ATLANTA (AP) — Germany is out of the world cup. Brazil was forced into a corner by Japan, and the Netherlands was forced into a corner.
Soccer’s traditional superpowers have been rattled by a combination of: fearless underdog And emerging forces are shaking things up.
And England manager Thomas Tuchel has no problem with that.
“I think it calms us down in a way, it’s just a close game,” he said ahead of England’s Round of 32 match against Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday. “It helps us not have too high expectations because football matches are close. It helps us put this World Cup and what’s going on in world football in the right frame of mind.”
England are the overwhelming favorites to advance to the finals tournament for the first time and face teams that have risen in the standings. First World Cup since 1974.
However, manager Tuchel was criticized for his team after the match. Scoreless draw with Ghana He said the gap in international football is closing in the group stage.
This was evident when four-time world champions Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties. Record 5-time champion Brazil needed a stoppage-time winner They will try to make a comeback with a 2-1 victory against Japan.
At the beginning of the tournament, Cape Verde was crowned European Champion Spain scoreless draw and Congo drew 1-1. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal national team.
“It’s difficult to break any team, especially when you go in as favorites, especially when you’re playing against a team that has nothing to lose,” Tuchel said. “For me, and for us, it almost helps calm the mind, accept the situation and make the best of it.”
meanwhile Morocco wins in penalty shootout The game against the Netherlands wasn’t all that surprising, but the African champions quickly went from underdogs to strong contenders for the World Cup.
Congo are far from those heights, but they will go into the match against England without fear.
“It’s true that we are expecting a difficult match, but it’s not insurmountable. We proved that we can actually perform well against a team that is supposed to be better than us,” said coach Sébastien Desables. “So we are focusing on our strengths and working our way, but when you get this far in the competition it becomes difficult for everyone.”
Despite leading the group with an unbeaten record of two wins and one draw, England’s performance so far has been controversial.
Tuchel said he is determined to entertain fans and has no problem managing the expectations of a country that has not won a trophy since hosting the World Cup in 1966.
Tuchel, the German-born coach who has won consecutive championships, was hired specifically to break out of that barren situation.
“I love these situations. I think it’s an honor to be in a situation like this. We can just embrace it. We’re favorites. We’re playing against our expectations,” he said. “We’re hoping to go beyond the round of 32, that’s what it is.
“So why don’t our fans expect that? Why isn’t public opinion the same?”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
