This World Cup has been pretty remarkable for upsets so far, and it seemed like yet another upset might be in the making when Japan had Belgium tied up and unable to score throughout the first half of the second elimination round game yesterday.
While Brazil had predictably dispatched with Mexico in the first one (more on that, and the controversial postgame interviews in a little bit), Belgium was having a far more difficult time of things in their match as heavy favorites.
To be fair, Belgium have been a second half team throughout this tournament, and indeed, they did score some goals in the second half. Yet even then, it seemed like Japan had a real chance, until what was perhaps the most amazing end to any World Cup game so far in this tournament.
So, let's take a look at the two matches from yesterday, including, again, the controversy in the postgame between Mexico and Brazil, and the remarkable end to the Belgium-Japan match.
Brazil 2, Mexico 0 - Let's face it: this is about the result that we all expected for this match.
Perhaps you were like me, and hoped that Mexico might be able to pull off what would have been an amazing upset. But that was just not happening in this one.
But this contest was actually overshadowed a bit - quite a bit, in truth - by the tensions and controversy that it generated in the postmatch interviews.
Still, there was a match first, and for a while, Mexico was holding their own. They had a mighty impressive start to the tournament, and had many standing up and taking notice. But unfortunately, they faded fast, losing their last game convincingly, and then needing a miracle to get into the elimination round. They got that miracle, but they would have needed another miracle to somehow win this game against an obviously highly touted team.
This time, there were no miracles. Mexico kept a cap on Brazil's attack through the first half. But Brazil broke through in the second, starting with a goal by Neymar in the 51st minute. Neymar actually had a hand in assisting in Brazil's second goal by Roberto Firmino in the 88th minute, which cemented the results. Brazil moves on, and despite some initial excitement, Mexico now goes home after reaching this stage of the round of 16 (and only this stage) for a seventh time in a row. Since the introduction of this format, Mexico has been eliminated at this point far more than any other team - more than twice as much as any other team. So yes, they go home after the round of 16.
But not without controversy.
After the match, Mexican coach Juan Carlos Osorio claimed that the refs had essentially decided the game, and that this was a "man's sport," apparently forgetting that women play it, too. So do children, for that matter. But Osorio took particular aim at Brazil's star, Neymar, and seemed to strongly suggest that he was acting and wasting time out there:
“We had control of the match, but to me it is just shameful that so much time could be lost over one player.”
Brazil has won eight of their nine World Cup matches (and lost none of them) against CONCACEF opponents, and they have conceded goals in only one of those matches.
Belgium 3, Japan 2 - This was, far and away, the most entertaining of the two matches yesterday, and arguably the most entertaining elimination round match of this World Cup so far. Perhaps even the most entertaining match overall in this World Cup thus far, although it certainly did not start off like that.
In fact, through the first thirty minutes, it seemed like it would be an almost exclusively defensive affair, with very few goals, or even solid opportunities, for both sides.
And yet, strangely because of the defensive brilliance displayed particularly by Japan, it serves as yet another cautionary tale about the significance of always being on your toes defensively, and not allowing yourself to let up against a more talented side for even a moment. Japan learned that lesson the hard way in the game's final seconds. But more on that in a little bit.
Japan hung tough and held a very talented Belgian team scoreless throughout the first half, and then broke through with a goal themselves in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi. Four minutes later, Japan struck again, as Takashi Inui put Japan up, 2-0, in the 52nd minute. A huge upset seemed almost inevitable by that point.
Still, despite Japan's seemingly comfortable lead, the Belgians kept plugging away, as well. They seem to know how good they are, and were not willing to pack it in just because they found themselves in a very precarious position. Jan Vertonghen broke through in the 69th minute to get Belgium on the board, although they still trailed, 2-1.
But just minutes later, Belgium struck again. Marouane Fellaini got a goal in the 74th minute, and the game was all tied up at 2-2.
Just like that, it was a nailbiter.
Indeed, that was how it remained for almost the entire remainder of the game, and it sure looked like it was going to be another game that would head into extra time, and possibly, a decisive penalty kick shootout.
Japan pressed late, and Thibaut Courtois held strong in goal, following an embarrassing near miss in the first half. But give Courtois credit, after saving one shot, he spotted something potentially developing as the game's final seconds ticked by. He noticed that there were a lot of Japanese on the attack, leaving them defensively vulnerable, and he acted quickly. Courtois quickly passed the ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who ran down the field and passed the ball to Thomas Meunier, who then took it to the box. Japanese defenders, meanwhile, had sprinted back, but seemed to be faked out by the presence of Romelu Lukaku. But that was a fake, as Lukaku let the pass go right to a wide open Nacer Chadli, who then pounded the ball into the back of the net for a stunning completion of an incredible second half comeback.
Really, Japan had played brilliant defense for most of the game. But the very little bit that they let up, Belgium made them pay dearly for. It was almost another epic upset, in a tournament that has been filled with them so far. Instead, the Belgians managed to underscore exactly why they entered this tournament so highly regarded in the first place.
How big was this comeback? No team had come back from two goals down in an elimination game to win in regulation time since 1966, when Portugal managed to do it against North Korea in the 1966 World Cup. With this victory, Belgium managed to qualify for the quarterfinal round in consecutive World Cup tournaments for the first time in their history.
What a game! And what a huge comeback for the Belgians. For the Japanese, however, what a shattering loss this was. The players looked completely devastated afterward, and it is easy to understand why, after working so hard and coming so close, only to see it all fall apart right at the end like that.
While Brazil had predictably dispatched with Mexico in the first one (more on that, and the controversial postgame interviews in a little bit), Belgium was having a far more difficult time of things in their match as heavy favorites.
To be fair, Belgium have been a second half team throughout this tournament, and indeed, they did score some goals in the second half. Yet even then, it seemed like Japan had a real chance, until what was perhaps the most amazing end to any World Cup game so far in this tournament.
So, let's take a look at the two matches from yesterday, including, again, the controversy in the postgame between Mexico and Brazil, and the remarkable end to the Belgium-Japan match.
Brazil 2, Mexico 0 - Let's face it: this is about the result that we all expected for this match.
Perhaps you were like me, and hoped that Mexico might be able to pull off what would have been an amazing upset. But that was just not happening in this one.
But this contest was actually overshadowed a bit - quite a bit, in truth - by the tensions and controversy that it generated in the postmatch interviews.
Still, there was a match first, and for a while, Mexico was holding their own. They had a mighty impressive start to the tournament, and had many standing up and taking notice. But unfortunately, they faded fast, losing their last game convincingly, and then needing a miracle to get into the elimination round. They got that miracle, but they would have needed another miracle to somehow win this game against an obviously highly touted team.
This time, there were no miracles. Mexico kept a cap on Brazil's attack through the first half. But Brazil broke through in the second, starting with a goal by Neymar in the 51st minute. Neymar actually had a hand in assisting in Brazil's second goal by Roberto Firmino in the 88th minute, which cemented the results. Brazil moves on, and despite some initial excitement, Mexico now goes home after reaching this stage of the round of 16 (and only this stage) for a seventh time in a row. Since the introduction of this format, Mexico has been eliminated at this point far more than any other team - more than twice as much as any other team. So yes, they go home after the round of 16.
But not without controversy.
After the match, Mexican coach Juan Carlos Osorio claimed that the refs had essentially decided the game, and that this was a "man's sport," apparently forgetting that women play it, too. So do children, for that matter. But Osorio took particular aim at Brazil's star, Neymar, and seemed to strongly suggest that he was acting and wasting time out there:
“We had control of the match, but to me it is just shameful that so much time could be lost over one player.”
Brazil has won eight of their nine World Cup matches (and lost none of them) against CONCACEF opponents, and they have conceded goals in only one of those matches.
Here's a bit more on the whole postmatch controversy between Mexico's coach Osorio and his taking exception at Neymar, who might have been milking his injury acting a bit, admittedly:
Belgium 3, Japan 2 - This was, far and away, the most entertaining of the two matches yesterday, and arguably the most entertaining elimination round match of this World Cup so far. Perhaps even the most entertaining match overall in this World Cup thus far, although it certainly did not start off like that.
In fact, through the first thirty minutes, it seemed like it would be an almost exclusively defensive affair, with very few goals, or even solid opportunities, for both sides.
And yet, strangely because of the defensive brilliance displayed particularly by Japan, it serves as yet another cautionary tale about the significance of always being on your toes defensively, and not allowing yourself to let up against a more talented side for even a moment. Japan learned that lesson the hard way in the game's final seconds. But more on that in a little bit.
Japan hung tough and held a very talented Belgian team scoreless throughout the first half, and then broke through with a goal themselves in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi. Four minutes later, Japan struck again, as Takashi Inui put Japan up, 2-0, in the 52nd minute. A huge upset seemed almost inevitable by that point.
Still, despite Japan's seemingly comfortable lead, the Belgians kept plugging away, as well. They seem to know how good they are, and were not willing to pack it in just because they found themselves in a very precarious position. Jan Vertonghen broke through in the 69th minute to get Belgium on the board, although they still trailed, 2-1.
But just minutes later, Belgium struck again. Marouane Fellaini got a goal in the 74th minute, and the game was all tied up at 2-2.
Just like that, it was a nailbiter.
Indeed, that was how it remained for almost the entire remainder of the game, and it sure looked like it was going to be another game that would head into extra time, and possibly, a decisive penalty kick shootout.
Japan pressed late, and Thibaut Courtois held strong in goal, following an embarrassing near miss in the first half. But give Courtois credit, after saving one shot, he spotted something potentially developing as the game's final seconds ticked by. He noticed that there were a lot of Japanese on the attack, leaving them defensively vulnerable, and he acted quickly. Courtois quickly passed the ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who ran down the field and passed the ball to Thomas Meunier, who then took it to the box. Japanese defenders, meanwhile, had sprinted back, but seemed to be faked out by the presence of Romelu Lukaku. But that was a fake, as Lukaku let the pass go right to a wide open Nacer Chadli, who then pounded the ball into the back of the net for a stunning completion of an incredible second half comeback.
Really, Japan had played brilliant defense for most of the game. But the very little bit that they let up, Belgium made them pay dearly for. It was almost another epic upset, in a tournament that has been filled with them so far. Instead, the Belgians managed to underscore exactly why they entered this tournament so highly regarded in the first place.
How big was this comeback? No team had come back from two goals down in an elimination game to win in regulation time since 1966, when Portugal managed to do it against North Korea in the 1966 World Cup. With this victory, Belgium managed to qualify for the quarterfinal round in consecutive World Cup tournaments for the first time in their history.
What a game! And what a huge comeback for the Belgians. For the Japanese, however, what a shattering loss this was. The players looked completely devastated afterward, and it is easy to understand why, after working so hard and coming so close, only to see it all fall apart right at the end like that.
Osario's comments about it being a "man's sport" were stupid, but in my view he's not entirely wrong about Neymar's, shall we say, theatrics. He has a penchant for overselling fouls (both real and imagined) with lots of grimacing and writhing – I think it was in one of the first round matches that I saw him roll from side to side not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, not five times, not six times but SEVEN times after being fouled. Shocking surprise – he made a miraculous recovery moments later. Although I love soccer, I love it in spite of shameless idiots who'll do anything in order to obtain a penalty or free kick, get an opposing player carded, or simply waste time to protect a lead in the waning moments of a match. I'm not suggesting that that's why Mexico lost – it isn't – but personal honor seems to be an unfathomable concept to some of these players, and I for one am more than a little tired of it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Japan – Belgium game, I was rooting for the Samurai Blue, who as you mentioned very nearly pulled off a shocking upset. It broke my heart when their defenders couldn't or wouldn't summon the energy to defend well for another 30 seconds or so, since that would have meant overtime, preceded by a short breather. While the momentum had clearly shifted in the Red Devils' favor and they would most likely have gone on to win regardless, thanks to that lack of hustle on the part of the Japanese team we'll never know. Which is a shame considering how well they played for the first hour and change.
P.S. Here are my predictions for the quarterfinal round. I'd be curious to see how they compare with yours.
ReplyDeleteCroatia – Russia: This could really go either way, but I'm going to say 2-1 for Croatia. I don't think Russia has enough scoring threats to advance to the semifinal round (let alone the final), despite their elimination of La Roja, aka Spain.
Sweden – England: 1-0 for England. They seem to be playing with a level of quiet determination and poise that we haven't seen from the English national team in years.
Brazil – Belgium: I think Brazil will prevail in a high-scoring game, let's say 3-2. Belgium has a great team that could feasibly pull off an upset here, but I don't think this is the year they make it to their first major final since losing to West Germany at the 1980 Euro.
Uruguay – France: Unsurprisingly I'm going to predict a victory for Les Bleus. Aside from the fact that I'm obviously rooting for that scenario, I think there's objective reason to think it will happen. France seems to be peaking at the right time, and unlike certain other teams they have a sufficiently balanced attack not to live and die based on the performance of any one player. Plus, and I'm not happy about this, but Edinson Cavani – Uruguay's best player and Kylian Mbappé's PSG teammate – is injured, and his status for Friday's match remains uncertain as I write this. My main concern is the defense. Les Bleus aren't likely to score 4 goals in one game again at this WC, so they'd better be careful not to allow 3. (Granted, that 3rd one against Argentina was a careless lapse when the result was all but guaranteed, but such lapses could prove very costly at this stage.) I'm going to say 2-1 for France.