Germany through as Scotland improve and Croatia are denied – Football Daily

This is The Guardian.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratchers from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question.

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly.

Must be 18 years or older to purchase, play, or claim.

Did you know adults 60 plus lose more than $60 billion each year to financial exploitation?

Greenlight's new Family Shield plan empowers you to monitor your accounts for suspicious activity, protect yourself with up to $1 million identity theft coverage, and reassure loved ones that you're safe with location sharing and place alerts.

Get peace of mind today at greenlight.com/slash protect.

That's greenlight.com/slash protect.

Hello, and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly.

Scotland lived to fight another day, but only just.

A point against Switzerland means they have to win against Hungary in the final game.

Scott McTominay scored early with the biggest of deflections before enter Shakiri.

What a finish.

Grant Hanley hit the post and Dooney headed wide.

A draw is probably fair for the the Scots.

It was certainly better than last time out.

Meanwhile, a good win for Germany sends them through to the knockouts.

Musiala and Gundawan with the goals.

It wasn't always comfortable.

Hungary pushed them, but didn't take their chances when they came.

Albania took theirs early and very late to get a point against Croatia.

Fully deserved two.

We'll look ahead to Thursday's games, including some more.

What about England's midfield chat?

While there's some interesting fruit pastels and sock-based feedback to wade through all that plus your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly

on the panel today, John Bruin.

Hello.

Hello, Max.

How are you?

Yeah, very good.

Barry Glen Denning, welcome.

Hello.

And hello, Archie Rin Tat.

Hello.

Before I talk to any of you, let's go straight to Cologne.

Our Scottish football correspondent, Ewan Murray, is there.

Ewan, the game's just finished.

Scotland won, Switzerland won.

Seemed fair to me.

What do you reckon?

Yeah, I thought it was a fair result.

I thought it was...

The first half, especially, it was a wonderful intertending game.

The first half was frantic, mad cat.

It calmed down a bit in the second, but I thought overall it was

like most of the games in this tournament, it was a really good watch, and I think our drop was fair yet.

Although, Scotland might feel a little bit, a little bit hopeful when the dust settles that they could have, they could have taken a win out of that.

Yeah,

there was that Grant Hanley chance, but then there was

the Anduni header, which was, I mean, I don't know, it was so close.

That's I mean, it was just, it just absolutely, it was just that last.

I think Scotland were going for it more than Switzerland at the end, but it just could have gone either way, I think.

Yeah, I thought the Swiss settled for a point point with 15 20 minutes to go actually i thought they thought this is fine and listen at least it makes it clear cut for scotland right that they have to be hungry a draw won't do two points certainly won't get you through three possibly could now the way that the groups are going but two certainly won't so they have to be hungry so at least that's black and white that's clear cut and then everyone can focus on on that for sunday they um and the other thing is they responded so well from what happened in Munich.

You know, they looked like a team with a proof.

They played with far more spirit, more dig.

They played some good football at times, and it was the kind of response in terms of performance you would want from that Germany night.

Yeah, and finally, because I know you've got other, you've got proper work to do, you, and um, so many cliches about Scotland fans, but give us an idea of what the noise was like when that goal went in.

Yeah, they're still going now.

I mean, there's a great atmosphere.

This, I've never been to a stadium before in Cologne, but it's a wonderful ground here.

Um, very noisy.

The noise of the goal was, yeah, I mean, you know, if it had stayed one nil that would have been i think i would have written they'll always have cologne they'll always have that moment it was fantastic even the national anthems i mean there was there was foreign tv crews in front of me and the media tribune people turned their headphones off to listen and and make sure that the noise from the scottish support was as loud as it came through on their on their headphones and it was it was it was wonderful the scotland fans are great and i'm pleased for them listen because they played in the first game they paid more for tickets than fans of other countries you know the the categories for that opening game against Germany, the prices were massive.

There were tens of thousands of them again here in Cologne.

They paid through the nose.

And finally, they've got something to sing about and chant about because not the result, not the win, but the way the team performed, the spirit they played with, it was like a Scotland team and a team that they could

be proud of.

The one concern, obviously, was Kieran Tierney.

That looked like a bad hamstring injury when he pulled up and went off.

So I don't think we'll see him again on this tournament.

That is a blow, but I think they've got enough cause for optimism after

Good stuff.

Cheers, Ewan.

Thank you.

Take care.

Ewan Murray there, our Scottish football correspondent, who summed up the game pretty well, I thought, there.

But I think the key point, John, is it was so much better than what we saw against Germany.

Yeah, right from the kickoff.

And that was the problem, really, wasn't it?

With the Germany game, that Scotland just was relaxed from the start.

And you could see

John McGinn was putting it about a bit, his large rump to the fore, if that can be the case.

And

we, Billy Gilmore,

you could see why he was in the team and why he was dropped from the previous game is probably one of those long stories that we told into the Scottish Knights over the centuries.

But yeah, I mean, Scott McTominay, a player that you know I have a great deal of affection for, coming through.

I enjoyed the discussion over whether it was his goal or whether it was Fabian Shah's goal.

It was gone for about 25 minutes.

Well, UEFA changed their mind, didn't they?

It was originally an own goal, and then finally UEFA crumbles to the pressure and gave it to McDominé.

But would it?

Come on.

I mean, without Shah's intervention, that doesn't go where it ended up, does it?

So, ask Jan Sommer

whose goal that is.

I'd be really interested in his opinion, given what his facial expression was saying.

Well, as Jan Sommer is, as someone pointed out, has played in every game that Switzerland have ever played.

He doesn't appear to have done.

I mean, the Swiss team amazes me.

31, Ricardo Rodriguez, I thought was about 47.

Shakiri, only 32,

and plays like a, well, he's 32.

He's scored a fantastic goal.

Some.

I think it will be remembered for two.

Well, one wasn't a miss, really, was it?

From Grant Hanley.

It was, you know, it was hacked away and that Amduni.

Oh,

oh, those are the ones, aren't they?

Where you just think the goal is gaping, and also, um, let's also mention the coolness of Mbolo's finish.

Can he have known that he was offside or not?

Because that was a beauty, but we'll never know.

And congratulations also to Semi-Automated off-sides.

They do seem to work, don't they?

God, how the Premier League decided not to have them just so we could have some more line drawings.

This is totally baffling, isn't it?

I mean, it shouldn't just be on that touch, Barry, about Billy Gilmore, but the touch to release Robertson for the goal is it just sort of in that moment, you just see there is a class central midfielder there.

Yeah,

I mean, I suppose it's indicative of Scotland that their goal stemmed from a terrible Jack Hendry pass back to the keeper that gave Switzerland a corner,

which Scotland clear and break up up field.

And Gilmore's was the boy, he chested it down and moved it along.

And

then Robertson plays it out to Colin McGregor, who kind of falls over but pulls it back.

And the goal comes.

So it's just, you know, a bit of slapstick, a bit of great skill.

But yeah, Gilmore is a class actor.

I presume he was left out of the first game because he's a bit too wispy and slight.

That's my guess, but

yeah, I guess Andrik might eat him actually, just in a

challenge.

That's possible, but like you do need though, I mean, you need a balance, don't you?

So we have sort of had that moment, and then Archie, we, you know, Scotland just sort of getting comfortable.

And then poor old Ralston, who actually did have a bad game, he was terrible against Germany, didn't have a bad game, but his mistake lets in Shakiri.

But there's so much for Jordan Shakiri to do then.

Watching it back, I'm sure you put the majority of it on Ralston.

But also,

before that, Ricardo Rodriguez plays a ball along the floor to Grant Hanley, who gives Billy Gilmore the biggest hospital pass out of what should not be one.

And it just speeds up the play enough to make Ralston hurry.

So I'd put a little bit of it on Grant Hanley, who no one will remember from that.

But then, as you say,

enter Shakiri.

Because he makes that goal look

from the from the camera one it makes it look like okay well, you know,

it's an expected finish, but when you see from behind the goal what he's done, particularly first time with that level of technique, it's so good and so satisfying as well in the extra slow-mos that you get.

And somehow, Jedan Shakiri, the eternal Jodun Shakiri, he keeps going.

And I think laying down a marker as well to say, well, why was I left out of the first game starting lineup?

Because, yeah, it was superb.

And generally, I thought there was that excellent flowing move from Switzerland in the first half, which ended up in Angus Gunn producing his best save of the night, where Shakiri was also playing the ball behind the direction from which he was coming.

And it's just those little touches, along with the goal, which shows he still very much has it.

What are the RPS on that?

That's what I want to know

on that finish.

Because there's nothing like a goal that the ball is, it starts so far outside the goal.

It's just so beautiful.

Richard Jollystat saying Shakiri is the only player to score at all of the last three European Championships and the last three World Cups.

I'd actually say, John, that save from Gunn was really good.

But he made another one in the second half when I think Andoy was through.

And it looked like Andoy just missed it.

But when you watched it again, and there's another guy that didn't cover himself in glory against Germany, and he had a really good game tonight.

He did, and he really needed to after the first game, it's fair to say.

But yeah,

I was glad to see it because there was a few jokes about Scottish goalies flying around and all that type of thing.

But

when players let themselves down as Scotland did on Friday night, it becomes a bit, it was painful.

And you could see the determination was there.

And you could see that, I mean, the fans as well.

I mean, Ewan spoke very well about them.

I mean, you know, the fans that got behind them.

And you could also see that there was a footage.

Obviously, watching again, there's a footage of a young Scottish fan, a girl, just like she's going through absolute agonies through this team.

It must be because, I mean, let's face it, Scotland in this type of tournament, they struggle, don't they?

And they put the fans through it.

And, you know, there's such a,

I wouldn't say shortage of talent, but the talent is in the wrong place.

And they have mishaps like

Buck here and T and he's injury.

I mean, that looked nasty and

suffer a misfortune.

You often think of these sort of hard luck stories of Scotland's World Cups and Euros.

And maybe this story could be a little bit different because they've given themselves hope.

Though maybe it's the hope that they sort of hurt, maybe it's the hope that hurts the most.

Of course it is.

I mean, that's

any bubble fan knows that.

And I suppose it is a good point that John makes, Barry, about, you know, the quality of the Scotland team.

Like, when you're sort of watching Switzerland, then you go, oh, Kanji, actually, he's obviously, you know, he's playing for perhaps the best team in the world.

Jack has had this unbelievable season.

You know, Scotland do have one or two really like Robertson is clearly elite and maybe McGinn.

But actually, they, you know, to get a point against Switzerland is actually impressive for this set of players.

I don't think so.

No, okay.

I think it's the very least they should have expected tonight.

You know, they absolutely stanked the gaff up in their first game.

They were pathetic.

This game,

they were okay.

They're like this gang of lads who turn up at a house party with no beer

and they go around mind sweeping for the evening, you know, picking up half-drunk cans of the scarlet.

Want to stay as long as possible.

but aren't really going to contribute in any way to the gaiety of the evening.

Now, that's specifically the team.

I'm not talking about the fans, who I'm sure have drunk plenty of beer that they've paid for.

They fill the fridge.

They arrive at the party with crates and crates.

Crates and crates.

Fill the fridge.

Fill the bathtub.

We'll happily go and get more.

But

no, I think it's very condescending.

to suggest that they played really well tonight.

They were okay.

They deserved a point.

They didn't deserve anything more.

I don't think, Barry, anyone was suggesting that they were far away the better team or anything.

I don't think anyone could suggest that from that game, really.

Yeah, well, I mean, that's the very least I would expect from a team playing in the European Championships.

But they played so badly against Germany in the opening night that anything, you know, any sort of effort tonight is going to earn them pats on the head from Dan Snow and,

you know yeah perhaps that's the plan exactly yeah maybe that was the smart move the smart move was to play so badly in the first game that anything from there it's like well you know we've really done so we're praising them to the hilt for not losing against switzerland come on switzerland's aren't a bad team you know but they're not a particularly good one either Didn't they knock France out of the last year, Rose?

Well, yeah.

Anyway, listen, Scotland is not a good team.

That's pretty much my point.

And it was good to see them make a fist.

Well, I would argue that Scotland have quite a few very good players.

And if you look at their starting 11 on paper, it's pretty decent.

There's a couple of glaring weaknesses,

but,

you know, show me the superstars on the Swiss team.

Well, Akanji plays for Man City, Xhaka plays for Labourkusen.

Right.

Andy Robertson plays for Liverpool.

Next.

Well, I've given you two.

You've got to give me one more.

Who's the other one?

I said Akanji

and Xhaka.

Shakiri's a player of international class.

So okay, I'll see you Xhaka and give you John McGinn,

one of the best players of the season in the Premier League last season, just gone.

Sommer.

Yeah.

Serie A winner with inter.

Ricardo Rodriguez, eternal defender.

Mbolo's coming off the bench.

That is.

Yeah.

Mbolo's apparently played all season.

Okay.

I mean,

I didn't expect this to be the row that we had.

Well, it's not a row.

I'm just going, you know, it's not, you're making out like Switzerland is some brilliant team in Suits.

They're bang average.

I hate it when mum and dad fight.

Well, I can see your point, but I think player for player, Switzerland, are a better team, in my personal opinion.

But I'm not saying there's a huge gulf between them.

Archie, you wanted to talk about the fact you're in Cologne, right?

The Scotland fans are there.

You wanted to talk about them.

Seriously.

Like,

so I was in Munich for the first game, and the way they took over the town there was something, but just wherever I go,

they are everywhere.

I have never seen anything like it.

They are everywhere.

Where they're not playing, they're there.

At Gelzenkershen,

for the Serbia-England game, there There were four of them sat behind me incognito talking about how, well, I mean, imagine coming to a stadium like this every week.

We've got to go to shitholes like Fir Hill was the exact quote.

You've got the fact, I've got a friend of mine who's got a newly born baby, right?

And she lives.

in in central Cologne, okay?

And she was saying, oh my god, if Scotland score again, we've got a problem here because they're going to wake her up.

And I was like, yeah, okay, but what's the scale here?

Who's making the most noise?

She goes, well, scotland by far then it's when ftzy cologne are playing and then after that it's germany that's how loud they are and how loud how much they have brought and and there was this lovely scene as well where there is this grandma yeah

on the zimmer frame trying trying to get back and there's two scottish lads who have held an umbrella over her uh which was and and walking with her which was great so yeah scotland like everybody german i've only just heard pure love for them.

And I think it's going to continue.

And also, probably for what they've done for the beer industry.

Yeah, probably.

So, look, we're just about to talk about Germany-Hungary.

Do you see that Hungary have lost both games, John?

They're clearly quite a good team.

They pushed Germany a bit.

But Scotland could win.

Scotland could win that.

We have to go through every player, player by player, against Scottish team.

I can't remember the Hungary lineup.

It's too late.

It's obviously better than John McGinn.

is it's it's like a game of top trumps

pace 48.

yeah okay

calf calf size 125.

well i um yeah well uh

Scotland would probably I mean if you if you

as a manager plans out their seasonal campaign this possibly is the game that they've been targeting Hungary haven't had I mean

they lost to Barry's Island quite recently and you would say that.

Not Barry Island, to be clear.

There isn't a possibility.

Kevin and Stacey and me just went off there.

Barry Island FC

in the League of Wales.

Yeah.

They didn't leave to Barry Island.

So

I've been to Barry Island.

It's a very scary place.

But Bubba's country.

Yes, of course.

Now, yeah, I think...

They've got a fancy to beat Hungary.

Otherwise, as Barry's actually pointing out, why are you there?

Yeah?

Yeah, you've got to be.

And I think a lot of Scotland, Scottish fans will be obviously hopeful and possibly,

if not expect, then think that they can get something from this and beat them.

They've got to do it.

The history suggests...

Ah, it'd be so good if they did, wouldn't it?

It would be so good.

It would just turn my life upside down because I just would not be used to it.

Let's turn football history upside down.

Yeah, it would.

I mean, all eyes will be on that game, right?

Because Germany, Switzerland doesn't really matter, does it?

You've got

looking back at the teams from Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 who finished in third place, four points was always enough.

Yeah.

So the incentive is there.

And Switzerland are basically through because of that.

Because with a positive goal difference and

and four points, they should be fine.

So

I I think it's all down to Scotland, Hungary.

On to Germany-Hungary, then, Germany, two-hungry-nil.

A good game, this.

I found it a bit like Spain-Croatia in that Germany were the better team.

And once it was 2-0, they were sort of on top.

But Hungary really contributed.

And on a different day, they would have taken the lead or equalised.

It felt to me, Baz, like it was a sort of taking your chances game.

And Germany took them and Hungary didn't.

Yeah, I wouldn't disagree with that.

I think Germany were the better team and deserved to win, but Hungary

had to do something after their really

inexplicably meek performance against Switzerland.

I was really disappointed with that,

as was their manager, Marko Rossi, who was very uncomplimentary afterwards and was at a loss to kind of explain why they'd been so bad against Switzerland.

I think if Hungary had put in this performance against Switzerland, they'd probably have beaten them, but they saved it for Germany and it wasn't good enough.

They had chances.

Roland Salai

gave Germany a very, very early scare within 30 seconds, and it was Neuer to the rescue.

And he gave them a scare in the closing seconds of

the first half when his equaliser was ruled out.

And then their big chance came when it was still 1-0 to Germany.

On the hour mark, Barnabas Varga

leapt.

He outjumped Jonathan Ta, who was in front of him had a clear header on goal from about seven yards downward header and he put it the wrong side of the upright and if that had gone in who knows it would have been one all who knows what would have happened a couple of minutes later then

Ilke Gundigen sweeps home the the second getting on the end of that mittelstadt cross which was about I think the third or fourth mittelstadt cross in very quick succession he was a real menace down the left for Germany and that was it really wasn't it game over there Hungary had another late chance

where Neuer dropped across, and Kimmich had to clear one off the line.

But

yeah, so your summation is probably correct, but I do think Germany were the winners.

Yeah, that Varga header was one of those where he sort of did everything right except the scoring bit.

Like, you know, it's like perfect jump, perfect connection, head it back where it's come from, but not in.

Archie, what did you make of it all?

It was probably the best case scenario performance for germany after what happened against scotland they knew that they weren't going to have it as comfortable against hungary and that they would want to show a reaction but the way that this team is able to sustain pressure over 90 minutes as an international team i think is very impressive the way they go after the ball when they lose it And Ilkei Gundewan, who had to take a lot of heat before this tournament about whether he was doing enough in his role in between Florian Wierts and Jamal Musiala, has silenced all those critics now by not just scoring the second, but also making the first today again after three assists, I think it was, against Scotland as well.

That's a big boon for Julian Nagosman, as is as well the performance of Manuel Neuer, who we addressed in the preview pod how there was a lot of noise about whether he should be Germany's number one.

But I think today was a resounding answer, even if there was that late chance, which kind of ruins the narrative a little bit

of him looking a touch uncertain.

Let's pretend it didn't happen, Archie.

It's fine.

Well,

that said, you can't pretend that

when Martin Adam barges into you with all 86 kilos of him.

And I think that that was the thing that even Manuel Neu, who I've looked up, is some seven kilos heavier than Martin Adam.

Even he couldn't actually get out the way of that.

But overall, from a German point of view,

it was an impressive performance.

And sure, Hungary did have those chances, but games are closer in international football.

And it's about how you defend those moments, how stable you look.

And I think that they didn't look panicked apart from in the first 14 seconds, to be honest.

They looked comfortable with the kind of chances that Hungary were creating.

Just on Martin Adam or Martin Adam, John.

john

i know i wanted to come to you like duncan alexander for some reason yeah yeah i don't know i just you know you and i have a real connection over the big man and and actually i haven't seen him controllable so i don't know if he's got a good he may be a bad touch for a big man i don't i neither know nor care duncan alexander wrote with a picture of him and full krug saying this is the pyramid stage of the big man summer

do you know

it conjure so many things to me that this character he's he's my man of the euro so far i i don't know if any of you collected mexico 86 stickers i'm not sure archie did i did yeah do you remember the hungary team all of them had beards in a way that people didn't have beards in the 1980s and this guy has just taken me back to my mexico 86 which i completed by the way

uh yeah uh i think i completed that in football 85 so yeah great great days anyway uh but um

I looked at him.

I don't believe that he's only 86 kilos.

I'll tell you that.

And

I thought, I looked at him and I thought, could I do a job in the South Korean league where he plays?

Because, as you say, I haven't seen him control the ball yet, but I've seen him come on and sort of shout a bit and look a bit dangerous and cause a bit of havoc.

And I've seen him be quite self-deprecating as well.

And obviously, that was quite a nice moment, wasn't it?

In one of the press comments that he gave.

But referring back to Barry's comment, I do think they were much better than that really bad performance in the first game game against Switzerland.

I'm still yet to see anything of this relationalism.

I don't know where the hell

that's coming in with the sort of fairly lumpic performances.

And I'd like to spare a word for the Musiana goal.

I actually wrote this down.

It's Auburn, Rafiola, and Sobizlai himself get in a terrible mess.

And there's been a few goals like that because

in international football, and if I'm all football, the defense is so

massed these days, but they're just sort of throwing themselves around and the ball is bouncing and there's so many chances to clear.

And Mussy Arlo is almost just sort of like got this sort of swinging leg waiting for the ball to fall

and just letting go of it.

It's one of those where it was Martin going on the Martin Keogh on a commentary here.

And it's one of those where I'm sure Martin would have been...

very disappointed to have conceded that one.

It was the exact moment where I could imagine kind of Sunday League play to the whistle, play to the whistle, and they don't.

I think

it was one of those situations where you can see that these players have been enjoying the luxury of VAR for a while now and are expecting, oh, well, you've seen the wait what?

You could hear the wait what moment in Willie Orban's head as the ball got intercepted.

I thought it might have been a foul.

I don't know what you think, Barry.

I think like it probably wasn't, but

I thought it was like a 50-50, two players leaning into each other, and

Orban was overpowered.

I wouldn't say it was a shove, an illegal shove, shoulder on shoulder, which I think is okay.

Somebody might come and tell me now that you can't do that anymore.

But even if it was a foul, you still got to play the whistle.

And, you know, Orban was on the deck.

Gulashi, the keeper, just dithered and it was all over the place.

He could have picked the ball up, and

he just didn't.

Everyone just frantically pressing joysticks, weren't they?

Just press, press, press.

Problem solved, pick the ball up, Peter.

It was quite Daly Thompson's decatal on, wasn't it?

Just, I've just got to go as fast as I possibly can.

But, Archie, how, um, like, how

it's obviously important for Naglesman, but it's interesting to see him here, probably managing the German side earlier than he would perhaps have anticipated in his career.

Absolutely, and that all of his pre-tournament decisions of

if you go all the way back, keeping Gundawan as his captain, backing Neuer,

attacking style of play, saying that they're going to take risks, that pairing Wierts and Mussiala is working, and a Maximilian Mittelstedt at left back as well, who

I think I saw a statistic where combined Mittelstedt and Kimmisch have hit less crosses than other Germany squad member from RB Leipzig, David Raum, this season.

So, when they were swinging in all these crosses, I was thinking this is more suited to David Raum's style of play.

But as Barry was mentioning, he hit a lot of crosses in a short period of time, but that was the only one where he pulled it back on the floor.

And I think that caught Hungary off guard a little bit.

And there is a certain cleverness and smartness to Germany that I've not seen since that 2014 World Cup winning team when it comes to the kind of impulses that are being given.

And that comes down to Nagelsmann, who has also been able to play to the local crowd in both of the games so far.

First, one by bringing on Thomas Muller to a rapturous reception.

And then you would have probably heard it through the TV as well when Chris Furgisch and Denis Undav came on.

A small word for Denis Undav, Max.

I have a feeling he's a character you're going to like when I tell you.

that four years ago, he was playing in the third division in Germany, and his staple meal for lunch was pasta with curry sauce, with hot sauce, and satsiki.

Now, you won't be surprised to learn that he had to lose eight kilos before he went to Brighton, but since then, things have gone pretty well for him, particularly in Germany.

He wants to stay at Stuttgart.

I don't think that'll be allowed to happen by Brighton as it stands.

But that's that a character like that can come through and emerge, I think, makes this German team more

sympathetic.

Is that the word?

And I just wonder, if you are, you know, I don't know how desserby is with condiments, but if he's a no condiments, if you take Tatziki and hot sauce out of that meal, it's really quite plain.

Oh, so desserby, you can have a cigarette, but

you can't have a tomato ketchup.

That's it, yeah.

Ian says, how long into the Germany-Hungary game before you realised that Hungary were in all white?

Yeah, it took me a second,

especially right at the start.

I was like, oh, Germany have started how they finished the last game.

Jim says, is it true that Germany's kit was inspired by one of Archie's jackets?

That is not fair, is it, Archie?

Isn't it?

It's one of their best-selling, if not the best-selling kit they've had of all time.

So, wow, colours.

The marketing people know.

Right, that'll do for part one.

Part two, we'll do Croatia's draw with Albania.

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game, Day Scratchers, from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question.

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly must be 18 years or older to purchase, play, or claim.

Did you know adults 60 plus lose more than $60 billion each year to financial exploitation?

Greenlight's new Family Shield plan empowers you to monitor your accounts for suspicious activity, protect yourself with up to $1 million identity theft coverage, and reassure loved ones that you're safe with location sharing and place alerts.

Get peace of mind today at greenlight.com slash protect.

That's greenlight.com slash protect.

Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly.

Dean says this could age terribly.

There's 20 minutes to go, but is it possible that Croatia have finally run out of energy?

So Croatia 2, Albania 2, Klaus Jazula.

Looked like he cost his side with that really unlucky own goal.

Then he rescued a point.

And John,

it felt really deserved, I think, this.

Absolutely, yeah.

Albania.

A lot of people are critical of the 2014 tournaments because of the ease of going through.

And they like it to be this, you know, this blue ribbon high standard thing.

But the minnows always make the group stages better, don't they?

And Albania, one of those teams that have graced it just like Georgia did yesterday.

Great battling performance, great goal.

And then there's the Tommy Hutchinson scoring at both ends, you know, to finish it off.

That's always good.

That's always a good part of football.

Also, it's unlikely bromance of Silvinio and Zaboletta on the sidelines, really giving it the large.

Absolutely excellent.

And I've got a theory about Croatia it's that they don't like the Euros.

You look at their World Cup record, it's superior to England's over the last few years if you think about it, because you know, they've lost in a final, been in the semi-finals twice, from third.

What you just think Euros is not Euros, just not, it's just not a big enough deal for them.

It's not big enough for them, no, no.

I mean, they did lose in the Nations League final, was it last year?

But yeah, it's just not, it's just not enough for them.

I think they've all only got to the quarterfinals.

I think the only one they've never qualified for is Euro 2000, but they've always never really shown up.

And we always say, oh, that's the end of that Croatia team.

And then they'll appear in a World Cup and go into the last four.

So expect Modric at, what will he be by then?

40 or so.

39.

Yeah, to shine in the USA.

Because,

yeah, it's not really working out for them.

It's not really working out for them.

Sam says, is this an acceptable use of the English language in a major UK news minute-by-minute blog on the Sky News app?

It went, Croatia to Albania to Jazula, 90 plus 3 and

the words are oh my days D-A-Y-Z.

Barry, is that acceptable?

Or would you put that in a minute by minute, oh my days?

I wouldn't.

I mean, I think the only person I've ever heard use that expression was the current Mrs.

Rushton at full time.

when Italy beat England or when she realized Italy had beaten England on penalties in the last Euros final.

So it's an expression I haven't heard for, what is it, three years?

Yes.

And it will live long in my memory.

But I don't know.

I suspect if the current Mrs.

Rushton was writing it down for posterity, she would spell it with an S rather than a Z.

And I think if she was to spell it with a Z, you should probably consider leaving her.

Okay.

I haven't asked her how she spells it.

I mean, Albania, they finished it brilliantly.

They started the game brilliantly as well, well, Archie, didn't they?

They did.

But I need to divulge some Klaus Gisula trivia for you.

Oh, please.

Because for a start, I didn't really recognise him without his scrum cap, which is what he was playing in the Bundesliga with.

So

he plays second row for Leinster.

I think he had a head injury a while back,

which is what made him very recognisable in the Bundesliga.

On top of the fact that he set the all-time record for most most yellow cards in a season with Padderborn, he got 17 in 29 appearances.

That's amazing.

And for him as well to score at Hamburg, where he's played in recent years and never scored a goal, was, I think, something for Hamburg fans to be like, of course, this is happening.

And

there's been a fact as well doing the rounds in Germany because

Grandma Jasula actually got the honor of helping to name name both Klaus and his brother Jürgen.

And they are actually named after a doctor in a famous German drama called the Black Forest Clinic.

And the doctor's name was Klaus Jürgen Vossau.

Wow, that's great.

It sounds like a porno movie.

They used to show it over here, you know.

They used to show

us clinic, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's subtitles.

Klaus and Jürgen, is it not like, you know, a striking combination of Jürgen Klinsman and Klaus Alofs or something, some sort of

yeah, some 80s

if it wasn't that doctor, if it was like another TV doctor, like be called like his kids, their kids would be Carl, Carl and Kennedy, or yeah, Clive, Clive, and Gibbons

here are my children, Clive and Gibbons, yeah, or uh, or Dick Van Dyke.

What's his name in Diagnosis Murder?

Oh, that's gonna, that's gonna, that's gonna eat me alive that I can't remember his name.

Diagnosis Murder has to be the biggest hive of nepotism.

Absolutely right.

The history of TV drama because everyone in it is a Van Dijk or married to a Van Dijk.

It's just anyway.

There were five in one episode.

That's the maximum they've had.

I suppose if you live to 100 years old, you're going to have a lot of Van Dijkes around, aren't you?

That's right.

No, I thought this was a brilliant game.

I think both teams will feel they should have won it.

Both teams could have won it.

Albania were bossing it by half-time.

Should have been way more than one up.

And then they got too cautious and they stopped all these counter-attacks that had served them so well in the first half, dried up.

Ivan Peresic started getting loads of crosses in.

Croiss Equalize went ahead and you're thinking, oh, God, poor Albanians.

They scored too early again for the second game in a row.

But yeah, Klaus Jisula popped up with the equalizer.

Redemption for Klaus after his own goal.

But I did spot quite a few of the Albanians fans wearing what I now realize were skull caps as an homage to Klaus.

I couldn't figure out why they were wearing those hats.

It sadly says how much I realise I've watched of Darmstadt this season in the Bundesliga, who finished bottom and got relegated.

I don't think he's been wearing a scrum cap for the whole of this season, but when he set the record

with Padderborn in

2020, it was,

that scrum cap was very visible.

Just to add as well,

we've been talking about co-commentators.

Stefan Freund

made a remark

after the Albanian equalizer, which kind of reminded me of how that one friend in the group takes things too far.

Where he goes,

football is better than sex.

And you're just like, and there was this kind of this pregnant pause, and you're like, really?

It was so awkward.

it's a lazy phrase isn't it i thought as well gary lineker after the um the other game the uh germany hungary game so their studio is up high and it's in front of the brandenburg gate is that what it's called yeah yeah

and they commented oh we can't show you the fans in the fan zone because the big screen is blocking the way and Frank Lampard, who was a pundit, said, yeah, it'd be a bit rubbish if they took the big screen away because all they'd want to look at, or all they'd have to look at, is the back of our heads.

And Lineker said, yeah, no one wants to look at the back of your head, particularly not these days, Frank.

And you could just see Frank going, hold on a second.

That's a bit uncalled for.

Frank gets a flight to Turkey straight from.

Yeah,

it just seemed really, really brutal.

I don't know if Frank is going bald or not, but crikey Gary.

Seems to He's like Friar Tuck, Frank Mapoda.

We've only ever seen him for the front.

We've got absolutely no idea what's happening.

Dr.

Mark Sloan, just to mark your card.

But thank you for bringing it back to the game, Barry.

Obviously, I've said this a million times, John, but Croatia, and

I don't want to say it in a real way, but they just...

I really feel like, do we feel like this is it?

for them?

Or is that really stupid?

Like, they could win their next game and get through.

As I've said,

I just don't think they've asked about the Euros, but

you would suggest that that is probably it for them.

Yeah, it's a strong group.

You can't afford to drop those points.

And when you've seen how good the other teams in the group are, yeah, I don't really fancy them to do it.

But, you know, as I said, you write them off at the peril.

They appear to be able to get players from all over the place.

Yeah, actually, just talking of that's weird defending that I've noticed for the goal, goal for the first albania goal

croatian goalie appeared to try and pick the ball up as if he was some sort of washerwoman or he was

or as if he was sort of you know some sort of picking up corn from a field you know those sort of practice movements that seem so natural and the ball wasn't there at all it was a putting it down as a volleyball kind of motion with both hands.

The other goal, Guardiol, this, you know, this top player seemed to get himself, if you watch it back, he got himself in this terrible sort of twisting mess that it's actually quite agile.

You know, John Travolta would have been proud of the move that he's thrown, but it just goes through his legs.

And

I've just enjoyed the desperate defending in this tournament.

There's been some classics like that.

I've got to say, the first goal, though, I mean, the run from Lassie.

Yeah.

So good.

I mean, it's like total desire, like the art of winning a header like that, because he runs from so deep.

And the cross from Asani is great.

Who was wearing Super Mario boots, which, you know, in my vintage would be Treasure Island Dizzy boots.

But still,

you have to respect that.

He made that run from deep and Luca Modera just pointed at him.

He did make no effort to run after me.

He just pointed at him.

It's like, I'm 38.

Would someone else please track that run?

There was a moment where they went, oh, and veteran Shaw Luca is furious on the bench.

And I was thought, he's on the bench.

That can't be.

Like, he must be tired.

And then I realised he's an assistant coach, he's not like you know,

fourth choice right back.

Can we have a word as well?

For

I mean, Jasula came off the bench, but he had quite the impact, scored an own goal, scored the equalizer, and then I'm pretty sure it was him put in the tackle or the foul of the tournament

on Luka Modric

as Croatia were going up on the break.

Can you see why he got 17 yellow cards in a season?

I mean,

Moderic's just looking at it.

It was just like, yeah, go on.

And, you know, just like

that's happened before.

I mean, maybe this is something that Howard Webb and

his wife, who I believe is the Christina uncle of German TV,

maybe that's one of those law changes they can discuss over dinner.

You know, like, it's a cynicism, does it push you to a red?

Yeah.

To an orange, yeah.

I liked Andros Townsend in comedy just going, that that is a brilliant foul.

He's true.

He's absolutely spot on.

He's just kept, he was, he's been great, actually.

And just saying,

you know, great enthusiasm.

Him and Seb, great combo, aren't they?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Totally agree.

Yeah, Seb Patchin's brilliant as well.

All right, that'll do for part two.

Part three, we'll look ahead to tomorrow's games.

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game, Day Scratchers from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question: play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly, must be 18 years or older to purchase, play, or claim.

Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly.

ASO Denmark, England.

John, how do you feel?

Completely imbued with national pride.

And yeah, well, God almighty.

Yeah, well, you know, I had a very familiar feeling on Sunday evening watching England.

And I suspect I'll have a similar feeling watching this one.

I think Gareth has to, Gareth Southgate, I should give him his full name, should probably continue with the Trent Alexander experiment.

If he's if he's chucked it in already and then he got rid of it, then that's not a particularly strong piece of management, is it?

He's got to find a solution to Phil Foden's shrinking violet performances in the wake of Jude Bellingham.

Are we going to have to accept that Carrie Kane's role is sacrificial essentially?

That he just Kane is someone to take one or two men away and everyone else plays off him because their defenders are

too afraid to let him get near the ball because because he's such a good finisher.

This Denmark team, I think back three years ago, they were such an excellent team, weren't they?

Really, really good.

I think they're possibly a little bit over the top.

Chris Steen Erickson had that

Lazarus moment and then ran out of puff, which is a bit sad to see

because that's what's pretty much marred his Manchester United's career.

I can't really see past the draw.

It just feels like I'm just thinking in old money here.

I'm just thinking of England performances.

And I'm thinking already, I mean, me and Barney were messing around with what they're going to say afterwards.

It's like, you know, yeah, I was really happy with the way we closed.

That they were down the defensives.

That's good for us,

what come ahead and tougher tests in the tournament, this type of thing.

It's just,

even though England have given us a lot to feel happy with over the last few years, I just can't help but being, well, English and pessimistic about it.

I've just, I really want Adam Wharton in there.

And like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It is based on, it's based on so little.

I've never seen him play a full 90 he plays higher up the pitch than i always thought he did but he is a central midfielder and i i just that's i and it's like it is such a sort of stupid england fan view someone i don't really see he's just new and exciting but no if you would you get if you got rid of trent though it would be a ludicrous thing well it depends what the right decision is right that's the i mean that's the i think playing trent is the wrong decision uh when you i was watching roy keen and gary neville go through this and gary neville made a good point which is that a fullback is not used to what's going going on behind him.

And, you know, the radar's switched on differently.

It's configured in that way.

And I think that's the problem that they're going to have.

But I think he's got to try and make that work this game.

But then, then,

push the Adam Wharton.

Yeah.

Adam.

Adam Wharton button.

Yeah.

Archie, I want to make you feel more validated in that

with Adam Wharton, Southgate's been brave enough to call him into the squad.

Surely the whole point of being brave enough to make this kind of decision, which was pretty bold for Gareth Southgate, surely now you've got to go that extra step and play him rather than keeping him shying away because otherwise, what's the point of having made this whole experiment?

I was at the gaming Gals and Kirchen on Sunday and I was really surprised just generally with the lack of imagination from England.

I say surprised.

You are English, aren't you?

I say surprised.

And then I think back about my words and think, actually.

But still, it was,

you just look at the names and still there's part of you that I think having watched Germany today and thinking how well and how well they've managed to become so much more fluid in such a short space of time.

And I still have this kind of unconfirmed belief that our players are not as well tactically schooled as German players.

And

five-aside games here prove that to me sometimes in a way I don't want to hear it a lot of the time because

there's all this jabber of Archie stop hitting the ball long.

But I think that what a terrible export you are

for English football.

Getting it launched in a five-aside pitch.

Absolute disgrace.

Sometimes you've got to ease the pressure.

And that's what they don't understand.

Oh, God.

But no,

but then the counter-evidence to that is look at what they do with their Premier League teams.

So,

yeah, I'm actually going to be at the Denmark game again tomorrow,

being a full England fan

now.

So, yeah, I'm intrigued.

It feels like it has to get better.

And generally in international tournaments, playing more closed off is a better thing.

But

yeah, I'm team handbreak off still.

Okay.

Slovenia, Serbia, also in that group.

And Barry, then Spain, Italy, which sort of on paper is the game of

the group stages.

It is insofar as it's two big teams going up against each other.

But, you know, if either of them loses, it doesn't really matter.

So in that regard, it's not really the game of the tournaments.

Belbon April.

I'm more interested in England, Denmark, to be honest,

because I think England might trip up tomorrow, but we shall see.

Yeah, there's no real jeopardy in that so-called group of deaths, as I've said before, and you know, whoever comes third will probably go through anyway.

Yeah, just a note on Georgia Turkey yesterday, there was some just a little bit of crowd trouble, and a few people got in touch saying that if that had been England fans, you'd have definitely mentioned it, and you're probably right, we would have done.

So, just to be fair, yeah, the fans of Georgia Turkey.

I saw those comments, and I have to say, I think they're absolutely ridiculous.

Do you?

Yeah, well, why didn't you mention that?

If England did it, you'd be all over us.

Yeah, we would.

Of course, we would.

I said so, because we're a podcast

that's primarily concerned with the England football teams and Scotland football teams' progress at this tournament.

I mean, is that all you've got to excuse England's bad behaviour?

That some fans are worse than ours.

Sure, well, we need to be, we should be balanced, shouldn't we?

And this, and there's this happened, and there was George and Turkey fans.

We're not the BBC, Max.

Oh,

our fans are also a bit weird, I have to say.

I had this experience in Gelsenkirchen where I was standing there with my friends and this guy just leaned out a taxi and he just shouts at us and goes, you Albanian or Serbs?

I was like, what?

I was like, no, no, mate.

It's just, and then he just kind of proceeds to go on this rant of like, well, if I wasn't his taxi now, I'd come after you i was like what what the what where where like just the unnecessary aggression yeah from nowhere

has a turkish or georgian person done that to you can you report that to us no they've not but if they did make sure you do in the interests of balance fair enough fair enough i i i i agree with barry that there is a certain

it always happens it you know it's a it's what's about her essentially isn't it barry it's that sort of well you never mentioned it when they did this And this, I believe, that still doesn't make excuse for the fact that England fans misbehaved at a certain point many times over many tournaments.

Changing the subject on fruit pastels, Fabio says,

With own goal on for the golden boot, can we please hear Barry say fruit pastels again?

Joanne says, Hi, everyone.

In defence of Barry's joke about Castilles on the last pod, I can confirm that the punchline was lost in linguistics.

Being Irish and pronouncing pastels as pastiles, I immediately cracked up when Barry said he hoped Castile's nickname was fruit.

So there you are, Barry.

You've vindicated Barry.

I don't need vindication.

And, you know,

I know it was funny.

One of our big bosses was in touch to say he thought it was funny.

And that person thought it was funny, my compatriot.

See, basically, you're just mocking me.

Because I'm doing something wrong in my second language.

I didn't know the joke, and I've for balance, I've put in someone here to say you were right.

I didn't have to put that in.

We've had a lot of correspondence about your socks, Barry.

As you would understand, Nick said, what would a 20-year-old Barry Glendenning make of the latest trend of footballers cutting holes in their socks?

Yeah, they wouldn't be as useful for

what Barry wanted to do with them.

Opri says you neglected to ask Keir Starmer where he was on the Barry to Alexander the Great scan of what he was doing at H20.

And a couple more.

Here we go.

Ian says, hello, I've been listening to Football Weekly since the beginning.

I've grown to accept Max as a capable host.

It took a minute.

Thanks.

On a medical adjacent note, I was having some dental work done, deep cleaning, not surgery, and had to have my entire mouth numbed and a bit of gas to keep me somewhat still.

I was listening to the pod through the procedure when Barry outlined his affinity for masturbation into a spare sock.

I laughed quite hard, but since I was was fully numb, the only outcome was a picture of water and fluoride solution sorting out of my mouth and covering me and unfortunately the hygienist in the mixture.

I've been going to the same dentist for years.

Luckily it wasn't as awkward as it could have been.

That said, when asked what happened, I began to tell the story.

And

as soon as I mentioned masturbation, I realized I had brought back the awkwardness.

Paul says, FFS Glendenning, after 15 years listening to the show, I thought it was a safe bet I could listen to the latest episode in the car with my 87-year-old Irish Catholic mum.

I do apologise to everyone.

And Aiden says, I'm not sure I can think of another pod that features a middle-aged man reminiscing about ejecting into a sock one day to do an interview with potentially the future Prime Minister the next day.

Excellent stuff.

There we are.

Anyway, that'll do for today.

Thank you, Barry.

Thank you.

Thanks, John.

Cheers.

Thank you, Archie.

Thank you.

Football Weekly is produced by Silas Gray.

Our executive producer is Josh Kelly.

This is The Guardian.