FIFA World Cup™ on FOX Programming Highlights: Monday, June 18
Today’s Schedule & Results (all times ET):
- Sweden def. Korea Republic 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Sweden vs. Korea Republic)
- Belgium def. Panama 3-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Belgium vs. Panama)
- England def. Tunisia 2-1 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Tunisia vs. England)
- 7:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP NOW (Twitter)
- 8:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP MATCH OF THE DAY: Tunisia vs. England (FS1)
- 10:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
Today’s Top Stories
ICYMI Sunday on FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT:
Fernando Fiore makes friends with a new fan base
Today’s Top Quotes:
FOX Sports studio analyst Ian Wright on the performance of Harry Kane and England’s persistence against Tunisia:
“What you need in a competition is somebody who doesn’t need many chances, but when he gets a chance, he capitalizes on the chances. In the first goal, [Kane] was the only one moving while the ball’s in the air, and on the second goal, he anticipates it and drops on the far post and finishes it. I’m delighted that the [team] kept going. That’s what I wanted to see – would they keep going when Tunisia put them under pressure. You feel for the Tunisian guys because they played well today.
“There’s so much confidence in the team. Their coach has given them belief. He wants them to continue to play all the way to the end, and they did it, even against a very robust and aggressive Tunisian defense. They kept going. [Kane is] the difference. He had two chances, and he’s taken them. That’s what it takes in the World Cup.”
Former England women’s international Kelly Smith on England’s play and Kane’s performance:
“They didn’t play as well in the second half as they did in the first half, but they created a lot of chances in the first half. And Harry Kane, what a leader he is. He’s signed his Tottenham contract. He’s comfortable, he’s fresh coming into the tournament and he’s leading by example. It’s really pleasing to see that performance.”
"He's the difference." @IanWright0, @kelly_smith10 and @AlexiLalas react to Harry Kane leading #ENG to a last-minute win in their #WorldCup opener. pic.twitter.com/Cy42nhHzh2
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2018
FOX Sports lead studio analyst Alexi Lalas on England’s new attitude:
“Ultimately, the positive is the resolve. And that’s where the identity of this team is coming from. And if there is a change, and if this is a new England, and in that moment when you need it most, to find a way to get three points – albeit on the shoulders of a world-class player – that’s something special, and that’s something to build upon.”
Smith is looking forward to watching Russia tomorrow against Egypt:
“The way they started the tournament and scored five fantastic goals, with the home pressure. Can they do it again? It’s going to be a harder game tomorrow than Saudi Arabia.”
Wright on Egypt vs. Russia tomorrow:
“I’m looking forward to Egypt and Mo Salah. I think the way [Egypt] played the other day, you could see it was just Mo Salah that was missing on the team. They looked like they had a lot. He is the last bit of the team that’s going to cause problems. I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
Smith on Ronaldo standing out among the big three stars of the tournament:
“Ronaldo certainly set the mark on that 3-3 draw. To step up on the world stage in the first game – he’s a talisman. He takes penalties, free kicks – everything goes through him. He lives and breathes this game. This is what I love about him. His whole life is dedicated to football. He’s unreal. He’s a monster. Look at the free kick in 90-plus minutes – to have the concentration, will and energy to do that is just phenomenal. I used to always be Messi, Messi, Messi, but now Ronaldo has just set down that mark in this tournament.”
Wright on being disappointed with Messi:
“For me, I am a Messi man. I’m now a disappointed Messi man because the way he started the World Cup. I’ve seen the 33-year-old Ronaldo on fire. For Messi, it was a poor penalty. He was playing half-cocked. He was on the periphery of the game. He needs to get further up the field where there will be further consequences if they get fouled up there.”
Lalas on Neymar’s performance yesterday being a result of Switzerland’s aggressive tactics:
“I seemed to have riled up the country of Switzerland yesterday because I had the audacity to point out the fact that the Swiss team just completely tried to kill Neymar last night, on a consistent basis, foul after foul after foul. Is that why Brazil didn’t win that game? No. Brazil did not look great. They looked like they were in second or third gear. But it has to be said, when all the attention and emphasis is on Neymar, time and time again, what did they do? They hacked him down. That’s not a good look for Switzerland or for the sport.”
FOX Sports game analyst Aly Wagner on England defeating Tunisia in the last minutes of the match:
“Tunisia had done all the hard work. Then they just switched off at the last moment. Think of the story lines and how they’re going to change with that goal by Kane.”
Prior to Tunisia vs. England, Smith predicted Kane would be a key for the Three Lions:
“The thing with Harry Kane is, he doesn’t need a lot of chances – left foot, right foot, head, back post – he’s a fox in the box, and he’s a really confident player coming in to this.”
Lalas on what Sweden’s win means for Group F:
“Mexico’s licking their chops. They’ve got an opportunity to go through with that next game. That game yesterday, Mexico beating Germany, threw this all into disarray – in a wonderful way. It’s going to have people racing – and this musical chairs type of thing – when that music stops, you’d better have a place. Mexico’s sitting pretty right now. This was huge for Sweden. Both of these teams needed that three-point win. South Korea – this is devastating for them.”
Game analyst Warren Barton, who called Belgium vs. Panama, reacts to the Dries Mertens goal that put Belgium up 1-0:
“Just what the doctor ordered. You can defend, you can be organized, but you can’t do anything about quality.
“He just hits that with quality, confidence and accuracy.
“As soon as he hit that, he knows it’s going in.”
PICK THAT ONE OUT!
Dries Mertens hits the volley perfectly to put Belgium up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/Pkvv28VCYk
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2018
Ian Wright on Panama making its World Cup debut:
“It’s amazing just to see the Panamanian players standing there against Belgium with a chance. And a chance to inspire a whole nation of kids who grew up on boxing, who grew up on baseball. Now they’re on the world’s stage playing against great players that they’ve watched every week, maybe in the Premier League, and they’ve got a chance to beat them. I just think that that the World Cup is magnificent in that respect.”
Barton’s halftime assessment of Belgium:
“They just need to re-group, re-focus and maybe get a little bit angry with each other.”
Barton says Panama played well in its World Cup debut:
“They never deviate on their work ethic and concentration. They’re warriors.”
Wright says Belgium has enough talent to go far in the World Cup:
“When you look at the team and what they’re capable of putting out there, the spine is very strong … They’ve got everything that you need to win a World Cup or go into the last stages of a World Cup.
“If this team play their way in and get themselves going, they’re going to be dangerous – they will be dangerous.”
Play-by-play announcer Glenn Davis and analyst Cobi Jones, who called Sweden vs. Korea Republic, on the pace of play:
Davis: “It has been an incredibly choppy match here. They’re going to call this a foul fest when this is over.”
Jones: “It’s been difficult for either side to truly establish a rhythm.”
Jones says today’s match was typical of Sweden:
This is what we’ve seen from Sweden throughout qualifiers – just a steady, solid side.
Lalas on if Zlatan Ibrahimović not appearing on the Sweden roster is addition by subtraction:
“This is a bigger-than-life type of personality. This is a guy that sucks the air out of the room – and that’s not necessarily bad. But when you have a player like that, you defer to him on and off the field, and you do things that maybe you wouldn’t. The problem right now for Sweden is if it doesn’t go well, it’s going to be because of Zlatan. Whether it is or isn’t, we are talking about a player that’s not even with this team.
“They believe they are better and they are more united without him. There’s probably a sense of relief from this team, and they have moved on.”
Lalas says despite the big win over Germany, Mexico can’t get complacent:
“They cannot rest on their laurels, because you rest on your laurels in a World Cup, and you’ve got problems.”
Hiddink says he isn’t concerned about Germany coming out of the group:
“Of course, inside it hurts and it shocks, but they will regroup and they will come back as never before in this group.”
Today’s Top Videos:
Tomorrow’s Schedule (all times ET):
- 7:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP LIVE (FS1)
- 8:00 AM – Colombia vs. Japan (FS1 / Jorge Perez-Navarro and Mariano Trujillo)
- 10:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FOX)
- 11:00 AM – Poland vs. Senegal (FOX / JP Dellacamera and Tony Meola)
- 1:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FOX)
- 2:00 PM – Russia vs. Egypt (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 TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
