FIFA World Cup™ on FOX Programming Highlights: Wednesday Afternoon, June 20
Today’s Schedule & Results (all times ET):
- Portugal def. Morocco, 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90: Portugal vs. Morocco)
- Uruguay def. Saudi Arabia, 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90: Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia)
- Spain def. Iran, 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Iran vs. Spain)
- 7:00 PM – WORLD CUP NOW (Twitter)
- 7:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FS1)
- 8:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP MATCH OF THE DAY: Iran vs. Spain (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
Today’s Top Stories:
This Afternoon’s Top Quotes:
FOX Sports guest analyst and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill’s perception of the Spanish camp:
“I think obviously they are under pressure because their coach got sacked a day or two before the competition started. Fernando Hierro comes in and is a hero in Spain – there’s no question about that – but he is immediately under pressure because they need the results. Spain is expected to do well in the competition. I think tonight will calm things down for them. They’ve got the points on the board. It’s a big win for them. As he [Hierro] said himself, it was a difficult win.”
FOX Sports analyst Moises Munoz on Iran’s offense tactics:
“They had their chances today – one of them coming in the second half. If you’re the underdog, why can’t you just come out and surprise the opponent. Spain was already expecting Iran to stay behind, to put all kinds of players behind the ball and park the bus. That’s what they were expecting from Iran. If they [Iran] came out and tried to punch them in the face and try to go forward and get some aggressiveness into their play, then that might have surprised Spain.”
FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Mark Followill’s reaction to Spain’s goal:
“Finally, they have broken them down. The chance was missed a moment ago by Iran – it is not missed by Diego Costa. He buries it to give Spain the opener – 1-nil – over Iran.”
O’Neill thinks Uruguay can improve and potentially succeed as the World Cup progresses:
“I don’t think they had a great performance. I just think that they did enough to win the game. That’s what they set out to do. There’s a great, great history about Uruguay. I know they’ve had two World Cups, and it’s been a long time since they’ve done it – 1950 was the second one, but they’ve got the six points on the board. I think at this stage, actually getting the points is as important as the performance, and they can improve.
…will Uruguay win the World Cup? I wouldn’t have thought so, but can they progress? Yes.”
Munoz isn’t sure if Uruguay will advance much farther:
“Is this going to be enough for Uruguay? Both of their winning goals have been scored off set pieces. This is the typical Uruguayan way to play. But is this going to be enough in the next round?”
Game analyst Aly Wagner, who called Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia, reacts to Luis Suarez’s first-half goal:
“This is all created after Uruguay gets down the flank, drops the set piece, and Al-Owais just comes out fishing, chasing a mirage, and that just drops in nicely at the feet of Suarez. Look out if that man starts to find his form in this World Cup. Easy touch-in for him; no one sitting in front.
“You just have to feel for Al-Owais, the goalkeeper, in just his seventh cap for Saudi Arabia – not a lot of experience and then you gift the opponent one like that.”
O’Neill on Uruguay’s style of play in the first half:
“I feel that because they’ve got Cavani and Suarez playing up front, I think they’ve got the impression that they’ll get a goal at any given time. They’re not that type of side.
“They don’t create that many chances considering they’ve got two world-class players there, but they’ve done enough to take the lead.”
Wagner on the importance of Uruguay jumping out to an early lead:
“Getting that early goal is so important to them, especially having the three points coming into this match. Now they can just sit, slow down the tempo and try to manage this game.”
O’Neill provides his assessment of Portugal:
“I think there is a lot of talk of Ronaldo being a one-man team. My own view is that Portugal proved in the Euros two years ago that they can actually win a game without him. Of course, he is very, very important. He’s absolutely essential to the team. Two years ago, they actually won the Euros in France when he was injured during the course of a game.”
Munoz takes the opposing view on Portugal:
“I am a little bit worried about Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo just scored four goals in this tournament – all four goals that Portugal has right now. If he is not 100 percent for every game, who is going to step up and join him? Who is going to do his job if he is not 100 percent for that particular game? They aren’t going to have trouble in this Group Stage. But, once they come out of that into the knockout stage – if Ronaldo does not perform at 100 percent, what is going to happen?”
Munoz on what to expect from Mexico against South Korea:
“Juan Carlos Osorio is already thinking of what he is going to do and how he is going to prepare, because it is going to be a whole different game against South Korea than the one they had against Germany. I believe Chucky Lozano is going to show up again and Chicharito is going to have a great game. They are not way up here – they set the bar real high – but they are not expecting the same game, so they are going to be ready for South Korea.”
O’Neill on what to expect from Germany vs. Sweden:
“Germany are world champions and have come back from defeats before. I feel as if Mexico played very, very well in the game. Germany left themselves exposed on a number of occasions, and Mexico could have maybe added to their score. They will have learned from this game and come out strongly again because that’s the one thing you always feel from Germans – there is a togetherness there.”
This Afternoon’s Top Videos:
Tomorrow’s Schedule (all times ET):
- 7:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP LIVE (FS1)
- 8:00 AM – Denmark vs. Australia (FS1 / Mark Followill and Warren Barton)
- 10:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FOX)
- 11:00 AM – France vs. Peru (FOX / Derek Rae and Aly Wagner)
- 1:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FOX)
- 2:00 PM – Argentina vs. Croatia (FOX / John Strong and Stu Holden)
- 4:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FS1)
- 7:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP NOW (Twitter)
- 10:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP MATCH DAY – 1 (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
