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.
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.
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