DISCUSSION: Argentina vs. Egypt; Switzerland vs. Colombia

The day before the day without football, and a review of the final matches in the round of 16, in which Argentina found a way, and Colombia didn't. 

To follow our Patreon page for exclusive series on international topics, copy and paste the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/FriendsofWorldSportsetcPatreon

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Hello everyone, welcome back to World Cup football, etc., on the day before we have a day with no football whatsoever. Although, depending on when you're listening to this, this may actually be the day that we have no football whatsoever. What are you going to do, Declan? Foot spar? One of those things that they do in Asia where fish nibble at your toes?

SPEAKER_02 0:46

I'm probably going to have a haircut. I'll probably have my nails painted. And I might go to the gym tomorrow because that six-pack that started and I like we were talking about the other night at the at the World Cup beginning seems to be disappearing. So I might go and do those three things tomorrow. What about yourself?

SPEAKER_03 1:03

What's what's the longest you've ever had your hair? Because I don't think I've seen a lot of photographs of you from your youth at various World Cups, and um you seem to have always kept it in check.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Uh one of my many nicknames um is is um cheesehead. And it's got nothing to do with Wisconsin. But when I was uh back uh got here in the 80s, you know, obviously living in Florida, nice climate, lots of people, the beach type people, um, surfing dudes. Um I had my hair quite long in those days, and and I had uh uh quite a long uh almost Australian type hairstyle without the uh without the moustache, without the tash. Uh so the the cheese head still people refer to me as cheese head. And um, you know, obviously since I've graduated from university, I've been in the corporate world, I've always kept uh a relatively good, um, you know, nice, relatively short hairstyle. The problem I'm always facing is I'm a ginger.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Well, I don't I don't think that's innately obvious when when uh in close proximity. There's a so that you're definitely light, but it's not entirely obvious that there's um there's some redheads um to you.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Ginger and proud, that's me.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

There you go. Paul, what are your um what are your plans? Uh an extended um uh brave heart length phone call with the um with your other half.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Um yeah, of course. Uh I mean uh that's uh as you said the first day that we're that I actually have time for that and uh don't have to to think about the the games of the day. Um I'm probably uh probably doing that and and relaxing a bit uh and actually uh see how how my body reacts and my psyche of course to uh to not be able to to watch a game.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

You know what, John, it's really funny because Paul and I were talking earlier on. There seems to be no rhyme or reason or logic to the timings of the games.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Yeah, there isn't, is there? It's sure.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Eastern Standard Time, the the two games were 12 noon lunchtime and four o'clock in the afternoon. To me, again, you know, global TV is global TV and you're pandering to audiences around the world. But a a a good afternoon game, wherever you look you're located, you know, as the tournaments here in this hemisphere, and a good evening game to me at this stage of the tournament makes perfectly good sense.

SPEAKER_03 3:31

Yeah, and there was there was a game a couple of days ago which started at half past the hour as well, which is even weirder than the normally. It reminded me of um Venezuela under Hugo Chavez in the early 2000s when he decided that um he said that um having your your country's time on the hour was an American colonialist, imperialistic conceit, and he set Venezuelan time to quarter past the hour. He said that was Venezuela's natural time. Um, but uh yeah, I've got no idea why why they've moved around so much because even wherever you put them, as you say, by this stage of the of the tournament, the thing is people get used to it and can kind of make some plans around where these things are uh they're happening, but it does seem to be completely sort of made up on the on the hoove today's matches, in particular the first one, which seems very strange times.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Yeah, my my brother George, who lives in uh the UK and I were dissecting the whole experience in Mexico City, and you know, he he went to bed, I think, at five o'clock in the morning, and then he was uh he had to get up at six o'clock, so he had an hour's sleep the other night.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

Yeah, that's that's that's never good, is it? Um, but let's uh let's come to that first match at the awkward time or not. The uh the the action certainly wasn't awkward at all. Let me just give you uh a quick sort of roundup of the game because it really was incredible. Uh, of course, Argentina versus Egypt. Egypt uh started off definitely on the front foot, took the game to Argentina, reigning world champions, and then in the 15th uh minute, Yasser Ibrahim outmusled Lissandro Martinez uh from across to Powerheimer header, which gave Egypt a shock 1-0 lead. At that point, it seemed as though the world was turning upside down, but more was more was to follow. Argentina then uh soon after earned a penalty, but Egyptian goalkeeper Mustafa Shobahir made a spectacular diving save to deny Lionel Messi's spot kick. To be fair, it wasn't his best spot kick, uh the best spot kick he's ever taken. And it was the second penalty that um that Messi has now missed at this World Cup. Shobah then played out of his skin and kept Argentina frustrated for the rest of the half, pulling off uh world-class stop after world-class stop, in particular one from Julian Alvarez down low to his left, which was just an absolute worldie. And then after halftime, Egypt continued to threaten on the on the counter-attack. But then at that point, it's you still sort of thought that Argentina were going to sort of pull it back. Um, but uh then Egypt pulled, they doubled their lead when Mostafa Siko finished a sort of sweeping counter. And then after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out because Marwen Atier stepped on Lissandro Martinez's foot 17 seconds prior in the build-up. That was the beginning of the injustice that um the Egypt began to start to feel. Undeterred though, they they continued, and then in the 67th minute, Mostafa Siko scored, putting Egypt's 2-0 up. And from that point, it all completely seemed over, really. Down 2-0 with only 11 minutes of normal time left. But then, of course, Argentina, or Argentina, and this Argentina with Leo Lionel Messi at the heart of it, just don't know when they're when they're beaten. And I think it's fair to say this was a sort of a comeback. Well, I mean, we haven't seen a comeback like this in in the World Cup. This is a this was a um a comeback in which no team, the prize of this, no team had ever been down 2-0 as late in the game and proceeded to come back and win in normal time. And the goals are in the 79th minute. Christian Romero, much maligned Christian Romero, uh, gave Argentina a lifeline um by uh by heading home across from Leo Messi. Leo Messi seemed to me to be on fire by that point. He was just sort of just took things to another to another level. And then at that point, in the 83rd minute, four minutes later, Messi scores. Uh, redemption collected a pass from Gonzalo Montiel and uh rifled home a half-volley off the keeper, and then the underside of the crossbar. There was no way that was just being kept out uh to level it to all. And then um the 92nd minute in stoppage time, right after Egypt had claimed that uh Mo Salah had been tripped in the box, uh, Argentina broke on a on a counter-attack, and La Baro Martinez lofted a cross across to Enzo Fernandez, who at that point just buried a bullet header to secure the 3-2 victory. And what was the third 3,000th goal in World Cup history? But who cares that that was about that statistic? Because what a comeback, Declan. What's your reaction?

SPEAKER_02 7:52

I never saw Argentina getting back into it. They had their body language, the the way they were playing, the fact that Messi had missed the penalty early earlier on, which is now uh he's missed four out of his eight career World Cup penalties, so he's only been scoring 50%. Um, and is he's the first player to have missed two penalties in the same World Cup, which is amazing for the world's best ever play at. But um, I thought um Egypt were going to be professional enough with 11 minutes to go to be able to close that game out. And fair play to Argentina. I mean, again, the the as you said, the much maligned Christian Christian Romero, you know, having saved himself all season the topman for the um for the world of again comes up Trump's uh and and you know it was uh a decent header, poor defending by Egypt. Um Messi's goal was incredible from a technique perspective. You know, if you looked at it in slow motion, you know, the vast majority of the world's population, if they were in that position, that bull would have been up in row Z, row X or row P. It wouldn't, it was just incredible tech tech technique he showed. And then, you know, again, the um the the much maligned Fernandez as well. It was a it was uh obviously a controversial play, um how it played out. However, the header he scored was textbook, it was sensational. I absolutely love the way he scored that goal, and um there's there's thousands and thousands of uh Argentinian fans that left the Atlanta Stadium massively relieved, and thousands millions of Argentinian fans and Messi fans in particular around the world who were very relieved that uh onwards they go to see Switzerland um coming up soon on Saturday night in Kansas.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Yeah, we'll be um we'll we'll come to that, but I think they'll generally be happy as well about uh that um that this the Swiss going through against Colombia because there's a there's a they've got some Argentina have some history against Colombia. I think a quarter final there would have been would have been a toss-up. But uh yeah, we'll come to that in a minute. Paul, um, I thought the emotions at the end of the match as well, how there was a complete, of course, anger from from Egypt. They felt not that there'd been there would have been a number of injustices and they were hard done by but from the from the Argentines, I mean Messi breaking out into tears, the his the entire side, the entire squad, of course, uh reacting to him again as though he is their sort of their their saviour. And then I don't know if you saw um uh scaloni's Lionel Scaloni's um interview immediately, pitch side, immediately after the the final whistle, where he um he was interviewed and he was asked how he was feeling, and he said, I am English translation, of course. I can't look up, I'm too emotional, because he was just he was balling. What a group of player players. That's it. I have to go, and off he went.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah, I think that um that his reaction to the third goal said all. Uh he was just uh you you could have thought that that he was actually coaching the the uh the the other team, Egypt, um, because he was just putting his both his hands in front of his mouth um uh by showing that he could he can't believe what what just happened uh over the last 15 minutes there. Um and I mean rightfully so. I think that um if you if you played um almost 70 minutes uh and and are you and you're back uh by two goals, um it's uh it's almost uh it is almost unbelievable that you can come back from this. And I mean Argentina, not to be a party crasher, but I think that that it's a little bit emblematic for uh for what's uh what's about to come for Argentina because um now with uh the game against Cape Verde and like the game against Egypt, they conceded two goals, and it was both, and these were both matches against um the basically the biggest outsiders to um to have a chance against um against Argentina. And uh the it was way too close. It was just way, way too close. You can't concede two goals. If you play against the Norway, for example, which would be um uh my prime example uh of a team which would um which would exploit these um um this weakness uh of Argentina, then Argentina is in in real trouble. So I completely get the the emotionality um and on both sides um in this match. And uh I don't think in the end that that Egypt really was uh uh was was done bad here. Um I mean there was uh there were quite quite a few controversial decisions, but but nothing very clear where you where you could say this was absolutely wrong. Um this should have gone the other way. And I mean, on the other hand, put a spectacular performance uh by by Egypt. Um biggest surprise for me um so far uh the this this this performance against um against Argentina, as well as the previous biggest surprise was the performance from Cape Verde against Argentina. Um so really kudos to Egypt. Um definitely uh something they should build upon. And um, I mean Egypt is is just uh such a big country, and for them um in Africa to to be um yeah one of the one of the few big teams which have uh never been to a World Cup um since 1934, I think. Um and actually reached the reached the knockout stages um since 1934, um uh is definitely was corrected this year, let's say, and I think that that they definitely can build on. Um Mosala, of course, will be probably out. And we've seen on many occasions today that if you would have a younger striker with similar uh from a similar quality, um the game could have gone even um even better for for um for Egypt today. Uh yeah, an amazing game, yeah. No matter what.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Egypt definitely felt like a team transformed. I thought that was by far, by some distance, their best match at the tournament. And if you take the match before against uh Cape Verde as well, uh Paul, as you say, it seems as though uh understandably, because everybody knows, of course, that Argentina are the holding world uh champions, that sides are kind of raising their their game to play against Argentina, but but Declan, it's actually what Paul sort of mentioned just now is is a question I've uh I have for you as well, because it across the last two matches, um, of course, Argentina have scraped through through character as much as footballing skill. And then I guess the question is do those two matches tell us how vulnerable Argentina are, or do they tell us that they whatever happens, that they've just got the character and emotional strength to just pull the game out of the bag, whatever the odds?

SPEAKER_02 14:48

I think it's gonna be really interesting. Uh, although like I completely concur and agree that the Colombia-Argentina game would have been uh a much better next game for the neutrals, that would have been sensational. I actually think Switzerland are getting better and better. Uh, so I think that the next game is gonna really answer that question, John. I think that Argentina have been somewhat lucky, they've been sort of getting through. Um but now this game tonight or this afternoon could be the catalyst to get some wind in their sails. I still think they're not as convincing as everyone thinks they are. I think they're a bit suspicious at the back, and you know, bringing on Ottomendi, who is past his sell by date to shore up the back towards the end of the game, says it all. Um so I I think it's gonna be a very interesting game, and I actually think that uh the obviously we'll talk about the um the Switzerland game in a little while, but I actually think that Switzerland are getting into some uh a good rich vein of form at the moment, and they're not gonna be a pushover for them when they play in Kansas on um on Saturday night. I um I mean again, I think that's the the it's really interesting because the whole situation, you know, with regards to that uh the the VAR questions is is really interesting because I I I didn't think that Salas was a penalty, um, and I didn't think McAllister's was necessarily a bad, it was just a a situation when when they scored the winning goal, Enzo Fernandez. Um, but it's really quite interesting how there seems to be conspiracy theories, which I don't necessarily agree with, where they are having inconsistencies on how the VAR looks back. It went back to Chalkov uh Egypt's goal in in early on, but they didn't check that penalty that immediately uh preceded Argentina's winner. So, you know, the this on social media, uh particularly Egyptian social media, they're pointing out that Argentina had three goals earlier on in the tournament after fouls in the build-up that weren't reviewed by VAR. So it's it's gonna be quite interesting. That is gonna go on and on and percolate uh that whole situation, and there's gonna be bad memories for the Egyptians. But I actually think the Egyptian team had done very well indeed uh to get as far as they have, and they were 11 minutes away plus extra time uh from from playing against Switzerland, which which again from a football perspective would have been a bit of a downer for most of the world. So at least there's gonna be some interest in an Argentina-Switzerland game uh rather than an Egypt-Switzerland game. But um uh Argentina is still not convincing to answer your question.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

Yeah, um, let's come to the to the Egypt uh Switzerland, Egypt Switzerland, sorry, to the Columbia-Switzerland game. I think you're right, Declan. I thought um actually, despite the fact that it was nil-nil, it was a really again compelling game. I mean, it was just back and forth. There wasn't that much goal action there, but um but I thought in the sort of middle third, if you like, both teams were actually played really well. They're sort of fast, accurate, um, swift transitions of of play. And I thought that the Swiss looked um really good. Of course, Paul, they are now your adopted uh nation given the fact that Germany went out what like five rounds ago. Um, so what's your uh what's your assessment of where Switzerland are at the moment and their and how how they played today and their chances for for further in the tournament?

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I would put Switzerland in a similar basket as I've put Norway into. Um they just have um no pressure at all on them, no expectations. Um they came, of course, uh famously into the game with with quite a bad performance, with a 1-1 against Qatar of all um of all teams, and then just gradually um became better, and also probably realized um that uh what what they're actually um able to do, um, and I I feel that this has been just building um game over game over game, um, and culminated now in in beating, I would say still um not a really not a really persuasive or persuading um Colombia today. Um their their usual it was very very interesting how how both teams kind of equaled out um their chances. And uh this was I mean apart from from um from shots um on uh in total and shots on go was a very very equal um equally balanced uh balanced game um with I think both teams having um having uh almost exactly the equal um equal possession uh in the end. And Colombia just uh I had the feeling that Colombia just did not want to win in the end. I didn't think uh that they uh in contrast to to Argentina, um they didn't have this uh last 15 minutes, now we we we have to do something, we have to change something, or we just have to whatever, right? Um and and this this didn't happen, and and Switzerland was just playing along and um yeah, didn't have 50 million people, um uh passionate football fans um in the in the back of their hats, knowing that um what what a sub what a what a what a big um big failure it would be and uh and a disappointment if if they would go out and I think that um that is uh just the the swift the Swiss uh strength this this world cup.

SPEAKER_02 20:38

Easy for you, easy for you to say, Paul.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Let's come to Colombia, uh Declan. Um I mean I thought they played pretty well again as they have done through the entire tournament. But I but if you take away the match against Uzbekistan, Colombia have scored two goals in four matches. Of course they've conceded none, but still that tell given their their sort of the the attacking their attacking firepower and the way with which they move the ball, uh I mean, two goals in four matches just doesn't cut it.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

Yeah, they were definitely a bit impotent up front, and uh uh as Paul and I were saying on an earlier podcast, when they played Ghana, they totally dominated uh and ended up winning 1-0. Uh so that's probably the root cause of um of of why they haven't advanced. You know, both Switzerland and Colombia don't have a great record of um success in in um in tournament uh penalty shootouts at the end after extra time. And and I ironically, the last time that Colombia played in the penalty shootout was in the Luzneki Stadium in uh Moscow in 2018. Unfortunately, I was there with Tommy and um We uh we s we saw uh Pickford make a fantastic save and then uh uh Dyer uh score the goal, which got took the monkey off England's back. But I think there's gonna be general disappointment in Colombia because like they are quite a breathtaking team. They're very easy on the eye, and um you know s sadly they you know when it comes to it's a bit of a lottery when it comes down to to penalty kicks and and and and it can go either way. Um big big cliches there. Uh and and Switzerland took care of business. But again, we've spoken in previous podcasts as to the history uh of Switzerland and how how well they've done actually qualifying for World Cups.

SPEAKER_03 22:44

Yeah, very consistent.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Yeah, very consistent going back to you know the the uh the 1930s, the 1934s, um, you know, X number of the last ten World Cups, they've been in, you know, a a good number of them. And then if you think about it, and I I still am you know scarred by the Euros in 2024, you know, they they took England to a penalty shootout in Duss in uh Düsseldorf uh when the game ended 1-1, and um England won 5-3 on penalties to get into the semifinals of the Euros. So I I think that that it's almost like they're sort of floating under the radar screen because if you look at their you know record, particularly over the last 25 years or so, Switzerland have been there or thereabouts in the conversation, you know. Um Norway uh you know uh have been you know sort of getting their act together over the years. They've been you know, the last time they were in a World Cup was 1998. Switzerland have always been in the conversation in recent World Cups. So I I actually think that they are going to be no pushover for Argentina, and um, you know, the the fact that they've now got this monkey off their back with the with the penalty uh shootout things, it means that if it goes down to something like that, they're gonna have a lot more confidence in getting through if they um if if it does go to uh you know extra time in their penalties on Saturday night.

SPEAKER_03 24:15

Um, Paul, six European nations have reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That's the highest number of European teams, UEFA teams at this stage of a tournament held outside of Europe since 1994, which of course is also held in the USA, when seven European nations reached the quarterfinals, although that year Brazil went on to win. Um but uh what does that tell us, if if anything, about the relative strength of European size? Because we've also been at the same time as as sort of facing up to this fact. Um, certainly when you and I covered uh sort of reviewed the Latin American nations, we we said about generally how well that uh it felt they as though they'd they'd done. And um, and I know that you and Declan are going to do a review of of African sides um soon. And and it and uh the African sides I think have generally represented themselves quite well also at this World Cup. So what's the truth of this um of this statistic? Which which way would you land on it?

SPEAKER_01 25:11

A good question. Um, I would say that um, I mean, you've spoken about the Swiss consistency, for example. I think that um that I mean that the top European sides you now see in in um in the quarterfinals um are of course uh France uh and and Spain and England as well. Um so you always would expect these um these uh countries to all be in the quarterfinals. Um Germany, for example, uh is not among them, um, which usually you would also expect to be among them. I would actually argue that um, especially the African teams in the round of 32 were to me kind of a big disappointment. Um almost across the board, I would of course thought that Senegal has a very good shot um to go into the the semifinals, as well as Morocco. I mean they both uh fought over the um the Afcon title uh just uh just six months earlier uh from now. But then you had the Ivory Coast. I would have uh expected that that they were um that they were a much stronger side um not only against Norway because Norway is is uh has proven itself to be uh the dark horse of of this tournament so far. And um it was it was not I think they they didn't lose by by a lot, you know. The DR Congo uh game against England as well. Um and uh yeah, and then uh uh in the end, I think uh it is just uh European consistency versus African um still African teams still being on the up, but not enough to really be um be a danger as a continent across the board, which I think will uh will will be uh a completely different picture in in four years, at least. I I hope so. And um and uh and for for South America, um I would say that uh also a disappointment. I mean, starting with with Argentina, I I really think that uh that they that they performed not uh not truly as a as a contender, uh as a real contender for the title. And um, yeah, Colombia, we spoke about that. So it's more about these sides being weaker than the European sides being uh being actually uh being actually the strongest ones.

SPEAKER_03 27:32

The the other way of interpreting that, Declan, would be that um, because one of the fears which we spoke about at length was about when you expand a tournament in the way that this tournament is expanded, that you're gonna get a lot of one-sided fixtures. But um my reading or watching the fixtures is that there have been very few um sound beatings that actually uh a lot of the the sides that perhaps historically would have been perhaps easier wins for say European sides or Argentina or or Brazil have really um increased their level of of place pretty significantly in this tournament.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Yeah, I mean I've I I think you know based on a little bit of research earlier on that UEFA actually, you know, with with the s with the six um the the teams that they've got into the the uh the quarterfinals, the six of the eight teams, they actually lead on raw quantity of success. Uh i.e. you know, the most round of sixteen and quarterfinal teams. But the African Confederation and and ironically, Connor actually, based on the the um the statistics, based boast the uh best efficiency, which means obviously Africa is nine out of ten teams going through into the round of 32 is fantastic. Um but ultimately there there was a a decent number of European teams who haven't got through. What I actually think is quite outstanding as well is that the you know the Asian, the AFC Confederation uh their their um uh uh success was pretty terrible really because only two of the nine reached of the teams that were in it reached the round of 32, which was Japan and Australia, which is very bad. Based on uh Uncle Sep and his um decisions back in uh uh the late 90s uh and and and leading to the Japan-Koreer World Cup, etc. etc. They they were all thinking at the time, Sepp and his guys were thinking that um you know Asia would become this global power, and they've massively disappointed in this particular tournament. Um, and although I just said you know, the overall picture is that Carnival have done quite well, which is South America, uh Argentina were 11 minutes plus extra time away from being eliminated, which would have been absolutely incredible that there was no South American teams in the quarterfinals. So um Argentina are definitely flying the flag for that the uh um South American um continent right now.

SPEAKER_03 30:09

Let's um let's move to the our own internal competition as regards, well it's not really much of a competition, but um always interesting as regards listeners and where people are tuning in from. Uh, we'd spoken before about uh uh the sort of the top nations being the United States, United Kingdom, and and Canada, and those uh top three are still there. Next up was Norway, in uh perhaps a surprise figure, then followed by Australia, but that's now changed. Australia, as of the last few podcasts, have now officially overtaken Norway. Uh, and then in sixth and seventh place, we had Ireland and then France, and France, remarkably, has now overtaken uh Ireland. Figures from Mexico uh have increased substantially in the last uh week. Probably a lot of that has to do with our live events uh as well. But guess who's come straight into ninth place, Paul? One guess.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

Germany.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

No, Germany are in tenth. Uh Declan, uh, guess who's come straight at uncharted has come straight in, bounced right back and come into ninth place.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

You're kidding me. You're not telling me that the whole population of Cape Verde, Kappa Verde, are now listening to us.

SPEAKER_03 31:23

No, they're not. But Israel, remember we lost our single Israel listener. Well, now it seems we've got multiple listeners in Jerusalem and and further afield. Israel has come from absolutely nowhere to ninth place in the um in the listener stakes. So yeah, who would have who would have thought that? Absolutely in incredible.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

Is there any is there any way that you can get the um the the marketing uh team at World Cup Football, etc., to send the original listener like a a World Cup football, etc., mug or a sign picture of you two, something like that?

SPEAKER_03 32:02

Well, it it's interesting, isn't it? Because we when we the danger to hear is now because when we referenced our single Israeli listener, uh they disappeared for a while. So I don't know whether us talking about Israeli listeners again is gonna have it the same effect. And in even if it is the same listener who has expanded the network or if this is a whole new listening contingent or multiple listening contingents perhaps that have uh that have established themselves in in Israel, I would ask our single Israeli listener to to let us know. But um, you know, they they didn't last time, so I'm not gonna uh sort of call them out for that. But if if your other if you other listeners in in Israel would like to write to us and let us know um how you came across us and where you're listening in from, uh don't forget that the email for yourselves or for anybody else is world cup etc. at gmail.com, E-T-C-E-T-E-R-A. And uh just as we come into these latter stages of the World Cup, uh please do share with others if you're enjoying the um the content and the and the listening and the and the analysis and Paul continually saying that one team is gonna 100% win over another team, a unique, unique punditry from Paul Schmidt Troschka, then please do do share information about the about the podcast. It's all massively appreciated. Uh we're at the section of the of the recording uh that uh is now a crowd favorite, my least favorite, of course, because you both pull out uh stories from from nowhere, uh seemingly at random, but uh we are where we are. Any uh any final thoughts you would like to to share to um uh to our uh broad international listenership.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Come on, Paul, you must have something to say.

SPEAKER_01 33:46

No, I I was uh I was actually banking on on you having something to say, as always. I mean, I also usually do. Um, but no, today I I uh let go of everything um that was uh inside me.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

If neither if neither of you have something to say, then I'm going to bring up the fact that with the um uh with Colombia's uh elimination, uh Argentine manager of Colombia, Nesto Lorenzo, has also gone, leaving Lionel Scaloni as the final Argentine manager in this World Cup. Quick pop quiz for both of you, Declan. Let's start with you. How many Argentine managers were there were represented at this World Cup? I would say five. Okay. Paul, have you got any further takes? Uh any any other guesses beyond five?

SPEAKER_01 34:42

Um, I would I would say I would go with with uh with six.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

Yep, you are absolutely right. Six is the correct answer. Highest representation of any of any managers uh uh uh by nation, other World Cup. We should do a feature on um on the sort of national makeup of managers because it is interesting how there is a sort of a perception of certain skills based around countries. Interestingly, other than Carlo and Charlotte Brazil, all uh South American nations at this World Cup were managed by Argentine managers. Scaloni for Argentina, Bielsa, Uruguay, Gustavo Alfaro, Paraguay, Nestor Lorenzo, Colombia, and Sebastian Beccachese and Ecuador, and the sixth one, the sixth Argentine manager. Easy question for you, this Declan. Sorry, say that again, John. You've cut out for a second. So we have the five Argentine managers uh managing uh sides from South America. Who is the sixth Argentine manager at this World Cup?

SPEAKER_02 35:39

Uh you've got me there. You've got me there. Because what you're what you're doing is is is a Gordon question here. He knows all the answers and he just puts you on the spot. Well, it's a very it's very close to home, this one.

SPEAKER_03 35:50

Think think about it. The most stylish manager at this World Cup. Oh, Pochettina. There you go. There you go. On that note, uh, that was my I've been saving up that interruption to to pull you two out of the out of the mesh when you didn't come up with anything yourselves. But uh no, I think an interesting start um as regards how uh Argentine managers are generally perceived, especially in Latin America.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

I think I think um obviously we've had some very very good content today, but I think um to Paul's point earlier on, it's it's quite nice to have a day off uh tomorrow and to recharge the batteries and get uh completely refreshed for the upcoming quarterfinals, of which most of them are uh you know gonna be very interesting games.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Yeah, definitely. Once you finish at the foot spar, just send us a message and we'll we'll connect up and we'll do a preview of the quarterfinals to go live.

SPEAKER_02 36:42

Yeah, so my my um my toenails will be painted and I'm gonna have a pedicure on my um on my fingers. My fingernails.

SPEAKER_03 36:49

Well, that's that's an interesting image, and on that note, uh good night, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

Thanks, Jim, for good one. Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

Thanks for the same.