That’s a wrap for this blog – but the fun and games are only just starting. Strap yourselves in for three minute-by-minute blogs, one after the other, starting with coverage of Egypt’s clash with Uruguay. Thanks for your company. Bye!
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A couple of killer sticker stats: none of the first three goalscorers in Moscow on Monday – Yuri Gazinskiy, Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba – made the cut for the Russia squad in the book, and, apparently, 91 of the featured 576 players in the official album released in March did not make it to Russia. If you’re a stickerhead, as they call them, you will enjoy this:
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Also on day two: Morocco v Iran (4pm BST), Portugal v Spain (7pm). Iran have been at the centre of one of the more bizarre stories this summer:
The Iran head coach, Carlos Queiroz, has demanded an apology from Nike after the US sportswear firm said it could not supply the players with football boots for the World Cup because of sanctions.
“US sanctions mean that, as a US company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian National team at this time,” Nike had said in a statement.
Queiroz, whose side face Morocco in their Group B opener on Friday, said it was an unnecessary statement and asked Fifa to help.
And with Morocco taking on Iran in a bit, now’s the time to find out how the largely Islamic nations have fitted fasting around schedules:
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Among the starters for Uruguay, Matías Vecino:
For minute-by-minute coverage, Paul Doyle’s your man:
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Headline team news: there is no start for Mo Salah but there is for Luis Suárez. Héctor Cúper decides against giving Essam El-Hadary the nod in between the sticks, preventing him from becoming the oldest player to appear at a World Cup at 45, while Wigan Athletic’s Sam Morsy is on the bench for Egypt. Martin Cáceres, meanwhile, makes the Uruguay starting lineup but Lucas Torreira, in talks over a move to Arsenal from Sampdoria, is among the substitutes.
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Group A team news, kick-off 1pm:
Egypt: Elshenewy; Fathi, Gabr, Hegazi, Abdel Shafi; Hamed, Elneny; Trezeguet, Said, Warda; Mohsen
Subs: El-Hadary, Elmohamady, Gaber, Morsy, Salah, Kahraba, Ashraf, Sobhi, Hamdi, Ekramy, Shikabala, Samir
Uruguay: Muslera; Varela, Godín, Giménez, Cáceres; Nandez, Bentancur; Vecino, De Arrascaeta, Suárez; Cavani
Subs: Silva, Campana, Coates, Pereira, Silva, Laxalt, Rodriguez, Torreira, Urretaviscaya, Sanchez, Gomez, Stuani
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Who hit four goals for a losing side? Who was sent off after the final whistle? And who scored for both teams in the same match?
Egypt v Uruguay team news: Mohamed Salah is named on the bench after that shoulder problem, but Mohamed Elneny starts for Egypt.
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The biggest battle at the World Cup? BBC v ITV. One thing that took some getting used to was hearing referee Mark Clattenburg speak, and when he did chat VAR from the undercover analysis truck, that cumbersome Geordie twang of his:
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Our cartoonist on the opening ceremony and La Roja in chaos:
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The last time Spain played Portugal at a World Cup, a second-half David Villa strike separated the two teams in Cape Town in 2010. Spain, led by Carles Puyol, of course went on to lift the trophy in South Africa. They meet in Sochi at 7pm (BST).
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Donald McRae chats with Joshua Kimmich about Germany, Pep Guardiola and harnessing the favourites’ tag in Russia this summer:
Iran, managed by Carlos Queiroz, meet Morocco in St Petersburg this afternoon. “It’s always a special game, the first one,” Querioz said. “The first love is always something special. Playing against Morocco it is a must-win for both teams. We are very excited. I hope our performance will be competent.” Spain and Portugal, who complete Group B, duel this evening.
Toby Alderweireld is speaking at the Belgium press conference just outside Moscow this morning. He will doubtless be quizzed about his future, with Manchester United keen. He has two years left on his current deal at Tottenham. Will Alderweireld successfully stave off the questions, flat bat or release a self-indulgent Griezmann-esque video a few hours later?
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Back to the future, to 2030. The king of Morocco has made it crystal clear that they intend to bid to host the World Cup in 12 years’ time. They will be hoping it’s a case of sixth time lucky after losing out to the USA, Canada and Mexico in the hunt to land the 2026 competition. Have to say, think Morocco would host a brilliant tournament. A fascinating football-mad country.
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Good news for Iceland: Gylfi Sigurdsson is among those training at the Spartak Stadium this morning. The 28-year-old midfielder – who Everton shelled out £45m on last summer – has been working double-time to make sure he’s raring to go against Argentina on Saturday after picking up a knee injury against Brighton in March. He has been building his fitness in friendlies, and got himself on the scoresheet against Ghana last week.
Will the birthday boy start against Uruguay? Mo Salah, 26 today, is expected to be fit enough for Egypt’s Group A opener after recovering from that hearty whack from Sergio Ramos in the Champions League final. “I can almost assure you 100% he’ll play,” coach Héctor Cúper said of the Liverpool star.
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It sounds as though Mexico’s little pea could do with having a good tournament. The green shoots of Hirving Lozano, the PSV winger, and Porto’s Jesus Corona mean a changing of the guard is inevitable:
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Luis Suárez will lineup for Uruguay against Egypt a more mature player, according to his manager, Óscar Tabárez. Since gnawing at Giorgio Chiellini in 2014, Tabárez insists the 31-year-old Barcelona striker is a changed man. “What happened in Brazil is part of real life and of course it’s been a lesson for him to achieve greater maturity,” he said. “In addition to being a great player, he’s very smart, very intelligent, and he comes to the World Cup with a great deal of maturity so we are going to really capitalise on him.” We will soon find out, with that game getting under way in Ekaterinburg at 1pm.
Essential team guide viewing: tactics, key players and more:
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England are all smiles in Zelenogorsk, their training base near St Petersburg. After a bit of gym work this morning, it’s on to the grass:
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Marcus Rashford returns to England training this morning, after missing a couple of days with a knock to his knee. He is not expected to start against Tunisia but nevertheless, that’s a boost for Gareth Southgate. That’s basically a fully fit 23-man squad for the England manager before kick-off on Monday.
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Out on the Russian grass, Argentina and Belgium are in training, in Bronnitsy and Dedovsk respectively. Iceland play Argentina on Saturday, while Roberto Martínez’s side meet Panama in Sochi a few hours before England’s tournament gets under way in Volgograd.
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Leeds United + Marcelo Bielsa = a glorious few months?
Talking of Salah, here’s a lovely read, by Salma Islam:
Egypt’s date with Uruguay is in Ekaterinberg, the easternmost venue of the competition. That’s a feat in itself, but even more intriguing are the two temporary 45m-high stands at either of side of the stadium that loom awkwardly. You could forgive fans for any half-hearted celebrations if and when Mohamed Salah buries one into the bottom corner.
And, while we’re talking stadia, get the lowdown on all of them:
Argentina news of sorts: Leeds United are poised to appoint the rather wacky Marcelo Bielsa as their new head coach on a three-year contract. The 62-year-old, who led his country at the 2002 World Cup, was sacked by Lille in December. The Championship will be teeming with big names next season, with Frank Lampard recently taking over at Derby County.
Julian Lopetegui was in tears at his Real Madrid unveiling, in which he waxed lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo. He was readying Spain to face up to the Portuguese in Sochi this evening until the “saddest day of his life”:
This is Colombia’s sixth World Cup but few remember their first:
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John Barnes is on the TV ... any excuse. Of England, he says: “I expect England to get to the quarter-finals but with a bit of luck they can go further. I’d be happy with that and anything after that would be a bonus.” In terms of team news ahead of Monday’s match with Tunisia, it seems Gareth Southgate has already made up his mind:
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Day two of the World Cup was preceded by a 5-0 walloping of Saudi Arabia, but there will surely be none of that kind of stuff in Yekaterinburg today, when Egypt take on Uruguay a little later on. That’s part I, before Morocco v Iran and the big one if you like, Spain v Portugal in Sochi. And if you haven’t yet, get that warm fuzzy-feeling, courtesy of Egypt heartthrob Essam El-Hadary:
And with that, I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Ben Fisher, who will take this blog through until kick-off in the Egypt-Uruguay game. It’s been fun, thanks for your company. Until next time (which will be tomorrow).
You can’t talk about a World Cup these days without mentioning Panini stickers. They’re as ubiquitous as Gerd Müller used to be around the box. I have particularly fond memories of collecting as a child (although I bloody hate Peter Withe after he foiled my attempts at completing an early 80s domestic album) and have recently got back into it through my son. Seemingly everyone’s at it this year, including in Brazil, where Sam Cowie discovered meetings known as pontos de troca that have helped cash-strapped collectors band together and get round price increases.
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Am I wrong to think that whoever designed these drew on the original Ronaldo bust at Madeira Airport for inspiration?
No better time than the present to catch up on David Squires’ latest cartoon, featuring a GOAT (and Lionel Messi), Russia’s affable security forces and Gianni Infantino as Santa.
Mo Salah turns 26 today. The birthday boy is “100%” certain to feature in Egypts opener against Uruguay, according to coach Hector Cuper.
Happy Birthday, @MoSalah! 🎉#EGY#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/0Z0p3MW5qk
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) June 15, 2018
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In Egypt and Morocco, we get a first chance to run the rule over African teams later today. The pair are two of five from Africa that have reason to be confident heading into the group stage, but going further looks optimistic, writes Paul Doyle.
Just one day in and already we’ve been able to feast on some fantastic photography. Steven Bloor has been kind enough to compile some of the best shots from the opening day in Russia.
“Luis has got where he is because of the way he is: you see he gets angry, wound up, he fights, protests, competes. If he wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t be the player he is.” Uruguay’s Diego Godín fails to add “bites” to that list, as he opens up on Luis Suárez and unsurprisingly, sticks up for his teammate.
It’s a plug, delivered via some word play! Our senior sports writer Barney Ronay explains how you can help keep the Guardian’s football coverage in play.
Kick-off for Australia’s Group C opener, against France, is just 24 hours away, yet the identity of Bert van Marwijk’s starting XI remains cloudy. There’s a 2/3-way battle for the No9 position, involving Andrew Nabbout, Jamie Maclaren and Tomi Juric. Mark Milligan and Matthew Jurman are vying to partner Trent Sainsbury at the back and captain Mile Jedinak’s inclusion is far from a foregone conclusion. Then there’s the wildcard Daniel Arzani, this tournament’s youngest player, who has also forced his way into the mix. Our experts have had their say:
Here’s today’s back page, with the news that Harry Maguire is set to take to the field for England’s opening game, along with Jordan Henderson and Ashley Young. Not so lucky are Gary Cahill, Eric Dier and Danny Rose who will have to make do with a place on the bench in Volgograd.
GUARDIAN SPORT: High Five #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/dXG8QNa8Xg
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 14, 2018
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Marcel Desailly knows a thing or two about winning a World Cup. And you’d assume he knows a thing or two about the current France team too. So when he talks about Les Blues, we should listen. Here the former defender talks about opponents Australia (“it shouldn’t be too complicated ... but this is a key moment for the French team”), the attacking trio of Mbappé, Dembélé and Griezmann, and Paul Pogba’s role within Didier Deschamps’ side.
What is it about World Cups and ranking? [Please do not insert joke here.] Some other boffins have also ranked the most expensive players at this tournament, and figured out that 132 of the top 200 will wear Nike boots. Adidas will have 59. Quasar will have none. Fascinating stuff from Daniel Levitt.
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But now for some proper journalism, from Gary Younge.
Given the nature of Europe’s anxieties and the fact that, outside of the criminal justice system and unemployment lines, football teams are one of the few places where minorities are likely to be overrepresented, issues of racial, ethnic and national identity often feature heavily.
Ever wondered which nation has the most highly valued squad at this World Cup? No, me neither, but when this press release landed in my inbox the other day, I found out. It’s France, apparently, based on “estimated transfer values”.
1. France: $1.61bn
2. Spain: $1.55bn
3. Brazil: $1.47bn
4. Germany: $1.39bn
5. England: $1.38bn
For the record, Panama has the cheapest squad.
32. Panama: $14.9m
31. Saudi Arabia: $28.2m
30 .Peru: $54.5m
29. Iran: $67.3m
28. Costa Rica: $68.6m
The Socceroos weigh in at 27th with a total value of $72.5m. So there you go.
This just in from the Press Association:
A major US broadcaster has apologised to viewers over Robbie Williams’s one-finger salute. The former Take That singer marred what had been a vintage performance of his greatest hits during the World Cup’s opening ceremony by showing his middle finger to the camera. Williams made the offensive gesture during his last song, Rock DJ, prompting viewers to complain. A spokesman for the Fox network told the Hollywood Reporter that it was a “newsworthy event produced by a third party and carried live on Fox”. “As it was broadcast live, we did not know what would happen during Robbie Williams’s performance and we apologise,” the broadcaster said.
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It’s the question on everyone’s lips: how will the sacking of new Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui impact Spain’s chances of lifting the trophy for a second time? On the face of it, the camp had been thrown into chaos, just two days out from tonight’s opener against Portugal. But Sergio Ramos, the Spanish Greco Roman wrestling champion, is confident “it shouldn’t affect us at all for the tournament”.
“Live rolling coverage, endless BTL comments, none of them as pointless as this one,” writes a very self aware Fifedrum.
Meanwhile, I’ve dug this out from 2014. Nick Evershed writes:
Forget psychic turtles, oracular kangaroos and soothsaying cephalopods – there’s only one organism that has a decent track record predicting World Cup matches. During the 2010 World Cup, neuroscientist Patrick House wrote about a correlation between rates of infection with a protozoan parasite and success in the knockout stages. The parasite – Toxoplasma gondii – is a single-celled organism that causes the disease toxoplasmosis and is usually transmitted to people via raw meat or animal faeces. It’s particularly associated with cats because it can reproduce sexually only within a cat’s intestine.
But seriously, here’s a great story on a great man who genuinely makes a difference, through his football ability and way beyond.
You often hear of how powerful the world game is; how it can unite, it can save, it can power small electrical appliances etc etc. And now, you wouldn’t believe it, but it’s even been able to put smiles on Muscovites’ faces! How about that?
Even marine life appears to have been infected by World Cup fever.
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Here’s a nice way to kick things off – the Guardian’s pod squad, as they now appear to be called, on various topics, the most interesting of which is clearly Stalin’s facial hair. Well worth a 40-minute skive off work when you get the chance.
Preamble
Dull, they said. An uninspiring opener between the two lowest-ranked teams in the tournament, they said. Where’s the entertainment going to come from, they asked? Well, it turns they don’t know everything, and after Robbie Williams’s middle finger had taken centre stage, the entertainment was provided mostly by the boot of Denis Cheryshev, who came off the bench and scored twice in Russia’s 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia that heralded this 2018 World Cup.
Granted, it might not have been the most inspiring full 90 minutes of football ever witnessed, but surely no one can sniff at such a goal-fest to kick things off, especially given the fears of how a Russian no-show at the Luzhniki Stadium might transpire into a more general public malaise at the tournament.
Fear not though, the Russians are still in it! And so it is with a spring in our step that we head into day two, doubly so because today we get Portugal v Spain, arguably the most-anticipated match of the group stage (and one which is therefore surely destined to end 0-0). Indeed perhaps even triply so, because Mohamed Salah’s crocked shoulder will take its bow against Uruguay, for whom Luis Suarez will be looking for some kind of major tournament redemption by simply managing to not to succumb to his baser instincts. Salah’s shoulder could be there for the taking, though.
And then, as if our springy steps weren’t springy enough already, Morocco are playing Iran in the third game – undoubtedly the match of the day, and one which will certainly end 6-5, with three red cards and a ninth-minute stoppage-time winner, because, well because some have already dismissed it given the blockbusting nature of the other two games. And what do they know.
Any hoot, I’ll be with you for the next three hours, before Ben Fisher takes over and guides us through until the first kick-off the day, at which time we’ll have separate liveblogs as follows:
1pm BST/10pm AEST/8am EDT: Egypt v Uruguay – Group A
4pm BST/1am (Saturday) AEST/11am EDT: Morocco v Iran – Group B
7pm BST/4am (Saturday) AEST/2pm EDT: Portugal v Spain – Group B
In the meantime, feel free to get in touch on email (mike.hytner@theguardian.com) or Twitter (@mike_hytner) or below the line.
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