Copa Independent

Lawrence Ostlere is joined by Miguel Delaney, Kieran Jackson and Jack Rathborn to preview Mexico v England at the Azteca and the impact of Mexico City’s altitude (about 7,200 feet) and heat on England, with Miguel describing a difficult 6K run and Jack comparing altitude effects to endurance sport and team performance. They assess Mexico’s momentum and home support, and Miguel reflects on the Azteca’s historic significance. They also review Spain’s comfortable win over Austria, their 35-game unbeaten run, and Lamine Yamal’s improving form ahead of a last-16 tie with Portugal. Portugal’s dramatic win over Croatia prompts debate about VAR and “Sniko” after marginal offsides and a late disallowed goal. Finally, Egypt beat Australia on penalties after Australia subbed goalkeepers late, and the last-16 lineup begins to take shape.

It was a great escape from England against DR Congo – and it was their captain fantastic Harry Kane who got them out of jail in Atlanta. Kieran Jackson and Miguel Delaney discuss where Kane’s double ranks in all-time England World Cup moments? Can Djed Spence possibly start again against Mexico after his struggles? And what else does Thomas Tuchel have to think about ahead of an all-time occasion on Sunday at the Azteca? Also, after another bumper day of knockout action, the United States progressed to the last-16 after a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina – but they will be without Folarin Balogun for their next match against Belgium (who pulled off a great escape themselves against Senegal) after a controversial red card following a VAR referral. Did the decision show a lack of understanding and common sense? All of this, on the latest episode of Copa Independent.

On the latest episode of Copa Independent, Kieran Jackson in Santa Clara and Miguel Delaney in Atlanta preview England’s last-32 clash against DR Congo – a team that should not be underestimated. Which way will Thomas Tuchel go with his wingers and full-backs? What and who do the Three Lions need to be wary of? And what lessons can England take from other giant-killings so far in the knockout stage? On that topic, we also discuss the shock exits of Germany and the Netherlands – and the core reasons behind their downfall – as well as the competition’s standout team: the irrepressible France, after their 3-0 win over Sweden. USA’s last-32 tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the overwhelming wave of optimism stateside, is also a topic of conversation.

Thomas Tuchel’s England side progressed to the knockout stage as Group L winners after a 2-0 victory over Panama – but are there more questions than answers for the Three Lions ahead of their last-32 clash against DR Congo on Wednesday? Where does Tuchel go next with his unnecessary right-back conundrum? Who out of Rashford, Rogers and Saka took their opportunity from the start? And how much did England miss Declan Rice (a lot)? Kieran Jackson, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly are stateside to discuss. We also speak about two dramatic managerial exits in the last 24 hours: that of Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa and, of more surprise, Scotland’s Steve Clarke, who stepped down after Scottish hopes vanished on Saturday and they exited the World Cup. And we also speak about the best last-32 match-ups coming up this week, with the knockout phase starting with Canada vs South Africa on Sunday.

The newly bloated 48-team World Cup format has plenty of problems, but perhaps the biggest of all has shown itself over the past two days, and it was entirely in Fifa’s control. The decision to decide group rankings by head-to-head record instead of goal difference has killed the action in a series of games at the end of this opening stage, with so little on the line and none of the same jeopardy and drama as four years ago in Qatar. Independent writers Miguel Delaney, Kieran Jackson and Lawrence Ostlere discuss the flawed format, as well as France’s thrashing of Norway’s B team – Miguel saw Ousmane Dembele score a hat-trick in Boston – and England’s big problem that Thomas Tuchel should have seen coming.

In our latest episode of Copa Independent, chief football writer Miguel Delaney, on the ground in Boston, and sports editor Jack Rathborn in New York dissect England's underwhelming showing against Ghana. After so much optimism and positivity following the opening Croatia win, what went wrong for Thomas Tuchel's side this time around? What is it about 'second match syndrome' and England at tournaments? And what does it mean for the Three Lions' final game against Panama? Plus, we discuss Fifa's strange preference for head-to-head over goal-difference as a group-position decider - and how Cristiano Ronaldo isn't selfless at all despite letting Nuno Mendes take a free-kick against Uzbekistan.

In the latest episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere and Miguel Delaney discuss a fascinating Golden Boot race as Lionel Messi scores twice against Austria to move onto five goals, while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland also net braces to take their tallies to four.The pair reflect on Messi’s extraordinary longevity and revisit his long-running rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, asking whether there was ever truly a debate over who was the greater player. They also look ahead to Portugal’s second group-stage match against Uzbekistan and consider whether Ronaldo can respond.Elsewhere, they preview England’s second group game under Thomas Tuchel and assess whether the Three Lions can replicate the best moments of their opening victory over Croatia.

Football writers Miguel Delaney, Richard Jolly and Lawrence Ostlere are in North America to discuss England’s statement 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas. Did Thomas Tuchel’s team-talk change the game? Was England’s display the performance of the tournament so far? Are Croatia really any good?The team also assess Cristiano Ronaldo’s woeful performance for Portugal, and run the rule over the first full round of games.

Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly look back on day 6 of the World Cup where Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe arrived on stage and set the tournament alight as well as igniting the race for the golden boot. Can Ronaldo and Harry Kane respond today? We also preview England’s first game in the competition against Croatia this evening.