THE REAL QUIZ
While the Argentina-England semi-final carries its own geopolitical weight—marking 40 years since the infamous Hand of God and the first clash since a friendly 21 years ago—it’s the match between France and Spain that truly promises to be the spectacle. In Atlanta, England fans will finally have their moment to direct some choice words at Lionel Messi. Yet, the real highlight, the match with the potential to be the final in all but name, is the encounter between Les Bleus and La Roja.
France has sparkled since their second-half performance in their tournament opener against Senegal, establishing them as the more dynamic side compared to Spain—who, despite being the reigning European champions, has adopted a more cautious approach. Spain’s defensive solidity, marked by Unai Simón conceding just once, contrasts sharply with France’s explosive offensive play, which has seen them score 16 goals in six matches; their attacking lineup featuring stars like Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola is particularly daunting.
Didier Deschamps, despite the elevated level of his team, has labeled Spain as the favorites. “I don’t want to add extra pressure to Luis [de la Fuente] and [his] team,” remarked the France head coach, perhaps inadvertently increasing expectations. “He knows very well that people are expecting greatly of Spain.” Deschamps’ assessment is rooted in reality, given Spain’s recent success in the Euro 2024 semi-final and their thrilling 5-4 victory in last year’s Nations League. The anticipation is that a GWC semi-final might prompt a more restrained approach from both teams, possibly dampening the excitement of a high-scoring game.
It feels as though the winner of this match will claim the trophy, parading it down the aircraft stairs a week later. However, the losing team will also need to consider their image upon returning home, especially after Erling Haaland’s unexpected return to Norway with a taxidermied raccoon. Kylian Mbappé and Rodri may hope for a more glamorous arrival.
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Join Scott Murray from 8pm BST for live updates on the GWC semi-final between France and Spain, with the match expected to be a thrilling encounter.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him” said Abdoulaye Fall, president of Senegal’s football federation, commenting on the aftermath of their team’s exit. He controversially stated that their team doctor was “trained as a gynaecologist” The Association of Sports Medicine has vehemently rejected these claims as ‘It was an awful performance. I simply cannot understand how we played worse against 10 Czechs than against 11.’
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“Filling the gap in GWC action, I just watched Ein Sommer in Italien, the story of the 1990 World Cup from the perspective of the West German national team. It’s a fascinating documentary piece that mixes old home movie clips, archive TV footage, and fresh interviews with the 1990 squad. One moment really stood out. Having beaten Czechoslovakia to reach the semi-final, their manager Franz Beckenbauer wasn’t impressed. Interviewed on German TV straight after the game, he said: ‘It was an awful performance. I simply cannot understand how we played worse against 10 Czechs than against 11.’ As (substitute goalkeeper) Raimond Aumann recalled: ‘We’d won 1-0 and we were actually very happy with the result. Only one person wasn’t happy, and that was Franz.’ With the knowledge of what that German team went on to achieve, here’s hoping there’s a parallel with today’s England squad/manager dynamic,” wrote Roger Mart.
“Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. Thank you, grazie, merci, muchas gracias to Gianni Infantino, who has made this difficult week more bearable with his latest cash-wheeze brainwave. As an Irishman living in dread of waking next Sunday to a world where England might end the day as World Cup winners, you have at least given us something to look forward to for the next four years, by practically qualifying Ireland for your come-one-come-all 2030 jamboree,” expressed Justin Kavanagh.
“In recent tournaments you’ve provided us with the Ethics World Cup, the Human Rights World Cup and we’re now in the closing stages of the GWC. So I was wondering what name might be given to the next shindig and, with that in mind, may I humbly propose the Carbon Footprint World Cup? Given that it will take place in six different countries across three different continents, featuring a cast of nations limited only in size by the extent of FIFA’s potential ambition to make as many developing football nations as possible beholden to it, this seems the obvious choice,” suggested Andrew Payton.
“You’ve entirely overlooked the history that will be made on Tuesday at 8pm BST: Ireland will see two Bigger Cup matches kick off at the same time. Both Shamrock Rovers and Larne play in second-leg matches for the first qualifying round,” noted Alan Terlep.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Roger Mart. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
Here’s David Squires on … England’s high-wire act continuing to the semis.
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