UK News
Stokes left out of England’s second Test against New Zealand after nightclub incident | England cricket team
Joe Root will captain England in next week’s second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.
Stokes, the team’s full-time captain, is being given some time to consider his future after he contributed to the resurfacing of the debate about what is widely perceived as an unprofessional culture within the group. He is reported to have spent Wednesday in meetings with his agent and advisers. Atkinson will also miss the game, which is being played at the Oval, the Surrey seamer’s home ground.
“The England & Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, given the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection for the second Test against New Zealand,” a statement read. “Yorkshire batter Joe Root will lead the team as interim captain.”
Root, who led the Test side between 2017 and 2022, has been temporarily restored to the role ahead of the vice-captain, Harry Brook, who has also been in trouble for off-field conduct. The Yorkshire batter was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last November.
The absence of Stokes and Atkinson, combined with the hand injury sustained by Brydon Carse during a training session in April that means the 30-year-old has not played since the end of the Ashes in January, means England will be without three of their four leading wicket-takers over the last two years.
As a result they are very likely to bring two seamers into their team next week, likely to be Sonny Baker – who was close to being given a Test debut in the opening game of the series – and Jofra Archer, who returns to the squad after his efforts for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League with a short break in Barbados. Surrey’s Matthew Fisher is also in the squad.
The dilemma facing Brendon McCullum, the England coach, will be whether to also bolster the batting, which would mean leaving out Shoaib Bashir. Bashir played at Lord’s but was not required to bowl, and in his only previous Test outing at the Oval, against Sri Lanka in 2024, took one wicket for 65.
Quick Guide
England second Test squad
Show
Joe Root (Yorkshire) – Captain; Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire); Jofra Archer (Sussex); Sonny Baker (Hampshire); Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire); Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire); Harry Brook (Yorkshire); Jordan Cox (Essex); Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire); Matthew Fisher (Surrey); Emilio Gay (Durham);
James Rew (Somerset); Ollie Robinson (Sussex); Jamie Smith (Surrey); Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
While that would leave the team without a frontline spinner both Root and Jacob Bethell could contribute if required. If that is his choice Somerset’s James Rew is likely to come into the team to make his debut, having been the spare batter in the squad for the opening of the series, while Jordan Cox of Essex has been added to the group.
Key events
England get the ball rolling. Rice specifically. He rolls back to Pickford, who launches long. Croatia intercept and clear.
A cracking atmosphere in the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys. Kane and Modric swap merchandise. We’ll be off in a minute. “With all the focus on those mummified ancients in the Croatian midfield, it’s easy to overlook that the back line is, comparatively, a flock of spring chickens,” observes Kári Tulinius. “The fullbacks Šutalo and Stanišić are 26 years of age, two years older than Gvardiol, who’s partnered in defense by the 19-year-old Luka Vušković, which makes him less than half the age of his captain.”
The teams are out, and it’s time for the national anthems. Croatia first. ♪ ♫ ♬ “Our beautiful homeland / O so fearless and gracious / Our fathers’ ancient glory / May you be happy forever … Drava, Sava, keep on flowing! / Danube, do not lose your vigour! / Deep blue sea, tell the world / That a Croat loves his people!” ♪ ♫ ♬
And now it’s England’s turn. ♪ ♫ ♬ “We love Bulldog Bobby / Bulldog Bulldog Bob / We love Bulldog Bobby / He’s everybody’s number-one top dog!” ♪ ♫ ♬
[Narrator: Bulldog Bobby was not everybody’s number-one top dog]
Pre-match postbag: World Cup fever special. “I am imbibing your MBM with a beer on the train from Marylebone to Warwick and feel patriotically bound to inform you that excitement about England’s reasonable chances of victory tonight has reached the driver’s cab on my train. The usual modest tooting of the horn has been replaced by a ‘toot, toot, toot-toot-toot, toot-toot-toot-toot, ENG-LAND’” – Adrian Birch, somewhere around Bicester
“I’m watching this in a bar in the good ol’ USA (Nashville, Tennessee to be precise). It’s 22 years almost to the day that I last watched England v Croatia in an American bar (that day it was San Francisco) in the 2004 Euros, when a young lad called Wayne Rooney tore Croatia apart. Whatever happened to him, I wonder?” – Nick Parish
“First sunny evening for about a week here, so I’m off for a stroll by the Clyde with maybe a stop for a pint and a read. Oh, there’s a game on tonight? Huh” – James Humphries
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that England only win the World Cup when there is a gentleman of Fulham among the assembly. We therefore find it inexplicable that Mr Tuchel did not include young Master King in his party for that would have guaranteed that the honourable Captain Kane lifted the golden bauble. We can only assume that Mr Tuchel is of the opinion that a former gentleman of Fulham will suffice, for how else can one explain the presence of Mr Burn?” – Richard Hirst
“Keith Williams’ sketches are delightful. That’s all I wanted to say!” – Rachel Kelly
“If England lose and it all goes off, the very talented Keith Williams might have to add a slash of Constable red to his renderings” – Ian Copestake
England will play in their first-choice kit of white tonight. Harry Kane will hand over the FA’s stunningly boring pennant.
Croatia are therefore forced into second-choice blue. Always a shame when they’re not bedecked in their world-famous red-and-white checks, but the blue-and-even-darker-blue version is still a sight for sore eyes.
England have played 14 times under Thomas Tuchel. The manager’s record is pretty good: he’s won 11 of those games to the cumulative tune of 29-0. However there’s a fairly big caveat. The other three matches are the only times Tuchel has faced a team from the world’s top 20: England drew with Uruguay and lost to Senegal and Japan, all at home. Croatia are currently ranked 11th on the Fifa list. It’s a trend that needs snapping sooner rather than later if England (ranked world number four, to be fair) are to do anything this summer.
Luka Modric, who made his World Cup debut in 2006, 20 years ago tomorrow, coming on during a goalless draw with Japan, talks to ITV as well. “We did good qualifications … we played well … now is the real deal … we will see where we are at the moment … how good we are … I have a lot of confidence and belief in this team … a lot of young players … still some old guard … let’s see … age is just a number … this is how I see it … for me it’s not important … it’s important how you feel … what you do on the pitch.”
Thomas Tuchel speaks to Independent Television. “This is what we have worked for … the goal of the prep camp … to be ready for the day … I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world … so let’s go … ideal conditions … to play an intensive match … that’s our aim … we stick with the team that started so well against Costa Rica … we will not start and finish this match with 11 players … we need a strong bench … we have players who can influence and change matches from the bench … that is important … it was a 50-50 call to go with Jude [instead of Morgan Rogers] … I expected Mateo Kovacic to start so we have one slight tweak … we need to adapt our press … we are prepared for that … we are at the starting line … we let the players go and take the next steps.”
… so Jude Bellingham does indeed get the nod at 10 over Morgan Rogers. Anthony Gordon has been selected ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left, while Noni Madueke patrols the other flank; Bukayo Saka, not 100 percent fit, remains wrapped up safely on the bench. Ezri Konsa starts alongside John Stones in the centre of defence.
Croatia captain Luka Modric, 40, is about to appear at his fifth World Cup. He wins his 199th cap tonight. Ivan Perišić will make do with his 155th cap. Mateo Kovacic is on the bench and dreaming of cap number 114.
The teams
England: Pickford, Konsa, O’Reilly, Stones, James, Rice, Anderson, Bellingham, Kane, Gordon, Madueke.
Croatia: Livakovic, Stanisic, Gvardiol, Sutalo, Vuskovic, Modric, Mario Pasalic, Baturina, Petar Sucic, Perisic, Musa.
Way out west east. While the soccer stars get ready to rumble in Texas, art has broken out in Shoreditch, east London. “Dunno if it’s of interest but I’m sketching the England fans at the Old Blue Last,” writes Keith Williams, and very nice his work is too. Enjoy, observe, interpret, comprehend, appreciate, etc.
Some more scene-setting from our folk in Arlington. This comes to you from Guardian football writer and occasional meteorologist / retail trends analyst Ed Aarons.
It’s going to be a hot one at the Dallas Stadium for England’s opening game of the World Cup against Croatia, with temperatures expected to exceed 33 degrees when the game kicks off. Thankfully there is air conditioning throughout with a capacity crowd of 70,000 expected. Lots of England and Croatia fans have been gathering over the road from one of the entrances outside a Walmart, which I would imagine is much cheaper than buying drinks inside Fifa-land …
Some early team news. Courtesy of our man on the spot, Jacob Steinberg.
As predicted in today’s Super Soaraway Guardian, Jude Bellingham gets the nod at No10 for England. Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke are on the flanks, with the latter preferred to Bukayo Saka, who’s been trying to shake off an Achilles problem. Ezri Konsa is picked over Marc Guehi in central defence too.
Time To Kill pt III. Our comprehensive Player Guide features every single player going to North America this summer, with potted bios written by experts from all around the world. Contains no trace of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and that’s an Official Guardian Guarantee™.
Time To Kill pt II. Bracketology allows you to curate your very own World Cup pipe dream. Click yon, drag hither, plot a route, reconfigure. Or if you’ve not got that much precious time to waste, hit shuffle and see what pops up. I’ve just done that and Curaçao have beaten Iraq in the final. Once again – because it’s the second time I’ve tested and trailed the shuffle feature – England didn’t get out of their group, and I’m beginning to suspect the coding for this was done in Glasgow. Anyway, it’s good fun, so get on it!
Time To Kill pt I. You want preview pieces? We got preview pieces.
Preamble
It’s day seven of the 2026 World Cup, and finally England are on their way. They are Tom’s 26. Hear the roar, of the red, white and … ah who remembers that cheesy old song anyway? Point is, after an interminable wait, England are at long last getting down to business.
Whether they’d have hand-picked Croatia as their first opponents is a moot point. On the one hand, England are a young and vibrant team, the sap rising, while most of Croatia’s first choice are in their 30s and their captain and talisman Luka Modric is now into his fifth decade. But on the other, this is a team that reached the final in 2018 and the semis last time round, and all of that Croatian experience has got to count for something.
There’s also the small matter of the head to head. England have won the last two meetings between the countries, in November 2018 and at Euro 2020, but the big ones that really counted went Croatia’s way – in Euro 2008 qualifying and the 2018 World Cup semi – and those results cut deep. So yes, England would have probably preferred to start their campaign against Panama or Ghana, but here we all are. Can England get it right this time? Kick off is at 9pm BST, 3pm at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. It’s on!
UK News
Derek McInnes: Rangers appoint Hearts head coach as manager after Danny Rohl joins Red Bull Salzburg
Rangers have appointed Derek McInnes as manager on a three-year contract after agreeing a compensation deal with Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts.
McInnes is the third boss at Ibrox inside a year and replaces Danny Rohl, whose move to Austrian side RB Salzburg was confirmed earlier on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old joined Hearts from Kilmarnock last summer and led the Tynecastle club to a second-placed finish, missing out on the title to Celtic on a dramatic final day, but edging Rangers out of the Champions League qualifiers.
The former Rangers midfielder turned down an approach from the Ibrox club in December 2017 in order to stay at Aberdeen but has now followed Tynecastle captain Lawrence Shankland in moving from Hearts.
“It is a real honour,” McInnes said. “The demands here are clear and our supporters rightfully have high expectations. It is up to me, my staff and my players to meet those expectations, and have this club performing as it should.
“There is a lot of hard work ahead, but already the preparations have begun and I am looking forward to meeting the current squad in the coming weeks and welcoming some new faces.”
Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin and Craig Clark will assist McInnes.
While Rohl was head coach, McInnes will have the title of manager and was the frontrunner as soon as it emerged that the German was keen to leave for Salzburg.
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh said the Scot is “someone we have always rated highly” and is “exactly what this club needs at this moment in time”.
He added: “His deep Scottish and Rangers experience are important for us. He knows how to win in this league, and he is coming off an extremely strong season with Hearts.”
Rohl, 37, replaced Russell Martin as head coach in October and steered Rangers into a three-way title fight, but a post-split collapse yielded a third-placed finish behind Celtic and Hearts as the Ibrox club ended the campaign without silverware.
Cavenagh – who publicly backed Rohl at the end of the season – thanked him for his “service and commitment to Rangers”.
“He and his staff put in a significant amount of hard work during his time in charge, which we are greatly appreciative of,” he added.
Key events
Also going on:
HALF-TIME: Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
The goal was the final touch of the half, and I’m sure it happened exactly as Congo planned, the second movements after the ball goes short giving them the overload; there followed perfection, and do we got ourselves a ball-game? We got ourselves a ball-game!
GOOOOAAALLL! Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Wissa 45+5)
OY MY DAAAAAAAAYS! Fifty-two years after their last World Cup appearance, DRC have a goal! The corner goes short to Masuaku, Congo have an overload at the back post, and the ball in picks out Wissa, left alone, who leaps to punish a header past Diogo Costa! Celebrations are glorious, feelings of love and joy zooming around the world, and what a moment this is, exactly why we’re here and one that’ll live forever!
45+5 min Mbemba twisted his ankle winning the corner off Fernandes, so takes treatment, then we’re good to go again.
45+3 min Masuaku inside into Bakambi, who sends him away down the line, then he cuts back to Moutoussamy on the edge. This time, he tries a curler and again, he hits a man close by, this time a defender, and the ball loops behind. The corner yields another.
45+1 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
45 min In space, 25 yards out, Moutoussamy takes a pass from Mukau and decides to shoot after looking like he’s seeking any other alternative, ramming his effort into Wissa.
44 min “Quite right, returns Charles Antaki, who knows how to get himself published. “Portugal’s strip hasn’t been anything like us distinctive or pleasing since they changed from the old bulls-blood dark red shirt (as on their flag) to the dull high-street red indistinguishable from anybody else’s. Yes, I know that it probably sells better. Bah.”
42 min Portugal continue moving the ball but they’ve not created loads other than the goal. There’s a confidence about them, though – I don’t want to keep comparing them to Spain, but it’s our best reference point, and they’re playing with a lot more confidence and conviction.
40 min “I noticed today’s hydration break is instead labelled as a ‘match break’, says Justin Madson who, if I remember correctly, is in the US. “Seems the suits got tired of lying about the reason for the break.”
Or its deployment in matchers such as this one, where there’s no need, could not longer be defended.
38 min Bruno tosses another pass over the top for Mendes, who breaks into the box … then can’t find a pass. Those lofted passes for runners attacking the space are working really well for Portugal; without proper wingers, Spain wouldn’t do that against Cape Verde, though of course that’s not just because Lamine and Williams didn’t play but because De La Fuente picked Gave and Ferran to replace them when he might’ve tried Pino.
35 min “I don’t remember Ronaldo getting up to much in Euro 2016 other than being his usual petulant self,” says Fedor Tot. “He scored just three goals, and people forget that Portugal scraped through their group as one of the best third-placed teams, having drawn all three of their games. They won just once in normal time (Wales in the semis). His one good performance was in the final group game against Hungary, where his two goals admittedly rescued them to a 3-3 draw and got them through. In a ‘proper’ tournament without the best 3rd-placed nonsense they’d never have won!”
Oh I agree they weren’t a great team but, as you say, Ronaldo dragged them through that Hungary game and also scored the first against Wales in the semi. Nothing we’d seen of the team suggested not having him for the majority of the final was a good thing
33 min Kapaudi finds Kayembe, who takes the ball nicely, at inside-left, advances, and shoots … but the effort is deflected, off Veiga I think, and Diogo Costa catches easily enough.
32 min Mbemba jumps into Neto, elbow up but tight to his body, then yanks his shirt on the way down. He’s booked, a decision that seems harsh to me, then Mendes’ free-kick is kicked clear.
30 min Nice feet from Wan-Bissaka – do not adjust your sets, that is not a misprint – and he finds Wissa infield. From there, the ball goes wide, but Bakambu’s cross is headed away.
30 min And again, they try another low cross, this time through Cancelo on the right, a little deeper … but the ball has just too much on it for Ronaldo.
28 min We’re off again and Veiga flips a tasty pass over the top and down the line for Neto, who screeches forward and looks to find Ronaldo with a low cross … but a defender knocks it behind. Threcorner comes to nothing, and Portugal build again.
26 min It’s been pretty easy for Portugal so far – they’re being allowed to knock it about – but they’re so good at that, and if DRC press them, they leave space in behind. Really, the problem is the goal they conceded – they let Portugal have it for free, and know if they concede another, it’s over.
24 min We’re playing in a roofed, airconned stadium; it’s time for a hydration break.
22 min Portugal, er, “possess the football”.
20 min I wonder if, assuming they make the knockouts, Martinez has any plans to play bernardo a little deeper. At the moment, he’s off the right, but it’d be hard for any team to avoid being dominated by a trio of him, Vitinha and Neves. I also think Portugal have full-backs on whom they can rely for width, so a 4-3-1-2, with Bruno in the one and Neto alongside bruno in the two, feels like me to be their best big-game setup.
18 min The first flash of Bruno a lofted pass, with curl, into the path of Mendes, who bursts into the box between two defenders and, just as he’s about to shoot, Wan-Bisska wan-bissakas him, sliding in to heel the ball away. It hits the keeper’s chest, bounces out, and Buno picks up possession, dragging a shot wide of the far post.
16 min “Instant favourite football kit of this World Cup,” says Charles Antaki. “I don’t think many African teams wear light blue; probably because it’s not a popular colour in African flags. Anyway DRC have found a colour that seems to shine out in the gloom, with a pleasing flames-type design when you see it in close-up. Portugal a bit boring in all red. On the other hand, they are winning the game.”
It’s a little strange, actually – I’d expect Portugal’s shorts to be green, and the shade of red is much pinkier and less deep than usual, one you might think works better as an item of clothing, but doesn’t do it for me in the context of a football jersey.
14 min Better again from DRC, Bakamubu swerving around Mendes and Veiga, with men free, but he opts to shoot from 22 yards, the ball flying off Araujo and behind … for a corner that comes to nowt. I like what I’ve seen from the underdogs since they went behind.
13 min Bernardo launches himself into a challenge on Kayembe, of Watford, introduces studs to achilles, and he’s booked. Roonaldo points out that it’s his first offence, and it is: his first yellow-card offence.
11 min DRC’s first attack, Wan-Bissaka advancing down the right and the ball moving infield, Bakambu’s shot blocked before Wissa fires just wide with his left foot.
11 min “I believe you’re quite right about Ronaldo being a liability and Messi still an inspiration – and not only because Messi has always been a player of a higher class,” writes Geoff Wignall. “My many years of living in Portugal included the Euros triumph. From the admittedly small sample of a crowded local bar in which I was the lone estranjeiro, at least half the assembly felt Portugal’s chances improved once Ronaldo went off injured. This was in real time, not in retrospect: many comments about how, “now they can play as a team” – and he was much younger then. The reaction might also have been influenced of course by the number of Portuguese who can’t stand the bloke, notwithstanding the media narrative.”
Yeah, that’s definitely personal, because Ronaldo dragged them to that final more or less by himself. I seem to recall that when he went down, I contacted my local turf accountant for a price in France, which went well for me.
9 min I doubt DRC change their tactics now they’re behind – they’d take 1-0 after 70 minutes, I’m sure, and given goal difference is likely to decide which of the third-placed teams go through, there’s a lot to be said for a narrow defeat against one of the best sides in the competition.
GOAL! Portugal 1-0 DR Congo (Neves 6)
Neto tosses in a cross from left and, not for the first time, Neves is up, to glance a terrific header across Mpasi and into the far side-netting. DRC will wonder how, when they’ve got five defenders, a diminutive midfielder was able to score like that, but you can be good in the air without being tall, and he is.
6 min So far, the pattern of this game is similar to Spain v Cape Verde, attack against defence. But there’s more ingenuity about the way Portugal move – the ball and off it – Cancelo’s low cross whizzing across the face of goal, no one close enough to tap or slide it in.
5 min Portugal eschew an opportunity to put a ball into the box to keep passing – which I get, but I imagine Ronaldo fancies early service, and backs himself to win aerial challenges.
3 min Ronaldo takes his first touch and the buzz in the crowd is palpable. On which point, Mary Waltz emails in: “I am a massive Messi fan. But this need to pick one of them and rip the other is silly. Yes, the humble little guy Messi is easier to relate to than the at times arrogant Adonis but as far as football talent goes it is a 50/50 coin flip.
As blokes, I wouldn’t say I relate to either of them, though guess I “prefer” Messi; as players, I disagree. Obviously I think Ronaldo is incredible and the best player I’ve seen at my own club, but in the pantheon, I don’t think it’s close – Messi is miles ahead, “for me”.
2 min DRC are indeed fielding a back five, but it’s noticeable that, when Portgual have the ball in their own half, they’re stepping up quickly as a unit.
1 min Portugal kick-off and don’t go for touch as per the current vogue, instead keeping possession. They’re so out, dudes.
Righto, our teams huddle and we’re good to go.
The DRC players give their anthem plenty, and what a moment this is for the Congolese and their on-pitch representatives. Club football runs the world, but international tournaments agitate emotions in a way that’s completely different.
Anthem time – and, though we’ve been deprived of Il Canto degli Italiani, I’m a big fan of Portugal’s.
“When Messi scored a tap-in after a goalkeeping howler last night, the co-commentator called him a genius,” says Niall Mullen. “It’s early doors to hit the hyperbole so hard but I am interested to see if it escalates. Perhaps tonight Ronaldo will be declared a singular legend for winning a corner?”
In fairness, Messi is a genius and Ronaldo is a legend. I actually enjoyed that tap-in finish too, first because, after all these years, Messi was still the one alive to the potential for a fumble, and also because the finish, though simple, was still perfection, the angle at which he rolled it in making it impossible for the keeper to recover.
…and here they come!
Our teams are tunnelled…
Yoane Wissa is a player with plenty to prove in this competition. If we’re honest, he was something of a panic-buy, Newcastle under pressure to find someone who’d come to them and landing on him. But he won’t have expected to play as little as he did and presumably needs to find a new club, so could really do with excelling. And if there’s a weakness in this Portugal side, it’s at the back so, while he might not get much of the ball, when DRC get it forward, he’s a chance.
Learn more about Lumumba here; the film, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État – nominated for an Oscar in 2025 – is also worth your time.
I like DRC’s training tops. More news as I get it.
I’m looking forward to seeing Lumumba Vea in situ. His tribute to Patrick Lumumba, Congo’s first prime minister until his assassination, reminds us of the social and political struggles the country has had through on fault of its own. He is what the World Cup is all about.
I enjoyed Jacob Steinberg’s piece on Thomas Tuchel. Jacob covered him at Chelsea too, so knows and has observed him; I bet I’m not the only person to put TC Boyle’s Water Music on their wishlist.
“You wrote ‘Cristiano Ronaldo, his inability to press making it almost impossible to play a modern style’”, says Alex. “I wonder how the reigning world champions were capable of it despite being led by a man who hasn’t defended at all for more than a decade? Why is this narrative so much more emphasised with Ronaldo than so many other players who offer nothing defensively?”
Argentina had Rodrigo De Paul doing Lionel Messi’s running – I’m not sure Portugal have anyone able to do a similar job. It’s also the case that Messi offers more than just the final touch, which Ronaldo doesn’t really, and that without him, Argentina wouldn’t have got close to winning the last tournament, whereas I think Portugal would be better without Ronaldo because the rest of their attack is so good. Finally, I think the eye test confirms that – I watch Portugal frustrated they don’t have a more mobile man up front; watching Argentina, I don’t feel that way.
Email! “Let’s not forget that Cristiano Ronaldo, in an alternative World Cup not driven by profit, would be serving a three-game ban now for violent behaviour,” remembers Justin Kavanagh. “But Infantino has learned to honour the time-traditions of the host country, where laws are just for little people, inapplicable to the rich.”
Yup, as the story below illustrates. I guess in the context of the competition, the decision to let Ronaldo off has been largely ignored because there’s so much worse going on, but it is a stain on the competition’s sporting integrity.
Great news!
In the context, obviously.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how Axel Tuanzebe does in this one. As a teenager, he was viewed as a blue-chip prospect, and his performance when Manchester United won away to PSG in 2020 was magnificent. But injuries took their toll and things haven’t quite worked out for him since, but it was his goal that took DRC here and I’m expecting a decent performance from him because his top level is a good level.
I’m glad Portugal have played a proper winger, not Félix, who now looks destined not to fulfil the potential he had at 19, when Atlético Madrid paid £113m for him. Neto has pace, the ability to go both ways, and offers more out of possession than Leão, so the selection makes sense, another quick player to offset Ronaldo’s lack of speed.
DRC, meanwhile, move to a five at the back. I’m a little surprised Noah Sadiki has left out, but the three picked ahead of him have earned their spots.
Taking a closer look at the Portugal team, Dias is absent injured, but it’s perhaps a little surprising to see Gonçalo Inácio, whose passing has been so important, left out. Otherwise, the XI is pretty much as expected – the only choice Martínez had to make was who to pick in the left-wing berth, and he’s gone for Pedro Neto, not João Félix or Rafael Leão.
Teams!
Portugal (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Araújo, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Bernardo Silva, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo. Subs: Semedo, Dalot, Rui Silva, Conceição, João Félix, Guedes, Inácio, Trincão, Sá, Ramos, Nunes, Leão, Neves, Samú Costa, Dias.
Congo DR (5-3-2): Mpasi; Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapaudi, Masuaku; Moutoussamy, Mukau, Kayembe; Bakambu, Wissa. Subs: Banza, Batubinsika, Bongoda, Elia, Epolo, Fayulu, Kakuta, Mayele, Kalulu, Kayembe, Cipenga, Mbuku, Pickel, Sadiki, Tshibola.
Referee: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim (Qatar)
Preamble
Rui Patricio; Cédric, Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro; Carvalho; Sanches, Silva, João Mário; Nani, Ronaldo: names branded on to the soul of all Portuguese football fans. And yet the team which won the 2016 Euros, a first international title after a long wait and much pain, is so inferior to the one that’s since failed even to get close, it’s almost silly.
Football, though, is an art not a science, the job of balancing a team needing feel as much as calculation – feel which eluded Fernando Santos and, so far, has eluded Roberto Martínez too.
Previously, it’s been easy to blame Cristiano Ronaldo, his inability to press making it almost impossible to play a modern style and by whose mere presence everyone connected with team seems awed. Now, though, the tactical meta has changed a little – the best teams often sit off – and the players behind him are so good, their standing in the game so high, they really should be able to carry the physical slack while facilitating finishing that remains excellent. Their time is now – but also, their time was in 2020, 2022 and 2024 – with no guarantee that Bruno Fernandes, Berrnardo Silva, Rúben Dias and João Cancelo will sustain their current levels until 2028. That’s a lot of pressure for a group who’ve not worn it well.
Nor will DRC make things easy. Previously renowned for chaotic attacking, under Sébastien Desabre they’ve morphed into a doughty defensive outfit, one that is hard to penetrate but struggles to penetrate. They had to fight to qualify, needing a playoff and extra time, but now they’re here, participating in their first World Cup since 1974, they won’t be easy to shake. And, as Spain discovered, any team that is disciplined and organised can be hard to break down, the pedigree of the DRC back four – it features Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba and Arthur Masuaku – of far greater pedigree that Cape Verde’s.
Of course, the likeliest outcome is a comfortable Portugal win but, as the game – and real life – never tire of reminding us, they don’t care for what should happen, only for what does happen. The line between immortality and ignominy is thin.
Kick-off: 12pm local, 1pm EDT, 6pm BST, 3am AEST
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