Key events
Preamble
Hello everyone, and welcome to day 21, after a day that reminded you why you fell in love with the World Cup (for all the malevolent forces that attach themselves to it) as a young kid. Many of us were young kids when France last dazzled on the global stage the way they are currently doing, back in their Platini-Tigana-Giresse pomp four decades ago. To that level of flair this current France are adding a ruthlessness and efficiency that has everyone proclaiming them as favourites, and all of it was in evidence in New York as Sweden were swatted aside, Kylian Mbappé scoring two more and Michael Olise, player of the tournament so far for my money, conducting everything artfully just behind him.
And then Mexico overwhelmed Ecuador at a stormy Azteca on an occasion that can best be described as proper, on and off the pitch. A raucous, engaged partisan crowd of the type we’ve not seen enough of cheering on the co-hosts, who showed no sign of their customary knockout round jitters to set up a meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo or England.
Ah England. There’s an air of angst around them too after unconvincing performances against Ghana and Panama, and a sprightly DRC will pose new challenges. We’ll have all the buildup to the last 32 tie in Atlanta, the first of today’s matches at 5pm BST/12noon local.
Anyway, mail us your thoughts and in the meantime here’s yesterday’s match reports:
Leave a Reply