Ampadu and Moore show what they are about on the biggest stage
FOR those of us who enjoy football, the sheer number of World Cup games being shown on TV at the moment is a dream come true.
Four games a day in the main, and there are a couple of outstanding performances to pick out from those matches so far.
If you don’t like football, then there may be a bit of tension in households up and down the country. Mrs Hargreaves is teetering on the edge, and so I will be setting myself up in the bedroom for tonight’s game. Suggesting the other way round would be fool hardy at best!
Obviously, we have to start with England’s dominant 6-2 win against Iran. What an incredible display.
Yes, Iran looked a bit short of confidence, and I don’t think the turmoil surrounding the players’ refusal to sing their own National anthem pre-match helped at all, but England were excellent, and critically the players looked like they were enjoying their football and were comfortable with the stage.
I thought Jude Bellingham was absolutely outstanding, Bakary Saka too, always looking to play forward and always anticipating a chance to be positive on the ball.
Jude is only 19 and yet he pretty much ran the show from midfield and scored a brilliant first half header to settle the nerves all round.
To score six goals against any international team is good, to do it in the first game - and to be able to bring on substitutes in the second half, such as Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, and Callum Wilson, who all had a big impact - is so important.
Gareth Southgate’s frustration at the two goals conceded is also a handy reminder of the dangers of every team in this World Cup.
The other game to grab the attention was surely Saudi Arabia beating Argentina 2-1. A defensive masterclass in the second half, a real bodies on the line mentality to stop Messi and co, and the winning goal from the golden boy of Saudi football, Salem Al Dawsari, will go down in folklore.
It was a superb World Cup moment for the players, the country, and its people. This is why the World Cup is so special. It can bring a country and its people together, which is why the sport can be so powerful.
I have to say, though, that the whole tournament feels a bit uncomfortable at times. The lack of clarity from FIFA on players potentially wearing the One Love armband – to stand together for Inclusion and Diversity – with FIFA threatening to sanction any players wearing an arm band by immediately giving them a yellow card is a joke.
This should have been discussed and agreed months ago, not on the eve of some of the biggest games in a player’s career. We also have the completely farcical claim from World Footballs governing body that the World Cup in Qatar and building of the stadia was carbon neutral. Seriously, what do they take us for? Seven purpose-built stadiums built specifically for this tournament, stadiums and infrastructure that have been built at a cost of £100 billion, and all built in what is essentially a desert with some extremally questionable safety standards.
Ironically, all of this built at such cost and effort and yet we have already seen stadiums only threequarters full. Some experts have stated that, apart from World War’s, this tournament will actually be the one of the world’s worst ever man-made disasters for our climate.
Surely this is the last time we have to purpose-build on such a mass scale, just to watch some games of football? Governments and politicians may have to take a big deep breath and take a look at themselves. For FIFA, let’s just say it needs a big, big shake up at the top.
Back on the pitch now and Wales getting a draw against the USA was definitely a huge result. It was a sight to behold to see the Welsh fans singing the national anthem having not been at World Cup for 64 years.
The ‘Welsh wall’ was, as ever, in good voice. That performance and that team had a couple of names within it that are very familiar to fans of our local clubs here in Devon, Kieffer Moore and Ethan Ampudu.
They have had vastly different journeys to get to the international stage. Ethan was a star from a young age and soon got his move from Exeter City to Chelsea.
I’m not sure it was the right club for him at that time, with so many players competing for a start, and Ethan has had to go and prove himself on loan at Sheffoeld United and also spells on loan in Germany’s and Italy’s top flights to keep his development on track.
At only 22, he has made over 30 appearances already for his country, which is outstanding. I know his dad Kwame very well and I’m sure the family will be so proud. Kwame is a top person and a top coach and will without doubt will have had a few words of wisdom for Ethan.
For Kieffer Moore, it must be a pinch yourself moment to play at the World Cup, previously playing for the likes of Dorchester, Truro, Torquay, and Forest Green.
It surely has to be one of the best stories at the 2022 World Cup. So many people will have doubted him and yet his self-belief and determination have got him firstly to the Premier League and now the World Cup.
Kieffer has worked hard on his game and does everything he can off the pitch to give himself the best chance. A fantastic lesson to any young player starting out: Anything is possible.