World Cup digest: Colin Bell striking all the right tunes away from the pitch

Former Republic of Ireland manager Colin Bell had a frustrating start to this World Cup when his South Korean side lost 2-0 to Colombia on Tuesday, progressing to the knock-out phase already an uphill task with Germany their opponents in their final group game.

There’s a reasonable chance, then, that anyone passing Bell’s room in the team hotel after the match might have heard tunes such as ‘Are Friends Electric?, ‘Cars’ and ‘We Are Glass’ blasting through the air. And Bell singing and playing them, not Gary Numan.

Whenever he wants to switch off from football and “forget the world for a few hours”, he told the BBC, he turns to his favourite hobby, which is covering Numan songs on his mini synthesiser and mini guitar, both of which he has brought to Australia. In fact, he has brought an entire mini-studio with him so he can record the tunes and “send them to my family to get their thumbs-up or thumbs-down”.

We’re not sure what class of an omen this is, good or bad, but Numan once recorded an album on Moroccan Mayhem Records. Who do South Korea play next? Morocco. Mayhem for whom?

Copa 71: ‘These women were gaslit. Imagine playing a sport at the highest level and then being told, that didn’t exist’

---

Amber Barrett: ‘I say nothing when I don’t know the full truth ... The social media people should have done the same’

---

Sports Review 2023: Magical moment as Katie McCabe creates history

---

Katie McCabe interview: ‘It’s important to have characters, you don’t want a team of robots’

---

Matildas get to waltz to Brisbane on the cheap

Irish supporters currently in Perth for Ireland’s meeting with Canada and intending on travelling to Brisbane for Monday’s final group game against Nigeria? We bring good news – with just a small snag attached.

If you fly with Virgin Australia between the two cities, a one-way fare would cost around €330 – but the airline is currently offering a 10 per cent discount, so you’ll have an extra €33 in spending money.

That small snag? As part of their efforts to honour their national women’s team, Virgin Australia are only offering the deal to people called Matilda.

We’d tell you to change your name by deed poll, but time might be an issue, and the process would most probably cost more than €33. But if you’re Irish and called Matilda, you’ll be waltzing on to your flight like a jolly swagman with that extra €33 in your back pocket. Happy days.

Nigerian online newspaper takes old school approach

Let’s just say, online newspaper Pulse Nigeria’s approach to covering the World Cup is (a) quite different, and (b) a touch old school. A sample from their feature profiling the players, titled “Top 10 Hottest Nigerian female footballers” ...

“Toni Payne: One of the fittest and sexiest female athletes in Nigeria ... a beautiful petit physique.”

“Asisat Oshoala: A pure work of art both on and off the pitch. Just as she scores screamers, everything about Oshoala screams ‘sexy’ as well.”

“Onyinyechi Salome Zogg: Her beauty has a natural and alluring appeal with dimples to gush over.”

“Michelle Alozie: Unarguably the sexiest Super Falcons star ... when she chooses to flaunt her hot bod.”

All you can hope, really, is that Ireland’s profiling of the Nigerians ahead of next Monday’s meeting is a little more, well, useful in a footballing sense.

Zambia going through the goalies

A bit of chin-scratching went on when Vera Pauw named a goalkeeper – Sophie Whitehouse – among her travelling reserves when she already had three in her squad. How likely was it that she’d need all of them at the World Cup?

Talk to Zambia. Hazel Nali was ruled out of the tournament days before it started with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Her understudy, Catherine Musonda, was sent off against Japan in their 5-0 defeat and is now suspended. So it falls to Eunice Sakala to face a decidedly slick Spanish attack in their second group game. Goalie number ... checks notes ... four, 18-year-old Leticia Lungu, will be praying she lasts the 90 minutes.

Quote

“I just kept watching this YouTube video of a woman singing it. I’ve been listening to it on repeat. It’s been stressing me out ... it’s a tough language.”

Sinead Farrelly on her and Marissa Sheva’s sternest World Cup test: learning Amhrán na bhFiann.

Number: 16 years and 26 days

The age of South Korea’s Casey Phair, making her the youngest player to appear in a World Cup, male or female. Her year of birth – 2007 – was, like, yesterday.