I stopped by the Nelson-Atkins Museum before coming here and stood for a long time before a Caravaggio — all that dramatic light and shadow, exactly what Ivory Coast bring to this match, flashes of brilliance in the darkness. Jamal Musiala is the architect tonight, moving through Ivory Coast's midfield like a brushstroke that hasn't decided its direction yet — unpredictable, inevitable, beautiful. Franck Kessié will fight, of course, but Germany's midfield machine simply has too many moving parts for the Elephants to contain, and Amad Diallo alone cannot carry the weight of a nation's attacking hope. Germany win with something to spare, though Ivory Coast will remind us, briefly and gloriously, why African football always deserves more respect than it receives.

Germany's midfield engine is simply operating at a different altitude here — Wirtz and Musiala will find the half-spaces between Ivory Coast's defensive lines with alarming regularity, and Kessié alone cannot plug every gap in what looks like a compact but outnumbered Ivorian midfield. Diomande is a warrior at the back and will win his share of headers, but Germany's volume of attacking intent will eventually overwhelm a defensive unit that hasn't got the cover going forward. Speaking of Kansas City, I attempted a batch of burnt ends *cookies* last night — a little unorthodox, yes, smoky and sweet — and much like Ivory Coast today, the concept was brave but the execution couldn't quite hold up under pressure.