England labour past Panama and dreamland for DR Congo: World Cup Daily

Summary

Football Weekly – "England labour past Panama and dreamland for DR Congo: World Cup Daily"

Date: June 28, 2026
Host: Max Rushden
Panel: Barry Glendenning, Mark Langdon, Asasu Obojuwana, Jacob Steinberg (guest segment)

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OVERVIEW

This episode of The Guardian’s Football Weekly covers the closing games of the World Cup group stage, focusing on:

• England's uninspiring but crucial win over Panama to top their group
• DR Congo’s historic victory for their first-ever World Cup win
• Croatia’s edge over Ghana, Ghana’s defensive woes, and Modric’s ageless performance
• The tactical drama between Colombia and Portugal in a nail-biting 0-0 draw
• A whirlwind ending in Iran vs. Egypt, and Belgium’s comeback to form
• Reflections on the performance and future of African teams, Scotland's managerial change, and—importantly—a comedic detour into the “Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch”

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MAIN THEMES & SEGMENTS

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1. England 2–0 Panama: Job Done, But Not Justified (01:13–16:43)

Key Points:

• England won unconvincingly, only breaking Panama’s resistance after a dour first hour.
• Goals: Jude Bellingham (62’), Harry Kane (67’)
• England now face DR Congo in the last 32.

Panel Reactions:

Mark Langdon (02:44):

• “The first half was poor. You can't get away from that. Panama were probably slightly better than people give them credit for... Second half was okay. This is international football… players like Kane and Bellingham can produce in moments.”
• “I can’t get angry about it. I'm sorry, but I can't.”

Barry Glendenning (03:44):

• “Almost total indifference. They did enough… The first half was another sort of embarrassment for England... Panama were maybe a little bit unlucky not to score—that fractional offside...”
• “My only concern for England is that the next one’s probably going to be more of the same. DR Congo—another low block.”

Asasu Obojuwana (04:50):

• “Don’t expect champagne football at this moment, because all the coaches care about is getting out of the group stages. For Africa, having 10 teams qualify and 9 go into the round of 32—we are quite happy with that and don’t care how they have done it.”

Jude Bellingham & Tactics (05:50):

• Mark: “There was a void with Rice rested. Anderson did pretty well directing play... Concert at right back didn’t work. England are not looking totally secure at the back... The defense still concerns me.”
• Mark on Bellingham: “He’s created another for Harry Kane... If England go deep, they need Bellingham.”

Jacob Steinberg (Guest, 11:08):

• “I’m not sure England make it past this week... the defence at the moment… just not looked very convincing... Panama passed around England, got in behind. Stability just doesn’t work when Rice doesn’t play.”
• On Rashford: “There was more intent to run at his man. He’s really dialed in tonight…but you want more in the final third. You’d probably keep him in the side.”

Memorable exchange – Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning (10:06):

• Max: “Where are you on the firometer, Barry?”
• Barry: “Nowhere. Haven’t switched it on yet.”
• Max: “But surely you have a little...”
• Barry: “Oh, absolutely. I’m always afraid. As long as they’re in the tournament, I’m afraid.”

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2. Croatian Craft, Ghanaian Frustrations (16:43–19:25)

Key Points:

• Croatia 2–1 Ghana; both advance, but Ghana’s defense worries.
• Modric was a standout, even at 201 caps.
• Ghana missing Kudus, lacking attacking invention.

Panel Quotes:

Asasu Obojuwana (16:51):

• “Croatia scoring goals that exposed the Ghanaian defense today… can’t afford that in the round of 32. Carlos Quiroz is a low block specialist.”

Mark Langdon (18:51):

• “Modric—201 caps now. He’s great in possession, but late on in the game, he’s flying into tackles, protecting the back four. Just a remarkable player.”

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3. DR Congo’s Dreamland: First-Ever World Cup Victory (21:44–24:55)

Key Points:

• DR Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 2–1, clinching a spot in last 32.
• The players’ wild celebrations reflected decades of frustration turned to joy.

Asasu Obojuwana (22:10):

• “Last time DR Congo were at the tournament was in 1974… from then until now, totally in the World Cup wilderness. So far, they’ve done well—and it’s good they’ve banished those memories.”

Mark Langdon on match-winner Abwisser (23:08):

• “Particularly the second goal—great finish, tremendous energy…presses from the front, chases lost causes… the biggest threat to England in the next round.”

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4. Group K Classics: Colombia & Portugal Knock Each Other Silly (24:55–27:47)

Key Points:

• Colombia and Portugal played an “apex” 0-0, but both sides committed to attack.
• Colombia top the group; Portugal second.

Barry Glendenning (25:03):

• “Both teams were going for each other like drunks swinging haymakers in a pub car park… The loudest cheer of both games was for a Cristiano Ronaldo miss.”

Mark Langdon (26:28):

• “Colombia were great—throwing five or six players forward in the last moments... Colombia are a very good side. Might have to change my dark horse pick to them.”

Portugal and Ronaldo’s Burden (27:47–29:04):

• Asasu: “Ronaldo is the boss of the national team… But when a talismanic player is not performing, you’ve got to take him off. Messi might just have one more World Cup—Ronaldo does not.”
• Barry: “If I was part of that Portuguese collective, I’d really prefer if he was not in it. That’s obvious to everyone apart from his fanboys, who are delusional at this stage.”

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5. African Teams: Progress and High Expectations (30:15–32:07)

Key Points:

• Nine out of 10 African teams qualified; a milestone, but not enough for Asasu, who wants quarter-finalists and semi-finalists.
• Critical of African teams failing to kill off big-name opponents during dominant spells.

Asasu Obojuwana (31:13):

• “There’s no applause in trying. You get applause for doing the job.”

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6. Group G Last Night: Egypt vs Iran, Heartbreak & Heroics (33:36–37:40)

Key Points:

• Egypt 1–1 Iran. Iran’s dramatic late equalizer ruled out by a razor-thin—correct—offside, resulting in heartbreaking celebrations.
• Egypt’s Salah came off early with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.

Mark Langdon (33:52):

• “Dramatic last 10 minutes…pub full of Iranian supporters…scored in the 93rd or 94th, ruled out for tight but correct offside.”
• “Salah came off pretty early in the second half, a lot of ice around his leg and hamstring.”

Barry & Mark’s Pub Story (35:31):

• Barry: “All the stools at the bar were taken by two Iran fans, two women who were nursing one beer between them… so that was enough to have us rooting for Egypt.”

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7. Belgium Smash New Zealand, Look To Be Back (37:40–39:07)

Key Points:

• Belgium 5–1 New Zealand; De Bruyne, Doku, Trossard all impress.
• Lukaku dropped but scores off the bench.
• Next up: Belgium faces Senegal—a real test.

Mark Langdon (37:44):

• “…Forward players, no Lukaku in the starting 11. He came on and scored, but he was so bad against Iran he couldn’t play again… Doku’s back… If you’ve got Doku, you just give him the ball and let him run."
• "De Ketelaere is a clever player. Trossard pops up with important goals. They could go well... but I’d be surprised.”

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8. Scotland’s Exit & Steve Clark’s Resignation (39:07–41:43)

Key Points:

• Steve Clark steps down as Scotland manager.
• Debate over whether his tactics held back a limited squad, or if he overachieved with the available talent.

Asasu Obojuwana (39:47):

• “If Cape Verde, with 500,000 people, are able to produce a team that can hold two world champions… I don’t see a reason why Scotland can’t…”

Barry Glendenning (41:20):

• “I’m inclined to think Scotland qualified for this tournament in spite of Steve Clark, rather than because of him…”

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9. The Legendary Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch (42:23–45:15)

Comic Highlight:

• Listener mail and family updates on the nation’s favorite segment: Mark’s ongoing struggle to eat vegetables.
• Recent meals included: chow mein (with bits of greenery), Panda Express, spaghetti bolognese (with onions he “scooped out”), refried beans, tacos with coriander—but “big salad on the side, but untouched.”
• “Tomatoes, I find—I can’t eat tomatoes… But refried beans I can eat every day.”

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NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• “England got the job done. Nothing says we’re going to win the World Cup like labouring to a 2-0 over Panama.”
  • Max Rushden (01:13)
• “I can’t get angry about it. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
  • Mark Langdon on England’s performance (02:44)
• “Almost total indifference… I suspect once England get to play one of the tournament's elite teams, they will actually play a lot better.”
  • Barry Glendenning (03:44)
• “Don’t expect to have champagne football at this moment—coaches care about getting out of the group stages.”
  • Asasu Obojuwana (04:50)
• “My only concern is that the next one’s probably going to be more of the same—DR Congo, another low block.”
  • Barry Glendenning (03:44)
• “I’m always afraid. As long as they’re in the tournament, I’m afraid.”
  • Barry Glendenning on England’s progress (10:20)
• “Brilliant—it is good they've been able to banish those memories of 1974 which were not a good advertisement for African football at the time.”
  • Asasu Obojuwana on DR Congo (22:10)
• “Colombia and Portugal—both teams were going for each other like drunks swinging haymakers in a pub car park.”
  • Barry Glendenning (25:03)
• “There is no applause in trying. You get applause for doing the job.”
  • Asasu Obojuwana on African teams’ ambitions (32:07)
• “All the stools at the bar were taken... two women nursing one beer occupied two prime spots—enough to have us rooting for Egypt.”
  • Barry Glendenning, on the strange alliances of football watching (35:31)
• “If you got doku, you can just give him the ball and let him run.”
  • Mark Langdon on Belgium (38:31)
• “Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch is the greatest feature in the history of broadcasting. I'm not joking.”
  • Listener mail (42:43)

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RECOMMENDED SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS

• 01:13 – England-Panama breakdown
• 05:50 – Midfield & Bellingham analysis
• 11:08 – Jacob Steinberg on England’s tactics & mood
• 16:43 – Croatia-Ghana, Modric’s evergreen class
• 21:44 – DR Congo’s historic win, context, and key players
• 24:55 – Colombia-Portugal: The wildest 0-0 yet
• 30:15 – African teams at the World Cup: success, but higher goals
• 33:36 – Egypt vs. Iran: heartbreak, drama, VAR, and pub reactions
• 37:44 – Belgium’s resurgence vs New Zealand
• 39:07 – Steve Clark resigns: Scotland’s levels of ambition
• 42:23 – Comedy break: Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch

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Tone & Style:
The panel balance sharp analysis and realism with characteristic Guardian Football Weekly humor—deadpan delivery, self-deprecation, listener engagement, and cheery arguments about the sport’s most trivial details.

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FOR LISTENERS NEW OR OLD

This episode will tell you:

• How serious to take England’s slow start… and which flaws remain.
• Which unsung World Cup teams are flying the flag for African and South American football.
• Why Ronaldo is an “elephant in the room” for Portugal.
• Who to keep an eye on as potential dark horses as the knockout rounds begin.
• The importance of proper vegetable consumption among football writers.

No other football pod covers so much global action while seamlessly sliding into debates about refried beans. Essential World Cup listening!

Transcript

[Max Rushden]

This is the Guardian.

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[Max Rushden]

Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. A pound for everyone who says England got the job done. Nothing says we're going to win the World cup like laboring to a two nil victory over Panama. It was a turgid first hour, patience starting to wear thin. But then Bellingham got on the end of a corner and Harry Kane headed one home and they topped the group. And that means a last 32 game against Dr. Congo, who came from behind to beat Uzbekistan for their first ever World cup win. We'll do the other games from those two groups as well. Croatia's win over Ghana and a really enjoyable goalless draw between Colombia and Portugal. We'll look back on that wild last few minutes between Iran and Egypt and Belgium's comprehensive win over New Zealand. The knockouts begin tomorrow with South Africa, Canada, and we'll reflect on Steve Clark's resignation or that plus the Langdon vegetable. Count your questions. And that's today's Guardian Football Weekly. On the panel today with me in the studio in la, Barry Glendenning.

[Progressive Insurance Advertiser]

Hello.

[Barry Glendenning]

Hi Max.

[Max Rushden]

From the Racing Post, Mark Langdon. Hey, Mark.

[Mark Langdon]

Hi, Max.

[Max Rushden]

And joining us in the depths of California somewhere, Asasu Obojuwana. Hey, lovely to have you on Asasu.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Hi, Max. Hi, Barry. Good to see you.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, thanks for coming on. Let's start then with England's two nil win over Panama. Jude Bellingham's goal in the 62nd minute, Harry Kane in the 67th. To give you an idea of how entertaining we found this game around 40 minute. Mark, I was talking about a German man on Instagram who tries to cut the Perfect slice of bread every day. I missed the Jude Bellingham goal because I was watching reactions to Mrs. Rushton's reviews of Mold Miracle. And I think it's mould in the bathroom, not the kids. But, you know, I'll find out when I get back. But what did you make of that game, Mark?

[SoFi Advertiser]

There you go. Next game.

[Mark Langdon]

Look, the first half was poor. You can't get away from that. Always felt that Panama were probably slightly better than people giving them credit. Particularly the difference from when we last played them to now, I think is clear for everyone to see. You know, it was a more awkward game than it was in the last World cup meeting. Second half was okay. Like, this is international football, really, you know, it is. It's not always brilliant and it is just, you know, playing in moments. And when you've got Kane and you've got Bellingham, England have got players that can produce in moments. We were doing like correct score predictions in the apartment before the game. And without naming names, there was some wildly high correct score predictions being chucked around like It's a routine 2 nil win. I can't get angry about it. I'm sorry, but I can't.

[Max Rushden]

I'm not asking you. You don't have to get angry about it. How are you? What's your emotion, Barry?

[Barry Glendenning]

Almost total indifference. They did enough against a team that were okay. The first half was another sort of embarrassment, right, For England, I suppose it was their third consecutive half without being able to break down a well organized team. These weren't playing as low a block as Ghana, to be fair to them. Panama have given games a go in this tournament, but yeah, they, they got the job done in the second half. Comfortable two nil win. In the end, Panama were maybe a little bit unlucky not to score that fractional offside. That was very, very tight. But yeah, I mean, we're obliged to talk at length about this game. There's not really much to say. It's one of those games that be completely forgotten about by the time the next one starts. But my only concern would be for England is that the next one's probably going to be more of the same. Dr. Congo. Another low block. And England struggle to play teams who set up a low block. I suspect once England, if England get to play one of the tournament's elite teams, they will actually probably play a lot better.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

It's tournament football. It's the group stages. Don't expect to have champagne football at this moment because all the coaches care about is getting out of the group stages. So if they have to play low block football, if the football has to be ugly, they don't care because it's about the results. And for Africa, having 10 teams qualify for this tournament and having nine of them going into the round of 32, we are quite happy with that and we don't care how they have done it.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, we'll get to the Dr. Congo result in a little bit on the England performance then Mark. And as Barry says we are obliged to talk about, most of our listeners in the UK are playing probably England fans. I thought Elliot Anderson was excellent in there. I mean he was alone, he was very lonely presence there because of playing two tens, I guess, or two more advanced midfielders. But he did play well in.

[Mark Langdon]

Yeah, there was a void in midfield with Declan Rice rested. He was on the yellow card. I think that made sense not to play him another yellow card. And you, you're out of the last 32 game and he directed play reasonably well. I think concert at right back didn't work. You know, even defensively I still feel like England are not looking totally secure. And like we've seen, Panama had their moments, definitely Ghana, despite playing in that low block has already been mentioned. Could have had, you know, a big shout for a penalty and also a potentially even a red card on Pickford. So they didn't go forward much and still create chances. Croatia scored twice against them, so even though they've kept a clean sheet in that game, the defense still concerns me when they're about to go up in in levels. On the positive side, I think Bellingham's playing well. He was criticized a couple of years ago for not producing in in the tournament. He came into this tournament with his position being debated. Was it going to him? Was it going to be Rodgers? Thomas Tuchel has been quite tough with him, in part scored the goal. He's created another for Harry Kane. Like I think he could be the player really if England go deep, they do need, you know, Bellingham. I know you mentioned Anderson there, but I think Bellingham's the one that kind of gets England further into this competition. If he plays well, you know, England have got a better chance.

[SoFi Advertiser]

Right.

[Barry Glendenning]

In a repeat of your ice cold take. Max, did I hear you calling for the replacement of Bellingham? I think it was around the time Jared Quanset got injured and just before he scored a goal and set another one up.

[Max Rushden]

It wasn't quite as. I think on the freezing cold. A single word answer will do your honour. Freezing cold take was a tweet something along the lines of it's not a crime to substitute Kane and Bellingham and then scoring straight away, this was more an open chat of what changes could we possibly make. But you may have hit upon something where I thought maybe taking him off or Rodgers, I wasn't sure which one. But yeah, I plead guilty but a suspended sentence if possible. What asosa did you make of Rashford's performance down the left? I thought he because he came in for Gordon and he had more space to get in behind against Panama than against Ghana, so perhaps there was more opportunity to be better. But I was more impressed with him than I have been with Anthony Gordon so far.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

I think for England and for fans of England there has to be an understanding that the game of England, the way they play will change with the type of match they have to play, the stage at which the match is to be played and as Barry pointed out earlier, the quality of the opponent that they have to play. So I just think the best is yet to be seen of England. And I know that everyone expects England to play high quality football from the beginning of a tournament to the end, but that's not just the way it works. I think what people, people should be concerned about has England achieved the task of getting out of the group stages? They have now. They're in the knockout phases. It's now a do or die game next time. So let's see what they do. Let's see how Thomas Tuchel reshapes the the team based on. On the opponent they have to play. Because even the teams that have to play low block, they know that you have to win when you're in the knockout round. So how are you going to use the low block to win against opponents that have a better attack than you do? If you do it, you'll be killed. So let's not put so much of a dampener on how England have played. I'm very sure that as the tournament goes on they're going to improve. And I know some people may not like Thomas Tuchel, but I think he's a very tactically sound manager. Good manager. He's proved that he's a good manager. So let him just manage.

[Mark Langdon]

Okay?

[Max Rushden]

I mean that affects the phone ins on the radio stations, doesn't it? But I just. Where's your, where are you on the firometer, Barry?

[Barry Glendenning]

Nowhere. I haven't switched it on yet.

[Max Rushden]

Oh, really?

[Barry Glendenning]

I mean, England are in the round of 32. Did anyone think that wasn't going to happen?

[Max Rushden]

But surely you have a Little you don't, you know, you'd rather we weren't.

[Barry Glendenning]

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So I'm always afraid.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

As long as they're in the tournament, I'm afraid.

[Max Rushden]

Okay. So it's always on.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

You just haven't switched it on. You haven't turned the dial.

[Barry Glendenning]

They haven't done anything to surprise me yet.

[Jacob Steinberg]

No.

[Barry Glendenning]

Apart from fail to score against Ghana. Okay.

[Max Rushden]

Not scared.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

But you have to understand Ghana, Carlos Quiro has deployed his low block tack. I thought he wouldn't be able to sustain it for 90 minutes. I was at the game, man. But he did. And one of the reasons why they were able to sustain it was because the center backs of Ghana were so good. So that made things extremely difficult for England. So let's give Ghana some credit as well.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, no, I totally agree on that. From a bit more reaction England. I spoke to Jacob Steinberg after the game.

[Jacob Steinberg]

I didn't think England were great. I've kind of got concerns that I'm not sure they make it past this week, this defence at the moment because it's just not looked very convincing in any of the games. The Croatia game obviously conceded to the penalty moment against, against Ghana. And then tonight, even against the Panama team that were expected to sort of set up with this horrible low block, be like Carlos Quiroz all over again and apparently providing them with a back seven instead, they kind of went for them in the first half and it's one of those moments where there's often this clamor for England to play, you know, this extra attacking player as the fix whenever they struggle to break a team down. It happened tonight and what we saw was that Elliot Anderson was totally swamped and I think it just again emphasized that the importance of Declan Rice rested this evening. He's got the booking hanging over him and this hamstring issue that's been bugging him since the start of the tournament. But I think what you see this evening, the way that Panama passed around England got in behind that this team, stability wise, just doesn't work when Rice doesn't play.

[Max Rushden]

No, I, I, I totally agree. What did you make of the, the sort of rest of the, the changes then? Changes? I thought Rashford was impressive and Saka did okay and Quantra are not. You know, he was fine, I guess.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Yeah. I mean, Rashford was probably more positive than Gordon was. There was more intent, I think, to run at his man. I think that what you get with, with Rashford is a lot of promise and I, I think that he was really dialed in tonight, which is good because I'm not sure that sometimes it can be quite inconsistent when he starts for England. It's just that you want the moment in the final third and he should have scored tonight, probably should have produced some. Some better final passes in, in the final third, and that's not quite there this evening. But you probably keep him in the side for the, for the, for the last 32, because he does look like he's going to do something. And I think when you, when you've got Rashford in that mood, looking like he will do it, you kind of have to just tap into that and hope that something does come, because we know that we know the potential. I think Saka, he gets the assist, but I'm not sure if physically he looked right. Hopefully he's, he's built up some fitness and minutes to go into that game. I wouldn't though, be surprised if Madawike were to come back in because I think that he's a better physical place than, than Saka. I don't think it really worked for Rodgers in the number 10 this evening. Bellingham as the number eight going back there. I think he worked really hard. I think that. I don't think you could accuse him of not sort of thinking about his defensive duties, but just his. His natural inclination is to go forward and I think it just left Anderson with too much to do. Quansah, I think it's. Zukel said it's a, It's a classic ankle twist, so maybe he'll be okay. But I think that he started very shakily that the Panama number seven, Rodriguez was, I thought was really good and, and obviously could have scored. So it's still those, those issues at right back which, which. Which are hanging over England now. Who, who plays there on, on. On Wednesday, you know, it sort of again throws up this issue of what exactly is going on with, with John Stones. Is he. Is he fit to play? If England needs to do this, could they move ESRI Concert to right back? If Quansah is out and obviously Rhys James is out, would they feel confident after that first game playing Jon Stones there if not, and that's what's needed. Why is he in the squad since that kind of question that's hanging over to has he picked too many guys for the Vibes and not enough different makers in this squad?

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, you mentioned the vibes. Do you. Did you sense and it's hard behind the glass, obviously, that the Vibes were calm on the touchline, calm with the Players calm with the fans.

[Jacob Steinberg]

I missed this, but I'm told that Tuchel absolutely lost it with. In the first minute or whatever when Kane's first move was to. Was to punt the ball out of play crossfield. I think what you said there was an interesting moment at the end. The Panama disallowed goal. There's an argument between some of the players as well. I don't know if that's necessarily a sign of a team sort of falling out with each other or a team looking for high standards. You can interpret it either way. I mean, all the messaging so far has obviously been that England are. The mood in the camp is really good. So I don't think that's. That's so much of an issue. I do think that they have. There's been this reaction to the, to the last Euros where Southgate obviously he dropped a lot of those senior players and then left himself with some players which, you know, hadn't experienced the tournament before. And I don't think he really knew what to do with them. So I think, I don't think that's so much of an issue. I think it's more. I just think the defense looks like it's there to be. Got that?

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, I agree. Thanks, Jacob. Have a good evening.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Thank you, Jacob there.

[Max Rushden]

Mark, any final thoughts on England?

[Mark Langdon]

I would say the last 32 game is a nice one. I think playing Dia Congo is better than playing Senegal and then it would be Mexico if they get through Mexico or Ecuador at altitude. But again, I think they're matches that England will expect to win. You look around at some of the other potential last 16 games like Germany and France are on collision calls, maybe Portugal and Spain as well. So, you know, England can have no complaints about the kind of path that they've. They've got. And I do think that they'll. The squad that Thomas Tuchel has picked is one with the bigger matches in mind. I think that he's already thinking about how tactically they're going to play in those games.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Correct.

[Mark Langdon]

And he just felt that, you know, just get the wins and the points would come easily enough in this group.

[Max Rushden]

Croatia 2, Ghana 1. Then both are through. Ghana will play Colombia. Croatia will play Portugal. What did you make of this game, Massasu?

[Asasu Obojuwana]

I was quite upset with the fact that Croatia was scoring goals that really exposed the Ghanaian defense today. You know, long range shots, shots that come into the 18 and they're able to get ahead on it. And you don't see the Ghanaian defense putting them under any Pressure. They have to realize that in the round of 32 they cannot afford to play like that. Carlos Quiroz is a low block specialist. He is one that likes to set up his teams from behind. He was like that with Iraq, he was like that with Egypt. So no surprise that he is doing it with, with Ghana.

[Max Rushden]

He is just the lowest of the lowest blocks that have ever been in football, I think.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

But again, I mean, you see one of the problems that Ghana has is that when you don't have your talisman Mohammed Kudus at the World cup, it makes things really, really difficult because he would have totally changed the Guardian team in terms of their attacking capability and invention from the middle of the field. I mean, Anton Semenu is doing his best, but I think they are just missing something. I would imagine that now that they are in the knockout phase, he's going to sit down and have a look at the team and know that low block is not going to work. If they want to win, they just have to attack and they have to show some more invention in the middle of the field and up front. Of course you still need to have the discipline at the back, but you can't play your game and just be thinking about defending for 90 minutes. That's not just going to work.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Sure.

[Max Rushden]

Especially against Colombia. We'll get onto their game in a bit as well. It's worth mentioning Modric we talked about the other day, Mark. He was great in this game.

[Mark Langdon]

He was, yeah. This was, this was his best performance, you know, of the World cup so far was that 201 caps. Now he's a dart score almost and the way that he defends as well. So we know he's great in possession, but late on in the game he is the one that's kind of flying around into tackles, protecting the back four. He's just a remarkable player and, you know, remarkable energy to still be going now. And just on Karna, I mean, they had six shots and only one on target. They're a difficult watch.

[Max Rushden]

That'll do for part one. Part two. We'll begin with Dr. Congo's first ever win at a World Cup. Hi, Pod fans. Max here. Barry's here too.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Hello.

[Max Rushden]

Global Weekly is supported by Gradient fc. Now, Barry, with the World cup underway, we know player performance will be under a microscope. From superstars cementing legacies to upstarts vying for big summer transfers. But with 48 teams and up to six matches a day, it's hard to catch every moment. And that is where the gradient fc app shines Their player rankings update daily during the World cup so you know whose performances are trending up or down on the world stage.

[Barry Glendenning]

How does it work?

[Max Rushden]

Well, gradients rankings use the same grades trusted by clubs across Europe's top leagues for player recruitment. Each match is graded by a team of experts who evaluate over 2000 actions per match, not just by outcome but by execution. So for example, a completed pass that leads the receiver into danger is graded negatively, while one that puts the receiver in on goal is graded positively. Now I know you hate making match predictions, Barry, but maybe all that could change at the World Cup. With Gradient FC with head to head player comparison tools that show who's best across more than 100 grades and metrics, it's easy to build and defend any prediction. And here's something else that will appeal to you, Barry. It's free.

[Barry Glendenning]

Fantastic.

[Max Rushden]

Explore it for [e-mail] or download the GradientFC app from the Apple Store or Google Play. This episode is supported by Boss formal wear provider for the US Men's national soccer team. For soccer's biggest event this summer, the US is playing on home soil and Boss will be dressing the US players and coach Maurizio Pochettino in Boss Performance businesswear for their off pitch appearances. Boss and the USMNT share the same values discipline, precision and the confidence to perform under pressure. US fans can look sharp too in the Boss Performance collection and wear their passion with special fanware, capsule and embroidered badges in national colors. Own the moment with confidence. Discover the Boss Performance collection as worn by the US Men's national soccer team and the fan capsule of jerseys, polos and jackets in national colors. Wear your passion your way. Available [e-mail] or at your nearest Boss store beyourown.

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[Max Rushden]

Welcome to Part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So Group K looks like this. Colombia seven points, Portugal five, Dr. Congo four. They all go through. Uzbekistan lost all their games and they lost to Dr. Congo. They took the lead with an absolutely beautiful goal but Dr. Congo turned it around and what the scenes at the end and actually the scenes when Johan Whistler scored that in the 91st minute. It's a brilliant goal that they could celebrate because they just knew they'd won and knew they were through was brilliant.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Last time Dr. Congo were at the tournament was in 1974. That was the first time that a team from Africa south of the Sahara played at a World cup and it didn't go very very well. I remember after they they finished in in Germany, it was not exactly a Pleasant reception they got back in King Shassar after that tournament. And from 1974 until now, they were totally in the World cup wilderness. Being Nigerian myself and preferring Nigeria to have won the playoff, I wasn't too happy that they qualified for this tournament. But I have to say that so far they have done well and it is good that they've been able to banish those memories of 1974 which were not a good advertisement for African football at the time.

[Max Rushden]

Abwisser, Mark, he's brilliant in this game again.

[Mark Langdon]

Yeah. I mean, particularly the second goal. Great finish, tremendous energy. The way that he presses from the front chases lost causes. He's scoring goals. I think Newcastle fans will be going, where was this player for the entirety of the season? Alanga? Another one actually disappointed in the Premier League and has come alive at the World Cup. So maybe Eddie Howe can get more out of them next season. But he's the biggest threat to England. Looking at from an English point of view in the last 32. Just keeps making runs in behind. Will never stop doing that. And so England have struggled at times to deal with that, even against the opponents that they've played so far. So it's not going to be a complete gimme of a game. And D. Congo did hold Portugal as well in their opening match. I would expect England to beat them though.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, there'd be some brilliant scenes in Conchesa after the Portugal draw. And you know those Dia Congo fans who are like in the Portugal fan park in lisbon, like all 10 of them jumping around was. Was so good. What do you think they will think coming up against England?

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Well, obviously they know that they are up against it and it's going to be an extremely difficult match. Sebastian de Saab, the coach, knows that he has his work cut out for him. He has a lot of work to do to ensure that they are able to play an offensive type of football without defensively disorganized. Because if they are defensively disorganized, if they give England lots of space, then England will be able to play the type of football that will bring out the best in them. So how he's able to create this balance, that's the. The work he has to do in the coming days.

[Max Rushden]

The other game in this group, Colombia, Portugal. You were making a Bolognese and washing it up, Barry.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

It was.

[Barry Glendenning]

I was on galley duty.

[Max Rushden]

You were.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

So I didn't see any of the Congo Uzbekistan gang. I did see enough of Colombia, Portugal to know that. Paraguay nil. Australia nil. This was not in terms of entertainment. This was right at the apex of a good nil niller, and both teams were going for each other like drunks swinging haymakers in a pub car park. And I'm not sure why, really, because it wasn't that important, the outcome. But I think we, you know, Team Football Weekly, we're all watching it together, as we had watched the England game. And the loudest cheer of both games was for a Cristiano Ronaldo miss.

[Max Rushden]

How dare you suggest that we are nothing but perfectly objective on this podcast.

[Barry Glendenning]

A low effort. That fizz just narrowly widened the upright. So, yeah, it was a very entertaining nil nil draw and perfectly complemented by my excellent spaghetti Bolognese and salad.

[Max Rushden]

Sure, I've had worse.

[Barry Glendenning]

I've had worse in the last 10 days.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, well, we can open that up to the floor if you want. But anyway, I certainly left the hob slightly cleaner on this game. Mark, I thought Colombia were great. Colombia did not need to win this, and they kept on going. And, like, Rodri James was brilliant in this game, I thought.

[Mark Langdon]

Yeah, I mean, to be throwing five, six players forward in the last few minutes when a point was good enough to win the group, I think just goes to show the way that they want to play the stadium. It, like, might as well have been a home game for Colombia, and I think they wanted to kind of play entertaining football for their. Their fans as much as anything else. 37 shots in this game. I think it might be the game of the tournament. There's been a lot, so apologies if I've sort of forgotten one, but in terms of the standard of play, I enjoyed it as much as anything else that we've seen so far. Colombia are a very good side. They're in a nice part of the draw now. I don't know if I can change dark horses having gone for Turkey right at the start, but, yeah, I would say that, you know, it's going to take a really good one to beat them, that's for sure. And then from Portugal's point of view, it's the.

[Max Rushden]

Don't say it.

[Mark Langdon]

Don't say it.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

It's the.

[Barry Glendenning]

It's.

[Mark Langdon]

It's not that. It's not that he started Ronaldo, it's just that he. At no stage did Roberto Martinez attempt to change it when they were being overrun. At times, Colombia were the better team. And, like, even just putting somebody else up front with him maybe, you know, but it.

[Max Rushden]

Hold his hand, the chaperone, but he

[Mark Langdon]

just kind of just lets it just, you Know, just play out as it was. But it was a really entertaining game. Colombia were the better side. Portugal had the chances as well. Really enjoyed it.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, sassy. The Portugal side have got this wonderful midfield. They did replace a young Neves with an older Neves today, but. But they're not clicking. I don't know if it's just Ronaldo sort of not stretching the play. I don't know what you think.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

The thing with Portugal in general is that Ronaldo is the boss of the national team. It's amazing that the manager will have a problem if he has to take Ronaldo off in a game, because it's like, it's a cardinal sin to do it. It's an international, and that's not helpful when a talismanic player is not performing well, even if he's a talismanic player, you've got to take him off if he is not doing well. It's. I mean, if you compare yet, you know how well Messi is playing and. And how well Ronaldo is playing, you can see that it's not exactly the same. The. The Messi still has that drive, that hunger. And before the tournament, I said that Messi might still just have one more World cup in him. I don't think Ronaldo has a World cup in him at all.

[Max Rushden]

Including this. Including this one?

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Yes, including this one, Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

I think.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Including this one, yeah. It's.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, we've talked about it before, Barry, but it's annoying for them.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. Well, I don't know how the Portuguese fans feel about him or how his teammates feel about him. They're obviously obliged to say nice things, butter them up in public. But if I was part of that

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Portuguese collective, I would really prefer if he was not in it, because it would be so much better without him. And that's obvious to everyone, apart from his fanboys, who are delusional at this stage.

[Max Rushden]

On tomorrow's pod, we'll cover the late games tonight. So Algeria, Austria, that weird game that Austria might want to lose to avoid Spain and Jordan, Argentina. And we'll cover the first knockup game, Canada, South Africa, and look ahead to the round of 32. But since we've got you a sasso and you are an African football expert, it is worth just asking what you've made generally, the. Because, you know, this is. The 10 African sides in the tournament is. Is a first. And they, as you say, nine are through, which is brilliant for African football.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Brilliant. Yes. But I am of the school that I don't want to have this, oh, the African teams have tried mentality. I believe in excellence. I want to see them go as far as possible. When I start to see a good number of African teams in the last eight, maybe more than one in the last four, then we can begin to talk of African football doing well right now. Yes. They have simply gotten to a stage where they would have had to have started from had the World cup not been expanded to 48 teams. So let's see how far they go after the knockout phase, the first round of knockouts. Right. Then we can begin to talk of, okay, is African football doing well or not doing so well?

[Max Rushden]

You're a hard taskmaster.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Because I look at games that we should have won and we lost or we didn't win. Morocco should have beat Brazil, but they didn't. They had a brilliant first half and if they had put two or three goals in, they probably could have psychologically dislodged the Brazilians and they wouldn't have been able to come back. You look at the game between Cote d' Ivoire and Germany, there was no reason to have lost that game. Absolutely no reason. They had the game in their hands. They should have put the Germans away. They didn't do it. So I want to see more excellence from them. I want to see them control games better and put opponents away when they are dominating. There's no point dominating a game and not winning it because, you know, there is no applause in trying. You get applause for doing the job.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, I've applauded England a lot of times for trying. I've got to say, you're a hard taskmaster, Assassi, but I admire your dreams. And that'll do for part two, part three. We'll begin with that amazing last 10 minutes between Egypt and Iran.

[Pablo Torre]

Hey, this is Pablo Torre from. Pablo Torre finds out and today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile. In sports, there's always pressure to chase the next big thing. But sometimes the smartest play is sticking with what's already working for you. Boost Mobile gets that if your phone is running fine, you should not have to buy a new one just to get a better deal. Bring your phone to Boost Mobile and get unlimited wireless for just $25 a month. Forever. No contracts, no price hikes. Visit Boost Mobile, unlock your phone. $25 forever requires customers to remain active on the Boost Mobile unlimited plan.

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[Max Rushden]

Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. So last night's games, group G, Egypt won, Iran one. New Zealand won, Belgium five. So Belgium top the group on five points, Egypt second on five, Iran on three. Mark, what does that mean in the brackets? They look on the edge, don't they? Depends on the Algeria.

[Mark Langdon]

Yeah, it does. So obviously people will know. They'll know by the time they listen to this. It was a dramatic last 10 minutes, as you say. Me and Barry were watching it in a pub that was full of Iranian supporters. Obviously there is a big population of Iranians that live in Los Angeles, I think outside of Iran. It's actually the biggest. It is. So it was a great experience to be there. The last 10 minutes, they were pushing for the goal. They did not want it to go as close as this with the best third place. They hit the bar twice and also scored. Was it 93rd, 94th minute, it felt like one of the last attacks. And then it was ruled out for a very tight but correct offside decision. But most of the pub did not realize, and I would say for what, about 30, 40, maybe even sort of a minute after 35, 40 seconds, easily they were still celebrating. And the referee. The game's gone on. Yeah. So it was heartbreaking for them from that point of view because the celebrations were fantastic. One of the players put on some sunglasses as well to celebrate. I think they, they. I was gonna say they deserve to win. I don't know if I'm just being, you know, just that last 10 minutes made me feel like that they, they deserve to win. But it was a, it was an entertaining game as far as Egypt go. Like, Salah came off pretty early in the second half, had some, a lot of ice around his, his leg and hamstring area. So hopefully he'll. He'll be okay because you want to see the best players performing at the World Cup.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Yeah. Mark and I went into this bar and we. All the stools at the bar were taken, right. And there was two Iran fans, two women who were nursing one beer between them while occupying these two prime spots of real estate. So that was enough to have us rooting for Egypt.

[Mark Langdon]

And then they ordered tap water.

[Max Rushden]

Oh yeah, the outrage.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Yeah, they ordered tap water. So I was secretly quite pleased when that goal was disallowed. I think the reason, even today there are still people online saying that it should not have been ruled out because

[Max Rushden]

the goalkeeper was ahead.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Because the goalkeeper was up the field.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, he wasn't that far up the field, but he was ahead of play.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

He was ahead of play. And so yeah, some conspiracy theorists are putting it all down this outrageous in inverted commas brackets, completely correct decision down to the big conspiracy to have Iran knocked out of the tournament. I mean I, they have suffered more than most teams, but this was goal

[Max Rushden]

was correctly disallowed on your level of excellence. Where are Egypt at the moment?

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Well, being that they're the seven time champions of Africa and that they actually played in their first World cup in 1934, it's not very, very good that it has taken them this long to get to the second round at a World Cup. They should have done a lot, lot better before now. That said, I have a lot of kudos for Hossam. Hossam, the manager of Egypt, one of the legends of football in Africa who has been able to get the team this far. I know that there was a lot of criticism for him in Morocco after Egypt go all the way to the final, but he's been able to show that he's worthy of the position he's holding. And I hope that Egypt will be able to better themselves as the tournament goes along.

[Max Rushden]

Belgium beat New Zealand 5:1. So I guess, Mark, they've arrived at the tournament.

[Mark Langdon]

They have, yeah. And at one stage they were rushing to get the ball out of the net to improve their goal difference to make sure they finished first because in theory you got an easier draw if you, if you won the group. But they've ended up with Senegal in the last 32, so not an easy game for them. This was their best performance. And you, you can argue about the, the level of opposition, but the forward players, no Lukaku in the starting 11. That was definitely the right decision. I know he came on and scored, but he was so bad against Iran he couldn't play him again like this. Feels like, you know, de Bruyne having a lot of shots. He scored his goal. Eventually Doku's back as well. He went home briefly, you know, to be at the, the birth of his child.

[Max Rushden]

Disgrace.

[Mark Langdon]

Quite a stir. So, you know, if you've got, if you've got, doku you can just kind of give him the ball and just let him run and.

[Max Rushden]

And De Catalara is a clever player.

[Jacob Steinberg]

He is.

[Mark Langdon]

And yeah, Trossard is somebody that very influential in moments for Arsenal. He doesn't always play well, but he does pop up with sort of, you know, important goals and he did again in this match. So they have got bit of a team that could go well in this competition, but it doesn't. Doesn't always work together and I'd be surprised if they're in the area of the draw that you'd want to be in, but I'm not sure they're good enough to take advantage.

[Max Rushden]

Tomorrow we'll do a big. Here's the round of 32 and look at all. Once we know exactly what all the fixtures are. Steve Clark's resigned as Scotland head coach following their exit from the World Cup. So he's been waiting with this. He's got his two letters, hasn't he? Just waiting on the coefficient or whatever it is. The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now. He said in a letter to supporters they deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honor to be called their gaffer. Thanks for having me. Good luck to my successor. Look, he's up to a point, done incredibly well, Steve Clark as Scotland manager, and past that point, not done well. Is that fair?

[Asasu Obojuwana]

I don't think it's fair.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, carry on. But your level of excellence is higher than mine. Assassin. We've established this.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Yeah, but we have to talk about the playing capacity of Scotland. Do they have the players to go far in competitions? Let's consider how long. I think the last time Scotland were at the World cup was in 98 and I was there in France when they were playing. So if you're talking about the gap between the last World cup and this one, it just tells you the status of Scotland within world football and what it takes for Scotland to qualify. If Scotland want to have better outcomes in world football, then they have to find a way of increasing the quality of talent. The talent pool will have to increase and that means that more work has to be done by the technicians within Scottish football to bring the quality of talent that will enable them to compete. I mean, if cape Verde, with 500,000 people, are able to produce a team that can hold two world champions in the group stages in their debut at a World Cup, I don't see a reason why Scotland can't put up those kind of performances and also go far. But it's going to take a lot of hard work because they don't have the population of England, they don't have a population of Germany or France. The talent pool is a lot smaller, so you have to work a lot harder.

[Barry Glendenning]

That's not the road I thought you were going to go down. I have to say I'm inclined to think, and I may be being unfair, that Scotland qualified for this tournament in spite of Steve Clark rather than because of them and their performance here.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

But, Barry, if they hadn't qualified, you would have blamed him for it. So why won't you give him the credit when he actually gets them there?

[Barry Glendenning]

Because I think his tactics are so negative that he holds what could be a much better team back. That's why. And I think if it wasn't for an inexplicable lapse on Denmark's part against, I think it was Belarus, Scotland wouldn't be here at all. Wouldn't have been here at all. And as they were here, their performance against Haiti was bang average at best. And they were hopeless in their other two games. And I'm surprised he's resigned, but I presumed he would eventually be fired.

[Max Rushden]

Josh Whitaker was in touch yesterday, and he said this to me. He said, so he just never eats vegetables. I can't get my head around it. This guy seems to actively eat worse than my children. Ellis James got in touch. Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch is the greatest feature in the history of broadcasting. I'm not joking. Izzy's back from filming and we just listened to Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch as a family. I'm the only person in this house who likes football. But we all make an effort for Mark Langdon Vegetable Watch. It's the funniest thing in podcasting. Here we go. Since the last record, then, Mark, how have we got on?

[Mark Langdon]

My wife's desperate for Strictly tickets if Josh is listening.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, fine.

[Mark Langdon]

So today I. Look me, I already said me and Barry been to the bar last night.

[Pablo Torre]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

You had a pint of vodka. It's not a vegetable.

[Mark Langdon]

Yeah. And then what's felt like a pint of rum after that. It's very, very long. And it's hard drinking in in the US with the pores that they do on the spirits, but. So I woke up hungover.

[Max Rushden]

Okay. And does that sets the vegetables back even further?

[Mark Langdon]

Does it?

[Pablo Torre]

It does, yeah.

[Mark Langdon]

I mean, you know, Steve Bartlett can't concentrate if you're after a glass of Wine. Then what am I gonna be like?

[Max Rushden]

Ruined your podcast thing, this hangover.

[Mark Langdon]

So I, I, I did, I did what I would always do in those situations and got a McDonald's for breakfast.

[Max Rushden]

Okay. So the Honey Nut Cheerios out the window.

[Mark Langdon]

First time for Sausage and Egg McMuffin. They don't do double over here, though.

[Max Rushden]

Surprising.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Yeah.

[Mark Langdon]

And disgrace as well. So I, that as a meal of hash browns, I struggled for lunch. I had no lunch in. And so the Panda express that was erroneously delivered to the apartment yesterday, I ate about half of that. So there was chow mein with bits of greenery in it.

[Max Rushden]

There were bits of greenery in there.

[Mark Langdon]

There were bits. And some more orange chicken, which we'll discuss. Philippe, who of course, could not believe it.

[Max Rushden]

After recording, he was like, I couldn't go to bed. He was so stunned.

[Mark Langdon]

I was completely dressed down. Yeah, he was fuming at me. And then I had Barry's spaghetti bolognese, so he'll have to tell me exactly what was in it. And then last night we had tacos. There was, I think there was definitely coriander.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Herb.

[Max Rushden]

A vegetable. I mean, I guess.

[Mark Langdon]

Well, and then we have refried beans, which we, we've established. Or I mean, I can eat refried beans every day if I need to out here.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

There were chopped tomatoes.

[Mark Langdon]

I know. I scooped them out.

[Pablo Torre]

Okay.

[Mark Langdon]

Tomatoes. I find I can't eat tomatoes.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

And then there was a big salad on the side, but I naught. So you didn't touch that.

[Jacob Steinberg]

Presumably.

[Max Rushden]

There was an onion.

[Pablo Torre]

What?

[Max Rushden]

In the box.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Oh, there wasn't. Two big red onions.

[Max Rushden]

Two big red onions. There you go.

[Mark Langdon]

It was a nice spaghetti Bolognese. I can't compare them because I wasn't

[Max Rushden]

here for the first.

[Mark Langdon]

Here for the first one.

[Max Rushden]

But that's fine.

[Mark Langdon]

Barry sets a good standard of Bolognese.

[Max Rushden]

Noted. Thanks, everybody. That'll do for today.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

I think the only difference is mine had a half bottle of red wine in it and yours didn't. Yours was perfectly fine.

[Max Rushden]

I mean, I'd say there are other differences, but we don't to get into this. Thank you for your time. Isasu. Appreciate it.

[Asasu Obojuwana]

Oh, good to be with you guys.

[Max Rushden]

Always nice to chat. Thank you, Barry.

[Unnamed Guest (possibly a casual participant or listener)]

Thank you.

[Max Rushden]

Thank you, Mark.

[Mark Langdon]

Thank you, Matt.

[Max Rushden]

Football Weekly is produced by Rory Simon and Matt Bentley Viney. Our executive producer is Joel Grove. And we'll be back tomorrow.

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[Pablo Torre]

Pablo Torre from Pablo Torre finds Out and today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile. In sports, there's always pressure to chase the next big thing. But sometimes the smartest play is sticking with what's already working for you. Boost Mobile gets that if your phone is running fine, you should not have to buy a new one just to get a better deal. Bring your phone to Boost Mobile and get unlimited wireless for just $25 a month. Forever. No contracts, no price hikes. Visit Boost Mobile. Unlock your phone. $25 forever requires customers to remain active on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan.

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