….which means that’s us done here. Thanks all for your company and comments – sorry I couldn’t use them all. Peace out.
Aha, here’s Paul MacInnes’ match report…
“Clearly the king of the dead arm games is the Ring Game (also known as the Circle Game),” says Simon Thomas. And here’s a picture of Richard III showing what a bad bloke he was, even from beyond the grave.”
The Germany v Japan game should be fun. Japan have some speed and the ability to get in behind Die Mannschaft’s high line; Germany have Jamal Musiala, one of the world’s form players currently (yes, and lots of other gooduns too).
Join the legendary Scott Murray for that, now.
Back on ITV, national treasures, Ian Wright and Roy Keane are both saying the players should just wear the armbands and take whatever the punishment is. They either believe in something or they don’t.
Tangentially, one of my favourite singles of recent times:
“Yellow car Sweden,” begins Fredrik Lorentzson. “Our post cars were yellow, too, but they never counted. Only private cars gave you the right, or even the obligation, to hit somebody else’s upper arm. ‘Cheese on wheels’ would have saved me a lot of bruises when my kids were younger.”
But cost you world of sadistic and masochistic joy.
“Some comments about international teams with consistently beautiful kits,” says Matt Dony, “and then a link to an interview about Wales’ performance. Freudian.”
This one was a beauty.
MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE
“A London World Cup?” says Richard Hirst. “Following up one of yesterday’s MBMs, Forest could hold the World Cup on their own.”
I missed that, so you’ll have to enlighten me.
That’s our third 0-0 in 24 hours. I doubt we see another today, though, and those we have seen haven’t been dreadful so I don’t think there’s any reason to get upset.
FULL-TIME: Morocco 0-0 Croatia
We saw this coming at the start, and though it was a fairly enjoyable version of the genre, both sides lack edge in attack.
90+6 min Hello! Amallah shoves Livaja over, and Croatia have a free-kick 40 yards out, on the left, which should be the final play of the game. Modric’s cross is headed clear, and that’s that.
90+5 min Here comes Ezzalzouli again … and there goes Ezzalzouli again, walked through by Juranovic.
90+3 min Ziyech slides in and upends Modric, somehow escaping a card. The ref has let loads go here, which is good to see – who can forget the dismissal of Marco Ethchevery in the first game of USA 94.
90+3 min The Moroccan fans are giving it loads as their team pursue a winner, but when Attiyat Allah chucks long, Croatia head clear.
90+1 min We’ll have six added minutes.
90 min Croatia send Orsic on for Perisic.
90 min “True, teams don’t have to constantly hop into planes at this tournament,” says Daniel L. Gurfinkiel. “But several fans will have to do it, seeing how there’s an accommodation crisis in Qatar. So yeah, not a great tradeoff.”
No one’s saying the World Cup should be in Qatar – it shouldn’t. But discussion of the consequences seems a reasonable thing to do.
88 min Ezzalzouli is trying desperately hard to impress and it’s not unamusing. Here, he befuddles Juranovic with the majesty of his Cruyff turn, missing the ball entirely; glorious.
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86 min Saiss tries to pick a pass into midfield but Gvardiol reads it and nips in, sliding a similar pass through the middle for Livaja … but it’s too strong.
85 min Ziyech tries to pick another of those perfect passes, a reverse-clip for Hamdallah .. who doesn’t win the header but even if he had done, he couldn’t go for goal and there was no one “in and around” him to pick up a potential knockdown.
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83 min Morocco have more speed about their play than Croatia, but they’ve not quite picked the right passes at the right times. They might, though, try and get more men into the box because at the moment, they’re reliant on everything being done perfectly, instead of putting themselves in position to pick up second balls and bum touches.
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81 min Morocco send on Hamdallah and Sabiri for En Nesyri and Ounahi. They’re going for the win.
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80 min Modric looks for Gvardiol at the back post, where he’s penalised for climbing.
79 min Croatia send on Majer for Kovacic, then Gavrdiol hurls in a long throw that’s headed away. Croatia sustain that attack, though, and when Juranovic chips a ball down the line it hits Amallah’s arm, and Croatia have another free-kick out on the right. Here comes Modric again…
78 min Modric, espying Amrabat on his inside, drops a shoulder to allow the ball to pass on his outside, so Amrabat clatters him and is booked.
78 min “South Koreans never refer to themselves as 남한 (‘nam han’ - literally South Han) as Michael suggests,” instructs Nigel Ollala, “although they do call North Korea 북한 (‘buk han’ - North Han). I don’t think South Koreans would say that they are south anywhere, but instead that the north of their country is occupied. On TV in Korea you’ll see 대한민국 (‘dae han min guk’ - Republic of Korea) crammed on the screen. 한국 (‘han guk’ - Han Land) could be used. This refers to the peninsular as a whole, but is used interchangeably. North Koreans use a totally different set of names for South Korea - 남조선, the peninsular - 조선, and their country - 조선민주주의인민공화국 (!) All this, plus the fact that many countries have more than one language (so which do you choose?) means I’d just stick to English based abbreviations.”
Us: telt.
76 min Sosa advances down the left and lofts a cross to no one, but the game is more open now, which means Modric’s influence is growing.
74 min “Barry Ragin’s game,” begins Robert Coates. “We used to do something similar (00s in Bognor), with yellow minis. Or any yellow car really, it was a boy’s school so any excuse for a dead arm…”
I went to a mixed school where dead arms were also popular, but bicycle rides – taking the sideboard and twirling it around – and donkey bites – grabbing a chunk of flesh just above and inside the knee – were also common.
73 min This time, Modric picks out Bono and Morocco counter, Ezzalzouli weaving forward at speed with Attiyay Allah outside him. But he doesn’t fancy the pass so shimmies infield instead, hoping to create a shooting lane, only to be crowded out.
71 min Modric’s delivery is beautiful, forcing Aguerd – I think – to leap into a poke behind, facing his own goal, to concede a corner … which yields another, Livaja leaping high and forcing Aguerd to nod behind.
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70 min Croatia are patient, though, and when Modric finds Juranovic, Ezzalzouli isn’t, shoving him in the back. Free-kick Croatia out on the right touchline, 35 yards from goal – and before it, Livaja replaces Kramaric.
69 min A bit of Croatia possession as the Moroccans in the crowd whistle their disapproval; Morocco’s defensive spacing, though, is excellent, shutting down angles and pockets between the lines.
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67 min Morocco give it away to Modric, but he can’t pick a telling pass, and here’s my derash on him: he’s still good enough to be good playing with brilliant players at Madrid, but I’m not sure he’s still good enough to elevate a team like Croatia.
66 min Yup, here comes Ezzalzouli, replacing the anonymous Boufal.
65 min Ziyech casually shoves it inside and square, allowing Hakimi to accelerate onto it, and he absolutely explodes into a shot that Livkovic punches away! That was a proper effort.
63 min It might just be opening up ab bit, and when Amallah turns away from Modric, he wears a challenge on his phizog and Morocco have a free-kick 30 yards out, left of centre.
63 min But here comes Hakimi down the right, crossing low, but En Nesyri is ahead of the ball and can’t collect it from behind him.
62 min Quality centre-forwards are useful; who knew. And that’s the problem with this game: neither side really has one off who to play, or able to conjure space.
60 min Mazraoui is stretchered off, sitting up, and replaced by Attiyat Allah.
59 min Ach, Mazraoui is down again – I think he jiggered his pelvic performing that diving header. I’m not sure he’ll be able to go on.
57 min “Just seen Wilko Johnson’s death announced,” returns Richard Hirst. “Must be worth an MBM tribute.”
Believe. Godspeed, old mate.
55 min We’re away again.
53 min Mazraoui needs treatment, but he’ll be fine.
52 min It’s a goodun too, Persic getting a flick and Bono doing really well to get down among the boots and find what he’s looking for, the ball, before Lovren slides sideways and sends the ball at 90 degrees, towards goal … and Mazraoui blocks in front of the line.
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51 min Croatia counter, Modric lofting a fine ball out to Juraonvic who crosses well, earning a corner.
50 min And, as I type that, Boufal shoots … and does that hit Lovren’s arm? In the meantime, Mazraoui dives to head at the far post and Livkovic saves, but that effort did hit the aforementioned arm – though it was close to the body. I’m happy with no penalty.
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49 min It’s been a slow start to the half, and neither side has loads on the bench to supply the missing edge. I do, though, wonder if Morocco might try Abdessamad Ezzalzouli at some point – but in the meantime, their press is keeping Croatia pinned inside their own half.
48 min “When my kids were small (late 80s/early 90s) in North Carolina,” recounts Barry Ragin, “they and their cousins (New York-based) would play this game using e Beetles as the spotted object. I do not recall this from my own childhood. First one to see the VW would declare ‘punch baggy (colour of car) no punchbacks!'’ while punching your shoulder.”
We’re going to start a dead-arm epidemic here. I’m all for it!
46 min We go again – once Amrabat joins us – Croatia having replaced the presumably injured Vlasic with Pasalic
“One factor in how energetic the games have been is the lack of travel,” says Kári Tulinius. “The teams aren’t getting on a plane every three days and spending hours in the air. Instead they can rest and relax.”
A London World Cup! Now we’re chattin! Soon as this is done I’m calling Fifa and Sadiq.
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I love the MBM part 1. Only joking, part 74,502. Here’s Fredrik Lorentzson responding to Michel Lacquiere’s question: “ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes are the three-letter country codes used. Often – almost always – derived from English names, but sometimes from another language, guess which? Ivory Coast is CIV, Morocco is MAR, Romania is ROU.”
Great stuff, thanks.
“Morocco may have Bono in goal,” says Joe Shelton, “but Croatia seem to have the edge in midfield … sorry.”
Arf. I can’t lie, Imade a mental note to find a suitable pun, but you’ve nailed it. On which point, Bono gave an interview to Vogue recently – it’s wild in various aspects – but what really tickled me was him forgetting his wife’s birthday then writing her a song to say sorry … the Sweetest Thing. Imagine that: Bono tells you he’s written you a tune, and it’s that dirge. You’d be livid! And the piece is worth clicking on, because after that yarn comes one of the great segues, a proper netbuster.
Half-time email: “I’d also favour the use of accents by commentators,” says David Hopkins, “but why not take it a step further? I’d like to hear commentators adopting the appropriate regional accent depending on which England player is on the ball - north-east for Pickford or Henderson, north-west for Rashford, Brummie for Grealish etc. It’d be easier now than in 1990 of course, when a very thick Geordie accent would have been required for half the squad.”
It’s especially great when a player has a name ideal for their cadence – Terknee Merrbrey achieves the perfect aspect.
That was fast-paced and intense half, but a lack of quality in the final third – and some decent defending – means we’ve not had much in the way of goalmouth action. It should, though, open up after the break because both sides are trying to win.
HALF-TIME: Morocco 0-0 Croatia
That was pleasant.
45+2 min Here come Croatia again, Aguerd blocking Brozovic’s shot, and the loose ball flies over to Modric, who leathers just over the top, left-footed, from 20 yards.
45 min There’ll be two added minutes. Is that it?
45 min Here come Croatia down the left, Perisic finding Sosa who crosses well and low … and here’s Vlasic sliding in in front of his man! He makes a decent connection too, firm with the outside of his right boot, but Bono is down at his near post to save and hold on. I think that’s our first shot on target.
44 min Vlasic is fine to continue and Morocco go again, Ziyech lofting down the right for Ounahi, but Gvardiol comes across to cover well.
42 min Vlasic is down with some kind of calf situation. He’s not the first! “Pick that segue out,” as the great Rob Smyth is fond of saying.
Victoria Derbyshire: ‘Nigel Owens, how was that Wales game for you?’
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) November 21, 2022
Former Rugby Union referee Nigel Owens: ‘To be honest I missed the first half, I had a cow calving at the farm’
#Newsnight | https://t.co/P0zxS1Voyd | @vicderbyshire pic.twitter.com/j75D5ddnkn
41 min Ziyech hits the first man and Croatia clear.
40 min Clever ball from Ziyech, ctrl c, ctrl v, sliding into Ounahi – down the right of the the box – who commits an error not uncommon in international football: immediately trying to pick out the star man. His return is miles off its target, but Morocco sustain the attack, and Hakimi is pulled back down the right. Free-kick, and a decent chance to get a decent cross in.
40 min “Definitely think you are right regarding the tempo,” says Thomas Krantz. “Most players are switched-on right from the first minute which is a stark contrast to what it usually looks like.”
38 min Ahahahaha! Brozovic veers by Amrabat, who barges through him like it’s a school corridor. That’s a cunning ploy really, because the equivalent level of violence applied to legs and it’s a definite yellow; this, though, allows him to escape with just a free-kick against.
37 min Lovely feet from Brozovic in midfield, skipping around a challenge and spreading to Vlasic out right. But Saiss is out to him quickly, and Morocco are now back passing.
35 min “Are we really all agreed that the Croatia kit is the best?” challenges Rory Davies. “I’ve never got the obsession with it. Chuck it over a table and pop a Chianti bottle with a candle in it and I can see the attraction. As a football kit? No thanks. Anyway, everyone knows that Italy always have the best kit at the World Cup - oh, hang on …”
I guess it’s because the war in Yugoslavia is still fresh in the memory, so what the flag represents is always there, along with the fact that it’s unique – both as a flag and a football kit. But yes, Italy do boast some bangers.
34 min Juranovic, of whom we’ve not seen much, gets forward for what feels like the first time and crosses low, but again Saiss is in sharply, sliding to intercept.
33 min It’s got a bit scrappy out there. I’ve not especially felt this in the other entertaining games we’ve seen that have been low-scoring, but this one could use a goal.
31 min “I note that ITV (and presumably not the host broadcaster) have in their little scoreline icon in the top left, the letters ‘MAR’ to denote Morocco, presumably to reflect that in at least one of its native tongues it is known as ‘Maroc’,” notes Michael Lacquiere. “In the interests of pedantry my mind is therefore suitably boggled as to why Croatia is not therefore denoted by HRV or some similar abbreviation of Hrvatska. Indeed, I wonder whether we can look forward to seeing DEU when Germany feature later, or 남한 when South Korea are in action?”
That would be tremendous. In similar vein, I often wonder about accents when I head commentators performing them, because they only tend to do it with French and Spanish, but should, by that rationale, deploy them for Scottish, Welsh and so on.
29 min Amallah finds some space, so Brozovic finds his ankles. This is an enjoyable tussle so far, in which Morocco have a minor edge, but as we know, Croatia’s passers are capable of taking over a game when it slows down in the second half.
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28 min “You should try Yellow Car in France,” says Richard Hirst, “where the post cars/vans are yellow. And there are a lot of post vehicles in France!”
Last weekend, I got nailed when my daughter saw a yellow bus on a picture in a friends’ house. Which now makes me wonder if I can print such thing carry it in my pocket, and remove it whenever the mood takes me.
26 min Kramaric pulls right, and as a consequence, when he zetzes over a cross, there’s no one in the middle to attack it.
25 min Amrabat, out on the left, lofts a clever pass over the top and into the box, where En Nesyri has made a clever run towards the line. But Lovren, who lost him initially, pursues well, so is there to make the challenge once the ball drops.
24 min I’m wondering if the mid-season World Cup is improving the quality of the football as, though there are players missing who’d have made a summer edition because they had time to recover form knack, those who are fit aren’t exhausted. I say that because the pace of the games has been unlike international tournaments of the recent past – though it’s also true that the game has probably sped up in recent years.
22 min The corner is half-cleared, and Croatia get back on the ball to start their passing again.
21 min It’s Ziyech, who spanks straight into the wall, then Croatia break with Kramaric who loses the ball, wins it back and, from the right, feeds it inside for Vlasic … but a timely challenge from I’m not sure who sends it behind for a corner.
19 min Hakimi mooches across the face of the D and Modric comes in to challenge, getting a flick on the ball and a whole boot on the metatarsus. Free-kick Morocco, 25 yards out, dead centre. Ziyech fancies this, likewise Hakimi…
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18 min Lovely from Morocco, Hakimi and Ziyech exchanging passes following a quick throw before Ziyech ziyechs, curling a gorgeous cross into the middle and En Nesyri is up! But he misses his header, and that is a significant oversight.
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1s min “YELLOW CAR SPOTTO!?” bellows a profoundly affronted Matin Cain. “Everyone knows this is called ‘Cheese on Wheels’ – you spot a yellow car & say ‘cheese on wheels’ for the point. Bonus for yellow mini is ‘mini punch, no returns’.
17 min Amallah gives the ball away to Perisic in centrefield, and he advances then unleashes, a swerving, floaty effort that dips not far over the bar, but Bono had it covered.
15 min Perisic is wearing number 4 and playing on the left-wing – I fear not, I’ve informed the Hague – and he finds Modric out wide, who diddles his man with a stepover before drilling low across the face. But that lack of a centre-forward is in evidence, no one gambling to get on the end of it.
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13 min Vlasic heads on and Kramaric collects nicely, but it’s him against 17 defenders and he’s quickly unloaded. Morocco then counter, Ziyech nipping inside onto his left foot and shooting … but Lovren blocks at source, then Hakimi rinses down the right and crosses low, but a deflection takes the ball back to Livkovic. there’s a decent tempo to this game, though not, as yet, much quality.
11 min Excellent work from Ziyech, who catches Kovacic in possession and finds Ounahi, but when the ball comes back, Gvardiol is on-hand to make the challenge. On Gvardiol, by the way, I’m told he could be very special but haven’t seen loads of Leipzig; do those who have think that’s the case?
10 min I guess it makes sense for Morocco to try and get at the Croatia back four, because that’s the best way to stop them getting the ball into midfield – their biggest weapon and exactly what they’re trying to do.
9 min Morocco are pressing Croatia high – that’s interesting, and should speed up the game – but Ziyech then leaves one on Gvardiol who is, incidentally, wearing a mask.
7 min “I’d like to mention a fun addition to the game Yellow Car Punch,” emails Kieran McHugh. “Namely Green Car Hair Skruffle. Especially good if the younger participants are too small to skruffle anyone else’s hair. You also appear to have forgotten to mention the ‘No returns’ rule vital to avoid out and out anarchy.”
I wonder what Bakunin and Proudhon would make of it. But in our house, ‘No Returns"’ is just assumed because the rule is that the person who sees the car first administers punishment, not anyone who sees it anytime. Although my daughter has begun hitting me in advance, when she knows there’s one coming up.
7 min Morocco make a business of getting the corner away, even though it’s deflected to Gvardiol on the edge, but they get there in the end.
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5 min A poor Morocco throw is intercepted by Kovacic, who prods forward towards Kramaric just inside the box, but Saiss is in sharply to put the ball behind before sharing some sentiments with his teammates.
4 min Morocco get their passing going, Hakimi and Ounahi moving down the right, but Ounahi runs into trouble on halfway and Croatia begin knocking it about once more.
3 min Modric sends Vlasic down the right, but his cross is deflected and Bono collects easily and under no pressure.
2 min Walid Regragui, the Moroccan manager, is already on the touchline enduring stress. I’ve not a clue how people in his position maintain any semblance of calm.
1 min We’re all agreed that Croatia have the best kits, right? This one has a kind of apron down the front – maybe they’re having lobster afterwards – so it’s not as good as the full check, but it’s still absolutely nails
1 min Off we go!
“I grew up in Devon,” says Sam Ryan “but used to go to London a lot. A three-hour drive each time. We had a game to guess the number of roundabouts on the A303 on the trip, and it was my job to note it down each time we went through one. My Dad won. I think the total was 17. Ah.....childhood. What memories!”
Arf. When we’d go to Manchester to visit my gran, my parents liked to call out “mezuzah” when we drove through the Jewish area in which she lived, a mezuzah being a doorpost-mounted affair which marks out a Jewish house. It was a real thrill, I can tell you.
Morocco’s anthem, by the way, is low-key banger, and the Moroccans in the crowd give it absolutely loads.
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Anthem time, flags to the fore and hands on hearts. Politics and football don’t mix, apparently.
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And here they come!
Teams: tunnelled.
Moving from advanced strategy games to today’s, that Croatia midfield is extremely proper. I can’t lie, I spent a while wondering what it was Mateo Kovacic did other than get swapped with Ross Barkley, but he’s grown into a very nice ball-carrier and handy physical presence. I wonder, though, if Morocco can out-run them.
Eyes:
“Daniel, please don’t quote my name (I prefer anonymity)“ says someone we shall refer to as Mr X. “But the definitive Yellow Car player is Arthur Shappey (alter ego of John Finnemore in the excellent Cabin Pressure).
I’m afraid that without the dead arm, I can’t get on board. I think it’s like paintballing which, if it didn’t hurt, would not be fun.
Something I just learnt from Wikipedia: Trent’s maternal grandmother was once in a relationship with Alex Ferguson, before she emigrated to New York. Meantime, Philip Malcolm points out that he has three first names, which makes me think of him as Brazilian, Trentão.
“As a child growing up in the Midlands,” says Richard O’Hagan, “we played a version of Yellow Car/Spotto on family car journeys. It was called ‘My Bridge’ and involved trying to be the first to shout that phrase every time we saw a bridge. It was only years later that I realised that my parents always scored the most bridges because they were sat in the front and the four of us kids were jammed in the back with a greatly restricted view of the road ahead.”
Four in the back, that’s not something you see often. I used to get collected from school by a childminder, and in her Vauxhall Chevette would be one in the front and one in the front footwell, five in the back, one in each footwell and one perched on that middle lump.
“I wish they would show the club teams of the players involved next to their names,” muses Kevin in Chicago, “so we’d have a reasonable idea of the level they are at. That is all.”
You’ve come to the right place!
Harry Kane, incidentally, has an ankle situation. If he doesn’t make USA on Friday, Gareth Southgate will, presumably, pick between Callum Wilson, a proper centre-forward, or Marcus Rashford, a better player with more experience at the top level. I think I’d lean Wilson to try and keep the same system, and get the ball held up as well as possible. But I see both sides.
Elite-level sportsfolk are incredible. We’re watching VT of “Trent” – that’s going to come across as a tired gag, but really I’m trying to avoid typing “Alexander-Arnold” – and he’s been asked about how he thinks he’s defended this season. Amazingly, he said that people talk about the times when you do your job badly, not when you do your job well; I might try that at home next time I smash something. But that’s the self-confidence you need to be as brilliant as he is, and I can’t believe England picking him would ever be any kind of debate. I wouldn’t start him, but if I needed a goal – and especially if had Harry Kane – he’d be one of my first changes every time.
“In Australia,” emails Penelope Cottier, “when there’s a yellow car visible, the first to yell ‘Spotto’ wins. That is the only rule of the game. It’s called Spotto, surprisingly.”
So we’re saying there’s no physical element? Total mental disintegration, I guess.
“This hitting someone on seeing a yellow car has been around for some years,” says Tim Skern. “Ten years ago, my daughters used to drive me potty whacking each other in the back of the car every time they saw a yellow one. I never quite understood the fun of it.”
Causing minor pain to people I love was is a central part of my chlidhood life. Same as ruckusing with your friends, ragging them over stuff they did 37 years ago, that kind of thing. Fro what it’s worth, I wrote about this kind of thing here.
ITV are now showing us a collection of the best World Cup volleys. Conspicuous by its absence, though was this belter – and check out the hashtag for more favourites.
#FavouriteWorldCupGoals Ivor Allchurch for Wales v Hungary 1958. pic.twitter.com/e4U1oTJUdY
— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) November 21, 2022
Nigel de Jong just suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo go to Sporting, become majority owner, appoint himself player-manager, then become chairman when he’s finished playing. That’d be so en vogue it’s almost imploring us not to waste our time
fighting blind-minded thoughts of despair, but I’m not sure it’s entirely likely.
Football is the greatest, part Infinity:
When @JackGrealish scored his first World Cup goal, he stayed true to his promise.
— England (@England) November 22, 2022
Today, Jack made a call to Finlay to talk about that special celebration ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jtgdJ2fOoZ
Time taken by ITV to make its England pivot: seven minutes.
In similar vein: a game I’ve learnt from my nine-year-old daughter, common in 20s London (and presumably elsewhere): Yellow Car. It goes like this: you see a yellow car, you shout “yellow car” and dispense a dead arm to whoever you’re with.
Let me share a massive déja vu I just enjoyed: Joe Cole pronouncing “world” as “weld”, extremely common gear in 80s London. Also of that ilk: “embarrassed” pronounced as “embarrissed”.
Teams!
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saïss, Mazraoui; Amrabat, Ounahi; Amallah, Boufal, Ziyech; En Nesyri. Subs: Hamdallah, Zaroury, Sabiri, El Kajoui, Chair, Jabrane, Aboukhlal, Ezzalzouli, El Yamiq, Dari, Cheddira, Tagnaouti, El Khannouss, Benoun, Attiat Allah.
Croatia (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvadiol, Sosa; Brozovic, Modric, Kovacic; Vladic, Kramaric, Perisic. Subs: Grbic, Ivusic, Stanisic, Barisic, Erlic, Majer, Livaja, Pasalic, Petkovic, Budimir, Orsic, Vida, Sutalo, Sucic, Jakic.
Referee: Fernando Andrés Rapallini (Argentina)
Preamble
And it don’t stop! As if yesterday’s antics weren’t enough, here commenceth another quadruple game-day, a tasty tetris of World Cup FootballTM for our delectation. Bing-bing whee sliiiide.
At Mexico 86, Morocco became the first African nation to advance from the group stages, beaten by a late Lothar Matthäus free-kick in the last 16. And though they’ve only qualified three items since then, failing to replicate that achievement on each occasion, they’ve got some serious players this time around so will be quietly confident of doing something here.
The star of Moroccan football is the electric Achraf Hakimi, a one-man right flank. But on the left, Bayern’s Noussair Mazraoui is also excellent while, in between, are Roman Saïss formerly of Wolves and Nayef Aguerd of West Ham; that’s a pretty sound defence. In front of them can be found Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea, whose guile is so crucial that, when he fell out with Vahid Halilhodzic, it was the coach who made way. I do wonder if they’ll struggle for goals - Youssef En-Nesyri, their likely centre-forward, is not exactly prolific – but he can play so, if the attacking midfielders can get around him, his team are in business.
Croatia, meanwhile, are a minor version of Germany’s Turniermannschaft – tournament team – a constant presence in the later stages of proceedings. And looking at their current side, the potential for more success is there. Josip Juranovic – of Celtic – is a dynamic right-back , while in the middle and on the left of the back four, Josko Gvardiol and Bosko Sutalo have elite-level potential.
But it’s in midfield where Croatia’s class consistently tells and though the tremendous Ivan Rakitic has departed, neither Luka Modric nor his genius have done likewise, and next to him, Marcelo Brozovic provides first-class ballast. Like Morocco, though, Croatia lack a reliable scorer, which is to say that even if goals are at a premium, both these sides will fancy themselves to accompany Belgium, the likely group winners, into the last 16, so we can expect another engrossing, uplifting match.
Kick-off: 1pm local, 10am GMT
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