Matchday One Roundup

Now that every team has played their opening game at the 2018 World Cup, let’s go over what has gone down over the past week.

Day One brought a mesmerizing opening ceremony and an equally intriguing matchup between hosts Russia, and Saudi Arabia; the two lowest ranked sides at the tournament. Despite a lot of hype from the Saudi camp, the Russian team and support from the crowd was just too great, with the hosts thumping the Saudi’s 5-0. In the other match in Group A, a Mo Salah-less Egypt took on Uruguay. A fairly even game was eventually decided late on with a terrific header by Jose Gimenez. 1-0 win for Uruguay. The South American side will remain favorites to progress despite poor showings from Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. The other spot will likely be decided during the Russia-Egypt game, assuming the Saudi’s do not cause an upset elsewhere. 

Group B brought the most anticipated match from Matchday One. Spain took on Portugal, reigniting a bitter rivalry. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring early but the lead was chalked off by a superb Diego Costa finish. Ronaldo snatched the lead again for Portugal, only for Costa to equalize again. Makeshift right back Nacho hit a spectacular volley to put Spain ahead for the first time, but there was still time for Ronaldo to hit a trademark free kick to complete his hat trick, meaning the game ended 3-3. This was a great result for the other teams in Group B, as it meant that one of them could take an early lead in the group. Iran bested Morocco late on, meaning that they sit top of Group B after one match. Spain and Portugal will remain favorites to advance, especially since Iran’s win came courtesy of an own goal. Despite this, neither side looked solid defensively, meaning that they will need to improve to not best quality sides later in the tournament, but also to guarantee getting out the group.

We had to wake up early for the opening match in Group C, with France besting Australia 2-1. Here is where we really saw VAR used for the first time, awarding France a penalty. Australia replied with a PK of their own, only for Paul Pogba to lift a shot over the goalkeeper late on to break Aussie hearts. Peru and Denmark faced off in the other match in this group; another interesting game. Peru looked phenomenal but just could not find a goal. Yussuf Poulsen scored for Denmark, who worked extremely hard to ensure the win. The European sides take an early lead in Group C, but don’t rule out anyone advancing. Peru and Australia have quality all over the field, and are able to punish poor defending with ease. I am particularly looking forward to the next round of matches in this group.

The first match of Group D is what many were waiting for; the first glimpse of Iceland, oh and Lionel Messi. Argentina took an early lead, but Iceland equalized through Alfred Finnbogason. Messi has a penalty expertly saved, and Argentina limped away with a point. Iceland kept on doing what we all know they do well: playing as a team. Croatia and Nigeria are the other sides in what might be considered the group of death. Croatia won 2-0, and the Nigerians seemed a step behind all game long, something we have sadly become accustomed to seeing from the Super Eagles in recent time. Nevertheless, all four teams are still in a position to advance, so don’t rule anything out. 

Group E favorites Brazil took on Switzerland in their opening match. In a match marred by fouls on Neymar, Brazil were arguably lucky to come away with a draw. The Swiss equalized through a Steve Zuber header, which cancelled out Coutinho’s stunning opener. Neymar seemed quite lackluster all game long. Many accounted this to his foot injury, however you cannot blame failing to pass the ball on an injury. Switzerland, as boring of a team as they are, certainly deserved the point that they earned. Costa Rica played Serbia in Group E’s other match. Dark horses for a late run in the tournament, Serbia dominated proceedings, but took a long time to assert their authority. Aleksandar Kolarov’s free kick was the only goal, and Costa Rica had their chances too. Group E is yet another example of why this World Cup might be the most competitive ever. Any team could feasibly advance, and if Brazil don’t become more clinical, the unthinkable could happen. 

Group F brought another highly anticipated matchup. Reigning champions Germany took on Mexico, a team notorious for causing upsets. As strong as the Germans were, they were foiled by keeper Guillermo Ochoa on numerous occasions. Hirving “Chucky” Lozano nabbed a goal for El Tri, and the Germans could not find an equalizer. A fantastic result for Mexico, which shows why they could be in for a long run in the competition, and a whimper from the champions who, like the team who they beat 7-1 in 2014, need to become more clinical. The other game in Group F was played between South Korea and Sweden. The first tournament in decades without the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden were worried where goals might come from. This is still the case, with their only goal coming from the penalty spot. South Korea too lack an out and out goal scorer, and star man Heung-Min Son was quiet all day. Sweden win 1-0. Mexico are early favorites to advance, and Germany remain likely to progress too. The other teams will need to improve their communication as well as their goal scoring to avoid embarrassment in the games with the big guns. 

Group G is headed by Belgium, a team with endless talent. They took on Panama who were making their World Cup debut. Despite early threats from the Panamanians, the Belgians talent eventually showed, with a wonder strike from Dris Mertens, and a Romelu Lukaku brace making the scoreline very generous to the Belgian Red Devils. Panama really troubled them all game, and Eden Hazard, like Neymar, was quite greedy with the ball. Belgium need to play more as a team, utilizing all the talent they have. If they do this, they could just leave Russia with silverware. England faced Tunisia in the other match in the group, and the Three Lions looked shaky at best. Many peoples’ favorites to reach the latter stages of the competition, England took the lead early on, but conceded a silly penalty which Tunisia converted. It took a Harry Kane header in stoppage time to secure three points for the Three Lions. England’s top players like Deli Alli and Raheem Sterling had very poor games by their standards, and England will need to improve in order to cause Belgium problems and to avoid embarrassment by a very plucky Panama side. Again, the European sides are favorites to advance, but don’t count out Panama and Tunisia causing an upset somewhere.

In the final group, Colombia faced a Japan team that has been growing stronger for years. Colombia conceded an early penalty when Carlos Sanchez deliberately handled the ball, leading to his dismissal, and Japan taking an early lead. Colombia’s quality allowed them to equalize through Juan Quintero’s free kick. Unfortunately for the South Americans, Japan kept up the pressure and found a winner. It is incredibly difficult to play a full match with 10 men. Colombia looked strong despite being down a man, and Japan must defend much better and learn to take more of their chances in front of goal, especially when given an opportunity like against Colombia. Poland and Senegal took their bow in the final match of Matchday One. Senegal are another side who are dark horses in the competition. They took an early lead against a very talented Polish team through an own goal, and then doubled their lead on a controversial strike from M’Baye Niang. Despite keeping star man Sadio Mane quiet and an outstanding late header from Grzegorz Krychowiak, Poland couldn’t deal with the African side’s pace and power. 2-1 win for Senegal. Group H is essentially upside down compared to what many expected after Matchday One, but don’t count out any team advancing. Japan and Senegal must keep up their passion and intensity to see off two of the world’s greats. 

Many were worried that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia would be a disappointment. After the first round of matches, it is safe to say that we do not have to worry about this. Already, we have wonder strikes, giant killings, and controversy. Some smaller teams are showing why they should be taken seriously, and some bigger teams need to take a hard look at themselves and work harder to avoid missing out on the knockout stages. Many star players too seem to be struggling, with Ronaldo really the only player to truly put his mark on this tournament. Similarly, a few less known players are turning heads, namely Russia’s Denis Cheryshev and the aforementioned Lozano and Finnbogason. Players like Messi, Hazard, and Neymar need to step up. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the games so far. This is a true World Cup, full of passion and prowess. Bring on round two!

Stay tuned for my next article summarizing Matchday Two which will be released next week!