2 hours ago
1
Key events
Iran are further pointing out how dreadful this World Cup is politically. Will Fifa do anything about it …?
Thomas Tuchel swapped the dugout for the mound as the England boss threw the first pitch for the Kansas City Royals the night after opening the World Cup with an impressive win.
Just over 24 hours after watching his side open their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, Tuchel went to Kauffman Stadium to perform the ceremonial act.
Captain Harry Kane and defenders Dan Burn and Djed Spence were watching their boss throw the ball to Royals manager Matt Quatraro ahead of the MLB clash with the St Louis Cardinals. Kane is no stranger to finding the strike zone, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals with a double against Croatia, and as a keen fan of American sports, he would like to do it with a bat in hand.
“Great recovery day with the boys at the baseball,” he said on social media. “Would love to give batting a go one day! Thanks for having us @Royals.”
Kane, who was pictured leaving the AT+T Stadium in Dallas with his left leg bandaged, had a low-key recovery day. “He got a strike, so fair play to him,” Kane, who has thrown out a first pitch at Yankees and Cubs games, told KansasCity.com “It’s not easy. It’s actually… that was the first time I’ve been up mound in 12 years, so you forget how far away it actually is.
“So, watching the professionals do it, and they’re launching that ball at 90, 100 miles per hour, it’s pretty impressive. So the boss has done pretty well. I’ll give him that. He was a little nervous before.”
He added: “We really appreciate it. I can say, for us to come here and get the treatment that we have already is obviously great. And I’m not sure where we’re sitting, but I’m sure the seats will be great, as well. So, yeah, all we can say is thank you to them.” PA Media
Because I am really cool, I was speaking to someone about Johan Manzambi before the match yesterday. Freiburg are open to selling him this summer but it would cost any buyer around €60m, maybe even more after last night’s goals.
Ben Fisher
Granit Xhaka pulled no punches after capping Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirming his pointed “blah-blah” celebration was in response to accusations that he stoked negativity within the Swiss camp.
Xhaka made a talking gesture with his right hand after scoring a stoppage-time penalty and afterwards said: “They know why I did it,” said the 33-year-old Sunderland captain. “I received thousands of messages. But I don’t read them anymore. I think I’m past that age. It doesn’t bother me at all. As mentioned, it’s something that can’t be influenced by me. That’s all I can say.”
Swiss media reported Xhaka’s critical comments of the team’s performance in their opening Group B draw with Qatar went down badly inside the squad.
“What I can influence is my performance on the pitch. And as mentioned before, if there is something to praise, then I am the first one who praises someone,” he said. “And if there is criticism, then I am also the first one who criticises someone.
“When I criticise, it doesn’t mean that I criticise others and not myself. And I start with myself first. And I think now, I’ve played almost 150 games for the national team now. And by now, you should know me too. If some can’t deal with criticism, then that’s a pity. And if someone has something to say, they should come to me about it.”
Johan Manzambi scored twice in the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina but Xhaka said he had no intention of presenting the 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder with the chance to complete his hat-trick.
“It’s not about the individual thing. We have rules,” Xhaka said. “He’s young, he has a big future in front of him, so let’s take the experienced players first for penalty takers. His time will come.”
On paper, yesterday’s fixtures promised little but it was a fun day across the tournament in the end.
Admittedly, Czechia v South Africa did not offer a great amount of quality but Hugo Broos did very angry about a few things. Sid Lowe was in Atlanta to watch and listen.
Ben Fisher was pondering what to write about with 20 minutes to go in Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina until the goals came flowing in.
Jeff Rueter was on hand to witness World Cup history as Canada won their first match at the tournament. Nine-man Qatar were hit for six but at the cost of a terrible leg break for Ismaël Koné.
Last but not least, Jonathan Wilson saw Mexico see off South Korea.
Preamble
Scotland are back in action, looking to back up their victory over Haiti against Morocco. They are in Boston, which is very convenient for the players and fans. If Steve Clarke’s can secure another maximum, it would put them into the knockout stages but the African champions will provide a much sterner test than Haiti.
We will have a thorough look back at yesterday’s results. Mexico became the first team to secure passage to the knockout stages by defeating South Korea. A new star was born in Switzerland as Johan Manzambi came off the bench to score twice against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Not forgetting that Czechia and South Africa drew.
All the latest from the England camp will be thrown your way, too.
Join us!
English (US) ·