HEAT MAP
World Cup Dispatches that won’t let you down.
Day 8: The Prague Resentment and a Vancouver Pressure Cooker
The Heat Map swings into Atlanta and Vancouver today as the second round of group stage matches gets underway, and for Irish fans, the afternoon kickoff brings a very specific, lingering grudge right back to the surface.
Czechia square off against South Africa in Atlanta. For anyone still nursing the wounds from that miserable night in Prague back in March, watching the team that snatched our ticket step onto the pristine turf of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a tough watch. Having lost 2-1 in their opening game against South Korea, the Czechs will look to emulate Mexico’s game plan against a South African team who picked up a few suspensions with their two red cards in their opener. For their part, South Africa will hope their pace can exploit those notoriously slow-turning Czech centre-backs in the Georgia heat.
Meanwhile, later tonight, co-hosts Canada face Qatar in Vancouver. After the emotional high of their opening match, Jesse Marsch's men find themselves on a proper high-stakes rollercoaster. The tactical titbits from Vancouver indicate Marsch is demanding an absolute high-pressing blitz from the first whistle, but fitness updates suggest Alphonso Davies is carrying a slight knock. If Canada take their foot off the gas against a defensively rigid Qatari side, this could turn into a very long, frustrating evening for the home crowd.
The pressure is mounting as teams scramble for those crucial knockout spots, and the room for error has completely vanished.
Whatever happens on that pitch, The Heat Map won’t let you down.
