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Germany v Curaçao: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026
Key events
Change for Curacao: Antonisse replaces Hansen.
The great Rob Smyth is up and away over here…
I’m excited for this one, but we’ve got another 45 to go here. If Curacao score next, you never know.
Half-time email: “There’s another reason why members of the fourth estate should be cheering on the little island this month, reckons Justin Kavanagh. “That lovely Caribbean blue Curaçao drink is the key ingredient of a very fine cocktail called a Journalist, also involving gin, dry vermouth, lemon juice and Angostura bitters. I made one last week and didn’t regret it.”
It sounds a lot more civilised than the flaming blue lamborghinis of my youth, which I’d like to regret but don’t.
Half-time reading: a piece on a shock defeat for Germany and one of the most iconic goals of the 90s.
HALF-TIME: Germany 3-1 Curacao
A terrifically entertaining half of World Cup FootballTM. Germany are clear now, but everything we saw in the first tells us the second will be a lot of fun too.
GOAL! Germany 3-1 Curacao (Havertz pen 45+5)
Havertz ambles up and pauses; Room dives left, and Havertz rolls into the right corner. But it was fun while it lasted, and we’ve got ourselves an eternal moment that’ll stay with us whatever happens from here.
PENALTY TO GERMANY!
45+4 min Nmecha, inside the box, shapes to shoot and Bazoer buys it, sliding in, as the ball is moved one more. He doesn’t fall immediately but when he realises he’ll not be able to get his effort off, he collapses, and the ref has no option but to point to the spot.
45+2 min Chong finds Comenencia, who doesn’t give it back, but Curacao continue probing, Hansen’s eventual shot blocked. I’m really enjoying their conviction on the counter.
45+1 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
45 min Again, Musiala beats men, and though the ball is half-cleared, Wirtz tees-up Pavlovic, whose shot is blocked by Leandro Bacuna.
44 min Another Germany corner, this time from the left, and again, Scholtterbeck is the target, leaing at the back post to head back in, winning another … which comes to nowt.
44 min This has been a hugely enjoyable half. Germany have played pretty well, but the way they play – and in particular, their rest defence, which is aggressive and high – necessarily leaves space for opponents to exploit.
42 min Musiala is so good in tight spaces – he and Kobbie Mainoo are the two I currently watch and find myself shocked they’ve come out of one with the ball, while also not being shocked at all. He bets tow on the edge, but then overhits the delicate pass required to put Havertz in.
40 min “Watching Germany v Curacao,” says Peter Rehwaldt, I can’t help but be struck by the math. If each team gets half the tickets at the stadium (yes, I know that’s not how it works, but bear with me), you could put around 1/4 to 1/3 of the whole Curacao population in the stands…”
Based on what I’ve seen of those who are there, that’d be a pretty decent party.
GOAL! Germany 2-1 Curacao (Schlotterbeck 38)
This time, Kimmich’s delivery is good and no one follows Schlotterbeck, attacking the near post from the far; he glances back the way he ran, and not only does he have his first Germany goal, he has a World Cup goal. No one can ever take that away from him, just as Comenencia will forever be known for the joy he bestowed.
37 min The Germany players won’t be panicking, but they’ll be fearing the shame. They have, though, won a corner down the right.
34 min “Nibble nibble” returns Jeffrey Lilley. “This is what it’s all about. Yeah, it could still end 10-1 for the Germans, but they got nibbled by the minnow … who will now have the confidence to go for a bite.”
Yup, it’s the beauty of a low-scoring game – the underdog has a chance in a way that other team sports don’t really allow. Football is quite good, in my opinion.
32 min It’s getting untidy at the back, but Curacao are doing enough, Musiala threading a delectable pass into the box for Sane, who collects, then swivels into a shot … blocked brilliantly by Fonville, the rebound eluding Havertz.
30 min Germany are back dictating, working the ball across the face of the penalty area for Pavlovic, who shoots hard and low from the edge … but Comenecia blocks. What a few minutes he’s having and, for the rest of his life, he’ll be known as the man who scored Curacao’s first World Cup goal. I’d like to describe how he’s feeling, but it’s completely beyond my comprehension; my eyeballs are sweating even thinking about it.
29 min Room fists the corner away but Gerany sustain the attack, Sane attacking Obsipo on the outside, down the right … and the tackle is perfect, risky but beautifully timed. The resultant corner comes to nothing.
28 min And the delivery is excellent, flighted towards Schlotterbeck on the far side of the box, and he’s up, the connection is decent … and Room tips over.
27 min We get going again and Germany win a free-kick down the right, not far from the by-line; Kimmich is behind it.
26 min “I know exactly which bar and drink you’re referring to here, after having had it once you wouldn’t soon forget,” says Dave Cross. “I was so naive at that age I assumed it was a popular drink and asked for it at bars here in Toronto, obviously to impress my fellow university students with my knowledge of how to get blitheringly drunk. More than one bartender gave me a confused stare and simply said no.”
Probably for the best. After three, a couple of my mates decided it’d be a good idea to play a game entailing alternate straight punches to the jaw. That turned out not to be the case.
24 min Time for a water break.
23 min Now Locadia goes at Tah on the outside, looking like he’s gone by only to be eased into the turf. Suddenly, this is a contest!
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! Germany 1-1 Curacao (Comenencia 21)
Do not adjust your screen! This is actually happening! And you know what? It’s almost been coming! Again, Curacao attack, slipping a pass into the box, and when the ball breaks to Locadia, he shoots, the effort blocked, but Comenencia arrives on to it, his shot flicks off a Kimmich, the deflection taking it over Neuer’s hands, and CURACAO HAVE LEVELLED IT AGAINST GERMANY! THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT, AND IMAGINE THE SOUTH CARIBBEAN RIGHT ABOUT NOW!
20 min Better from Curacao, attacking down the right with Hansen, whose cross is intercepted by Chong, leaping to take it away from the man behind. But they’ve men forward and, when the ball breaks to Leandro Bacuna, on the edge, he lashes an effort high and wide.
19 min Curacao win a free-kick in the centre-circle, but instead of getting the big men and the ball launched, they go backwards. I’m sure they’re keen to keep the score social, but they’ve got to take every opportunity to it down the other end.
17 min Curacao heads must be spinning, lungs burning. This what they wanted, and the challenge is every bit as intense as they’d have imagined. But it’s only 1-0, and the numbers Germany are committing forward might just offer them a chance on the counter.
15 min Wirtz moves infield off the left, Brown’s run down the outside helping to create the space, and he too unfurls a curler, the shot flying just wide. If Germany score in the next 15 or so, this could get messy.
14 min “Top wind-up player joins top wind-up manager – makes sense,”.says Charles Antaki on Cucurella to Madrid. “Robbie Savage next to join the club. Others checking emails.”
Tell you what, though: since he started managing, Savage’s co-commentary has become really good. You can tell he’s become obsessed with the tactical side of the game, and he’s pretty good at communicating it.
12 min Gosh, Nmecha shoots again, from the edge, but straight at Room.
11 min I keep trying to publish emails but Germany keep trying to score. How rude. This time, it’s Musiala finding Sane, who dips inside, doesn’t catch all of his shot, and the ball trickles wide of the far post – via deflection, I think, but the ref signals a goalkick and we’re only checking VAR when that happens the other way around, to avoid a goal coming from an error.
8 min Nmecha fancies this, pulling right and lashing a shot that won’t quite curl back in sufficiently. But I’m afraid Curacao are in trouble.
7 min “As an Icelander, I’m rooting for my fellow islanders” writes Kári Tulinius. “I know how thrilling it is for a country with a small population to make the World Cup. One of the beauties of international football is that it’s just eleven against eleven, and a nation of thousands can compete with a nation of millions with some hope of success. I can’t claim any connection to Curaçao, beyond having enjoyed my share of Blue Bols, but I’ll be rooting for them throughout. Come on you Blue Wave!”
I first came across Curacao at a bar in Jerusalem called the Tavern, which was famous for a drink called Polish Butterfly that contained it, grain alcohol and grenadine. It was served with a pint of water, such was the burning effect, and three was enough to bid one a good night, sleep tight.
GREAT GOAL! Germany 1-0 Curacao (Nmecha 6)
Germany looked poised to score when a ball into the box found Nmecha, whose shot was blocked by Obispo, but Nagelsman’s men come again, Nmecha playing short to Wirtz on the edge. He rolls studs over the ball and he return is perfectly weighted, glanced off the side of the foot with no-look disguise and, from 17 yards, a curling finish, punched into the far side-netting, halfway up, secures the lead.
3 min Germany move down the left with Brown beating his man and nudging across the box … but there’s no on able to profit. So Curacao get it forward quickly and, though they can’t threaten, we can see they plan to attack when the opportunity presents itself.
1 min Gosh, the camera angle in Houston is vertiginously high, White Hart Lane and the some; we’ve been denied their away kit, but Curacao look banging in their blue and yellow.
1 min Curacao get us under way. They’re here!
“This game is one of the reasons I love the World Cup,” says Jeffrey Lilley. An established power versus a debutante that most people don’t know much about. It’s fascinating for many reasons. It looks like a mismatch but I’ve seen Germany get nibbled, and sometimes bitten, by supposed minnows before.”
And even so, this one would be unprecedented. What I also love – and the Scotland game showed the same aspect – is what just being involved means to those for whom it’s not de rigueur. Georgia at the last Euros is another example of the same; I can’t think of many times I’ve seen that level of fervency.
A real turn-up for the books…
I was broadly fine with the water breaks because player safety has to be paramount, but already, it looks like the opportunity to show ads it what’s really going on here, and the change to the nature of the game, halting momentum and allowing for a reset, is not acceptable.
Anthem time…
Our teams are tunnelled … and here they come!
“I mean, Scotland scored four against Curaçao in a recent friendly so, you know, I don’t think Germany are in too much danger here,” begins Simon McMahon. “But we also conceded first and only really took control once the South Caribbeans had gone down to 10 so, you know, maybe it’s not a foregone conclusion. But anything other than a win for Germany would be up there with the biggest World Cup shocks of all time.”
I expect Curacao to be organised and to believe in what they’re doing – in the past, enough to beat Scotland. The shock here is that they managed to get the job done.
“The smallest country, but lots of fans in the Netherlands, writes Louise Devries. “Many of us have been in Curaçao. We know all the players as they (-1) were born here and play(ed) here. About 8 players wore the oranje shirt in youth selections. Chong was expected once to get in Oranje. Great to see him play in the WC. He is the one to watch.
Hup Blauwe Golf!”
Yes, Chong is the only player born on the island. He’s got some pace and trickery, and I guess it makes sense that he play centrally so they can get him on the ball as often as possible.
In other football news, it seems that Marc Cucurella is leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid. I’m a little surprised by that – he’s a decent player, but there are better left-backs around.
Here’s today’s Football Daily.
Email! “Tiny Curaçao has just 158,000 citizens, apparently,” says Justin Kavanagh. “So after tonight (assuming they throw on at least four subs), one in every 10,500 Curaçao’s will have played against Germany at a World Cup finals.”
It’s amazing isn’t it? With the expansion of the competition, Curaçao saw the glimmer of an opportunity, backed themselves by appointing first Guus Hiddink then Patrick Kluivert, and Advocaat finished the job. There’ll be a decent atmosphere on the island this lunchtime, I shouldn’t wonder.
Where is the game? It’s not easy to find an obvious weakness in Germany’s defensive set up, but both full-backs like to get forward and Kimmich can often be found inverting, so I’d be looking to target the space they leave. Otherwise, runs in behind the centre-backs that get them turned and facing their own goal might work, so too set-pieces.
Germany, meanwhile, will keep the ball moving, with Musiala and Wirtz looking to pick holes. I wonder if they might lack a bit of natural width, Wirtz not being a winger and Sane playing on the right, but they can always change things and look to put crosses in – they’ve got Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav on the bench, both of whom can change things.
Stop press: Wikipedia advises me Chong’s full name is Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong and yes, he is named after the Bolton legend, who his dad loved at Inter.
As for Curaçao, Advocaat has resisted the urge to go with a back five – it hamstrung South Africa against Mexico, for what thats worth – to match up against Germany. Leandro Bacuna, of course, played for Villa in the Premier League, while Tahith Chong, who played for Man United a few times and is now at Sheffield United.
Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, becomes Germany’s oldest World Cup player, coming out of international retirement at the age of 40. If I was Dick Advocaat, I’d be trying to put him under pressure as soon as possible.
Looking at the Germany team, it’s pretty much as expected. I might’ve gone with Antonio Rudiger not Jonathan Tah, but there’s some serious footballing chops in that back four while, in front of them, Aleksandar Pavlovic is a potential superstar. It’s a shame Lennart Karl is injured, but Jamal Musiala will be the creative hub, while the slower pace of international football – all the more so given the temperatures – might just suit Floran Wirtz, who has plenty to prove. And up front, though Kai Havertz isn’t everyone’s idea of a centre-forward, he’s a big-game player with the feet and cunning to bring those behind him into play.
Great news: Emma Hayes is in the ITV studio. There aren’t many better pundits, and she’s currently extolling Mauricio Pochettino who, for the first time since he was at Spurs, has players who fit his high-energy, ego-free style of football. I quite fancy USA to do well; don’t be surprised if they beat more vaunted opponents.
The teams
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz. Subs: Baumann, Nubel, Rudiger, Anton, Goretzka, Leweling, Woltemade, Gross, Beier, Stiller, Amiri, Raum, Thiaw, Ouedraogo, Undav.
Curaçao (4-2-3-1): Room; Floranus, Bazoer, Obispo, Fonville; Comenencia, Leandro Bacuna; Hansen, Chong Juninho Bacuna; Locadia. Subs: Bodak, Doornbusch, Sambo, Gaari, van Eijma, Roemeratoe, Antonisse, Noslin, Gorre, Martha, Margaritha, Kuwas, Kastaneer, Brenet, Felida.
Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)
Preamble
There’s a concept in Jewish practice and learning that we call “lishma”; for its own sake. Roughly, it means that, in their purest expression, commandments aren’t fulfilled and texts aren’t studied for performative purposes, nor for any kind of reward or benefit, but in pursuit of truth and connection with the divine.
You can feel a segue coming, right? Well, here it is: the group stage of this World Cup features 72 matches to eliminate just 16 teams, which means those of us with no financial interest in proceedings watch them knowing the majority have little bearing on who stays and who goes, never mind who lifts the trophy at the end. Rather, we’re here for the simple beauty of football and joy of the competition.
But what beauty and what joy! Curaçao have never previously qualified for this competition and now they have, they’re its smallest ever participant, by population – less than 160,000 – and area – 171 square miles. Dick Advocaat, their manager, left in February to look after his ill daughter, but happily her condition improved so he’s back at the helm; we can be certain his team will be organised and ready.
Germany, meanwhile, have endured a miserable time at the World Cup since winning it in 2014 – in both Russia and Qatar, they were eliminated in the group stages, losing to Mexico and South Korea, then Japan. This is not what is expected from or of Turniermannschaft, the tournament team and, with a blue-chip coach now in charge, they’ll surely improve on those that pair of embarrassments.
Whether they’ve the firepower to go all the way, though, remains to be seen. At the back, they look strong and in midfield, they’ve so many options it’s ridiculous, but up front, they lack a reliable scorer – though, given the creative brilliance of what’s behind, the retired and 48-year-old Miroslav Klose would probably have fancied himself to bag a few, even if his signature somersault is probably harder to perform.
That being the case, it’s hard to see any outcome here other than a convincing Germany win. But if Curaçao can start well, things might just get tense and, if they do, our attention will shift from enjoying whatever the game throws at us to contemplating one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. And if that happens, celebrations in the south Caribbean will give the term “lishma” an entirely new aspect.
Kick-off: 12pm local, 1pm EDT, 6pm BST, 3am (Mon) AEST
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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