What a beautiful tale … right? The full-time whistle brought those scenes we know well from the real World Cup. Players on their knees: the victors turning to the heavens, the losers sucked into the dirt. Simone Inzaghi looked a particularly happy chap just weeks on from his nadir, that Bigger Cup embarrassment with Inter against PSG. Manchester City, the European heavyweights, had just been defeated by his brave underdogs, Al-Hilal. Yes, those same longshots who two years ago tried to buy Kylian Mbappé from PSG for £259m, shortly after coming under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The PIF – which appears intent on clawing its mitts over sport – is the investment arm of a journalist-killing state and chaired by the big man himself, Mohammed bin Salman. The fund is also an official partner of Copa Gianni while a PIF subsidiary bought a $1bn stake in Dazn, the tournament broadcaster, earlier this year. They didn’t get Mbappé but they still nabbed Neymar. Al-Hilal may have delivered a sporting upset – “We knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and we were great,” proclaimed Inzaghi – but this isn’t a plucky underdog story. And no, that doesn’t make City a group of saints.

It’s finally summer time for Pep Guardiola, though a nagging feeling will follow, the question left to be answered on how these few weeks in the USA USA USA will impact his side next season/this season (the lines feel blurred with this tournament). Prior to the Al-Hilal match he had wondered out loud if his club will be “destroyed” by the Copa Gianni when their regular commitments resume. An extra couple of weeks on the beach – the final is still another 12 days away – could end up being a decent consolation.

Plenty of powerhouses remain, though they remain stuck on one side of the draw; PSG have Bayern in the quarters, with the winner potentially facing Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Chelsea supporters should perhaps allow themselves to believe; they must beat Palmeiras if they want to set up a possible semi-final clash with Al-Hilal. The gaudy wastefulness of a project that has turned Brighton into a de-facto academy against the pillar of a behemoth propaganda machine. Let the beautiful game commence.

Join Beau Dure from 8pm BST for very hot MBM coverage of Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus in the last 16 of Copa Gianni.

The incongruity of the situation escapes no one – except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his flatterers. From his ivory tower, which he tours around the world, the president shows no concern for the fate the international calendar reserves for top players. His [Copa Gianni] proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to stop this game of massacre” – France’s professional footballers’ union (UNFP) hits out at the Fifa overlord amid growing concern over fixture congestion and player welfare, including that from Fifpro, which has called on half-time breaks being extended to 20 minutes in extreme heat.

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound? If a football team loses in a competition, and no one is watching, is it a shock?” – Darren Leathley.

From yesterday’s full email edition, many thanks for sharing with us the tale of Dorking’s Marc White and his dire attempt to recreate the Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (kids, ask your nan why that was even a thing). Can I just point out that due to the consequent ban, your caption on that photo of the guy clearly standing on a touchline shouldn’t be ‘he’ll be here all week’. That’s the one place he won’t be for a bit” – Jon Millard.

Re: this news story. ‘Footage of three-a-side game shows humanoids struggling to kick the ball or stay upright.’ The best Football Daily headline opportunity ever provided by Big Website! I don’t know where to begin” – Nigel Sanders.

Re: yesterday’s Memory Lane (full email edition). It’s a shame we can’t see the car in front of Charlie George’s ‘fancy motor’. I’d love to see him manoeuvre out of what looks like a very tight spot. Maybe friend of the newsletter Max Rushden could give him some tips” – David Bell.

Please send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day competition is … David Bell, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We’ll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.

Get Euro 2025-ready with this lovely David Squires-infused wallchart.

Complete the sequence: Rob Edwards, Ian Burchnall, Duncan Ferguson, David Horseman, Troy Deeney, Steve Cotterill … xxxx?

The answer, of course, is Robbie Savage, who has just been appointed as the latest permanent manager of Forest Green Rovers. The National League side missed out on promotion back to the EFL last season and have poached the former Wales international from Macclesfield FC, who won the Northern Premier League under Savage, collecting 109 points and scoring 109 goals on the way to promotion to National League North. “I feel I have an opportunity to develop a squad to create an attacking brand of football – an aggressive form of football to try and get Forest Green back into the EFL,” roared Savage, who will compete against compatriot Mark Hughes and his Carlisle United side in the fifth tier at the New Lawn. “I want a fast, exciting style but the most important thing is to win games.”

Fluminense are through to the Copa Gianni quarter-finals after dumping out Inter 2-0, courtesy of Germán Cano’s early goal and a mighty strike from Hércules. “I was thinking about Milan,” declared Thiago Silva, who used to play for the Rossoneri. “I’m sure [their] fans will be happy about Inter’s defeat and our victory.” As for the Bigger Cup runners-up, skipper Lautaro Martínez didn’t hold back. “I want to fight for the major titles. Anyone who wants to stay at Inter, fine, let’s fight. But anyone who doesn’t want to stay can leave,” he sniiffed.

England’s Beth Mead reckons the Lionesses are well prepared to cope with the heatwave that awaits them in Switzerland after flying out from a heatwave at home. “We’ve trained really hard, the intensity has been great and our recovery strategies that we’ve put in place have been really good so – fingers crossed – it’s prepared us as best as we can be for when we get there,” she cheered.

Tammy Abrahams is swapping Roma for Beskitas. “Hello Black Eagles, I’m coming for you. See you at the airport today,” he tooted.

Jørgen Strand Larsen’s loan at Wolves has become a permanent move from Celta Vigo.

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali (six permanent managers and counting since taking over in January 2022) claims that Sky Sports will be following him next season. Asked what his expectations were for latest incumbent, Sergej Jakirovic, he replied: “Top 10. I believe in myself and my staff. Top 10 and then we will see.”

And new Wolfsburg boss Paul Simonis – nicknamed the “Gouda Guardiola” – says he’s a big fan of the real thing after arriving from Go Ahead Eagles. “I really like … not because he looks like [me] … but I really like Pep Guardiola,” cooed Simonis. “I was already bald before he was bald. What I like about these guys is how the players talk about them. If you take good care of them, they will pay you back.”

Sophie Downey shares her Women’s Euros memories in an extract from the latest edition of our sister email.

Sophie also picks out six contenders to be top scorer at Euro 2025, while our writers make their wider predictions for what’s going to happen.

“What we have, in essence, is the professional athlete reimagined as a kind of plutocratic demigod, able to construct entire new realities around themselves.” It’s Jonathan Liew on Cristiano Ronaldo’s new Saudi deal.

Egyptian creators racked up 14m views on YouTube with Copa Gianni highlights … posted before kick-off. Alexios Mantzarlis has more.

Dani Carvajal misses his family. The good news, he tells Sid Lowe, is that in return he’s about to become reacquainted with something he has missed as much.

Why a search for unpredictability lies behind Chelsea’s transfer strategy. By Jacob Steinberg.

David Hytner heads to Brentford and hears more about their promotion of Keith Andrews and the ongoing Bryan Mbeumo saga.

And the Rumour Mill has scoured the gossip pages so that you don’t have to, bringing news of Manchester United’s latest purported striker target.

It’s on the toasty side, both outside and inside Football Daily Towers, so let’s all cool down vicariously through Diego Maradona and some ice lollies at a 1983 photoshoot. See, you feel less hot already.