France will play Argentina in the first elimination game later today. It will also be the last elimination game for one of the two teams, while the winner will move on to the quarterfinal round.
As a supporter of France, I was heartened to see that they are going into this game with some confidence, perhaps even some swagger.
However, that could be not such a good things at time, as well, especially with this World Cup. Take a look at Germany, where everyone seemed certain that the German side was on the cusp of winning a repeat title. Look what happened instead. This was the worst performance by a German team in the World Cup in nearly four decades! Argentina had their own funk to struggle through, although they did ultimately make it into the next round. For that matter, Italy did not even qualify, and neither did the Netherlands, although those sides are surely confident, as well. And Team USA was surely confident that they would at least make the World Cup, even though they, too, did not.
Paul Pogba was clear about how glad France should feel to avoid meeting Croatia:
"The best team in Group D is Croatia. They are a great team that were able to beat Argentina."
Pogba's teammate on the French side and Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso agreed:
"Croatia are the best in that group, and we will do everything possible to not finish second."
But Tolisso also took a more cautionary tone, talking about the man who is likely Argentina's biggest threat:
"The Argentines have strong individualities, especially with Messi, who can do anything in a game."
Pogba tried to sum up just how big the stakes are at this level, and how important it is not to overlook any opponents when playing on this level:
"The big teams don't come to party, we come to win, we have quality players, a good squad, winning is possible, but it will not be easy. There are no small teams or bad players in a World Cup, but the road is still long, we have to fight and be very strong."
Let us also keep in mind that Argentina is a great nation in this sport's history. They have often qualified for the later rounds, including qualifying for the final match five times. They are one of only five nations to have won it multiple times (Twice, in 1978 and again in 1986). Indeed, they have had legendary names and talents play, and are generally regarded as the second best team in South American football tradition, and serve as Brazil's greatest rivals. With all of that going for them, and having just narrowly lost the last World Cup final, it certainly would not do to overlook them. So hopefully, France will be confident, yet not overconfident, and will proceed with caution and be mindful to just how dangerous the Argentinian side can be.
This is the link to the article that I used in writing this, and from which I got all of the quotes used above:
FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 France prefer Argentina in the Round of 16 rather than Croatia FIFA World Cup 2018Pogba and Tolisso warn of danger EFE Compartir en FacebookCompartir en TwitterEnviar por email 24/06/2018
Well, Colombia recovered from their poor start, that loss to Japan, by winning their final two games and taking group. Despite having lost their last two games, Japan now moves on despite having the same amount of points as Senegal, because they did not get as many fouls. And so they move on. In Group G, the two teams that were advancing were already established before yesterday's games, and they were playing each other, anyway, to see which team came out on top of the group. Belgium defeated England in a low scoring affair, 1-0. Both teams move on now to the elimination round. Here's a closer look at all the games from yesterday, on the last day of group play (already!) for this World Cup in Russia:
Colombia 1, Senegal 0 - Everything was on the line for both teams in this meeting. It was not exactly a situation as clear cut as win and you're in, lose and go home, but it was very close to being that and, in the end, that was what it came down to, anyway.
There were scenarios where the loser of this game might have advanced, although the chances were going to be slim. But the winner of the game definitely was assured of advancing. And so, Colombia wins the group by virtue of winning this game, while Senegal goes home following what amounts to a missed opportunity with this game.
The game remained scoreless throughout the first half. But then, Colombia's Yerry Mina broke through with a goal in the 74th minute in their first shot of the second half, and their only shot on goal in the second half that was on target.
Nonetheless, it was good enough to secure the win, and as a result, Colombia advances.
Only the third time that Colombia has advanced to the elimination rounds. They managed that feat back in 1990, as well as in the last World Cup in Brazil four years ago.
Senegal shut France out in 2002 in their first ever World Cup game, but they have allowed goals in every World Cup game that they have participated in since.
Poland 1, Japan 0 - Finally, Poland showed a little something in this World Cup.
Unfortunately for them, it was far too little and much, much too late. Since you only get three games on the group stage, you have to show something much sooner than the third and final game.
Still, at least Poland played much tougher in this game, and showed a little more of why they entered as the eighth ranked team in the world, and the favorites to win this group.
Jan Bednarek scored in the 59th minute for Poland, breaking a scoreless tie to give his side the 1-0 lead. One aspect of positive continuity for this Polish team with other Polish teams is that they maintained the perfect record of 14 wins and no losses in World Cup contests after scoring the first goal. Poland has never lost in this tournament yet after scoring the first goal.
Japan was unable to answer in this contest, and that 1-0 Polish lead wound up being the final score in favor of Poland. Japan has not had much success against European sides in the World Cup recently, having failed to generate a goal in five of their last six matches against European squads.
Poland has not had good luck against Japan prior to this game. They lost 5-0 to Japan in 1996, and 2-0 to Japan in 2002.
Still, despite the loss, Japan was able to get the good news that they would advance, since Senegal lost when they absolutely could not afford to lose, and Japan won the tiebreaker advantage.
Belgium 1, England 0 - Belgium is one of the hottest and most explosive teams in this World Cup tournament. They finish with a perfect, unblemished record, having neither lost nor tied a single game thus far. Presently, they are riding a seven-game winning streak in group stage games, after having won only eight of their prior 24 meetings at that level. Belgium was perfect in winning all of their group stage games in their last two World Cups, joining both Argentina and the Netherlands, who did that in both 2010 and 2014.
Adnan Januzaj scored in the 51st minute to give Belgium the 1-0 lead.
And that was it. That was how the score stayed, until time expired with Belgium earning a 1-0 win.
For England, this was the first time in their 15 appearances in this tournament that they failed to get at least one shutout in the group level.
Tunisia 2, Panama 1 -Panama has had a horrific first ever World Cup tournament. They held their own through the first half against Belgium, but then got pummeled in the second half. They had an atrocious first half against England, and then played a bit better for the second half. But overall, they had been outscored 9-1 entering this game.
At least in this game, they were not humiliated.
Yassine Meriah scored an own goal to give Panama their first ever lead in a World Cup game. Panama still held that 1-0 lead at halftime.
But Tunisia started to take over in the second half. Fakhereedine Ben Youssef scored in the 51st minute to tie the game up.
Then, Wahbi Khazri scored in the 66th minute to put Tunisia up, 2-1. Tunisia held Panama off the rest of the way to preserve the win.
For Tunisia, this snaps a 13-game winless streak at the World Cup. This was Tunisia's second ever win at a World Cup. So they go out, but do so in a positive manner. Strangely, they won both of those two games after trailing, 1-0. They did so against Mexico in 1978, and they did it again this time against Panama.
The big news from this day was the shocking exit of the defending champions, Germany. At first, it might not seem so shocking. After all, the defending World Cup champions have exited from the group stage in four of the past five World Cups. However, this was different. Germany has been a model of consistency in international tournaments for many years now. The last time that Germany failed to qualify for the second round? That would be in 1978, when only 16 teams qualified for the entire tournament. And technically, they placed sixth in that tournament, regardless of not qualifying for the elimination rounds (only the top four teams did). In fact, Germany has been among the last eight teams standing in each tournament since beyond even then, That means that the last time that Germany was not among the final eight teams in a World Cup would be back in 1950, when they were still banned from international play, just five years after the end of World War II. When the Germans entered the next World Cup, they won it all. Part of the "German miracle" of the 1950's. And ever since, the German side has been a consistent source of positive results and pride during every international tournament, and particularly the World Cup, At least, that is, until this one. This has been a strange World Cup, and it just keeps getting stranger and stranger. There was even a unified Korean celebration over this huge win against a nation that itself used to be divided, Germany. Of course, this was not the only game yesterday. Let's take a look at all of yesterday's action in Russia:
Sweden 3, Mexico 0 - Despite Mexico's hot start, with two wins in their first two games, there still appeared to be a scenario where they might not even qualify for the elimination round.
Indeed, that scenario started to appear more and more likely as this game wore on, because Sweden really did a number on Mexico. Perhaps the Mexican side, and their fans, could take a lesson from their first opponents, Germany, who did not take the Mexican side seriously enough. Maybe the Mexicans were beginning to feel a little too much swagger themselves, and needed a good butt kicking, just to keep them honest.
If so, then this was it.
Sweden made Mexico look more than mortal, but downright weak and vulnerable on this day.
The game was scoreless through the first half. But in the second half, it was all Sweden, and the goals rained down almost like an avalanche on Mexico.
The first came in the 50th minute from Ludwig Augustinsson. The next came on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute, which Andreas Granqvist made for Sweden to take a 2-0 lead.
Suddenly, Mexico looked vulnerable. With Germany locked in a scoreless tie with South Korea, but all the world still expecting them to score and take the win, things seemed decidedly grim for the Mexican side.
Indeed, it got worse for them, to boot. It had taken Sweden 50 minutes to get the game's first goal, but they broke through again 12 minutes later. Then, 12 minutes after that, Mexico's Edson Álvarez scored an own goal against his side, and Sweden had a commanding 3-0 lead.
That was how it ended. Final score, Sweden 3, Mexico 0. It was the biggest margin of victory for Sweden in a World Cup since all the way back in 1994, when they defeated the Bulgarians (who had just knocked out the defending champs, Germany) in the consolation third place game. The win assures that for the fourth consecutive time in World Cup tournaments in which the Swedes have qualified for, they advance to the elimination round.
Mexico was not able to mount any kind of serious comeback, and Sweden cruised to a surprisingly easy victory, which clinched the group win for them. Meanwhile, though, a bit of good news for the Mexicans on a day when their team was humbled: Germany suffered a shocking defeat. Instead of replacing Mexico to qualify for the elimination round, Germany fell to last place, and Mexico's World Cup was saved. They managed to reach the elimination round in each of the last eight World Cups now that they have participated in.
How much did Mexico appreciate South Korea's win over Germany? A Mexican airline, Aeroméxico, is offering discount flights to South Korea for a limited time, with the hastag #graciascorea.
Gotta love it!
South Korea 2, Germany 0 - Germany needed a win, and that meant that they needed to have a breakthrough, to score a goal, at least. More than one would be better.
They had some good looks, some nice opportunities, and they came close. But not close enough to actually convert, to take a lead. The first half passed, and South Korea's defense remained stingy, so the game remained scoreless. This trend continued through the second half, too. It was assumed that the Germans would surely win, of course, because anyone with any knowledge of this sport on the international level, in these kinds of competitions, knew that Germany always seems to come through when they need it most, even in a game's final seconds. Just ask Sweden, the team that got burned by this German tendency days ago.
Something strange happened instead, though. South Korea's Kim Young-gwon got an all-too easy goal off of a corner kick in the second minute of extra time.
Now, Germany needed a miracle just not to lose.
And it got worse. Germany pressed, but it was South Korea who, once again, got the goal from Son Heung-min.
Ball game, as they say in America.
The victory was huge for South Korea, one of the biggest for that side, and surely the biggest win for them since their memorable run to the semifinals in 2002, when they were one of the hosts of the tournament. They also failed to advance, and in fact, this is the second consecutive World Cup where they fail to advance, marking the first time that they failed to advance in consecutive World Cup tournaments since the first five times that they managed to appear. A win like this, however, is huge consolation for them, and should help to take the sting from what otherwise might have been a very disappointing World Cup tournament.
For Germany, this was obviously a shocking defeat, and completely unlike them. They won it all four years ago, but do not even make it out of the qualifying round this time around. The future of German coach Joachim Löw is uncertain. Some are suggesting various reasons for Germany's shocking defeat and early exit from this World Cup. Arrogance. The pressure of being defending champions. Not enough fresh ideas, no new approach. A lack of intensity.
Whatever it was, they now have plenty of time to fix it before the next World Cup, because this tournament now obviously goes on without them.
Brazil 2, Serbia 0 - In a World Cup tournament that has been anything but conventional, the traditional favorites all seem to be on shaky ground. The Italians did not even qualify for the tournament, and neither did the Netherlands. Germany got knocked out in a true shocker. Argentina had to fight for their lives to barely qualify with a must win situation on the final day of group play for them.
Now, here was Brazil, also needing to play well to secure one of the top two spots in the group in order to advance to the elimination round.
Brazil wanted to leave no doubt, but the Serbians have been tough throughout the tournament. Trying to recover from a heartbreaking loss to the Swiss just days ago, they too had hopes of advancing, although they understood that doing so against the giants of the game, Brazil, would be a tall order indeed.
The game remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie, until Paulinho broke through in the 36th minute to give Brazil a 1-0 lead. They took that into the locker room for halftime.
Then, Brazil continued to control the tempo of the game, holding off Serbia, until Thiago Silva pounded a header in the 68th minute off of a corner kick to give Brazil a commanding 2-0 lead.
After that, Serbia had some chances, but were not able to capitalize. It is difficult to do much against Brazil, traditionally, but especially when you have spotted them a comfortable lead, like 2-0. It proved too much to overcome for a disappointed Serbian side, who had seemed confident following an early win against Costa Rica, and had looked like the better side until late in the match against Switzerland. They were a good team, perhaps even better than they looked. But this was a tough group to make serious noise in. Serbia has now qualified for the World Cup three times (2006, 2010, and now 2018), but they have failed to advance to the elimination rounds in any of those tournaments.
Brazil has qualified for the elimination round of the last 13 World Cups, a streak that dates back all the way to 1970. They did so by winning their first back-to-back group round games since 2010.
Switzerland 2, Costa Rica 2 - Costa Rica as struggled in this World Cup, while the Swiss have had a certain swagger that seems to border on arrogance. This seemed particularly true when Xherdan Shaqiri scored the winning goal late in the game against Serbia, and then took off his shirt and flexed his muscles in celebration.
Of course, the Swiss have a talented and highly regarded team, so that perhaps is part of the reason.
Still, there was a chance - however slim - that they could fail to reach the elimination round, and so they needed to get the job done. They needed at least not to lose, and that would likely be enough to get them through.
Blerim Džemaili scored in the 31st minute to give Switzerland the early 1-0 lead.
But Kendall Waston, a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, managed to break through in the 56th minute for Costa Rica's first goal of the tournament to tie the game at 1-1.
Switzerland is nothing if not persistent this year, and so you kind of figured that they would score again, eventually. They did so when Josip Drmić scored in the 88th minute, for what appeared to be the winner.
Yet, we watch these games for a reason, because they do not always go the way we expect them to. That seems especially true with this World Cup. And so, when Costa Rica was awarded a penalty kick in the 93rd minute, who could be entirely surprised when midfielder Bryan Ruiz's shot first hit the crossbar, and then ricocheted off the back of Yann Sommer's head for an own goal?
Just like that, it was 2-2. And that is how it stayed.
Of course, Switzerland by then had already advanced, so it hardly could feel entirely discouraging. It was the fourth time in the last five tournaments in which the Swiss have qualified that they manage to advance to the elimination round. They also managed to avoid any losses in the group stage for the first time since 2006.
As for Costa Rica, this is the second time that the failed to win any matches at a World Cup. Still, though, they rebounded for a good, solid game following the two huge disappointments that they played in, as they leave the tournament on a relatively high note.
France and Denmark provided this World Cup with it's very first scoreless tie. This was strange, because this is the latest that any World Cup tournament went without one. Also, it was a bit strange, because this was good news for both sides involved. Both France and Denmark got what they wanted, as France clinched the group, and Denmark clinched an appearance in the elimination round. That said, maybe it was not so much fun for the fans. Meanwhile, almost every team in group D except Croatia had their backs to the wall. But this time, in a World Cup filled with surprises, the team most expected to advance got the job done, as Argentina recovered from a brutal and sobering loss to beat Nigeria and advance, dashing Nigeria's own hopes. And tiny Iceland is out, despite how impressive they have been in recent years. Let's take a closer look at all of the action:
France 0, Denmark 0 - Yes, France and Denmark put together the first scoreless draw of this World Cup tournament. It might have been boring for the fans to watch, but it seems that both sides are satisfied, and got what they wanted from this result.
France just needed one point to win the group outright, and Denmark needed just one point to advance to the elimination round, and both of those things happened.
“We just needed one point, right?” Denmark Coach Age Hareide acknowledged afterward. “We were up against one of the best teams in the world at counterattacks, and we would have been stupid to open up spaces. So we played back whenever we could.”
France was happy about the results, too:
“What we wanted tonight was to get in the round of 16 and get to the top of the group, and this is what we managed,” said France’s pint-size midfield destroyer N’Golo Kanté, whose selection as man of the (drowsy) match was perhaps the best symbol of how the 90 minutes had gone.
Maybe it was not the most exciting way to achieve it, but winning the group was a huge feat for the French side. There had been some skepticism towards this team before this tournament, including from Hareide. Hereide has claimed that the French players were “nothing special” and “unable to play as a team” in an interview. He had also jokingly compared this France team to the 1998 World Cup champions, and had even criticized France’s star midfielder Paul Pogba, suggesting that he was too focused on his hairstyle.
France's coach, Didier Deschamps, who was a member of that 1998 World Cup championship team for France, said this about Hereide's comments:
“It is not nice for him to say that. My players know and remember what he said.”
Deschamps added:
"It’s not been a very exciting match at the end, because the Danish team was O.K. with having a draw because they would qualify. One point for the draw was good enough for them, and we didn’t have to take risks to do better because this result was good for everyone.”
Winning the division is no small feat for France, because it often seems like France has feast or famine World Cup results. They had a very talented team for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, finishing fourth and then third, respectively. Then, they failed to even qualify for the World Cup in either 1990 or 1994. They won it all in 1998, when they hosted, but then had the worst title defense in World Cup history in 2002. In 2006, they rebounded, with an amazing run and made it all the way to the final, coming close to winning it, before star Zinedine Zidane headbutted an Italian player and was ejected in his final game. Then in 2010, France had such a bad tournament, that they made all the wrong kinds of headlines and were the butt of jokes worldwide with their disunity and poor results. In 2014, they were stronger, qualifying for the quarterfinals before bowing to eventual champions, Germany. So, winning this group seems like a positive outcome, and a promising one.
France will gladly take this scoreless tie as a positive result.
All quotes used above were taken from the following article (see link):
France and Denmark Advance After World Cup’s First 0-0 Draw By Andrew Das of the New York Times, June 26, 2018:
Peru 2, Australia 0 - Peru had played poorly during their first two matches, but they finally put it all together for this contest. It was not enough to qualify for later rounds, but at least they can leave Russia feeling good about themselves, and their performance here.
Australia? Not so much.
But then again, it had not been 36 years - the better part of four decades - since Australia had last qualified, like it had been for Peru.
André Carrillo scored the first goal in the game's 18th minute, and Paolo Guerrero gave Peru it's second goal, for the game's final 2-0 margin. It was Peru's first victory in the World Cup since a decisive 4-1 win over Iran in 1978.
For Australia, this was a fifth ever World Cup appearance, but it was also a third time that the Socceroos failed to win a single match during the tourney.
Argentina 2, Nigeria 1 - Argentina absolutely had to find a way to win this game for any chance to avoid disaster and historic letdown, and advance.
They managed to do exactly that, and eliminated Nigeria in the process.
It all began with Lionel Messi scoring a beautiful goal in the 14th minute to give Argentina the early 1-0 lead. That was an important goal, because Argentina is currently on 40-game win streak in World Cup games after scoring the first goal.
Victor Moses scored a goal for Nigeria in the 51st minute to tie it back up again.
But then, Marcos Rojo managed to score for Argentina very late in the game, in the 86th minute, for the dagger in the heart, game winning goal that sent Argentina on to the next round. It was the fourth straight World Cup that saw Argentina advance to at least the second round.
Nigeria, meanwhile, have been eliminated in the group stage in three of their last four World Cup tournaments.
Argentina now will play France next in the elimination round.
Croatia 2, Iceland 1 - Tiny Iceland has won the hearts of many people around the world with their trmeendous showing in international tournament the past few years. They were making their first appearance in the World Cup, and opened in dramatic fashion, tying mighty Argentina.
But then they lost a heartbreaker to Nigeria, in a game perhaps defined by their early missed opportunities, and then being worn down and ultimately beaten later in the game. Entering this game, Iceland had their backs to the wall, and desperately needed a win.
But Croatia has been one of the hottest teams in this World Cup, so it was definitely going to be a tall order.
Still, Iceland had some good looks and, arguably, the better opportunities through the first half, much like they did in their previous match against Nigeria. However, it just did not go in for them.
Then in the second half, Iceland felt more pressure than ever when Milan Badelj broke through for Croatia in the 53rd minute.
However, unlike with the Nigeria game, Iceland did come back to life, when Gylfi Sigurðsson broke through with a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
But any hopes of a miracle comeback were squelched when Ivan Perišić scored the goal that broke Iceland's back and crushed their hopes in the 90th minute. It was the third World Cup goal that Perišić has scored for Croatia, behind only Davor Šuker.
This marks the first time that Croatia has won three straight World Cup games. They also have been mighty impressive against Iceland, specifically, having won five of the seven meetings between the two sides. Iceland have only managed one win and one draw in the rivalry.
Busy day yesterday at the World Cup, as each side is beginning their final round of games in the group stage. The home team, Russia, finally met a solid team, and this time, they hardly looked the part of the dominant, let alone unbeatable, host country. As unbelievable as they looked in winning their first two games by a combined margin of 8-1, they instead got humbled with a 3-0 loss against Uruguay yesterday. Russia will still advance, but they do so as the second place team in their group, and not as group winners. One of the teams that got humiliated by Russia was Saudi Arabia, and they have actually not looked bad since that 5-0 opening game disaster. They lost a tough game to Uruguay, and then managed to beat Egypt yesterday. It is obviously not enough for them to advance, but they can go home now feeling like they earned some respect. In Group B play, Portugal tied Iran and Spain tied Morocco, which means that officially, Spain wins the group, and Portugal advances as the second place team. Let's take a closer look at the games from yesterday:
Uruguay 3, Russia 0 - Yes, the home country got a taste of their own medicine yesterday, and were offered a bit of humble pie in the process, as they now enter the elimination round stage.
Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the 10th minute, stunning the largely and understandably pro-Russian crowd.
Then in the 23rd minute, Russia's Denis Cheryshev accidentally scored an own goal against his team, giving Uruguay a commanding 2-0 lead.
If that was not bad enough, it grew even more bleak for Russia, as Igor Smolnikov picked up a red card in the 36th minute, and Russia found themselves one man short and two goals down. The chances of mounting a comeback grew slimmer and slimmer.
Plus, Uruguay simply were not allowing a comeback. They have an excellent defense that smothered Russia, and held up the 2-0 lead.
In fact, the only time the score changed again was when Uruguay broke through again, putting the exclamation point goal when Edinson Cavani scored the game's final goal in the 90th minute for the final 3-0 margin.
Uruguay won their group for only the fifth time in their history, which is somewhat surprising, given their rich history in the sport (they won it all twice, and have often had decent tournaments and advanced quite far otherwise). They also became the first team since Uruguay to not only win all three of their opening games, but to do so without conceding a single goal in the process.
Russia became the first European side to fail to win their group since Spain failed to do so as hosts back in 1982.
Saudi Arabia 2, Egypt 1 - Neither of these two sides were advancing, and thus, this was essentially a game where they both played for pride.
Mohamed Salah broke through first with a goal in the 22nd minute, giving Egypt an early 1-0 lead.
But Saudi Arabia managed to tie the game up when Salman Al-Faraj scored a goal in the 6th minute of extra time in the first half on a penalty kick, tying the game up just before halftime. That, of course, had to be dispiriting for the Egyptians.
The game went on, and it became clear that another goal would likely decided the thing. It occurred in the 5th minute of extra time, when Salem Al-Dawsari scored to effectively give Saudi Arabia the victory. They were understandably very upset after their extremely poor showing in the opening game, but they should be feeling a it better with this win as they now head back home. This win ended a streak of 12 games without a win, during which time they lost 10, and drew two games.
In the process, however, Egypt's own winless streak at the World Cup now extends to seven games, during which time they have lost five and drawn twice. They now have the second longest winless streak in World Cup history.
However, Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary became the oldest player in World Cup history at 45 years old (and 161 days). That broke the record set by Faryd Mondragón during the 2014 World Cup, when he played at 43 years old (and three days).
Makes me feel positively young! That is why I find myself pulling for other guys who are my age (give or take) and still making history by being at the top of their game, including Tom Brady in the NFL. And even if he is a few years younger than me, Roger Federer and, to a lesser extent, Rafael Nadal, have become even easier to root for, because of their relatively advanced age for professional athletes.
Awesome!
Portugal 1, Iran 1 - Like Spain, Portugal hardly looked the part of a dominant side in this World Cup tournament during the group stage. They entered yesterday's game having won one game, and drawn in the other.
Then, they only managed a tie against a much less talented team in Iran. Yet, it was enough for them to advance to the elimination round as the second place team in the group.
Ricardo Quaresma broke through with a goal for Portugal in the 45th minute, putting his side up 1-0 just before the teams entered the lockers for halftime.
That was all the scoring that there was for most of the game, and it seemed like Portugal might earn a tough but rewarding victory. But they fouled Iran, and Karim Ansarifard converted the penalty kick to earn a tie with the Portuguese side for Iran. Strangely, both of Iran's goals in this World Cup came during extra time.
Still, it was too little, too late. Iran would have needed an outright win, which they did not get.
Surprisingly, this is only the fourth time that Portugal advanced to the elimination rounds (they also did it in 1966, 2006, and 2010). Meanwhile, Iran have not managed to qualify for the elimination round in any of their five World Cups (1978, 1998, 2010, 2014, and now the 2018 Russia World Cup).
Spain 2, Morocco 2 - Spain looked more quickly and readily identifiable in this game, wearing their trademark red jerseys and blue shorts, with yellow lettering and numbers on each. Still, though, they did not look as mighty as they have in recent world tournaments, but they still come away as group B winners, and will now get ready for the elimination rounds.
They clinched the group win with their tie against Morocco yesterday.
It was Morocco who broke through first, when Khalid Boutaïb scored in the 14th minute to put Morocco ahead, 1-0.
The lead did not last long, however. Spain's Isco had an answering goal in the 19th minute, and the two sides went into the lockers at halftime with the game tied.
In the second half, Morocco broke through first again, as Youssef En-Nesyri scored in the 81st minute, giving Morocco a surprising lead quite late in the game. Spain found themselves backed against the wall, with time running out.
But they did not get to win all of those titles for no reason. Spanish striker Iago Aspas scored the tying goal one minute into extra time, and the game was tied again. That was how it ended, and Spain found themselves escaping with a tie that had to feel a lot more like a win, as they earned the Group winner status.
Currently, Spain is unbeaten in their last 23 matches, having won 18 of them, and drawn the others. Their last loss was to Italy in the Euro tournament in 2016. Interestingly, and seemingly paradoxically, Spain failed to win their final group stage game since they hosted the tournament back in 1982. They had won all eight of their previous last games during that stretch, until narrowly escaping with a tie yesterday.
However, Spain can take consolation in the fact that they were also unbeaten in group stage play for the first time since 2006.
Another day where I got to see most of the World Cup action. But after watching the first 45 minutes of the England-Panama game, I was good to turn it off and turn on CBS Sunday Morning, because there was really no drama left in that game. England had so thoroughly dominated a completely outclassed Panamanian side, that the end result - a blowout win in England's favor - was never in doubt from about the 36th minute or so onward. Then, Senegal and Japan had an entertaining and suspenseful match that went back and forth, with each team enjoying some momentum in what was easily the best game of the day. Finally, the hotly anticipated clash between Colombia and Poland. Some clash, though. Poland was dominated and looked completely unworthy of their high FIFA world ranking. It got so bad, that my Polish girlfriend grew disgusted and stopped watching the match, and said that she was done with the World Cup (hopefully, it was just her frustration). So, let's take a closer look at this past Sunday in World Cup action:
England 6, Panama 1 - Not really all that much to say about this one.
As I watched it (first half only, because really, what was the point of watching beyond that?), I was aghast at how easily England was scoring those goals. It was 5-0 by halftime, and England had never before scored that many goals in a World Cup game. And they did that before halftime.
The final score was 6-1, but I am quite sure it could have been far, far worse, if England had really wanted it to be.
Panama achieved a historic first by making it to the World Cup, but the celebration did not last beyond halftime of their first game. Up to that point, they had held Belgium to a scoreless tie for the first half, although the Belgians really took care of business in the second half. Now, this humiliating loss to England, allowing 5 goals just in the first half alone. This will leave a bitter taste for the Panamanians and their fans for a long time to come.
For England, this was a display of dominance. They came in without overly high expectations, because the English side had tended to wilt under those conditions, with too many things expected from them. But this year, with little to no expectations, England are cruising. At least so far, they are, although they obviously have their first truly tough test when they go up against Belgium next.
Harry Kane would score for England three times, earning the hat trick. He scored in the 22nd minute, in the first minute of extra time in the first half via penalty, and in the 62nd minute. John Stones opened the scoring for England in the 8th minute, and scored one more again in the 40th minute. Jesse Lingard scored in the 36th minute.
Panama did manage a consolation of sorts: they scored their first ever goal in a World Cup game. It was by Felipe Abdiel Baloy in the 78th minute.
This was the third time that England have won both of their opening matches on a world tournament stage (including the World Cup and the Euros). They did it in 1982, and again in 2006. This also qualified as England's most decisive win in international play.
Finally, this was the first time since that infamous thrashing of host Brazil by Germany that a side managed to score five goals by halftime.
Japan 2, Senegal 2 - Remember when these two teams were supposed to be the weakest teams in this group?
Now, suddenly, they both are tied atop the group, having defeated the favorites, and then tied one another. At least one of these teams will make it to the elimination game, and depending on how the Senegal-Colombia game goes, it is possibly that they might both make it.
Senegal showed some stuff again this time, with incredible athleticism and goal-scoring ability.
Yet somehow, Japan kept coming back.
Senegal scored a goal to take a lead, then Japan scored a goal to tie it all up. Senegal scored another goal to take another lead, then Japan scored another goal to tie it all up once again.
That was the story in this one, as neither team either advanced nor was eliminated.
This probably felt more like a victory for Japan, as it had to come from behind - twice - to earn the tie. Plus, Senegal is likely more naturally talented than they are. So, given where the Japanese were, they will take this result.
Sadio Mané scored in the 11th minute to give Senegal the early 1-0 lead, and for a while thereafter, they control the tempo of the game. But Japan's Takashi Inui answered with a goal in the 34th minute to tie the game.
Moussa Wagué put Senegal up again in the 71st minute, but this time, the Japanese answered very quickly, as Keisuke Honda got the equalizer in the 78th minute. That goal made Honda the highest scoring Asian in World Cup history.
Interestingly, Senegal has never lost to Japan in any of their four meetings, having won twice and drawn in the other two meetings. Each team now has four points
Colombia 3, Poland 0 - My Polish girlfriend was not able to watch her national team compete in that first World Cup game, and seemed to take it in relative stride that they lost, despite being favored. She joked about some of the criticisms that the Polish fans posted on Facebook and elsewhere following the 2-0 loss to Senegal last week, including one where the coach entered the locker room and did not utter a word, but merely slapped each player, repeatedly.
That was funny. But the laughs ended this weekend. She got to see her nation play in their first World Cup since 2006, and this time, it was no laughing matter. It upset her so much, that she left for other things after Colombia took a 2-0 lead. When she came back, and I told her that they had lost, 3-0, she sounded initially surprised that they had allowed yet another goal. Then she started yelling about how the Polish team had seemed to be just standing around, and did not want to win. Most of the game, she said, was spent on Poland's side of the field, defending and hoping that Colombia would not score, and allowing the Colombians to dictate the tempo of the game.
The real problem for Poland in this World Cup is something that the English side could traditionally sympathize with: overly high expectations. Poland entered this World Cup ranked eighth in the world, just below France, and ahead of some heavyweights, like Spain, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Italy (granted, those latter two did not qualify for this World Cup, but they usually are very good). So, expectations were indeed high.
Then, they had a very bad game against Senegal, but the first goal was not fully their fault, as it was kind of a fluky deflection of the shin of a Polish defender that caught the goalkeeper unawares. Then, the second goal that Senegal scored was just bizarre.
In this game, though, the results were more straightforward: the Polish side was dominated. They just played poorly, and never seemed to really want it. Never showed exactly why they got to be so highly regarded as to warrant a place among the top ten in the world in terms of rankings.
You had better believe that Poland's standing in those same rankings will take a serious dip after this tournament. They have been outscored by a combined 5-1, and have showed virtually no signs of being anywhere near the level of the elite team that they were supposed to be. They were one of the favorites within their group, yet somehow after two games have been played for each team, they are the only ones in their group to be officially eliminated. Colombia is still alive, and can clinch a berth in the elimination round with a win. Japan and Senegal are in if they win their next game. But it does not matter what Poland does in the next game. They could win 10-0, in historically dominant fashion, and the most that they will have done is possibly eliminate another team. But they are the last place team in the division, that much has been locked up. And it had been a pathetic display.
I got to watch most of all three games on Saturday, along with my girlfriend.
Yes, it was a lazy Saturday for the two of us.
But what an exciting day of football! That, despite this being a rather unusual day, when all of the favorites actually won their matches.
Belgium got off to a quick start and showed off their firepower against Tunisia in what has to be the highest scoring game of this tournament thus far. Then, Mexico followed up on their shocking defeat of Germany with a sound victory over South Korea. Finally, for a little while, it looked like Sweden just might pull off an upset for the ages, but the Germans broke through right at the end - but not without some controversy.
Let's take a closer look at each of Saturday's games:
Belgium 5, Tunisia 2 - Eden Hazard broke through first in the sixth minute, giving the Belgian side an early 1-0 lead. Not the start that the Tunisians envisioned, certainly.
But they were just getting warmed up. Romelu Lukaku scored for Belgium in the 16th minute, and suddenly, with a 2-0 lead, it looked to all watching that we were about to see a rout.
Give Tunisia credit, though, because they kept fighting. Tunisia's Dylan Bronn scored a goal to answer Belgium, and the complexion of the game changed for almost the rest of the first half.
However, Lukaku scored again in the third minute of extra time in the first half, literally just before the players walked off the field for halftime. That had to be a heartbreaker for Tunisia, who had fought hard to stave off what felt like an inevitable explosion of points by the Belgians. Yet, they were down by two again, despite all of their hard world.
Interestingly, Lukaku has now scored four goals in this tournament, and is tied with Cristiano Rinaldo for the most so far. He also became the first man in decades to score multiple goals in consecutive World Cup games. Also, he now is the leading scorer for Belgium in major international tournaments.
Hazard scored again in the 51st minute, giving Belgium a decisive 4-1 lead early in the second half, and making a comeback by Tunisia feel unrealistic and out of reach. At least with the way the Belgians were playing, it was.
Belgium's Michy Batshuayi managed to score an impressive goal in the 90th minute, giving Belgium an impressive 5-1 lead.
Still, Tunisia was fighting. Wahbi Khazri scored in the third minute of extra time, for the game's final 5-2 margin.
An impressive win for Belgium, who secured a berth into the second round. As for Tunisia, they will not be advancing, but they acquitted themselves impressively in this one.
Tunisia now have a 13 game winless streak, following a win in their first ever World Cup game. They also now have lost their last four outright.
Mexico 2, South Korea 1 - Mexico wanted to avoid a letdown at all costs. That would defeat the purpose of having defeated the Germans in their opening match, and would compromise their chances of advancing and being regarded as one of the teams to watch during this tournament.
For most of the game, the Mexicans tried to spread the ball around the field, in hopes of stretching the South Korean defense, and forcing them to run and defend from side to side, perhaps tiring them out, but also increasing the chances of catching or forcing some holes in the defense.
South Korea proved tough, however. Their defense was tough, and the team fought Mexico hard right to the very end of this contest.
Carlos Vela opened up the scoring, getting a goal for Mexico in the 26th minute.
Still, it remained a tight game, until Mexican veteran striker Javier Hernández scored in th 66th minute to give Mexico a cushion with a 2-0 lead. It was the 50th goal in international competition that Hernández scored for the Mexican side.
Yet, South Korea showed heart as they still fought. Son Heung-min scored on an absolutely beautiful goal in the 3rd minute of extra time, giving South Korea a sudden ray of hope, although time was quickly expiring.
Mexico did not have to score again, and so they essentially played keep away for the next few minutes, running out the clock on the South Koreans.
Germany 2, Sweden 1 - Sweden’s Ola Toivonen scored in the 32nd minute to give Sweden an improbable 1-0 lead against mighty Germany. Rather amazingly, Toivonen had not scored in 19 shots through 23 games in Ligue 1 play in France for Toulouse, yet he scored on only his second shot in World Cup action.
German defender Jérôme Boateng should have received a red card in the first half for a foul committed in the penalty box. It likely would have given Sweden a penalty kick, which they would have had a good chance of converting into a goal. Had this happened, and had all other things remained the same and they gotten that other goal for a 2-0 lead, that would have changed the whole complexion of the game, and indeed, we might be talking about Germany's shocking collapse in this World Cup. As it is, though, Boateng received a red card in the 82nd minute, leaving Germany one man down for the duration of the contest.
But since the foul was not called, Sweden's first half goal was the only one that they scored, and the game was 1-0 in favor of Sweden by halftime. Sweden narrowly missed what would have been a truly incredibly goal right before the half. It seemed that they had the momentum, and that things were working well for them to that point.
However, Marco Reus scored the equalizer for Germany in the 48th minute, and the game began to feel incredibly tight and high pressured. Things remained tense throughout the duration of regulation time.
Remember, Jérôme Boateng had received the red card in the 82nd minute, and things looked relatively bleak for the German side. That seemed true, at least, until Toni Kroos scored the winning goal in the 5th minute of extra time, leaving Sweden with virtually no time to work with to try and rally. Suddenly, Germany looked like the same old Germany, while the Swedish looked completely crushed.
Historically, that was the latest that the Germans had ever scored a goal in a World Cup game, excluding extra time during the elimination games. It also marked the first time that Germany had rallied from behind at halftime to win since 1974, when they were also down 1-0 to Sweden. They wound up winning that one, 4-2.
During a span of mere minutes, Germany had gone from looking surprisingly weak and on the brink of virtual elimination, to the kind of incredible rally and comeback that can sometimes trigger a deep run into the elimination round. These are the kinds of tight, character defining comebacks that championship teams usually wind up pulling off, and which contribute to overcoming the obstacles later on that allow them to win the championship. That is not to say that Germany will surely go on to win this Word Cup, but only that if they do in fact win it all later on in a few weeks, you can return back to this game as the turning point.
For fans of Sweden, and those who are less than thrilled with the German side (my brother counts among the latter number), there are questions, however. Because indeed, the German side often seems to get breaks - disproportionately more breaks in their favor than perhaps any other team in the sport. They too often seem to be the beneficiaries of non-calls to what might seem obvious foul situations, such as the red card that Boateng earned in the first half, but which he instead actually received for a second infraction deep in the second half. As I understand it, the foul was in the box, and should have given Sweden a penalty shot. It also would have left the Germans down one man for most of the game, and indeed, the complexion of the game would have been entirely different.
I got to watch most of all three games yesterday, because the summer free from school started not just for my son, but for me, also. Thus, I got to see most of the second half of Brazil and Costa Rica, and then all of the Nigeria-Iceland contest, as well as pretty much all of the Switzerland-Serbia match. So, let me review the games from yesterday:
Brazil 2, Costa Rica 0 - For most of this game, almost right to the end (and at least right to the end of the regular 90 minutes, before the extra time session was added on), it looked like Brazil just was not having the kind of day that they needed. Costa Rica's defense was suffocating them, but they also just experienced some bad luck. They came close numerous times, and were clearly the aggressors. Costa Rica hardly even had any serious opportunities to score, while Brazil had chance after chance. It was just that nothing seemed to be going for them.
And then, just like that, magic happened for Brazil. Philippe Coutinho finally broke through in the first minute of extra time, seeming to clinch a narrow escape win for Brazil.
There was still several minutes of extra time left, though. But Costa Rica's offense looked pitiful almost all game long, and that did not change during the extra time. They seemed to lack a sense of urgency, and it was Brazil that held possession for most of the time, and Brazil that created the best scoring opportunities.
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that they broke through yet again, as Neymar, who had come close before, finally broke though himself to score for Brazil in the seventh minute of extra time to ice the game.
Finally, Brazil looked like Brazil of old, and perhaps the memories of that embarrassment at home during the last World Cup, particularly the infamous 7-1 drubbing, are finally fading for Brazil and their fans.
For the first time, Brazil looks like one of the favorites, and they seem on track to clinch qualifying for the next round. This loss, on the other hand, officially eliminated Costa Rica from the elimination round.
Nigeria 2, Iceland 0 - This was yet another game that was locked in a defensive battle through the first half. If anything, it felt like Iceland had every reason to be happy with the outcome for the first 45 minutes, and then for the early part of the second half.
But when it ended, Iceland's dreams ended hard with them. They are not officially done, but this loss felt like a splash of cold water harshly waking Iceland up from their hopeful dreams.
For much of the first half, it felt like Iceland was establishing their tempo, and enjoying their kind of game. They had some scoring opportunities, and looked like a team that had an excellent shot of winning. Failing that, it was easy to picture them tying, which would have been a victory of sorts for them.
In the second half, however, it was a different story. Conditions were hot, which favored Nigeria, since it never seems to get very hot at all in Iceland. Then, Nigeria's Ahmed Musa broke through with a goal to put his side up, 1-0.
Suddenly, the game felt very different. Nigeria had gotten the first goal, and Iceland began to look and feel like a team that had to take chances, try to make things happen to get back into it. That allowed Nigeria to mount some strong counterattacks, which perhaps made another goal inevitable. Musa broke through again in the 75th minute, virtually icing the game.
Iceland looked worn, tired, and beaten. It was hot, and they looked uncomfortable in the heat, and being so far behind, and suddenly looking like the largely inexperienced team that they are. Nigeria is a country with literally over 200 times the people of Iceland, and their players are tremendously athletic. Eventually, Iceland's luck was going to run out, and it happened against a strong and energetic club that was far more comfortable in the hot conditions than Iceland itself was.
Interestingly, all six of Nigeria's World Cup wins have come against European teams. This was their widest margin of victory since they beat Germany by the same score back in the 1994 World Cup.
As for Iceland, this was their first out and out loss in the group stage of a major world tournament. They had not lost any thus far at either the Euro two years ago, or at the World Cup, until the loss to Nigeria yesterday.
The win was just what Nigeria needed, as they now prepare to face Argentina. Iceland, meanwhile, will prepare for red hot Croatia, with flickering prospects of qualifying for the elimination round.
Switzerland 2, Serbia 1 - This was, far and away, the most exciting game of the bunch from yesterday. It was quite evenly matched, and it was not clear until almost the very end who would come out the winner.
Initially, Serbia seemed to have the advantage in the early part of the game. They had the better scoring chances, and broke through first for the 1-0 lead with a goal by Aleksandar Mitrović. For a while thereafter, it seemed like the Swiss were just hanging on for dear life, trying desperately to avoid falling behind 2-0, which felt like a deficit that they simply would not be able to overcome.
But they hung on. And when they finally gained the momentum, they were able to completely turn the game around on Serbia.
Granit Xhaka broke through in the 52nd minute to tie the game up. It seemed that the momentum completely turned around with this one goal. While Serbia had seemed to be playing better, more organized football prior to that, and seemed always on the verge of expanding on their lead to make it a virtually insurmountable one, this goal allowed Switzerland to grab the momentum.
They never let it go.
Switzerland's colorful and flashy striker, Xherdan Shaqiri, started making things happen. He got closer and closer to breaking through and scoring a goal, keeping the pressure on Serbia. Then, in what felt like an inevitability by that point, he finally broke through in the 90th minute for a dagger in the heart kind of goal. You could almost feel the air go out of Serbia with that one.
Both Xhaka and Shaqiri went a little too far with their celebrations, and FIFA is now investigating disciplinary measures against both.
Still, the Swiss are celebrating at the moment, having earned a huge win, following their impressive tie against the Brazilian side. Now, with this win, the Swiss appear headed for the elimination round. They will next take on Costa Rica, and they will be very heavily favored to win. Switzerland is one of the hottest teams in this tournament, having suffered just one defeated in their last 24 matches, and they won 17 of those games.
Two games that went more or less according to most projections, and then one major upset on this day in the World Cup. Who could have foreseen that Argentina would be seriously on the verge of being eliminated from even qualifying for the elimination rounds? Meanwhile, France and Croatia both punched their ticket to at least the next round. Both sides are in the situation where if they win their next game, they will win their group and thus, apparently, will play weaker teams that did not win their division. That might be true, but as I understand it, my brother said that France will be assured a date with either Portugal or Spain. Scary prospect, either way. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. We are still in group play, so let's review yesterday's results:
Australia 1, Denmark 1 - Denmark jumped out to an early lead when Christian Eriksen scored in the 7th minute to pull Denmark ahead.
However, Michael Jedinak tied it when he scored for Australia in the 38th minute.
That was how it ended, with a 1-1 tie. Neither team was eliminated, but neither team advanced. Denmark next plays France, with the winner taking the group. Australia has to hope for Denmark to lose, and then to take care of business themselves byt beating Peru. Australia is winless in their last five World Cup games.
France 1, Peru 0 - The atmosphere for this game was apparently incredible, due tothe passionate fans of Peru who had traveled thousands of kilometers to get here. Being French, I was pulling for France, yet it seems that Peru deserved better than such a disappointing outcome. They were unable to score a goal in this contest.
France's Kylian Mbappé scored the game's only goal in the 34th minute, giving France a 1-0 lead that, as ut turns out, would also be the game's final margin. Rather stunningly, France has not allowed a goal from a South American team since a meeting with Brazil all the way back in 1986, a game which they won! They met Brazil three times since 1986, and beat them each time. It should be noted that they had a scoreless draw with the Uruguay team back in the 2002 World Cup, and had yet another one in the 2010 World Cup. Those were the only two contests in each of those two disastrous tournaments that France did not lose.
This win clinched a berth into the second round for France, and eliminated Peru from advancing.
Croatia 3, Argentina 0 - Now we get to the big shocker of the day. Who could have foreseen Argentina not only losing, but getting blown out?
This was Argentina's worst loss at the opening rounds since a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Czechoslovakia - a country that no longer exists - all the way back in 1958. This also marked the first time that Argentina failed to win either of their first two matches since 1974.
This was Croatia's fifth match against a South American squad in World Cup play, but they had never managed to win any of the games before, losing all of their previous four matches.
The game remained tight throughout the first half, in what proved to be a tough, defensive battle. Both teams went into their locker rooms having failed to score a single point.
But all of that changed when Croatia's Ante Rebić broke though in the 53rd minute.
Argentina seemed to fall apart from there. They were unable to score any goals, and Messi looked entirely unlike himself.
Yet another upset seemed to be brewing, and this was cemented when Croatia's Luka Modrić scored in the 80th minute to give his side a commanding 2-0 lead, with time running out.
Ivan Rakitić added the dagger in the heart with Croatia's third goal in the first minute of extra time to clinch a decisive 3-0 win.
Croatia managed to clinch a spot into the elimination round, while Argentina, rather shockingly, is in big trouble, and need some serious help if they hope to have any chance of advancing to the next round.
