Japan leave it late and Germany’s magnificent seven: World Cup Daily

Summary

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Football Weekly: Japan Leave It Late and Germany’s Magnificent Seven – World Cup Daily (June 15, 2026)

Hosted by Max Rushden with Barry Glendenning, Alex Abnos, and Ben Fisher

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Episode Overview

This episode of Football Weekly delivers an expert and entertaining roundup of the latest World Cup action across the USA. The panel breaks down dramatic draws, emphatic wins, off-beat anecdotes, and off-pitch stories influencing football’s biggest stage. Core matches include Netherlands vs Japan, Germany’s demolition of Curacao, and Ivory Coast’s stoppage-time winner over Ecuador. The team also discusses the sociopolitical complexities of Iran’s campaign, the shock of Australia’s win over Turkey, and quirky moments both on and off the field.

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Key Match Analysis & Talking Points

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1. Netherlands 2–2 Japan: A Game of Two Halves

• First Half:

  • Described as cagey, with Dutch dominance and missed chances, particularly from Donyell Malen.
  • Memorable off-pitch moment: a Netherlands mascot’s cheeky double V’s and tongue-out during the anthem, and a child asleep in the stands.
    • “If that was my daughter, I’d be simultaneously appalled and really, really proud.” – Barry Glendenning (02:05)
  • Dutch fans “left two points out on the field” due to uninspired, side-to-side passing.

• Second Half:

  • Van Dijk’s slow-motion header for the Dutch, followed by Japan’s dynamic equalizer (Kato Nakamura).
  • Netherlands regain the lead through Crysencio Summerville, only for Japan to equalize late via Ogawa (deflected in by Kamada); panel surprised Japan opted for aerial crosses but credit the bravery.
    • “Why are Japan putting the ball in the pot? Look at the Dutch players!” – Max Rushden (04:05)
  • Koeman’s defensive subs criticized for inviting pressure; “horseshoe passing” likened to Arsenal and Liverpool struggles.
  • Somerville lauded for his brightness; the panel notes Dutch attacking conundrum persists.

• Kit Chat:

  • Panel muses on just how shockingly orange the Netherlands kit appears, quipping about FIFA’s tolerance for “too luminous” attire.
    • “It’s too orange. It’s quite blinding on television.” – Barry Glendenning (08:51)

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2. Germany 7–1 Curacao: Magnificent Seven, Underdog Joy

• Early Scare:

  • Curacao equalize after Germany’s opener—briefly unsettling the Germans and electrifying media and fans.
    • “For about 20 minutes there...I felt like maybe I’m on the verge of being considered a football genius.” – Alex Abnos (09:52)

• Curacao’s Moment:

  • Broad celebration of Curacao’s first-ever World Cup goal; comparison to national firsts (Ray Houghton’s goal for Ireland).
    • “He will go down in history. He’ll never have to buy a pint in Curacao again—or a pint of Curacao in Curacao.” – Barry Glendenning (11:05)

• German Display:

  • Praise for fluid front line: Wirtz, Musiala, Havertz, and Leroy Sané.
  • Nathaniel Brown’s performance at left back gets special attention, with mentions of German squad depth.
    • “He just has a great attacking dynamic, good balance to his play and yeah, really bright future...” – Alex Abnos (14:28)
  • Alex notes the USMNT’s fleeting hopes of converting Brown’s dual nationality.

• Expanded World Cup:

  • Discussion of whether expanded format dilutes quality or grants magical moments like Curacao’s.
    • “Curacao probably wouldn’t have won a game in European qualifiers, but...they earned their place here.” – Barry Glendenning (12:11)

• Hydration Break Debate:

  • The team debates the effect of mid-game breaks, pondering if it killed Curacao’s momentum or serves commercial needs more than player welfare.
    • “Almost just like that, it’s four quarters...you just really hope that this isn’t the thin end of the wedge.” – Max Rushden (17:33)

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3. Ivory Coast 1–0 Ecuador: Smash-and-Grab in Philly

• Atmosphere:

  • Philadelphia’s stadium described as sea of yellow, dominated by Ecuador supporters.

• Game Summary:

  • Largely underwhelming; both teams seemed content with a draw. Ecuador notably hit woodwork three times.
  • Amad Diallo’s stoppage-time winner praised for its control and technical difficulty.
    • “...really impressed at the way that he took that with one touch. Given the flight of the ball, the pace at which it came in...” – Alex Abnos (21:00)
  • Barry questions if Ivory Coast truly deserved the win.

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4. Press Conference with Iran: Sport, Sanctions, and Struggle

• Backdrop:

  • Heavy security, protesters, and a highly charged atmosphere at the Iran team hotel ahead of their opener against New Zealand.
  • Ben Fisher contextualizes the FIFA/US visa saga, anti-regime protests, and the fundamentally political nature of Iran's presence.
    • “...everything that feels wrong really, about their participation in terms of the way it’s been handled by FIFA, by the U.S.—ultimately, the visas, just the whole...” – Ben Fisher (21:40)

• Panel’s Perspective:

  • Alex expresses sympathy for Iran’s players, caught between regime expectations and political gestures.
    • “There’s a range of political opinions on that team...ultimately, in all of these situations, they’re just in a no win situation.” – Alex Abnos (25:15)
  • Ongoing difficulty of dissociating sports from the intense sociopolitical realities faced by teams like Iran.

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5. Australia 2–0 Turkey: The Tournament’s Biggest Upset

• Significance:

  • Max, himself Australian, gets “emotional” over scenes in Federation Square and sees the win as potentially transformative for football in Australia.
    • “For these countries...this result isn’t just about doing well at this World Cup, but…can elevate the sport to another level.” – Max Rushden (29:50)
  • Alex dubs Australia “the most disrespected team at this World Cup” and lauds quality of their goals and underdog achievement.
    • “I certainly didn’t have them winning this game...I wouldn’t have thought they would have scored the goals of the quality that they did.” – Alex Abnos (29:50)

• Game Detail:

  • Outstanding goals from Conor Metcalfe and Nestor Irankunda (the latter a refugee with an inspiring story).
  • Barry calls Irankunda’s goal and celebration “stunning,” labels the shock greater than any so far in the tournament.

• Turkey Fallout:

  • Hakan Calhanoglu’s petulance at post-match interviews questioned.
    • “Just don't think that's ever a great look. You know, you lost 2-0...” – Ben Fisher (33:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Japan’s equalizer:
  “That just shows how much we know about football. That is exactly how the equalizer came.”
  — Alex Abnos (04:22)

• On colourful jerseys:
  “I think if FIFA [is] clamping down on various teams for kit related issues...their kit is too orange, too luminous.”
  — Barry Glendenning (08:53)

• On Curacao scoring:
  “It’s an incredible thing...I always remember Ireland’s first goal at a major competition...No one who saw that, who’s Irish, will ever forget it. This would be similar for Curacao.”
  — Barry Glendenning (11:11)

• Alex on Germany-United States connection:
  “He was on the radar of the US being a German-US dual national...I think we were only mildly upset to lose out on him.”
  — Alex Abnos (14:28)

• On Iran’s difficult position:
  “The players just want to focus on the game...and every single person at that training facility when I was there was there because there was a political story. You just can't escape it.”
  — Alex Abnos (25:15)

• Max on the transformative effect for Australia:
  “For all those people that love football and work so hard in football in any part of that sport, this was enormous because...a lot of Australian fans saw the lineup and were like, what's Popovic doing here?”
  — Max Rushden (29:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Netherlands vs Japan – 01:38–09:34
• Germany vs Curacao – 09:34–16:20
• Hydration breaks / Commercialization chat – 16:20–18:03
• Ivory Coast vs Ecuador – 18:55–21:22
• Iran press conference and political context – 21:40–26:26
• Australia vs Turkey – 29:50–34:12

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Lighter Moments & Panel Chemistry

• Extended riffs on “Jerry World” vs “Jerryland” (Dallas stadium) and commentary Americanisms.
• Kit colour analysis leading to a semi-serious suggestion FIFA might intervene: “too orange.”
• Barry’s disdain for people criticizing car park content over football action.
• Numerous gags about apples, bogeys, and the mundane quirks of daily World Cup livetouring.
• “LA Diaries now feature Barry’s POV…everyone’s a critic. Everyone’s a critic. Doesn’t matter what we did…” – Barry Glendenning (38:26)

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Looking Ahead

• Panel looks forward to Spain vs Cape Verde, Belgium vs Egypt, Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, and Iran vs New Zealand.
• Barry rooting for Cape Verde’s Piko Lopes; expects Spain to “hopefully not embarrass” their opponents.
• Uruguay’s spring break escapade and possible travel headaches.
  • “I just have this image of Marcelo Bielsa surrounded by girls in the key, frolicking in the sea, sitting on his bucket...” – Barry Glendenning (28:07)

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For Listeners

This richly detailed episode covers it all: deep tactical chat, personal stories and political turbulence, moments of football magic, and the odd apple-related feud. Whether you missed the matches or want context beyond headlines, the panel’s blend of insight, wit, and world-weary affection for football makes for essential listening—no matter where your allegiances lie.

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Transcript

[Ben Fisher]

This is the Guardian.

[Max Rushden]

Hi, POD fans. Max here. Barry's here too.

[Barry Glendenning]

Hello.

[Max Rushden]

We've just watched Sweden beat Tunisia 5 1. Did you enjoy it?

[Barry Glendenning]

Yes.

[Max Rushden]

Were you concentrating?

[Barry Glendenning]

No.

[Max Rushden]

Okay. I already scored a couple of great goals. It was a weird offside decision, but we will analyze it in more detail on the podcast tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this one. Thank you, Barry. Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Netherlands and Japan come to life in the second half. The Dutch took the lead twice. Everyone was wondering why the Japanese were hoying balls into the box against the Orange Giants. And then Ogawa rose, it flicked off Kamada and it ended 2:2. Kuracao had their moment, equalizing and scaring the Germans for a little while, but then the Germans clicked into gear. Wirtz, Musiala, Havertz linked up beautifully. Even if the opposition were pretty ragged by the end. Who would ever get beaten 71 by Germany at a World Cup? And then Amad gives Ivory Coast a late win over Ecuador. Philadelphia, a Sea of Ecuadorian yellow. They had the better chances. Hit the woodwork three times, but leave with nothing. We'll look ahead to tomorrow's game, including Spain and Belgium getting their campaigns underway, while Iran, the subject of so much off the pitch. Start on it against New Zealand. There's a bagpipe update your questions. And that's today's Guardian Football Week. Clean. On the panel today, Barry Glendenning. Welcome.

[Barry Glendenning]

Hello, Max.

[Max Rushden]

The Guardian US Soccer editor, Alex Abnos.

[Barry Glendenning]

Hello.

[Alex Abnos]

Hi, Max.

[Max Rushden]

And car park aficionado Ben Fisher. Nice to see you, Ben.

[Ben Fisher]

Hi, Max. Nice to see you.

[Max Rushden]

Very excited to see your thoughts on valet parking and the giant cars of Los Angeles, but we won't lead with it, if that's okay, Ben?

[Ben Fisher]

That's fine with me.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, let's start then in group F, along with Sweden, Tunisia. As we said, it's playing after we're recording, so we don't know the score. So our apologies to the Swedes and the Tunisians who listen to this. But the Netherlands too. Japan too. And sort of, Barry. The opposite of Brazil. Morocco. I thought a pretty cagey first half. And. And then the second was great.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. I think the first half of this game, it was topped and tailed by excellent performances by children.

[Max Rushden]

Oh, yes.

[Barry Glendenning]

As the camera panned along the Netherlands mascots during the national anthem, the first little girl in the line flicked double V's and stuck her tongue out. I thought that if I was thinking, if that was my daughter, I'd simultaneously be appalled and really, really proud. And then shortly before Halft camera Cut to a woman in the crowd who had a small child in her lap and he was fast asleep. And I think fair enough. Fair enough. Yeah. The Dutch dominated the first half. Daniel Mallon had three pretty good chances that went to waste. Yeah, it wasn't great first out, but the game sparked into life in the second half. Certainly Virgil van Dijk, who had a kind of Virgil van Dijk game in that he's starting to look a bit slow and suspect at the back, but he scored a brilliant header.

[Max Rushden]

You had to sort of watch it in like a putt. It went so slowly.

[Barry Glendenning]

Then the. The Japanese equalize with that Kato Nakamura shot in the turn which fizzed into the corner. Crossensia Somerville put the Dutch ahead again. And then the Japanese scored with a brilliant header. Gawa scored. It took a nick off Kamada on its way. And I don't think Kamada knew much about it, but I would say the Japanese would be delighted with that draw. The Dutch will feel the left two points out on the field and I think it's entirely their own fault. There's a touch of the Liverpools of the Arsenals about them, the way they just play the ball side to side. And in that, there's quite a lot

[Max Rushden]

of Liverpool in them doing that. There is, yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

And that horseshoe passing pattern around the edge of the box to no great effect. And then when they went two nil up, Ronald Koeman decided, right, we'll try and hang on to this. He brought on another central defender in Nathanake and Japan duly scored with the header as a set piece.

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

And actually the commentary, and I was agreeing with completely, Alex, were like, why are Japan putting the ball in the pot? Look at, look at the Dutch players. You know, they had, you know, Van de Ven, van Dijk, so many tall. Are they the tallest, you know?

[Alex Abnos]

Yes.

[Max Rushden]

The tallest people on earth.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah. Sometimes the commentators say things and you just find yourself being like, yeah, why are they doing that? And I was in complete agreeance and I didn't understand it either. And then that just shows how much we know about football, because that is exactly how the equalizer came. A couple things stood out to me from this game, which I watched mostly on my phone while sitting in a parking lot waiting to get let into Sofi for the Iran match day, minus one press conference, one of which was that I was actually kind of fearing that the second half would end up being very much like the second half of Morocco, Brazil yesterday. I had kind of assumed that maybe they would decide that they were happy with the point. And that is not what happened at all. And that was very, very welcome development to me. The other one I would point out is that Darren Fletcher was on the call for this game on Fox, and he just had a couple of really delightful, very forced interjections of Americanism into the call, one of which was he called the stadium they were playing in Dallas, at Dallas Stadium, what is colloquially known among US Americans as Jerry World, after Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. At various points, he called it Jerry Land, which is just not.

[Max Rushden]

Doesn't work.

[Alex Abnos]

Not something that would ever be said. And it was just kind of funny. The other thing was that I believe his exact quote I took down this. He said about a pass, that that was the best pass since Dak Prescott to CD Lamb in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders. So clearly something he had written down word for word in front of him.

[Max Rushden]

Is it an accurate thing? I mean, I don't recall that pass.

[Alex Abnos]

You know, I have not had time to go back and look at Week 7 Cowboys vs Commanders highlights, but as soon as I do, I'll report back and let you know how accurate it was.

[Max Rushden]

Jerryland is a popular touring tribute band that plays the soulful groove grooves of the Jerry Garcia Band.

[Alex Abnos]

I can see how you would get them.

[Barry Glendenning]

And Jerry World, Interestingly, is a $1 billion stadium that was built without anyone noticing that at the time when the Dallas Cowboys are going to play in it, be playing in it, the sun will be shining directly in their eyes.

[Max Rushden]

What's Jerry thinking?

[Alex Abnos]

And when they pointed this out, they were just like, hey, Jerry, could you maybe, like, put up some curtains? He said, no, we built it this way. It's already built. That's just how it's going to be. And so it is.

[Max Rushden]

Don't mess with Jerry. What did you make of this, Ben?

[Ben Fisher]

Well, sort of alluding to what Barry was getting at earlier with, you know, maybe not being able to take chances or being a little bit wasteful and not having that cutting edge in the final third. Just feels that they have the same issues Netherlands as they've had for a few years now. I remember being in Qatar and it was the same kind of, you know, who's gonna. Who's gonna be that number nine? Who's gonna be the killer in front of goal and just looking today, obviously, Daniel Marlin has been an amaz. Roma didn't work at Aston Villa, but moves to Roma and absolutely ripped it up. So, yeah, I think just be interesting who gets that gig kind of going forward. Obviously, they've got options. Brian, Brobie, Gakpo, Cliver. Different. Different, of course. Very course, yeah. And that was the thing in Qatar. It was like he was this sort of superhero, weirdly. But it feels like they, they're kind of embarrassed to use him. So it'd be interesting what, what Kohman does going forward.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

Brobie.

[Max Rushden]

Well, when Brian. Brobby.

[Alex Abnos]

Brobbie.

[Max Rushden]

Brobbie came on, I texted Wilson immediately with my excitement because in the previews he was talking about, you know, getting it launched to Brobbie and Weghorst. And he wrote, will he be the first of five Sunderland players to win a game at this World Cup? And then Japan equalized straight away. So no is the answer. I thought Somerville looked bright, didn't he?

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. He only recently got called up to the Dutch squad. I think this was only his third game, so the previous two being warm ups, he. He looked incredibly lively.

[Max Rushden]

I mean,

[Barry Glendenning]

he wouldn't have had to do much to stand out because their main tactics seemed to be to get the ball to Cody Gakpo and then hope he would do what Cody Gakpo does, which is not beat his man, cut inside anyway and then either send in a delivery or try and curl the ball into the inside, the far post.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

So Somerville did, did bring a lot to the party. It was news to me that he was a new Dutch acquisition. I always presumed he was Scottish and the son of Bronski beach singer Jimmy.

[Max Rushden]

The kit is very orange, Alex. I mean, I don't know if that. I mean, I was expecting orange, but like almost.

[Alex Abnos]

Is it that much more orange than it usually is?

[Max Rushden]

I don't know.

[Barry Glendenning]

I think it's, it's too orange.

[Ben Fisher]

Too orange.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

And I think if FIFA clamping down on various teams for kit related issues, I think they might be having a word with the Netherlands that their kit is too orange, too luminous, because it doesn't come. It's quite blinding on television. If you're watching on television, I don't know what's like in the stadium.

[Max Rushden]

I don't know.

[Alex Abnos]

I really don't know. It felt like the normal Netherlands orange to me.

[Max Rushden]

You're younger than us, maybe it's just we're getting.

[Ben Fisher]

When you're old and you're.

[Alex Abnos]

I remember in 2002, obviously the Netherlands didn't make that World cup, but I think if they had, they would have probably had an orange that was like slightly more like everybody's colors were slightly off in that World cup, so maybe, maybe, maybe it would have been more

[Max Rushden]

PG in that one. Anyway, to group E, then Germany 7, Curacao 1. You know, Germany did blow Kuracao away, but Alex, they had their moment. Curacao had that moment. And at that time, you were like, oh. And, you know, I made a noise and I thought. And they scared him for a bit. Yeah.

[Alex Abnos]

I said yesterday on this show that I thought that they were capable of getting a result. And for about 20 minutes there, however long it was, I felt like maybe I'm on the verge of being considered a football genius. And then, yeah, not so much. But I really did enjoy those 20 minutes. And honestly, the whole game, there's no debating about the level of quality and the difference in quality between Curacao and Germany. I think they showed it. But the reason you watch the World cup is for those sorts of moments, even if they're fleeting, even if they only happen for a little bit of time. And it's not as if Kursao didn't, you know, totally fell apart and just stopped trying or anything. They were playing, they were doing the best that they could. It's just Germany is that much better than them. So I'm happy that they had their moment. I'm happy that the Kuraco fans that were in attendance had a chance to party and show what they're all about. And, yeah, it felt like a fair result, though, at the end of the

[Max Rushden]

day, Nick Ames was there writing Kurosaw journalist. Went absolutely crazy in the press box here when that went in. Huge beams rounds. Be fair. What an incredible moment. It was just brilliant.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. Levano Comanchow was the goal scorer. He will go down in history. He'll never have to buy a pint in Curacao again.

[Max Rushden]

Or a pint of Curacao in Curacao. Quite heavy, you think about it.

[Alex Abnos]

That's.

[Barry Glendenning]

That's the blue stuff.

[Ben Fisher]

It is, yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wouldn't drink a pint of it now. I have to say, I'm not even me. But it's an incredible thing just for them to score at a World cup, and it's something they'll never forget. Like, I always remember Ireland's first goal at a major competition, Ray Houghton against England in Stuttgart in Germany, 1988. No one who saw that, who's Irish, will ever forget it. And this would be a similar thing for Curacao, a country with a population of 178,000 or something. It covers 170 square miles. It's an incredible thing. And obviously they went on to get battered, but I thought they did really well. I think Alexander se President has been. I wouldn't say complaining, but he has said that this expanded format is going to lead to real mismatches. And there are teams in the tournament, he said that would not have won a single game in. In European qualifiers. And he's probably right. Curacao probably wouldn't have won a game in European qualifier, but they have qualified. They earned their place here. They're obviously only in the World cup because Mexico, Canada and the usa. Yes, that's the one. They didn't have to play qualifiers, so that opened up a couple of new spots. They got in by the skin of the teeth. Fair play to them. They scored a goal against Germany. Lots of teams don't score against Germany.

[Alex Abnos]

There was a lot of social media chatter going around about various cities in the US that have the same population as. As Curacao. And for some reason, the one that jumped out at me that I have been laughing about all day is Macon, Georgia.

[Max Rushden]

Macon, Georgia, right.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

39 German cities bigger than Curacao. I mean, from the German point of view, Ben, they did look good, right?

[Ben Fisher]

We.

[Max Rushden]

It's, you know, it's only Curacao, but some of their movement, like the touch of like Havertz and Wits. They have these players that had such glorious balance.

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah, they did stitch together some really nice moves, I thought. I just love watching Jamal Murciala. It's just amazing player just glides, you know, glides up the pitch. But as you say, they've got loads of talent. Le as well. Like, good to see him. It's kind of. I. I personally thought it was a real shame when he left Man City. I love watching him. Just the way he attacks, obviously, so raw, so fearless, really, in the way he. He goes about it. But yeah, lots of really good play from Germany. And I think because of the Curacao moment, maybe that will get a little bit lost. I mean, the scoreline is obviously emphatic, but I think actually because they had a bit of a scare. They had that was it going to be them that's going to be on the end of this. First real major shock at the tournament, actually, as you say, they played really well, really in the game. And I don't think they'll be too bothered at the fact that Kurosel had that moment ultimately. So, yeah, really impressive performance.

[Max Rushden]

Do you want to pick out your favorite goal from the seven, Barry?

[Barry Glendenning]

No.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, I'll pick out. Thanks so much for your input on that. I pick out Nathaniel Browns, who I was really impressed with. I didn't really know a lot about in place for Frankfurt. Probably about to be hoovered up by Bayern Munich, according to Archie. But he thought he looked really good down the left, I thought.

[Alex Abnos]

Alex, yeah, he was on the radar of the US being being a German US dual national. I think we were only mildly upset to lose out on him. And I say mildly because he plays left back and we have quite a good left back and Anthony Robinson on our team. But I agree he was really, really great against Curacao and he played against the US as well in a pre World cup friendly. Looked good there. Just has a great attacking dynamic, good balance to his play and yeah, really bright future going forward, I think.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. UN Davis a very useful player to come off the bench as well. But it's 10 caps for Germany, seven goals. Four and four. He set up Brown's goal and two assists.

[Barry Glendenning]

I think it's difficult to read too much into any of the performances against such limited opposition, but I suppose what you can read into is the players that didn't get a run out in this game are probably the ones that we won't be seeing much of as the tournament progresses in Germany. Play better teams.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, I think you're right. Did Julian Nagelsmann change his outfit in this? Something he does apparently quite a lot.

[Ben Fisher]

I didn't see that.

[Barry Glendenning]

But he was wearing like a bowling shirt.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

For the first half I didn't notice that he changed, but I think he went from.

[Max Rushden]

He either went from beige to dark or dark to beige as the game went on, which I sort of don't. He sort of feels a bit like Eurovision or something, you know, where like, the host is suddenly in a different. A totally different outfit. Why is. Why does Julian Nagelsman need to. But I mean, like, I'm all for it.

[Ben Fisher]

He does things differently though, doesn't he? He was Nagelsman who was on the skateboard training. So he doesn't care.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Alex Abnos]

He should come out to the dugout in one of those things in a different shirt. He just put it all together.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. Or like, does he change more for extra time, like penalties? We'll have to find out.

[Ben Fisher]

Talking of that, Max, I just wonder around the. The goal, obviously, the Curacao moment. Then we had the. The break. Yeah. Hydration break. And I don't know really how I feel about it because of the golfing teams in quality, but did that kind of impact their momentum?

[Barry Glendenning]

And I do think it came at very much the wrong time for Curacao. I'M not sure it would have made a great difference in the cosmic scheme of things, but issues. Yet another reason to.

[Ben Fisher]

In an aircon state.

[Max Rushden]

In an aircon. Yeah. On Twitter.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yes. If it is aircon, hydration breaks.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. It doesn't seem. You need that. And it does seem like. I mean, I watched this on itv, actually, and Seb Hutches and Andrews Townsend, who were very good. But it was nice not having the adverts because it does at least feel like you're part of the game. It felt more like, oh, someone's injured or whatever. It's sort of less obvious than, you know, Christian Prudish's massive head trying to sell me a credit card, you know, or whatever.

[Ben Fisher]

But it's weird, though, because at Canada the other day in Toronto at the games, you had Canada down one nil, everyone feeling a bit sorry for themselves. And then over the speakers, Whitney Houston want to dance with someone blaring. And Jesse Marsh is trying to get into his players saying, no, we go again, and whatever. Something doesn't feel right about it. It doesn't sit well with me.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, I think so. And Lars was making the point that, you know, football's been two halves since 1862. And just. Almost just like that, it's four quarters. And it's just how you just really hope that it's. This isn't the thin end of the

[Barry Glendenning]

world and it's all down to one person.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, one of our. A great guy. Yeah. I mean, I suppose he was scared of the heat, right? I mean.

[Barry Glendenning]

No, he wasn't.

[Max Rushden]

Okay, well, people were.

[Barry Glendenning]

No, they weren't. No one objects to hydration breaks if hydration breaks are required.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I'm not.

[Barry Glendenning]

Well, you can't honestly think that Gianna and Fantino introduced mandatory hydration breaks throughout 104 different games because he was concerned about player welfare?

[Max Rushden]

No. Well, I'm not sure he's concerned about much apart from himself. Yeah. No further questions. That'll be for part one. Part two. We'll begin with the Ivory coast victory over Ecuador. Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So, Ivory coast one, Ecuador nil, Philadelphia. I mean, the ground looks amazing, right? The stadium looks great. It was a sea of yellow. Just so many Ecuadorian fans. Barry, I think you had this as your game of the day yesterday. Alex and Ben were at the Iran press conference, so it's all on you, this spaz.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah, I mean, it was disappointing, I have to say. A bit of a letdown. We've just been Talking about rehydration break. Why don't we just call them drinks breaks?

[Max Rushden]

You can, you can. Why do three syllables when one is enough?

[Alex Abnos]

What kind of drink it is?

[Barry Glendenning]

We've just been talking about drinks breaks. And I wonder. I fear for that old cliche about the game of two halves, because that's going to.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, that's gone by the wayside.

[Barry Glendenning]

Game of four quarters was a game of a quarter. Another quarter, yet another quarter and another quarter. But, yeah, I was. I was disappointed with this. I'm not sure Ivory coast deserved to win. I think both teams were more than happy to play for a draw. And Ivory Course were lucky enough to nick it in an added time with a very good goal from Ahmed Diallo. And we all know how good he can be on his day, but it was a decent nil. Nil at halftime. Entertaining. Ecuador hit the post twice. Ivory coast had a shot saved. Bazamana Toure had a decent effort saved. And then in the second half, the Ivory coast hit the crossbar so that the same crossbar got rattled three times. Diamande had been playing on the right for the Ivory coast to no great effect in the first half. Second half, he was moved to the left so Diallo could come on. He was starting to get decent crosses in. But then Ecuador moved one of their center backs to right back and he sort of snuffed out Diamandez. Good work. But, yeah, in the end, the second half was not good. It was nowhere near as good as the first. Ivory Course nicked it in the second minute of time.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. And John Yerboa hit the bar. And there should be a law that if Yeboah hits the bar, the ball goes in.

[Barry Glendenning]

He was really. He's got some left foot on him.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

Any relation?

[Max Rushden]

No, no, no, not at all.

[Alex Abnos]

I will just say about the Diallo winner. We were actually able to watch the very, very end of this game in the cab on the way over here. So we did see the winner. I was really impressed at the way that he took that with one touch. Given the flight of the ball, the pace at which it came in. I couldn't really read the spin on it on my phone in the back of the car. But it must have been difficult to get on again with one touch in the place that he was in the box and still tuck it into the bottom corner. Really, really good goal.

[Max Rushden]

Tomorrow's games, then. We're recording before Sweden, Tunisia this evening. So if it's a belter. Oh, we'll talk about it tomorrow, regardless. So Tomorrow, Spain, Cape Verde, Belgium, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Iran, New Zealand. And both of you have been at the Iran press conference today and you'll be at the game tomorrow. Press conferences aren't always fascinating, Ben, but this one presumably might have been.

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah, no, it was. It was interesting. Packed room, really, really busy, as you may expect. The dynamic was interesting. Went to the team hotel this afternoon, morning, when Iran arrived from Mexico, flying in, what, 24 hours or so before the game, which obviously is interesting in itself, not being based, as we know, another episode of this kind of weirdness and everything that feels wrong, really, about their participation in terms of the way it's been handled by FIFA, by the U.S. ultimately, the visas, just the whole. Yeah, the way it's been handled near the hotel, it was quite another reminder. Really, really heavy police presence, sniffer dogs around, drones, mobile surveillance, some protesters being talked to by the police, one sort of escorted away. The hotel, I believe, was kind of emptied for.

[Max Rushden]

And are they protesters who are Iranian protesting against the Iranian regime?

[Ben Fisher]

Yes. So they're kind of anti the Iran team, which, again, I was saying to Alex earlier, it's this interesting dynamic because you have kind of Iran v. The US to a degree. You have Iran v FIFA, then you have Iran v. Iran. Sure. In their own people and at the press conference. I mean, and the weird thing with this is that aspect of it is not new. Right. So that's just a continuation. But it is a quite a sobering reminder of. Of that backdrop when you're there. I was in Qatar a few years ago and it was Carlos Quiros getting bombarded with all the understandable questions. And it was kind of the same story today, Mehdi TMI saying, you know, the backdrop is everything that is against what FIFA kind of preach, really, in terms of peace and joy and, you know, this kind of idea that all the nations come together, it's one big happy family. And as we know, it's not. And T made a good point. It's not even just Iran. You know, we've seen. He actually didn't name check the referee, but he alluded in reference that that incident, obviously Omar Aran, who's denied access. So, yeah, it was interesting. Quite lots of different aspects to it, but I think it was another reminder really of actually just how kind of bonkers it is that we've got to this point on the eve of their first game.

[Max Rushden]

And actually, Alex, that's that impossible thing where there are a legitimate argument to say, you know, FIFA could sort of thrown Iran out of FIFA Given how, you know, the regime treat their own people. And yet Iran are here and Iran should be welcome to play because they qualified for the World cup and they should be allowed to be in this country. And also they are at war with the US because the US attacked Iran.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah, I mean, and it's a football

[Max Rushden]

podcast, by the way.

[Alex Abnos]

I mean, I'm not going to be able to answer to all of the Iranian foreign relations and domestic things that have been going on in that country for some time, except to say that the Iranian national team never plays at a World cup, at least not in the modern era, without some level of political sideshow, for lack of a better term, happening or. I don't know. I don't even know if I would call it a sideshow. It's just sort of inherent with the way the team is. In 2006, they qualified and played while the Green Revolution protests were happening. And in 2014, that was another thing. And then in 2022, they were playing amid while the whole nation was protesting as part of the Women Life, Freedom and Mahsa Amini. And now it's this. And so it's definitely more intense given the fact that they are at war with the country that they are playing in. I don't know if they're technically still at war because they just signed an agreement.

[Max Rushden]

What we say now when this pod goes out, you don't know.

[Barry Glendenning]

Right.

[Alex Abnos]

But regardless, at the end of the day, the feeling I keep on having about Iranian football and the players in this team is that I actually end up feeling a lot of sympathy for the players. I know that there's a range of political opinions on that team. Ultimately, in all of these situations, they're just in a no win situation. If they win, some people are going to be mad and some people are going to be really angry at them. And if they lose, some people are going to be angry at them and some people are going to be really happy if they celebrate, then some people are going to be happy and some people are going to be angry if they don't celebrate. Some people are going to be happy and some people are going to be angry. It's just going to be. It's never possible to please everybody, but it's going to be especially impossible for them. And especially at this tournament, the players just want to focus on the game, they just want to focus on the football, they don't want to talk about any politics. And then they arrive at this press conference and the FIFA official says, at the very start, we're not going to take any questions about politics. It's just going to be about football, just going to be about New Zealand. And every single question at this press conference had a political element to it. And every single person that was there at that training facility when I was there was there because there was a political story. You just can't escape it.

[Max Rushden]

Other games, Barry. Spain, Cape Verde, Belgium, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay. What takes your fancy?

[Barry Glendenning]

The only game that hasn't taken my fancy so far is Sweden, Tunisia. That's because Wilson has indoctrinated me to have a pathological aversion to any game of football Tunisia are involved in. So that may well be a thriller. I'm looking forward to seeing how Cape Verde get on against Spain. I presume they'll get battered. I hope they don't. Aren't embarrassed or humiliated. I hope they have their moment like Curacao did. And I really hope that Pico Lopez, the Shamrock Rovers player from Dublin who is representing Cape Verde, has a good game. And I hope he enjoys the occasion because everyone in Ireland knows who he is now. And that's not something you can say about many Shamrock Rovers players or indeed any League of Ireland players. And he just seemed. I've interviewed him before. He's a lovely fella, real nice guy. Overwhelmed a bit by all the attention he got when Cape Verde qualified. But he's. He's taken all in his stride, I think. So I. I just hope he is a good game. I'm looking forward to seeing Uruguay play. They could be really bad. They could be really good. I believe they've had some sort of issue.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. They struggle getting. Their flight was scheduled to board from Cancun where they'd been on spring break.

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

And it wasn't authorized to enter the us Seemed to be a paperwork issue. When the Athletic asked Uruguayan Football association spokesperson if delays had been FIFA's fault, the spokesperson said, correct. But, you know, we. We haven't heard.

[Barry Glendenning]

How do you mention Uruguay? I just have this image of Marcelo Bielsa surrounded by girls in the key,

[Max Rushden]

frolicking in the sea, sitting on his bucket. Anyway, that'll do for part two. Part three we'll look back on Australia's brilliant win over Turkey. Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. Murray writes, may I be the first of many to claim an anti Australian bias on the pod. For a man who regularly doesn't get much sleep, surely staying up till midnight to do the pod wasn't too challenging. Liz Dearest pod. The joy of the win by the soccers over Turkey has only been enhanced by listening and laughing at Barry dissing us on his preemptive match report. Australia, you've let yourself down, as you said yesterday when we didn't know the report. Love it, Barry. And on your ankle, elevate. I expect some love for the Socceroos this episode. Longtime listener, first time caller, Liz in Melbourne. We did get a match report from Jack Snape last night, but this was. I got quite emotional when the second goal went in from Conor Metcalfe. And, you know, then they showed the scenes on Fed Square in Melbourne. And obviously, you know, my kids are, you know, more Australian than English at this, certainly at this stage. I just thought, what a brilliant, brilliant moment. And just for. We were talking about this with the U.S. alex, you know, for these countries, for whom actually this result isn't just about doing well at this World cup, but it. It can elevate the sport to another level. It is different. If you're an England fan, you know, England, win or lose, it's not going to change whether football is popular in England. And so for all those people that love football and work so hard in football in any part of that sport, this was enormous because, you know, I don't think anyone expected this result. And a lot of Australian fans saw the lineup and were like, what's Popovic doing here?

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think Australia definitely has a claim to be the most disrespected team at this World cup, or at least among them so far. Among the teams that have played. I certainly didn't have them winning this game. I didn't have them performing as well as they did. I wouldn't have thought that they would have scored the goals of the quality that they did. I thought that was a really, really amazing moment. That second goal, as you said, and as I was mentioning before, World Cups are about those moments where it's clear that there's something that has just happened other than the goal that has just been scored. And that was definitely one of those. And importantly, from my perspective, obviously, I think it sets up an absolutely gigantic match in the second match day against the US not only for control of that group, but for the world, the unofficial World Championship title belt, I believe.

[Max Rushden]

Oh, that's right, because Turkey had it on who beats who, but who beats who since the history since time began.

[Alex Abnos]

Congratulations to Australia for being unofficial world football champions and we'll see what happens on Friday.

[Max Rushden]

It's a brilliant moment where Conor Metcalf is shown a video of his goal and he's like, actually I was pretty far out there. This is sick. He's like, it's just great. And like the Nestoria and Kunder goal is also. It's a brilliant move. It's a brilliant touch. It's a great finish.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. I was stunned by this result. I did not see coming in, not at all. Myself and Alex were watching it outside a bar just up the road from our studio and there was about seven or eight Australians.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah, they were having a great time

[Barry Glendenning]

watching along and they were hammered like they'd be there a long time. And I'm not sure they could quite believe it either because their celebrations were a little bit subdued. But yeah, that Iran Kunda goal like Watford player. I don't think it'd be a watch for player for too long if you keep scoring goals like that. But took the ball down, caught inside, struck a lovely shot just inside the upright. So I'd say the goalkeeper was probably expecting me to go the other side and then ate Tim Cahill's gold celebration. But I, I was totally gobsmacked by this result. I just think, I think that's a much bigger shock than. Well, it is in my opinion, than Qatar getting a point against Switzerland.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. And actually Aaron Kunda is a really interesting story. And you know, the, the politics of Australia is much like the politics of lots of different countries where, you know, the, the, the right and the sort of anti immigration lobby are quite loud. And so when it's a refugee, you know, who came as a baby and has come up and you know, gone to, you know, played in the A league and then signed by Bayern Munich, you know, when he was incredibly young, like that is a brilliant story in itself. And Patrick beach as well. I mean that saved Ben the one when it was one nil. And I forget which Turkey player hit it from like 25 yards and it was just fingertips and he came in, they dropped Matt Ryan, who's played like 350 million games for Australia. It's a massive call.

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah, this was kind of the, the biggest shock, wasn't it? I think so far as we've seen, as Barry said, is surprised at the result. I definitely was as well and didn't go down very well, I don't think with some of the Turkey players. And if you saw Chow and Ogle, what he said before and afterwards.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, he said we dominate the ball and yeah.

[Ben Fisher]

And then off. But then afterwards he was interviewed again and he, he said, well, yeah, but we did, didn't we? And just, I don't Think that's ever a great look. You know, he lost two nil and you know. Yeah, I thought that was poor, really. And probably says a lot about the pressure and the expectation maybe on them to win that game.

[Max Rushden]

Yeah. Because I'd completely lost track, Alex, if Turkey were meant to be dark horses or it's just ironic dark horses now, but there is real talent this side, you know, Canaloglu, Aragoula, you know, I think they should have. They should be hoping to do better than that.

[Barry Glendenning]

Right.

[Alex Abnos]

Yeah. My preemptive, you know, read on the game before we had even seen it was, oh, those young Turkish midfielders really, really made a lot of impact and don't know if that actually happened.

[Barry Glendenning]

I think Yildas did when he came on, but they couldn't break Australia down. It was a brilliant defensive performance from Australia.

[Alex Abnos]

I think most people would have said that they were the favorite in this group going in maybe between them and the us. US getting a boost because of being the host nation. Yeah, I mean, I'm really interested to see how they come out against Paraguaguay in the second game because there's so

[Max Rushden]

much riding on that for both those teams.

[Alex Abnos]

A lot, a lot, a lot.

[Max Rushden]

Ye. And actually both games are set up perfectly because Australia versus the US is set up absolutely brilliantly as well. Isn't it interesting to chat to friends in Australia as well? This game is at 1pm for them and they are really enjoying listening to people in the UK complain about watching games through the night and thinking this is how we have to watch football all the time. A bit of any other business. Andy Robertson's found a throw in Hack. We didn't notice this yesterday. You know the five second law.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. So he sets his field and does various conducting of players and waste time if needs be before he picks up the ball to take the throw in. Because the clock only starts ticking once the ball is in your head.

[Max Rushden]

Can you feign to pick it up to get the clock started? And then some good stuff on Scotland. There was BBC Sports Scotland posted a thing on X showing two fans in the stadium before kickoff. The younger one is actually a youth goalkeeper for Hamilton Academical called Michael Marks. So Hamilton Academical tweeted, we still expect you back for training this week. Michael spotted there. And Fabrizio Romano tweets official Scott McGinn, man of the match, FIFA for Scotland, Haiti. To which Dom Green quote tweeted saying, just as well I don't get any moves, big man, which is really, really good. Barney writes. Dear Max, regarding your question about Carrying bagpipes on planes. I traveled just last week from Heathrow to JFK with the great folk musician Katherine Tickle, who was carrying a set of Northumbrian pipes as hand luggage. They break down pretty small, about the size of a folded music stand. We're on the way to do Sting's show, the Last Ship at the Met Opera, which I wrote the book for. And Catherine plays pipe and fiddle in. Barry might like Catherine's bit. I reckon he'd hate mine. He says two and a half hours to get through customs at jfk. Imagine what state the States must have been in before they were great again. But there we have on bagpipes.

[Barry Glendenning]

I love the way he says it about the size of folded music stand. As if that's going to clarify it in any way. Ben, is it by any chance about the size of a pair of folded bagpipes?

[Max Rushden]

Yeah, for reference, they're about the same. What are your impressions so far, then, of the. Of the World Cup? Where have you been? You've been to Toronto, then?

[Ben Fisher]

Yeah, I started in Toronto, then arrived in la about. Yeah, 24 hours or so ago. Yeah, it's been great to be in Toronto, to be in Canada for the opening game. Obviously, their first World cup game on home soil was, you know, obviously a privilege. It was great atmosphere, actually, in Toronto in the days before, it was relatively low key, as I think it has been throughout kind of different places, maybe barring Mexico, in terms of that sort of World cup fever. But come game day, it was really good, really enjoyable. And, yeah, you kind of detected what it meant for Canadians, for people who had traveled from across Canada to be there for that moment. Especially when you get reminded of the ticket prices, which I know probably quite boring to hear about now, but even today, still valid, right? Yeah. And hearing today outside the Iranian hotel, a couple of the Iranian fans were saying, It's $2,600 for the new Zealand game, you know, the next game. So that just blew my mind again, really. But, yeah, no, it's been great. It's been very good fun. And I think, in essence of it was arriving at LA and then me. So peering over this bloke waiting for his baggage, who had the Brazil Morocco game on his phone, and just that appetite and thirst to know what's going on. What's the latest in the. In the game. So many games. So, yeah, it's been brilliant.

[Max Rushden]

Feel like you're not in your natural habitat. Like LA and Bristol are different.

[Ben Fisher]

They are different places, Max. Yeah, but the.

[Max Rushden]

But you know, People are all the same. Maybe I don't.

[Ben Fisher]

Very friendly. Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

Have you seen any. Have you seen any sort of like really tight valet parking? You know, situations where there's like a million cars in a very small car park And I presume when I looked at that, I thought that Ben might start watching this and not the football is what I thought.

[Ben Fisher]

No, I haven't seen any of that yet. My colleague did pick me up earlier from. From the hotel. That's about as close as it got to any car park action. So it's been limited thus far.

[Max Rushden]

Well, it's something to hope we get into as the tournament progresses. LA Diaries now feature Barry's pov. You filmed your first diary entry for the Instagram, Barry. Were you proud with how you worked as a. As a director?

[Barry Glendenning]

Not really. It was you in the gym and then everyone just pointed out that they could see a bogey up my throat.

[Max Rushden]

That's real life, though.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah. I mean, everyone's a critic. Everyone's a critic. Doesn't matter what we did. We could film like a potential Oscar winning short movie of a Maxim. Barry's iron. Someone would object to the way that the ham placement on the bread in the sandwich, the toilet, the toilet seat's

[Max Rushden]

been up in a number of videos. That's been a problem.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

Where the kettle is.

[Barry Glendenning]

Where the kettle is. Everyone is a critic. Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

Have you blown your nose in? I mean, you don't have one now? No. That's good. I'm glad that you have a clear.

[Barry Glendenning]

We're only running out of diary material, Max.

[Max Rushden]

Oh, I don't think so. Yeah, but the trouble is it's needs to be when I sense that you're not in such a bad mood that I can't film, but you're not in a great mood. That's when I feel the perfect. There's a sweet spot, I think, for the content so you could get in a bad mood again.

[Barry Glendenning]

Well, I noticed you bought six apples. Yeah, I'd imagine.

[Max Rushden]

Is that a problem?

[Barry Glendenning]

A bad mood? Imminent. Next time you pick one of them up.

[Max Rushden]

So if I see her in a good enough mood, I'll just start eating the next year. Start eating an apple. I know. I'll start chomping away. Anyway, that'll do for today. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, Alex.

[Alex Abnos]

Thank you, Max.

[Max Rushden]

Thank you, Ben.

[Ben Fisher]

Thanks a lot.

[Max Rushden]

Nice to see you. Thanks, Barry.

[Barry Glendenning]

Thank you.

[Max Rushden]

Football Weekly is produced by Rory Simon. Our executive producer is. Joel Grove will be back tomorrow.

[Alex Abnos]

This is the Guardian.

[Max Rushden]

Great notice, Max. You brought an apple down to eat in my apartment yesterday.

[Ben Fisher]

Oh, did I?

[Max Rushden]

No, that was. That was. You were quite loud. Oh, really? All right.

[Barry Glendenning]

That's incredible.

[Alex Abnos]

Oh, hang on.

[Barry Glendenning]

It's incredible.

[Max Rushden]

How do. Who eats an apple quietly?

[Barry Glendenning]

No, there's.

[Ben Fisher]

There's levels.

[Barry Glendenning]

There's levels? Yeah.

[Ben Fisher]

No decorum.

[Max Rushden]

I think this is. This is slander.