England hopes for messi's illness

England is secretly hoping for Lionel Messi to fall ill, while also expecting a 'back to reality' moment for Cape Verde. The first World Cup finalist has been decided: Spain. Top favorite France, on the other hand, is left to compete for third place. The question remains whether France can motivate its players to take the third place after their disappointment in Dallas. Spain will be back in the World Cup final on Sunday, but the question is whether they will face Argentina or England. If it's the latter, it would be a repeat of the European Championship final on July 14, 2024, when Spain won 2-1 with a goal from Mikel Oyarzabal in the 86th minute. England's biggest challenge tonight will be to stop Lionel Messi. 'Can we prepare for that, find the perfect solution, and focus too much on him? No,' said England coach Thomas Tuchel.

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'But we have to be careful and stop the support around him, and follow all his movements when he has the ball. We will find a way.' Tuchel joked that he wished Messi would have a cold. It has been an exhausting World Cup for Argentina so far, with extra time against Cape Verde and Switzerland. 'It doesn't matter how tired we are,' said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. If Spain faces Argentina, it would be only their second World Cup meeting, after a 2-1 win for Spain at Villa Park in Birmingham in 1966.

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Roberto 'Pico' Lopes played 120 minutes for Cape Verde against Argentina on July 4 and then played for his club Shamrock Rovers in the Champions League just ten days later. Lopes' life has been a 'back to life, back to reality' experience, similar to the song by Soul II Soul. His father, Carlos, was born on São Nicolau in Cape Verde and worked as a sailor and a cook on cruise ships before settling in Dublin, where he met his wife Judie.