For the third World Cup in a row, the holders are knocked out at the group stage. Defeat for Germany against South Korea spelled the end of their reign as world champions and raised major questions over the attitude and atmosphere behind the scenes.

Alyson Rudd reports from Kazan on the demise of the Germans and tells us why this tournament could be called the ‘under the radar cup.’

Studio guest Matthew Syed is mystified and left bereft by Germany’s elimination and tries to make sense of their regression.

Matt Dickinson previews England’s group decider with Belgium in Kaliningrad with questions still remaining over either side’s motivation to top Group G.

And Oliver Kay has a front row seat to The Neymar Show, also known as Brazil’s victory over Serbia in Moscow.

For more from The Times why not take advantage of our digital sale and subscribe to enjoy award winning journalism online and on your smartphone or tablet. For a limited time only it's just £1 a month for your first 3 months. Search The Times Sale for more information.

You can follow @NatalieSawyer on Twitter and track our award-winning writers in Russia, including @henrywinter, @DickinsonTimes, @OliverKayTimes, @_pauljoyce, @allyrudd_times, @martynziegler and @JNorthcroft.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.