Cape Verde produce the shock of the World Cup so far after holding Spain to a goalless draw.
Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith react to a remarkable result and ask what went wrong for one of the tournament favourites. Guillem Balague joins the pod to assess Spain's performance, what needs to change and whether Cape Verde can build on a historic point.
Guillem also discusses Egypt's Abdelkarim following his recent move to Barcelona and explains why he's one of the most exciting young talents at the tournament.
BBC North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil joins after attending Iran's World Cup match in Los Angeles. She reflects on the atmosphere around a highly anticipated fixture and what it was like to be there.
Plus, Rick and Lloyd take on Santa Monica's bike paths on a tandem bike, but one of LA's rental bikes has some unexpected feedback for Lloyd.
Mohebbi scored Iran’s equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Iran opened their politically-charged World Cup with a thrilling 2-2 draw with New Zealand with scorer Mohammad Mohebi accused of using a gun celebration after his goal.
New Zealand took the lead through Elijah Just in the early hours of Tuesday morning with Iran finding an equaliser shortly after the game’s first hydration break through Ramin Rezaeian.
Motherwell star Just scored his second of the game to put the All Whites on course to victory before Mohebi headed home just after the hour mark to level things again.
Mohebi, a winger for Russian club FC Rostov, ran off to celebrate before appearing to imitate a gun with his right hand, pretending to fire off shots into the air.
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The celebration was spotted by thousands on social media. Mohebi also celebration with love heart gesture after that initial incident.
Earlier in the contest, Iran’s anthem was jeered by some sections of the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Flags and shirts bearing Iran’s the pre-revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ emblem were banned from bring brought to the stadium but plenty were in evidence within the venue in the lead-up to kick-off.
Mohebbi’s celebration has caused controversy (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Speaking after the game, Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei claimed the squad and staff had been told they needed to leave LA immediately having planned to stay in California for a day of recovery.
Instead, they were to return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico.
‘They didn’t even give us time to recover after the game today,’ Ghalenoei said in Farsi, via FIFA’s interpreter.
‘They said to us, you have to leave immediately, whereas today, it’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but yet [we] have been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Mexico, in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.’
Jordan Pickford joins Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith from England camp ahead of their opening game.
Lloyd is reunited with his self-proclaimed mate, while New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe, also joins from his team's training camp to discuss life at the tournament and preparing for their highly anticipated opening game against Iran.
Back in Santa Monica, former Netherlands defender Mario Melchiot joins Rick and Lloyd in Ye Olde King's Head. They reflect on the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan, discuss Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao and Mario offers some local knowledge as the pair continue to find their feet in Los Angeles.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder will expect to bring in several of his own signings in his first transfer window in charge and bolster a Chelsea side that finished just 10th in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea have been linked with several players this summer and ex-manager Di Matteo has urged the Blues to enter the race to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.
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Tonali has been discussed as a target alongside the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton, but Fabrizio Romano reported over the weekend that interest in Tonali was dwindling due to his huge price tag which stands at around £100m.
Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to the Champions League trophy, seemingly views Tonali as an ideal replacement for wantaway Argentina international Fernandez, insisting he would ‘love’ to see his compatriot arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo (Picture: Getty)
‘If Sandro Tonali is to leave Newcastle this summer… he’s someone I like a lot,’ Di Matteo told Ladbrokes. ‘I think he’s a class player. He’s a good age, too.
‘I’m not sure whether Chelsea need another player in that particular department, I suppose it would depend if someone leaves. You know, they have Enzo [Fernandez], [Moises] Caicedo, Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia. If one of those was to leave, then maybe.
‘I would love to see him at Chelsea. But, for me, their priorities this summer should be in other areas of the pitch.’
Sandro Tonali could leave Newcastle this summer (Picture: Getty)
Discussing Chelsea’s season and transfer plans more generally, Di Matteo believes a young but talented squad would benefit from the arrival of ‘three or four’ experienced players.
‘It was an inconsistent season for Chelsea, which was certainly been disrupted by the managerial changes,’ Di Matteo added.
‘But let’s not forget there have been a couple of big injuries, too; Cole Palmer missed a big chunk of the season, and I also think Levi Colwill was hard to replace. He’s an important player at the club, and he’d formed a good partnership with Trevor Chalobah.
‘I would keep a lot of the players in this squad though, for sure. There are some very good players in there, so it’s not as if they need to go and completely revolutionise the team this summer.
‘There’s a lot of quality there, I just think they need to add a bit of experience now. I know everybody has talked about it, but that’s what would help this team right now.
‘Especially during the tricky times, because this is a very young group, and they’re learning very quickly that there are lots of ups and downs in a season… you just need three or four players in there who can steady the ship and drag the rest along in those difficult periods.
‘These guys are a little bit vulnerable, and less experienced, which means they don’t know how to handle certain situations.
‘I think the club has even acknowledged this, and suggested they might change their strategy next season. For me, that would be the right decision to make this summer.
‘I wouldn’t necessarily say it has to be proven Premier League players who are coming in, but seasoned international players, for sure.
‘So it doesn’t need to be a Premier League player… they just need three or four players who can come in and navigate those difficult moments.’
Michael Carrick is looking to bolster his Manchester United squad during the transfer window (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United will take a significant step towards completing their first signing of the transfer window with Brazil World Cup start Ederson set to undergo a medical in New York.
The Atalanta midfielder was an unused substitute during Brazil’s opening Group C match against Morocco which finished in a 1-1 draw.
Ederson was only called into the Selecao squad following an injury to Wesley, ahead of which his eagerly anticipated move to United had virtually been agreed.
Michael Carrick is hoping to make significant additions to a squad that currently looks ill-equipped to deal with the rigours of combining domestic and European commitments next season.
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Having lost Casemiro, strengthening in midfield represents a priority for Carrick and the addition of Ederson, assuming he passes his medical as per corrieredellosport represents a solid start to United’s transfer business at a cost of £35m.
A number of other midfielders, including the likes of Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Alex Scott, remain on United’s radar but, according to Fabrizio Romano, the club are likely to drop their interest in Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali.
Brazil’s midfielder Ederson was a late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad (Picture: Getty)
The Italy international, who is also coveted by Arsenal and Juventus, and his Newcastle teammate Lewis Hall, also a primary Untied target, would cost a combined fee of between £120 – £130m which is deemed too expensive, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Whether United get a glimpse of Ederson in action at the World Cup remains to be seen, but the prospect of him featuring may well have been enhanced after Brazil’s lacklustre start to the tournament.
Ancelotti’s side were left with questions to answer after a disjointed display in which they were repeatedly stretched by their opponents’ pace and movement.
‘I don’t think we started the match well, the team was a bit nervous, we lost possession too often and lost too many challenges. The first half wasn’t good,” said Ancelotti, who noted that his sidegot better after the break.
Manchester United lost Ederson’s Brazil teammate Casemiro at the end of last season (Picture: Getty)
‘It improved in the second half; it’s a tough match because Morocco are a good side.
‘I think there was a bit of nervousness. In the first half they were breaking out of our press and making dangerous counter-attacks.’
His Morocco counterpart Mohamed Ouahbi added: ‘If you’re asking me if I want to have the same trajectory (as in 2022), no, I want to go beyond the semi-finals this time.
‘This was one point but we hoped to have more. One point is good enough and we will improve.’
Gary Neville was fuming that FIFA did not show a replay (Picture: ITV)
FIFA have explained the controversial VAR decision in Switzerland’s draw with Qatar, which sparked a furious rant from ITV pundit Gary Neville.
In an early shock result at the World Cup, Switzerland were held to a 1-1 draw by Qatar, having taken the lead through a 17th minute penalty.
That penalty was won after Breel Embolo headed the ball down to Remo Freuler who got to the ball before the goalkeeper and was taken out.
There was immediate controversy, though, as Freuler appeared to be marginally offside on the replays shown on television.
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No offside was given and a replay with the lines drawn on to prove why that decision was made was now shown.
Neville was on punditry duty and was baffled as to why the evidence was not being produced.
‘FIFA are the host broadcaster, they’ve got the evidence of the automatic decision which they can show us,’ he said on ITV. ‘Why are they not showing us?
Remo Freuler was felled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada (Picture: Getty Images)
‘They did this in the last tournament, fans are already distrusting of FIFA and technology to start with.
‘There is a massive question mark over that, because that is offside in my eyes, until they prove me different.’
He went further, adding: ‘It’s like a dictator. Honestly, it’s a dictatorship, this. The idea that they hold this evidence internally and don’t show fans of countries that are playing in tournaments. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
‘Honestly to not show the evidence of an offside… Prove to us it’s offside. Show it straight away. Why not the transparency?’
During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.
FIFA have since explained that the failure to show the replay was due to a technical error, but the VAR process was carried out as normal.
A statement posted on social media read: ‘During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.
‘The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision.
‘The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision.’
Qatar snatched a dramatic late equaliser (Picture: Getty Images)
Switzerland finished the game with 68 per cent possession and 26 shots to Qatar’s six, but the spoils were shared.
A Boualem Khoukhi header deep into stoppage time saw the underdogs grab a point against the run of play and give them hope of making it out of the group stage.
It is the second 1-1 draw in this group after Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina ended in the same scoreline.
Scotland's first World Cup match in 28 years ends with a win.
Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith react to a huge 1-0 victory over Haiti alongside former Scotland international Charlie Adam, who talks about what the result means and whether Steve Clarke's side can build on a dream start to the tournament.
They also look back on Brazil's opening match against Morocco and ask whether Brazil still carry the same aura they once did. Who are the stars carrying this team and where do they sit among the tournament favourites?
And Qatar pick up their first ever World Cup point, Switzerland benefit from a major offside controversy after the semi-automated system failed, and Rick and Lloyd report back from a trip to the legendary Gold's Gym in Los Angeles.
