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Jack Grealish names favourite to win World Cup and reacts to Lionel Messi’s achievements.
While praising Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi’s World Cup performances, England’s Jack Grealish named Brazil as the World Cup standout squad in Qatar.
Of the 24 teams who have played two group games, only World Cup holders France have taken the maximum points.
The 2022 campaign of Didier Deschamps’ team got off to a rout against Australia, while Mbappe’s magnificent double helped them defeat Denmark.
Mbappe scored twice against Denmark to bring his tally to 31 goals in international play, 20 goals shy of Olivier Giroud and Thierry Henry’s 51-goal total from four years ago in Russia.
Argentina, however, lost shockingly to Saudi Arabia in their tournament opener and was aware that a loss to Mexico on Saturday would have meant elimination.
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At the Lusail Stadium, Messi once again worked his magic to break the tie and put Argentina on the road to a crucial victory after a tense opening hour.
After his heroics against Mexico, Grealish called Messi “unbelievable,” but the Manchester City player still thinks Brazil, Argentina’s South American opponents, are the favorite in Qatar.
Brazil will look to make it two wins from two when they face Switzerland on Monday, having beaten Serbia last time out.
Asked to assess some of England’s biggest rivals in Qatar, Grealish told talkSPORT: ‘I watch all the games to be honest. We have screens all over the place at the hotel and it’s just nice to have games on all day.
‘I was watching Messi [against Mexico], unbelievable. He just showed what he’s about in that second half but then again so did Mbappe.
‘I think there are lots of brilliant teams, some teams have that one player who’s just unstoppable but I think Brazil are one of the most impressive I’ve seen so far.
‘They have so much talent, especially in those attacking areas. If you’re asking me who the biggest threat is, I’d probably say Brazil.’