this display, and he will be even happier that it happened without the services of players such as Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho. It’s again a testament to England’s strength in depth that we can put 5 goals past half-decent opposition without several extremely good players. I suppose as long as Kane is out there, that’s all we really need. When he is in the mood, I don’t think he can be stopped. Southgate promised that England would put on a show in his pre-match interviews, and his team very much delivered on that. A 6th goal in the second half would have been a nice ribbon on the gift, but not getting one is hardly grounds for complaint.

As expected, Poland did end up beating Andorra 4-1. That means England have a 3 point lead over Poland with one match left in qualifying, and therefore they only need a draw against bottom-dwellers San Marino to secure passage to World Cup 2022 as the winners of Group I. That match will happen on Monday at the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in San Marino. All I will say is that if we can put 5 past Albania, we should be putting 10 past San Marino. They are the lowest ranked country in FIFA’s world rankings, at 210th out of 210. They have a goal differential of -35 and have not registered a single point in 9 qualifying matches. To say that they are underdogs would be the understatement of the year. All England need is a point against the minnowest of minnows, but it would be embarrassing even to win by a small margin. Barring the miracle of all miracles, England should qualify for World Cup 2022 on Monday.

Three Lions on the shirts!

England Draw With Hungary, Match Marred by Fan Violence

England took on Hungary today at Wembley Stadium in London, in what was the 8th match out of 10 in World Cup 2022 qualification. England had already beaten Hungary 4-0 away in Budapest earlier this year, but they’re a more talented side than they appear at first and have gotten some famous results earlier this season.

The match ended 1-1, with both goals coming in the first half. Hungary took a surprising lead from the penalty spot via forward Rolland Sallai, who sent England keeper Jordan Pickford the wrong way as he slotted home. The actual penalty was earned by right back Loïc Négo, who collided with a high boot from England left back Luke Shaw just inside the box. The contact on Négo’s head was minimal, but the problem was Shaw having his boot that high up in the first place. It’s a long-established rule in football that your foot can’t be up high near the head and neck of other players, and Shaw has to know better there. He is asking for trouble with his foot that high up, and he wouldn’t have even needed to fly in like that if he was quicker to the ball. But he was lackadaisical in getting over to the bouncing loose ball, and Négo put him under pressure to make a clearance. Unfortunately, he did not clear the ball effectively.

England did get an equalizer 13 minutes later, having put their foot fully down on the gas pedal after the Hungary goal. The tying goal was courtesy of three Manchester City players – Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, and John Stones. Grealish was probably England’s best attacking player the whole match, and he won a foul in the right channel after some of his trademark nifty dribbling. Foden stood over the dead ball and delivered a very dangerous diagonal cross into the box. It was met at the far post by Stones, who simply stuck his foot out and the ball bounced off him and into the net. Wembley erupted in celebration, and it was great to see England scoring from a set piece.

The Three Lions had the better of the chances and the majority of the possession for the rest of the half and indeed the rest of the game, but they could not put the ball past Hungarian keeper Péter Gulácsi. He made several fine saves on Raheem Sterling, but overall the credit must go to Hungary manager Marco Rossi for his tactical set-up. They were in a 5-3-2 and set up very compact, making it hard to break them down. They also pressed England at precisely the right times, and England admittedly lacked ideas in terms of creating chances. I applaud Gareth Southgate for realizing that his initial tactical set-up was wrong and actually making substitutions, but today the problem was that he made the wrong substitution. Bringing on Bukayo Saka for Grealish was mystifying when both Sterling and Harry Kane were far more ineffective. Saka needed to come on, but not for Grealish. He was the only one really running at the Hungary back line, so to take him off almost did them a favor. It was just an overall disappointing performance on the pitch, but credit to the Hungarians for playing well and forcing England to stumble slightly on their path to World Cup 2022.

England are still atop Group I, but their lead has narrowed to 3 points after Poland’s victory over Albania. England have a massive game against Albania in a month, and the last one is against minnows San Marino. Win either of those, England are virtually in. Ideally they would take 3 points in both games, and they will indeed need to be better than they were today against a highly-motivated Albanian team.

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Unfortunately, the first 10-15 minutes of this match were marred by clashes between the London Metropolitan Police and some of the Hungarian supporters inside the stadium. I normally am not one to defend the police, but there is a section of the Hungarian supporters that are absolute knobheads. They held up a banner protesting the England players kneeling before the opening whistle, and were jeering loudly when one of England’s Black players touched the ball. Absolute racist bastards and the images of them throwing punches at the police were disgusting to watch. It seems the police eventually got the situation under control and at least one arrest was made, but I couldn’t believe just how brazen the actions were of those few dozen supporters. I know for a fact that not all Hungarians are racist hooligans, but that loud minority of them is very loud indeed.

Which begs the question: where is UEFA on this? Why has the Hungarian FA even been allotted tickets for their supporters at this match? There is supposed to be a ban on fan attendance at their home matches for this exact sort of behavior the last time England played Hungary, so why are they allowed in our stadium? It’s this sort of thing that makes the whole “Say No to Racism” campaign feel hollow and frankly fake. When actual racist incidents happen, UEFA does nothing about them and leaves it up to the local authorities to sort out the shitheads. Hey UEFA, fucking punish this kind of conduct! Lifetime bans for fans who engage in racist conduct. Points deductions from teams if fans engage in racist conduct. I understand that England is not free from sin in this department, so these rules would apply to our fans as well. The fans also must self-police more effectively and call out racist conduct when they see it! I’m fed up with this behavior and it needs to stop.

Three Lions Labor to a Draw In Warsaw

England wrapped up the current international break with a trip to Warsaw where they took on Poland in the 6th match of the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign. England had maintained a 100% win record thus far in the campaign but the Three Lions knew they would be facing probably their toughest test so far.

Poland are very tough to play at home, plain and simple. Their fans always provide an intimidating and raucous atmosphere, and they are led by a talismanic striker who was probably the Ballon d’Or winner last season (had FIFA awarded one), Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich man is their principal goal threat, and if England were to win they would need to neutralize him. It is fair to focus much of the defensive effort on one man in this case because, truthfully, Poland do not have much attacking quality outside of him. England had already beaten Poland 2-1 at Wembley earlier this summer, but Lewandowski did not play in that match due to injury.

The first half followed a familiar pattern for England these past few matches – tidy, but slow. We can pass the ball around nicely among the back four and even into midfield, but we seem to slow the ball down too much when we get into attacking areas. They looked unwilling to take chances, and I don’t know if that’s because of instructions from manager Gareth Southgate or because Poland simply weren’t giving them anything. Whenever England got on the ball they were quick to get back and defend, and it seemed that players like Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish were unwilling to try and dribble directly at defenders. Both Sterling and Grealish are excellent dribblers and they need to be running at their markers more directly. England were not helped by several very questionable officiating decisions from referee Daniel Siebert. He was trying to let both sides play a bit which might be ok to a degree, but that is a dangerous prospect when it comes to the shithousers on the Polish national team.

Speaking of shithousery, at halftime it was a rather tepid 0-0 but the action really kicked off after the whistle had gone for the end of the half. There was some sort of scuffle between Polish center back Kamil Glik and England center back Harry Maguire that led to all 22 players plus some off the bench getting into a shoving match near the touchline. Cooler heads eventually prevailed and the incident resulted in bookings for both Glik and Maguire. It was tough to see how the altercation started from the broadcast, but you have to believe that Glik grabbing onto/pinching the face of England right back Kyle Walker a few minutes previous was part of the issue. Glik had been antagonizing several England players throughout the half and probably should have been booked previous to that. Again, letting the players play is generally applaudable, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Siebert almost let this match get out of control and he largely failed to stamp his authority down.

In the second half England were better but still struggled to create any real clear-cut chances. Poland had made some substitutions and seemed to have plenty of energy to defend and hold on for 0-0. But as he has done so often and consistently for England, Harry Kane arrived. He had been rather quiet in this match but he reminded everyone of what he can do on 72 minutes when he received the ball from Walker about 45 yards out from goal. He realized there was no pressure on him so he dribbled the ball about 10 yards before lashing the ball with his toe toward the Polish goal. It appeared to be going straight at Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny at first, but then the ball began a vicious dip to the right that Szczesny had no chance of getting to. It was world-class from Kane and he has now moved into sole possession of 5th all time in goals scored for England (41). He won’t score many better than that one though!

I thought England were going to hold on, but the goal seemed only to galvanize the Poles and credit to them for keeping at it and playing for pride in front of their fans. Lewandowski had been quiet for most of the second half but saw a shot go just over the bar from the edge of the box, and England keeper Jordan Pickford was spared from a massive error when his goal-kick deflected off a Polish player and back towards the England goal. Pickford was able to scramble back in time to save it before the ball went over the line, but that had the potential to be really embarrassing. Curiously and somewhat frustratingly, England had failed to make any substitutions despite Poland’s growing presence in the match. More on that below.

Poland were rewarded for their tenacity in stoppage time when Lewandowski found himself on the ball on the left side of the penalty area, as a result of Poland’s siege on the England goal. He was allowed to take a few touches and hit a cross to the back post, where his compatriot Damian Szymanski was crashing towards the goal. Luke Shaw tried to get in the way but Szymanski got to it first and headed in from point-blank range with Pickford stranded. It was a very good goal and a stark reminder that Lewandowski can create just as well as he can score. The goal secured a vital point for Poland and they now sit in 3rd place in Group I.

From England’s point of view, there are worse things than an away draw to Poland. Yes we lost the 100% qualification record and yes it always sucks to have a lead and squander it, but those are minor blips on the radar. The truth is that we are one step closer to World Cup 2022 after today. England have a four point lead at the top of Group I with 4 games left to play in the campaign, with two of the remaining matches against minnows San Marino and Andorra. Qualification is not secured of course, but England will feel very good about their chances despite today’s minor setback.

The biggest negative by far today was that it seems that Southgate has not learnt his lessons about substitutions, tactical flexibility, and risk-taking that he should have learned from the Euro 2020(1) final. For some inexplicable reason, Southgate did not use a single substitution in today’s match. I do not understand that at all. He defended his decisions after the match by saying he didn’t want to “disrupt” anything due to the fact that things were going well. Was he watching the same match everyone else was? It was clear to see even to the most casual observer that England were tiring in the final 15 minutes or so. They wanted to just hold on and defend, and they were having issues maintaining possession due to being constantly harassed by the Poles. Some new and energetic legs in midfield or defense would have been just the remedy to potentially get Poland out of our half of the pitch. Poland were knocking on the door at the end there and it was obvious that the lead was in jeopardy, but Southgate did nothing about it.

To be clear, it’s not like he had to bring another forward on or an attacking midfielder. He just needed to bring on a defensive midfielder like Jordan Henderson and also maybe a replacement for Mason Mount or Grealish. All we needed was to be a little more solid in possession for the final few minutes and we’d have all three points. But no, he let obviously-tiring players stay out there and we were overran by Poland due to the simple fact that they made subs and we did not. So maddening. Sure, the penalty for it this time is minimal, and Southgate is still of course the most successful England manager of my lifetime. However, if we lose another big match this way by squandering a lead due to our own errors I’ll be calling for him to be sacked. This generation of England players is simply too talented to let them be wasted due to basic managerial errors like failing to make a substitution ins a close game, or making them too late for it to matter.

All of the players will be returning to their clubs now for the resumption of club football at the weekend. Manchester United will be hosting Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday, September 11th. This shall likely be a very notable match to watch because it will almost certainly mark the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. While he likely won’t start, he will likely come off the bench in the second half so the fans can give him a rousing reception. All I would like is a relatively stress-free 3 points, please.

England Maintain Their 100% World Cup Qualifying Record With a Comfortable Win Over Andorra

England were back at Wembley today for the first time since the great tragedy of Euro 2020(1) where they took on minnows Andorra in a qualifier for World Cup 2022. England were heavy favorites going into this match and it was apparent from the outset why that was the case. It was not a question of whether England would win, but rather how much they would win by. For those who don’t know, Andorra is a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains that straddles the border of France and Spain. As a team they are made up largely of semi-professionals and players who frequent the lower leagues in Spain. Indeed, Andorra as a country is so small and so mountainous that it doesn’t even have an international airport. If you want to fly to Andorra from anywhere else, you have to fly into Barcelona and then take a car/bus trip two hours to the north through the mountains.

Manager Gareth Southgate made wholesale changes from the team that started against Hungary, probably due to the facts that Andorra aren’t very good and because England have a much sterner test away to Poland on Wednesday. It seems that England have largely figured out who their best XI is plus two or three substitutions, so this was a match for the fringe players to make a case for inclusion on the plane to Qatar. Some notable players to watch today were Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and Liverpool right back/midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold. Bamford was on his debut and looking to make an impact, while Alexander-Arnold came into this match with something to prove. He is a dominant force at Liverpool with his range of passing, but he has not quite matched that level of play in an England shirt. Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard was also given a start. He has not played much, if at all, for United this season but he does tend to perform well in an England shirt and he was in a rich vein of form at West Ham towards the end of last season.

The gulf in class between the two sides was immediate from the outset, as the match kicked off in a festive atmosphere at a packed Wembley. None of the fans were really worried about the result, they just wanted to see some good football, sing some songs, and have a pint or two in the nice weather. Usually, a less-talented side can cause the opposition problems through tactical discipline and defending, but England’s players were just too big and too fast for the Andorrans. For example, Tyrone Mings got a start in defense today and while he is very good he is still definitely the 3rd-choice center-back right now. But even our 3rd-choice center-back was bigger, stronger, and more tactically adept than the best Andorrans. When England were on the ball they couldn’t win it off us, and when Andorra was on the ball it was often won back with ease. Not just with Mings either, but every England player.

The match was cagey for the first 15 minutes or so, with England having all the possession and playing more passes. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham looked very lively, and was probably the best player of the half in a white shirt. He is only 18 but he already looks and plays like a man in his late 20s. Despite the resistance though, the deadlock was broken just 18 minutes in via Lingard. The ball was won in midfield by Mings and after a bit of a scramble the ball was played out to Arsenal winger (and birthday boy!) Bukayo Saka on the left side of the penalty area. He put in a cross that was only partially cleared by the Andorran defense, and the ball fell directly to the feet of Lingard who scuffed it past Andorran keeper Josep Gomes with his left foot. It wasn’t the cleanest or prettiest of hits, but Lingard did just enough to get it over the line. His celebration was joyous and a tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo, his friend and recently-returned teammate at United.

Despite that early-ish goal, it must be said that Andorra did a fairly solid job of damage control after that. England were still the dominant side, but no more goals were scored in the first half. England just seemed a tad too fancy at times and Andorra were able to clear away attack after attack. They didn’t create really anything themselves as England and West Bromwich Albion keeper Sam Johnstone did not face a shot on target. It was hard to tell just how good he is at the international level when a stern-looking traffic cone could have done his job today.

The early part of the second half was a carbon copy of the first half. England had all of the ball and they were playing all of the passes, but Andorra were very stubborn in their resistance. Again they did not really look like scoring themselves, but they were determined to not let England get another one. Right back Reece James came very close to finding a second after his long-range shot hit the crossbar, but aside from that chance England were again struggling to get clear shots on target. Southgate decided to ring the changes shortly after James’s effort, bringing on Harry Kane, Mason Mount, and Jack Grealish.

Southgate was rewarded for the changes on 72 minutes when Grealish and Mount combined well in the area, with the latter being brought down from behind in the box. It was about as stonewall of a penalty as you’ll see in this era of VAR. The Andorran defender was the wrong side of Mount and Mount probably would have scored had he not been brought down via contact on the back of his leg. Mount has been very good these past few matches for England and looks to be a shoe-in for 2022. Kane, England’s designated penalty taker, stepped up and beat Gomes to the keeper’s right with a low and powerful shot into the side of the net. Gomes guessed correctly and jumped the right way, but he could not keep Kane out. Kane now has 40 goals in 63 caps for England, and has scored in every World Cup qualifier for England going back to 2017. At age 28, you have to feel that England’s all-time scoring record is well within his grasp. He only needs 14 more goals to break the mark of 53 currently held by Wayne Rooney, and he has at least two major tournaments left in his career. At this point, it would be more surprising if Kane didn’t break Rooney’s record.

The points were secured, but in similar fashion to the match against Hungary in mid-week, England kept their foot firmly planted on the gas pedal. Lingard got his second goal and England’s third just six minutes later, as it became apparent the Andorrans were tiring and the proverbial floodgates opened. Some good build-up play from Grealish saw him find Saka in the middle of the park, and Saka was allowed to run diagonally forward and to his left. He spotted Lingard mostly by himself in the left channel, so he played the ball along the ground into his feet. Lingard took a touch back to the inside to create a space, and his marker was much too far off of him. He toe-poked a shot with his right towards the goal, and the movement created with that technique took the ball away from Gomes. It bounced in front of him once and went over his arm for 3-0.

England dominated possession some more and got their fourth and final goal on 85 minutes, this time with Saka scoring and Lingard being the provider. England won a corner and Alexander-Arnold adeptly played the corner quickly while Andorra were still setting up. Due to them being asleep at the wheel, Alexander-Arnold was easily able to find Lingard in the right channel near the edge of the box. Lingard chipped a ball in over the top towards the England forwards in the box, and the ball was met at the back post by Saka’s head and steered into the goal. He wheeled away in celebration and the England fans roared their approval. Not only was it a birthday goal for the 20 year-old, it was an opportunity for England fans to show their support after the nightmare Saka endured back in July. It was his missed penalty that handed Italy the trophy, so it was good to see him back on the score sheet at Wembley and to hear the fans singing his name. No one has forgotten the missed penalty, but it also seems that many fans have moved on from that intensely negative moment. He’s an excellent player and deserves all the support he can get. He had one bad moment that whole tournament and his career should not be defined by that one bad moment.

All in all, a positive result that sees England maintain their five point lead at the top of Group I. 5 games played, 15 points secured, and a goal differential of +16. There really isn’t much to complain about with any of that. Of course England fans are still England fans and some are complaining about how it took the addition of Kane/Grealish/Mount to finish off such lowly opposition, but those fans really need to calm down. Andorra had 11 men behind the ball for most of this match and it can be difficult to break through teams like that due to the sheer amount of bodies in the way. Also, I think England would have gotten a few more goals even without bringing on the big guns. The Andorrans were physically spent by the 70th minute and we probably would have gotten more goals without the changes.

I think the biggest positives to take away from this match were the individual efforts of Bellingham, Lingard, and Alexander-Arnold. It’s true that the opposition wasn’t good today, but it’s beyond doubt that Bellingham is going to be a superstar. He needs to keep developing his game and progressing at the club level, and all signs indicate he is going to continue doing that. Alexander-Arnold will also give Southgate some food for thought. He is a natural right back but due to England’s current over-abundance of right backs there may not be a spot for him there due to his occasional lapses in defense. If Alexander-Arnold finds himself on the plane to Qatar, it will likely be as a right-sided midfielder. His passing might be simply too good to not bring him along.

Lingard is probably the most enigmatic English player I’ve seen in years, though. Sometimes he plays like he did today – quick, alert, and instinctual. He enjoys playing at Wembley and has scored some big goals in big games. At other times though he looks utterly lost on the pitch and it appears as if he’s never played the game before. He also likely won’t get much playing time at United this season, as he sits behind Bruno Fernandes in that attacking midfield position. However, there is no denying his contributions today. Even if he does not make the final squad, he is an important rotational player for this qualifying campaign. It’s unclear what Southgate will do regarding his future, but his Man of the Match performance today will not be forgotten.

In the bigger picture, there is also some lively debate about whether teams like Andorra (such as San Marino, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, Malta, Monaco, Liechtenstein) should even be playing the bigger teams like England in World Cup qualifiers. My personal stance is that there is a flaw in the way the qualification tables are set-up. I’d like to see a system where these smaller nations all play each other in the same group, and then the winner of that group gets to qualify. For example, right now Andorra and San Marino have a snowball’s chance in hell of qualifying because they have to go through England, Poland, Hungary, and Albania to do so. However, if the six smallest teams in UEFA only had to play each other in a group, all of a sudden the prospect of qualifying looks much easier. This format change would also ensure that only the best of the small teams makes the tournament. They would still be heavy underdogs, but they would at least have a shot at shocking the world and making a run. Even if the “small nations” group idea doesn’t work, I’d like to see some sort of merit-based process for getting these teams a fairer shake at qualification. National sides are constantly on the rise and fall. For example, Belgium were a laughing stock just 15 years ago but now they are a European powerhouse. The current format is not working, and I think football in these smaller nations could suffer as a result of it, if they aren’t already.

But, England can only play the team put in front of them, and they played them off the pitch today. A whopping 88% possession, 20 shots, 6 shots on goal, and a clean sheet. It does not get much more dominant than that at the professional level. England can now turn their full attention to Robert Lewandowski and Poland, where they will travel to on Wednesday evening. Three points from that match would put a canyon-sized chasm between them and second place in the group. They would be 8 points clear of second with only four qualification matches left after that. Poland away will be a much tougher test, but even if Lewandowski scores I don’t think the Polish will be able to stop England from scoring.

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England Display a Dominant Second Half Performance In Victory Over Hungary

Today, England travelled to the elegant Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary to play their first match since the loss against Italy in the final of the European Championships. The Three Lions came into the match top of the World Cup qualifying group having won all three of their matches so far, but Hungary were a mere two points behind them in Group I.

Although a victory for England was expected, Hungary are not a team of pushovers like they have been in the past. They are well-organized and tactically sound defensively, and that can create problems for any opposition. This same Hungary team pushed France and Germany to their limits at Euro 2020(1), and they were buoyed by the addition of their most naturally talented player – attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. Don’t ask me to pronounce his name, as the trickiness of the pronunciation is mirrored by the trickiness of his feet. England would need to make sure he is marked at all times because he has the dribbling and shooting technique to trouble even the best defenses.

England took the pitch in front of a packed house in Hungary, and the atmosphere pre-kick off was mostly upbeat. England were on the ball for most of the first half though, and were clearly the better side in terms of possession, passes, and chances created. The problem was struggling to get clear shots on goal. The Hungarians deployed a 5-3-2 formation that made them incredibly difficult to break down. The other side of that though is that they had no presence in midfield and couldn’t get the ball into Szoboszlai or any of their attacking players. I don’t think England keeper Jordan Pickford even touched the ball in the first half, aside from goal kick clearances. A very stale encounter in that first half plus a very hostile atmosphere had me thinking that England may need to be satisfied with a draw today.

But England upped the tempo a little bit in the second half and Hungary struggled to keep up. Harry Kane just missed a gilt-edged chance on 50 minutes after being through on goal. It was a good save from keeper Péter Gulácsi but you feel that given Kane’s quality he should have scored. But no worries though, as Hungary were undone just 5 minutes later. West Ham midfielder Declan Rice did well to win the ball in midfield, and he played a quick pass out to Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish on the left wing. Grealish brought the ball to edge of the area, after he which he played in fellow midfielder Mason Mount on an overlapping run towards the end line. Mount used his quickness to get to the ball and drag a cross back along the ground, directly into the path of the unmarked Raheem Sterling. Sterling had to be quick, but it was a relatively simple finish into the bottom corner with Gulácsi unable to get to it. Good team goal from England and it was 1-0. The celebrations for Sterling were marred by some poor behavior from Hungary fans in the stands, who decided it would be a good idea to throw full bottles and cups at Sterling from the stands. More on Hungary’s fans below.

The second goal came via the talismanic Kane about 8 minutes later. Sterling found himself under a bouncing ball on the right wing, and he hit it first time low and along the ground towards Kane in the middle of the box. The ball took a bounce off the foot of a Hungarian defender, which caused the ball to pop up in the air a bit. Kane was able to get his head to it with enough power to put it through the arms of Gulácsi for 2-0. Always good to see Kane on the score sheet and he atoned for his earlier miss with that header. Now that all 3 points were in the bag, you could see England relaxing a little and just seeing the game out.

That didn’t happen though, as center back and Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was next in the queue to score England’s third just 6 minutes later. The floodgates had well and truly opened, as Kane was unlucky not to get his second just before Maguire’s goal. Fellow Red Devil Luke Shaw delivered in a peach of a cross from a corner, and Maguire did well to position himself under it. He headed the ball down and towards the opposite corner, but it didn’t appear to have a ton of pace behind it. Gulácsi couldn’t get down in time to save it though, and it rolled in after taking a deflection off his arm. Good teams can score in a variety of ways, and England showed they are capable of that by finally executing a set piece. Our defenders are so big that we should be scoring more often from those.

The fourth and final nail in the coffin came on 87 minutes, and this time it was Rice both finishing the chance and somewhat creating it. Kane had just missed another chance to score, and Pickford had actually made his first real – if routine – save of the game just after that. But Grealish was involved once again as well, and this time he got an assist. Rice played the ball to Grealish on the right side of the box. Grealish then cut in from the right side using his dribbling and looked to be trying to create space for a shot. He was blocked off though by defenders so he wisely played a backwards diagonal pass back to Rice, who was positioned for a shot on the edge of the box. He passed the ball with the inside of his foot towards the goal, and it was straight at Gulácsi. He really should have done better with the save, as he seemed to drop it and the ball went under him before it went over the line. Still, poor keeping or not, you have to have the temerity to take on that strike and Rice should be credited for going for goal.

So yes, 4-0 away in a hostile atmosphere in a competitive match is about all you can ask for. England were patient in the first half, and that patience was rewarded with dominance in the second. Hungary may feel that poor keeping did them in today, but England’s first goal had nothing to do with Gulácsi. Once the first one went in, you felt the result was never in doubt. Hungary were just lacking the quality going forward today. It’s an over-simplification to blame the keeper in this case, despite his notable errors.

The behavior of too many of the fans in Budapest was very disappointing, not only due to the bottle-throwing after Sterling’s goal but they also booed when England players took the knee before kickoff to protest racism in football. Hungary’s players were very professional in this match and credit to them for showing their fans that is possible to lose with dignity and grace. But that fanbase has a reputation for poor sportsmanship and FIFA must take action to regulate this sort of thing if they are serious about stamping out hooliganism and fan violence in this sport. UEFA has already sanctioned the Hungarian Football Association and had this been a Euro qualifier the match would have been played in an empty stadium. But it seems that FIFA and UEFA don’t carry the same punishments for whatever reason. I am sick of this pigheaded behavior from supporters and it needs to stop. England fans are no exception to that, either. There are too many England fans who behave this way too, they just weren’t on TV today. It is always difficult for me to call out this behavior from other countries when England’s house isn’t fully in order.

But in terms of the match, this was a very good performance from the lads and exactly what England needed to exorcise a few of the demons lingering after the loss to Italy back in July. Coming out against decent opposition, away from home, and putting 4 past them in a span of 32 minutes is just what the doctor ordered. England were already in the driver’s seat in this group, but now World Cup qualification seems much closer despite the fact that there’s only been four of ten games played in this campaign. Hungary are probably the second-best team in the group (aside from maybe Poland) so England can take confidence from the way they handled themselves today. Composed and clinical after a potentially-frustrating first half. Man of the Match for me is Declan Rice, but a case could be made for Sterling, Grealish, or Kalvin Phillips.

England take on minnows Andorra at Wembley on Sunday. An emphatic win is expected against such a small nation. England are now 5 points clear on top of Group I.

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