CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
They couldn’t, could they? They almost did. Fair play, Gianni Infantino, adding an extra knockout round has proved a worthy addition to the Geopolitics World Cup. Sure, the group stage occasionally dragged like a wet Sunday in February, with attendant Scottish and South Korean tears, and Uruguayan rage, but jeopardy is king content. And “the 32” signed off with an all-time classic that went close to delivering the greatest shock of all shocks.
Cape Verde – you say Cabo Verde, let’s call the whole thing off – took Argentina to the cliff edge. Lionel Messi had done the usual, another brilliant strike defying time, then came a further 90 minutes of drama. The third-smallest population to ever reach the big enchilada – behind Curaçao and Iceland, since you ask – held Argentinian hands, and those advertisers who have bet the farm on Messi, to the fire. Vozinha, an actual 40-year-old, the heights of his club career hit in Moldovan, Slovakian and Portuguese second-tier football, went very close to upstaging the great man. Those who wrote him off as a novelty act, a goalkeeper lauded when it was his defence doing the heavy lifting, might think again. Though probably not.
The only hot take possible post-match, as Argentina’s players sobbed tears of relief, was that Vozinha’s name will ring out as a cult hero for decades, a Pak Doo-ik, a Teófilo Cubillas, a Roger Milla. The GWC can be remembered for something beyond hydration breaks. The stage did not belong to Vozinha alone. Feel the quality of the goals from Deroy Duarte and Sidny Lopes Cabral, equalisers dragging Argentina to that place of great discomfort, infamy staring them in the kipper. This was Miami, Messi’s adopted home, where he has supplanted Gloria Estefan, Sonny Crockett, Ricardo Tubbs and Dan Marino as its most famous resident. An almighty gatecrashing of his homecoming party was only narrowly averted.
To set aside the heroics of the archipelago nation whose exploits set the planet Googling maps westwards of the Africa coast, how will Messi et al recover from those rigours? Next up, on Tuesday in Atlanta, Egypt, writing their own history by reaching the last 16, doing so after a flamin’ penalty shootout with Australia best remembered for Mat Ryan’s unfortunate role. Brought on as a special-teams replacement, Ryan didn’t get close to a single Egyptian kick, as Patrick Beach, the goalie he had replaced, looked on in bemusement. Tony Popovic’s trump card going up in flames should serve as a warning to others: don’t start getting funny ideas now, Thomas Tuchel. As for Cape Verde, they’ll always have for ever; whatever happens now, they will be recalled as the true heroes of summer 2026.
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We’ve made it to the last 16, reader! Join Scott Murray for Canada 1-2 Morocco at 6pm BST/1pm and then Beau Dure will be on hand at 10pm BST/5pm EDT for Paraguay 0-4 France. Yep, just the two matches. We’re getting there.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The schedule change hits like a kick in the stomach. We have to change the entire plan. I don’t like it at all” – a funky Javier Aguirre after news emerged that his co-hosts’ GWC last-16 kick-off with England in Mexico City was going to be brought forward by six hours due to the prospect of thunderstorms and flooding on Sunday evening. It later transpired that Fifa would leave it as a 6pm local (1am Monday BST) start after all, but only after a chaotic period of intense confusion in which both camps were left scrambling for clarity.
Have to say I just unsubscribed from Football Daily because of the relentless negativity during the GWC, both from the writers and the letters that are being published. Normally I enjoy a bit of snark but, my goodness, this seven-day-a-week version of the email is on another level. What a shame” – Jeff Round.
In honour of Gianni Infantino, I have decided to introduce my own hydration breaks when reading Football Daily. Following several cans of Tin each day, it almost becomes funny” – Martyn Shapter.
Re: yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs (full email edition). Education minister Jacqui Smith may have been planning a disco nap before watching England, but her ex-husband is more famously a fan of jazz” – David Maddock.
Re: Rick Costigan asking about giving the USA USA USA their exclamation marks and dropping the A (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). Does Rick know that their fans are already supporting his campaign? Having recently returned from Boston, Miami and Atlanta (final one was a stop-off on the way home to see Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birth place and resting place), the place was full of USA USA USA fans holding up signs and wearing T-shirts saying ‘Why not US?’. Does this count as the first mass movement in support of a letter to the Football Daily email?” – James Thomson.
As a Scotland supporter my interest in the GWC ended some weeks ago and, going by past statistics, won’t be rekindled until 2054. However one positive I’ve taken away has been the lack of players writhing in apparent absolute agony after the most innocuous tackle, once they realise play will just continue around them. I look forward to this continuing to be the policy when Stenhousemuir play Montrose next season in Scottish Division 1 on a wet Tuesday night at Ochilview Park” – Stevie Ewens.
At least a World Cup of Chocolate (Football Daily letters passim) would throw up some different winners from the GWC. My money is on a Belgium v Switzerland final after another disappointing semi-final exit for England” – Chris Ware.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … David Maddock. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
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