World Cup Russia Update - Quarterfinal Day 2 - Croatia Ousts Host Russia, While England Dominates Sweden

Sorry, this is a day later than it should have been. Got a bit busy with a couple of other posts that I wanted to be published here, and then had a busy and tiring (but fun) day on Sunday. We went to Sandy Hook beach, which is usually a tradition of ours, at least once a year. This time, however, we dealt with traffic both on the way to and fro, and struggled to find parking. When we finally did, it was all the way at the far end of the peninsula, and was a long walk from the beach, to boot. It was a tiny section of the beach, on top of all that. However, it still was fun, nevertheless, and as always, it was a privilege to be there, especially since it was with both my girlfriend and my son. Got some decent swimming in, and felt like much of the day had been a good workout for me, having taken a long walk of several miles very early in the morning. By the time we got home, I was completely exhausted, and needed at least a few hours of sleep before going in to work at night.

So, I only got around to completing this in the morning hours on Monday, which means that this review is a day later than I had wanted to publish it. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Russia had a remarkably successful World Cup tournament. They were the host nation for what proved to be on of the most exciting and unpredictable tournaments in World Cup history, and they seemed to have done a bang up job. I was half expecting horror stories to dominate again for this World Cup, much like we heard about all of the supposed horrors that happened in Russia leading up to, and during, the Sochi Olympic games in 2014. But those stories, if there were many or any, were relegated to minor status, and considering how much criticism any non-western nations that host such events often receive, especially nations that are not Anglo-Saxon countries, that has to mean that these games were largely a success.

The Russian side had a strong tournament, as well. They opened in very strong fashion, blowing out Saudi Arabia and then Egypt to become on of the first nations to qualify for the elimination round. They lost to Uruguay, but then bounced back strong with a shocking win over one of the tournament's favorites, Spain. The Russian side played quite well against Croatia in the quarterfinal as well, but it went to penalty kicks, and somebody had to lose, unfortunately.

As for England, they really seemed to have thrived in this World Cup tournament, when they were not plagued with the burdensome weight of high expectations. Without carrying that around, they soared, winning their first two games while scoring a ton of goals. They then knocked off Colombia in the first elimination round game, and cruised to a surprisingly convincing, and relatively easy, quarterfinal against a Swedish side tha had a very strong team ethic.

So, let's take a look at how yesterday's quarterfinal games shook out:

Croatia 2, Russia 2 - Croatia wins in penalty kicks, 4-3):

Denis Cheryshev scored the first goal in the 31st minute to give Russia the early lead. 

It did not last long, however, as Croatia's Andrej Kramarić tied the game up with a goal for Croatia in the 39th minute. 

The game remained scoreless for the duration of regular time, but there was a lot more action in extra time. Croatia's Domagoj Vida scored in the 100th minute, to put Croatias up, 2-1. Russia felt their backs tightly to the wall, and seemed on the brink of elimination. But then, Mário Figueira Fernandes pounded a ball to the back of the net, and the game was tied back up at 2-2.

That was the way that it would stay for the remained of extra time, and so this one was going to be decided in penalty kicks, just like the previous elimination round games for both of these teams. 

Ironically, however, the penalty kick shootout was decided when Fernandes, the very same guy who had managed to kick the goal that kept Russia in the game, had his penalty kick shot sail quite wide of the goal, allowing Croatia to advance.

For Croatia, they reach the semifinals of a World Cup for the first time since 1998, and they do it by winning back to back games by penalty kicks. 

Well, the remarkable run for the host country's side is over. But at least they did not go without a fight. In fact, they fought hard against Croatia to try and give themselves a chance in this tournament, but it was not to be.

However, Russia will surely see a bump in their FIFA world rankings. Also, they managed to capture the hearts of the entire country of Russia, and a few are suggesting that this will inspire young people enough to give Russia a bright future in the sport. So, all that said, it was not a bad tournament at all for the Russians. 

England 2, Sweden  0 - The Swedes had enjoyed a solid tournament in this World Cup, playing well in each game prior to yesterday's quarterfinal showdown with England. They had won two of their three group stage matches, and probably should have won against Germany, as well. Ultimately, they managed to win their group, and then knocked out the tough Swiss in the first elimination game, to boot.

But it ended with a thud yesterday. The Swedes were dominated by England, and once they fell behind, they never seemed to really be seriously in the game again.

Harry Maguire knocked a header to the back of the net to give England a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.

They never looked back.

Delle Alli got another one in the 58th minute to put England up, 2-0. Sweden looked completely dispirited, and never seemed to mount any kind of serious comeback after that. They looked completely beaten, frankly.

England qualify for the semifinal for the first time since 1990, when they finished the tournament in fourth place overall. For Sweden, despite the disappointing result, this was the most success that they enjoyed at the World Cup since 1994.