00:00I mean it's sad to see Costa Rica. I think I think that's the biggest upset because Costa Rica without Mexico, Canada and USA being participating from this qualification just to see them at the last match versus Honduras. It was a sad game to watch. Both teams needed to win. Both teams play scared. Both teams play it safely and both teams got eliminated. Honduras at the last minute by your own goal from Guatemala versus Suriname which makes this World Cup qualification is very very special. You know.
00:29For Central America, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, for them not able to make it to a World Cup that give you the opportunity, a unique opportunity to make it, it's just sad. I feel bad for the fans. They don't deserve this. But it's football.
00:45It is.
00:46When I think about Costa Rica, I think about the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when they had this amazing run just a few matches away from getting into the quarterfinals.
00:56It was an absolutely stunning run from Costa Rica to watch them not even qualify now. It is quite heartbreaking. But we're seeing the same thing happening also on the other side of the pond, so to speak.
01:06We talked about Italy making it now to the playoffs. You know, a team that's raised the trophy numerous times now in the playoffs despite having a very good record.
01:15Right. Like, Italy has won a lot of its last matches in the qualifying game. They lost one game. They were exposed by Norway.
01:22And what does that tell us? We're entering, let's say, an era in football where we're watching new teams emerge.
01:27Without a doubt.
01:28In Africa, Morocco has emerged as a superpower. We've seen Croatia rise the ranks in the last few World Cups.
01:34Norway now, a formidable force. Holland leading them, you know, to spanking Italy, for lack of a better term.
01:41Yep.
01:42And so, the Italians will complain. They'll talk about the rules, this and that. But at the end of the day, they were exposed by a new team, Norway, newcomers.
01:49So, it's like, it's almost like a change in power. It's like a change, right? It's like we're seeing new teams come out, and that's going to tip that balance of power.
01:55I think the statement from Norway playing in Italy and winning 4-1, it was a big statement saying, you know what?
02:02Yeah, we haven't won a World Cup in history, but we're here. We have really good players. And it's good to see in football.
02:08You know, you see now all around the world that the teams that you would never expect to grow are growing.
02:13Yep. And that's just amazing.
02:15And teams that have players, you know, in the elite level. You know, we've seen in the past players that do not have the national team to make it to the World Cup.
02:25Yeah. Zlatan is a perfect example.
02:26Zlatan never made it to the World Cup, and he was one of the top teams, top, top, top, top players.
02:30But, now we see at Haaland that for a long time people didn't believe that he was going to participate in a World Cup.
02:36Now I believe that it's a threat. For me, Norway is one of the top candidates because Haaland can score against any team.
02:44Hey, don't underestimate the Vikings. Remember when Iceland randomly did like amazing?
02:48They won a Euro Cup just by defending, just the same way as Greece did not too long ago.
02:56Now, another surprising team that won in a spectacular manner with three bangers of a goal, Chiba, break down the path of Scotland to the World Cup.
03:07I mean, it was crazy. They go up winning 1-0 with an amazing bicycle kick.
03:12Then Denmark has scored a 1-1. They go up 2-1, Denmark, with ten men, which is crazy.
03:18Scotland tied the game, and then at the last minute they scored this goal that made the whole country the happiest country in the world by qualifying one more time to the World Cup.
03:30which is just to see the faces and the players, but most of it for me and the fans.
03:35The fact that they're celebrating a World Cup, that they're qualifying to a World Cup, is just a feeling that I hope everybody can feel one day.
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