World Cup Show 06 23

Welcome to the underdog world cup show from underdog podcasts. I'm Chris Horvidell and every day during the tournament, we're breaking down the matches, the moments, the teams under pressure and the games coming next. This is the underdog world cup show. Hey, I'm Chris Horvidell and this is the underdog world cup show. Yesterday was a pretty good reminder that the world cup is basically a history machine with better lighting, messy break the record and Boppe answered immediately. Holland kept bulldozing through defenders and Algeria brought itself back from the edge. This episode of the underdog world cup show is brought to you in association with our friends at Airbnb. More on that later. We're going to get into today's slate of games as well because lucky rebel has Portugal, England, Croatia and Columbia all with some very interesting lines today. But the most interesting thing is that not all favorites are being treated the same. Portugal and England are priced like heavyweights while Croatia and Columbia are priced like teams that still need to prove it. But we're going to start with Argentina because Lionel Messi is now alone at the top. Argentina beat Austria to nothing in Dallas and Messi scored both goals that gives him 18 career world cup goals, which moves him past Miroslav Klozu for the men's record and past Marta for the overall world cup record. He also has five goals already in this tournament, which is absurd because he's doing this days before his 39th birthday. And the funny part is he probably missed his easiest opportunity with a penalty early. For about five minutes, everybody got to do the whole is today finally the day thing. Then Messi scored in the 38th minute again in stoppage time and Argentina clinched a knockout spot with a game to spare. Argentina are two for two, six points, five goals scored, zero conceded and Messi has scored every single one of them. It's not a team attack. It's a small nation built around a left foot and it's working out just fine for them. Austria weren't bad. They had more of the ball than you might expect. And Mikel Gregorich had a real chance with a header, but Argentina did what champions do. They let the game get uncomfortable without ever letting it get out of control. Then France did France things with a small weather delay thrown in because apparently this tournament needed a lightning subplot. France beat Iraq three nothing in Philadelphia after a nearly two hour delay for thunderstorms. Kylian Mbappé scored in the 14th minute, then again in the 54th. Ousmane Dembele added a third in the 66th. Mbappé now has 16 world cup goals tied for second all time on the men's list. And he did this in just his 100th cap for France. That's a pretty good way to celebrate appearance number 100. Most people get a cake. Mbappé gets a three nothing win, a storm delay and another step towards chasing Messi's brand new record. France have six points from two games, six goals scored, one conceded and they're through. Iraq are still looking for their first world cup win. And honestly, this was a brutal two game opening stretch for them. Norway with Holland and then France with Mbappé. And speaking of Holland, Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in one of the best games of the tournament so far. Erling Haaland scored twice, that's four goals in two world cup matches. Marcus Peterson also scored and Norway are now into the knockout stage for the first time since 1998. Senegal made it dramatic. Ismail Assar scored twice and they kept pushing late, but they're sitting on zero points after two games. It's harsh because Senegal are dangerous, athletic and still capable of making somebody miserable. But in this format, good performances without points just don't mean anything. Norway and France are both on six points in group I, so the final game between the two of them is going to be for first place. And it's also Mbappé versus Holland, which is exactly the kind of thing that FIFA had to be hoping for. In the late game, Algeria may have saved their tournament. Jordan led Algeria 1-0 at halftime in the Bay Area after Nizar Al Rashtan scored in the 36th minute. For a while, it looked like Jordan might grab one of the stories of the tournament, but Algeria came back. Nadir Benbouali equalized after a Miad Arras corner. And Amine Gouiri scored the winner in the 77th minute. Algeria win 2-1. Jordan are eliminated and Algeria goes into the final group match against Austria with a real chance to advance. And yes, Algeria-Austria in a World Cup group finale will immediately make people think of 1982 when Austria's 1-0 loss to West Germany helped eliminate Algeria in one of the most infamous group stage situations ever. This one is different, obviously, but the history is sitting right there. Now to today. Portugal and Uzbekistan kick us off at 1 o'clock Eastern in Houston. Portugal drew 1-1 with Congo in their opener, which was not the start that they wanted. Cristiano, Ronaldo, and Portugal were expected to handle that game, but Congo made it awkward, physical, and much more complicated than Portugal hoped for. Uzbekistan lost 3-1 to Colombia, but they did score. They're not here as tourists. Eldor Shomarodov gives them a real forward presence. Obozbek Fizolayev is clever between the lines. And Obdekhonyr Kosinov is the kind of defender that could be very, very busy today. Still, Lucky Rebel has Portugal minus 600, Uzbekistan plus 1500, and a draw at plus 625. Ronaldo's minus 168 to score anytime, which tells you the expectation pretty clearly. Portugal are supposed to get right here, and if they don't, Group K gets really weird really quick. At 4 o'clock Eastern, England play Ghana in Boston, and this might be the biggest spotlight game today. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opener, which was probably the most entertaining performance in a World Cup in a long time. Harry Kane, Bukai Osaka, Jude Bellingham, and the whole attacking group looked loose, aggressive, and fun, weirdly enough. I know England and fun, but it looked like it. Dangerous territory. Ghana beat Panama 1-0, which means both teams come in on 3 points. England are on top of Group L on goal differential, Ghana are right behind them, and the winner today is almost certainly into the knockouts. Lucky Rebel has England minus 470, Ghana plus 1200, and a draw at plus 550, with Kane minus 152 to score anytime. It feels about right for the market, but Ghana are not a team England can sleepwalk through. Antoine Semenu has pace, Jordan Ayou knows how to make games annoying, and if Thomas Partey can help Ghana survive the first wave, this could become much more uncomfortable than the odds suggest. Again at 7 o'clock, Panama face Croatia in Toronto. This is a pressure game. Panama lost 1-0 to Ghana, Croatia lost 4-2 to England. Both teams are sitting on 0 points and somebody's tournament is about to get really short really quick. Croatia are still the better side, Luka Modric is still Luka Modric, and he can change a game quick. Andrej Kramaric can still find pockets, Josko Gardial gives them quality from the back, and that England game raised real questions about their defensive legs. Panama is going to try and turn this into a fight. Alberto Kraski is their connector, Anibal Godoy gives them bite, and Cecilio Waterman is the anytime scorer that pops on the board. At Lucky Rebel, Croatia are minus 190, Panama are plus 550, and the draw is plus 305. That's definitely favorite pricing, but not don't worry about it pricing. Croatia should win, Croatia also really need to win, so the pressure is on them to handle their business today. Then we close against Colombia against the Congo at 10 o'clock Eastern Time in Guadalajara. Colombia were sharp in their opener, beating Uzbekistan 3-1. Luis Diaz gives them directness, James Rodriguez still gives them that left-footed final ball, and Jean Arias is one of those players that seems to make every possession just a little bit cleaner. The Democratic Republic of Congo drew 1-1 with Portugal, and that point kind of changes everything for them. They're not chasing the group anymore, they're in it. Yohan Wiese and Cedric Bakembo give them a real attacking threat, and Shonsell Mbembe gives them leadership in the back. Lucky Rebel has Colombia minus 180, Congo plus 525, and the draw plus 300. Luis Diaz is plus 185 to score anytime, and that feels like the name to watch here. Colombia can take control of Group K with a win, Congo can turn this group completely sideways if another result comes. And before we get out of here, just a quick word about Airbnb, a company that I personally use frequently when traveling. If you're traveling for matches, visiting family, or just need a better place to stay, Airbnb gives you the space, flexibility, and a spot that feels more like your own. Check out Airbnb for your next trip. That's it for the Underdog World Cup show. I'm Chris Horvidell. Enjoy the matches. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Go to www.underdogworldcup.com to sign up for the UNDERDOG WORLD CUP.