2 hours ago
Key events
Kari Tulinius informs me, “New Zealand and Egypt haven’t met often, but they did erstwhile successful a awesome sporting event. They were successful nan aforesaid group astatine nan 2012 Olympics and nan lucifer ended 1-1. And who were nan goalscorers? Chris Wood and Mo Salah. And present they are again, representing their countries astatine a awesome sporting event.”
Today’s fixture is astatine Vancouver Stadium, AKA BC Place. It is nan location of nan Vancouver Whitecaps successful MLS and hosted nan 2015 Women’s World Cup final. It has a capacity of conscionable complete 50,000.
Already this period it has seen Australia conclusion Turkey 2-0 and Canada rout Qatar 6-0.
Egypt are 1 of nan World Cup’s awesome under-performers. They situation not discarded their last tourney pinch Mohamed Salah.
double quotation markEgypt qualified for nan World Cup unbeaten aft missing retired connected Qatar 2022, booking their summons to North America pinch a crippled to spare. They scored 19 goals successful 9 matches, arsenic Mohamed Salah led nan measurement pinch nine, conceded 2 goals and kept 7 cleanable sheets. Despite nan awesome numbers successful qualifying, Egypt’s style is pragmatic much than romanticist and they carried that aforesaid musculus representation into nan 2025 Africa Cup of Nations: tight games, heavy stretches without nan ball, speedy merchandise into Salah aliases Omar Marmoush. This was exposed by a semi-final conclusion to Senegal, erstwhile Egypt were group up much to strengthen alternatively than to control.
Egypt will astir apt statesman nan World Cup successful a 4-3-3 statement that becomes a 4-2-3-1 erstwhile they person to pursuit a game, while occasionally switching to a 3-5-2 against precocious blocks. Mohamed El-Shenawy is apt to commencement successful goal, though Mostafa Shobeir has lately been giving nan seasoned a tally for his money. The remainder of nan spine looks coagulated pinch Rami Rabia and either Hossam Abdelmaguid aliases Yasser Ibrahim successful cardinal defence. Marwan Attia and Hamdi Fathi will surface nan backline and Emam Ashour will look to present nan shot to nan trio up front.
New Zealand arrived astatine this World Cup arsenic rank outsiders but they are now 90 minutes from nan knockouts.
double quotation markNew Zealand, known arsenic nan All Whites, are backmost astatine nan World Cup for conscionable nan 3rd time, acknowledgment to winning nan Oceania region’s sole qualifying spot. Since their past World Cup successful 2010 New Zealand person evolved from part-timers to professionals and location is belief they person nan skillset and acquisition to make nan knockout rounds for nan first time.
It’s a gangly order, though. New Zealand, astatine No 85 nan event’s lowest-ranked qualifiers, are up against Belgium, who are ninth, Egypt, 29th, and Iran, 21st, successful Group G. The renowned commentator Paul Ifill says nan existent squad is “miles better” than nan 1 that went to South Africa, wherever they vanished unbeaten pinch 3 draws. After nan squad announcement nan coach, Darren Bazeley, agreed nan broadside were successful a bully place: “It’s a blend of breathtaking young talent and knowledgeable players to maximise our chances of winning games and getting retired of our group.”
Bazeley favours possession football, which worked successful their qualifiers but will beryllium a bigger inquire against much skilled opponents. Since qualifying their 10 friendlies person included a tie against Norway (without Erling Haaland) and 7 losses, including 2 to Australia. The warm-up matches successful March were mixed, a lacklustre 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Finland preceding a sparkling 4-1 triumph against Chile days later. It was New Zealand’s first ever triumph against a South American side.
Bracketology is getting a superior workout coming pinch Group G connected a knife’s separator and nan very existent imaginable of Cape Verde making nan information of 32.
After claiming a constituent against Spain, Cape Verde person now held Uruguay to a draw!
Egypt XI
The Pharaohs are besides unchanged!
Egypt (4-2-3-1) 23 Shobeir (gk); 3 Hany, 14 Fathy, 2 Ibrahim, 13 Fattouh; 17 Lasheen, 19 Attia; 10 Salah (c), 8 Ashour, 11 Ziko; 22 Marmoush.
New Zealand XI
The All Whites are unchanged.
New Zealand (4-2-3-1): 1 Max Crocombe (gk); 13 Liberato Cacace, 16 Finn Surman, 5 Michael Boxall, 2 Tim Payne; 6 Joe Bell, 8 Marko Stamenić; 11 Eli Just, 10 Sarpreet Singh, 20 Callum McCowatt; 9 Chris Wood (c).
Soon we will get a 2nd look astatine Elijah Just, 1 of nan breakout players of nan opening round.
Here’s nan latest pod.
Laine Yamal added immoderate overmuch needed spark to Spain’s onslaught arsenic nan World Cup favourites kickstarted their run pinch a rout of Saudi Arabia.
double quotation markThis was precisely nan measurement nan coach would person wished it. Lamine Yamal scoring 10 minutes into his first commencement since suffering a hamstring wounded successful April. Mikel Oyarzabal adding 2 much successful nan first “quarter”, Marc Cucurella forcing nan 4th connected 49, triumph secured truthful early that De la Fuente could retreat those players who needed protecting and springiness minutes to those that needed them, Mikel Merino and Nico Williams invited to subordinate nan statement too. Unai Simón was nan past to arrive, not making a important prevention until nan 80th minute.
Here’s Ben Fisher’s lucifer study from Los Angeles wherever Belgium and Iran each kept their World Cup campaigns afloat successful a lucifer afloat of incident. It’s a consequence that intends Group G will spell down to nan ligament pinch each 4 teams tin of reaching nan knockout shape connected nan last day.
double quotation markThere was simply nary statement complete nan infinitesimal of nan lucifer and it is 1 that Iran will cherish, moreover much truthful if they are to advancement to nan World Cup knockout shape for nan first time. Every perspective of Alireza Beiranvand’s preposterous prevention to forestall Belgium taking nan lead approaching nan hr adds to nan miraculous quality of it all. Perhaps nan astir ludicrous constituent was that Beiranvand had seesawed to his near successful an effort to intercept Kevin De Bruyne’s rolled transverse into nan six-yard container and yet, scrambling connected nan turf, stuck retired a near mitt to unopen nan doorway successful nan look of Maxim De Cuyper. Belgium vanished pinch 10 men aft Nathan Ngoy was sent disconnected for hauling down Mehdi Taremi.
If Iran beforehand to nan past 32, they will surely bespeak connected Beiranvand’s divine intervention. De Bruyne glittered successful moments, nary much truthful than graciously bringing Leandro Trossard’s lifted walk down connected nan byline. Beiranvand made it his ngo to scope De Bruyne’s walk earlier Romelu Lukaku, who by starting became nan third-most capped Belgium player. In nan extremity Ali Nemati stopped nan cross, legs splayed arsenic Beiranvand thwarted De Cuyper. Iran believes. Meanwhile Belgium, who went retired astatine nan group shape 4 years ago, are successful a spot of bother.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and invited to unrecorded sum of New Zealand v Egypt from Vancouver Stadium. Kick-off successful this Group G conflict is 6pm section clip (9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST).
In this history of nan World Cup only Honduras person played much matches (nine) than Egypt (eight) and New Zealand (seven) without winning. Both nations came adjacent to breaking their ducks successful information 1 pinch nan Pharaohs undone by nan second-half preamble of Romelu Lukaku, and nan All Whites twice pegged backmost by Iran.
Ranked 85th successful nan world by Fifa, New Zealand are nan weakest squad connected insubstantial astatine nan finals. But they looked tin successful their opening lucifer pinch Chris Wood excelling arsenic a target man, utilizing his spot pinch his backmost to extremity to thief his broadside summation a foothold downfield. They will statesman each lucifer arsenic underdogs truthful Darren Bazeley doesn’t request to overthink anything.
Egypt, by contrast, had much than 1 oculus connected defence erstwhile they took connected nan Belgians, double and triple teaming Jeremy Doku to neutralise their opponents’ top threat. This evening they will request some eyes connected onslaught if they are to yet unrecorded up to nan estimation they person earned winning 7 Africa Cup of Nations.
With nan earlier lucifer successful Group G ending successful a draw, these 2 protagonists cognize that a triumph will present an result of historical proportions.
I’ll beryllium backmost soon pinch squad news and a roundup of each nan matchday action truthful far. In nan meantime you tin support an oculus connected Cape Verde’s magical tourney debut arsenic they terrorise Uruguay, and email immoderate thoughts astir nan World Cup to [email protected].
