Matchday Three in Groups A-D

The third match of the group stage is designed in order for teams to have as little knowledge about the other match in the group as possible. By playing both matches simultaneously, coaches will often need to play competitive lineups and play to win, instead of playing a second string squad in the case that they know they are going through.

In Group A, Russia and Uruguay are already advancing, and despite making numerous changes to their squads, they both fielded strong sides. Luis Suarez scored a free kick for the South American side before a Diego Laxalt strike was put into his own net by Denis Cheryshev. The Russians’ day got even worse after Igor Smolnikov saw red before half time. The second half was quite tame, with neither team wishing to force injuries and such. Nonetheless, this first real test for the hosts was a real wake up call. The standard that they will need to play at in the knockout rounds is much greater than anything they have faced so far, and to avoid embarrassment by the stronger teams, they will need to step up. Uruguay appear to have found their form, but Suarez’s counterpart Edinson Cavani is still struggling. He will need to give his strike partner some support if he wants to see his side progress deep in the competition. Hopefully, his goal late on to complete the 3-0 rout of Russia will help him gain more confidence. In the other match, Saudi and Egypt played a very competitive match in what will be both sides’ final game of the tournament. Mo Salah scored in his second straight game, and this begs the question as to how confident and effective the Egypt team would have been if he had been fully fit for all the games. Egypt also used this game as an opportunity to give goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary a run out. The 45 year old became the oldest player to play at a World Cup, and even saved a penalty kick in the match, but there was little he could do when he had to face a second. Saudi should also leave Russia with their heads held high. Many teams would have rolled over after a 5-0 drubbing in their first game, but Saudi used this experience to grow stronger, and left Volgograd with all three points with a late goal. A great accomplishment for the Saudi’s, and heartbreak for Egypt as they lose all three of their games. Disappointing showings in terms of points for each team, but there is plenty of evidence for hope for the future.

In Group B, Iran took on Portugal knowing that a win would take them through to the knockout stages. The Middle Eastern outfit frustrated the European champions while looking dangerous on the break all game long. A beautiful goal from Ricardo Quaresma broke the deadlock just before halftime. The game became very feisty in the second half, with Iran giving up a penalty. Ali Beiranvand came up big, saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot kick, something that he will likely be telling his children about for years to come. Ronaldo and Quaresma took needless bookings as Iran continued to pressure, and they scored a penalty kick in the dying moments. Tied at 1-1, Iran needed another goal to qualify and gave their all in search of it but just couldn’t find the needed goal. In the other match, Spain faced Morocco; a very intriguing affair. Morocco have looked bright throughout the tournament, but just haven’t caught a break. The African side took the lead through Khalid Boutaib, but Real Madrid winger Isco quickly equalized. Spain naturally dominated proceedings, but Morocco defended valiantly, keeping the scoreline close. Malaga forward Youssef En-Nesyri gave Morocco the lead again, only for Iago Aspas to equalize. This was a great example of how the Matchday Three system keeps the fixtures lively, with Portugal and Spain trading places in 1st all game long. In the end, it is Spain who top the group and face Russia in the knockout stages, and Portugal who will take on Uruguay. Commiserations for Iran and Morocco, who both miss out after some outstanding performances. It was always going to be tough to escape this group, but both sides have shown why they should be taken seriously in world soccer. For Spain and Portugal, they surely must improve defensively in order to advance deeper into the competition after some questionable antics through all of the group stage matches. 

Australia took on Peru in Group C in what was a must win game for the Socceroos. Peru, now playing for pride, have looked terrific throughout the tournament, but simply could not score the necessary goals to advance. La Blanquirroja had no problem scoring goals this time around, with Andre Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero netting in a 2-0 win, eliminating Australia from proceedings. France and Denmark faced off in an intriguing affair that ended up goalless, a result that suited both teams, and the first 0-0 result of the tournament. France top the group, and the Danes qualify in second place. Peru and Australia miss out on advancing despite playing some quality soccer in all three matches. The Peruvians especially should leave Russia with their heads held high, showing the world their electric style of play and fearless attitude. I am confident that they will play a major part in tournaments to come. Regarding those that advanced, France remain one of the favorites to win the tournament, particularly because of their squad depth and excellent backline. Denmark continued to show how reliant they are on Christian Eriksen. They will need to get more players involved to take the pressure off of the Tottenham midfielder if they want to progress further in the competition.

Croatia had already qualified from Group D, but the other three teams all realistically needed wins to advance. Croatia fielded an understandably weaker team in their match against Iceland, who looked as organized as ever. The Scandinavian outfit dominated the first half, but couldn’t find a goal. Croatia took the lead through Milan Badelj but Gylfi Sigurdsson equalized from the spot. Ivan Perisic broke Icelandic hearts right at the death, but Iceland should be proud of how they have performed throughout this tournament. Argentina lined up against Nigeria in a must win game. The Super Eagles can’t seem to shake this Argentina side, who they have faced in many competitions in recent time. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina who, despite looking lively going forward, still looked open at the back, particularly to Nigeria’s pace. They scored an equalizer from the penalty spot just after half time after a needless foul from Javier Mascherano. Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo found himself in the box and volleyed in a Gabriel Mercado cross to reinstate Argentina’s lead, and they held on for the win, and the spot in the knockout round. Not many would have expected that, especially given the South American’s performances thus far, but anything is possible with Leo Messi, Sergio Aguero, and Gonzalo Higuain. Croatia top the group and face Denmark in the next round; a match that will be fought hard by all members. Argentina will take on France. Potentially the biggest profile match in the round of 16, it is difficult to see how this Argentinian defense will cope with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann. Messi, whilst scoring against Nigeria, was absent for long stretches of the game, and still overshadowed every single one of his teammates. As said, this does not bode well given France’s technical ability and squad depth. If they are not careful, Argentina could very well be on the receiving end of a Brazil-Germany style drubbing. Only time will tell. A truly fantastic match in the brewing. Iceland and Nigeria, as said, should be proud of how they’ve played at the World Cup. Nigeria had the youngest team at the tournament, and this bodes well for the future. With Iceland, we have a team that plays their hearts out for every minute of every game, and as long as they can develop new faces as the older players retire, they too will be set for future tournaments.

This was part one of a two part piece regarding the final Matchday of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup. Stay tuned for part two coming soon.