Matchday Two Recap

If you thought Matchday One was crazy, Matchday Two was insane. 

In Group A, Russia took on an Egypt side with Mo Salah restored to the lineup. This would be our chance to see if the match against Saudi was a fluke. It wasn’t. Denis Cheryshev and Artyom Dzyuba stayed hot, and despite Salah pulling a goal back, the 3-1 win for the hosts was well deserved. Uruguay took on Saudi in an attempt to book their spot in the knockout round. Luis Suarez scored a classic poachers goal and despite pressure throughout, Saudi couldn’t equalize. This 1-0 Uruguay win meant that they along with Russia would advance from Group A. Commiserations for Egypt and Saudi, but they will both have a chance to salvage some pride when they face off in the final match. Uruguay and Russia will face off in the other game on Matchday Three, with neither wanting to force injuries but also neither wanting to finish second. We will have a better view of the hosts after this game, which will be their toughest yet.

In Group B, Spain and Portugal would face the other two sides in the group in an attempt to grow from their 3-3 draw with each other. Spain faced Iran, who won their opener, but could not replicate the feat. Spain looked comfortable throughout and took all three points through a good goal from Diego Costa. Portugal matched this scoreline in their match with Morocco. No prizes for guessing who scored. Morocco are eliminated from proceedings, and Iran will need a result against Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates to progress. This is no easy feat, and Spain and Portugal remain in a good spot to get out of the group.

The matches in Group C were those that I was particularly looking forward to watching. France took on Peru in a must win game for La Blanquirroja. Despite looking lively, the Peruvians remain goalless in Russia, and Kylian Mbappe punished the South American’s lack of finishing. In the other match, Denmark took on Australia in an intriguing fixture. Christian Eriksen and Denmark took an early lead but it lasted only a few moments as Australia scored a penalty. The second half, while competitive, was a rather dull affair, and the match ended 1-1. France secures qualification to the next round, while Denmark also looks set to progress, needing only a point against Les Bleus. Peru miss out on advancing, a very disappointing tournament for them, having been dark horses for a deep run in the contest. It’s difficult to have success at the international level without scoring goals and having a little luck. Peru most definitely showed why they will likely be a powerhouse in tournaments for years to come, so despite leaving early, they should be proud of how they played as a team, despite not having the goals or points to show for it.

Group D brought some important matches. Nigeria needed a result against Iceland to ensure they were not sent packing early. Iceland looked phenomenal against Argentina, particularly defensively, but Nigeria’s pace and power was too much. Ahmed Musa’s brace capped a fantastic performance from the Super Eagles, who changed many personnel for this match. Croatia, who bested Nigeria in game one, took on Argentina, who also needed a victory. The South American’s struggle continued, and Croatia’s explosive midfield punished Argentina’s lack of communication and organization. A decisive 3-0 win, with goals from Ante Rebic, Luka Modric, and Ivan Rakitic. Croatia book their spot in the next round, while the other three sides all need a win, and help from Croatia, to progress. Nigeria will fancy their chances against a misfiring Argentina, so don’t rule out an intense affair in that match next week. Argentina and Iceland will need to be at their peak to advance. Good luck to all.

Brazil looked to bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw with Switzerland against a Costa Rica team that look a shadow of their former self. While dominating proceedings all game long, Brazil didn’t secure the three points until very late. Coutinho scored a good rebound goal, and Neymar netted even later on to put Brazil in a very good position to advance. The Swiss and the Serbs met in the other match in Group E, a match marred by political conversation. Switzerland conceded early, but came back to win 2-1 through goals from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri. Both players have heritage from Kosovo, a new nation not recognized by many nations, including Serbia and Russia. Both players made controversial celebrations, and we must wait to see if they are reprimanded and banned by FIFA. This could seriously hurt their chances against Costa Rica, who now have nothing to lose. Brazil sit atop the group, while Costa Rica are eliminated. The European teams must win and hope the other loses to advance, and Brazil technically are not safe yet either. Group E is shaping up nicely.

Group F features perhaps the most important game of Matchday Two. Germany took on Sweden in a game that could have spelt elimination for the reigning champions. After Mexico’s comfortable win against South Korea earlier in the day, Germany knew that a loss would mean that they would not progress. This looked set to occur after Sweden took an early lead through Ola Toivonen. Germany equalized though with a Marco Reus strike. A draw wouldn’t have been the worst result for Germany, but their fate would not be in their hands. Toni Kroos’ sublime free kick ensured that Germany would have at least some say in their World Cup destiny. Mexico top the group whilst Korea are eliminated. Sweden will face El Tri in the final game, knowing that a win would likely secure a spot in the last 16. With Germany facing Korea, it is still possible for Mexico to miss out, something that very few can believe. El Tri will need to maintain their ruthless attitude in order to get a result against Sweden and top the group for sure. Germany would advance with a win and a Swedish defeat, but they will have to do this without Jerome Boateng who saw red in Matchday Two. Korea can still be spoilers in Group F, with Heung-Min Son scoring a wonder goal against Mexico, and Korea have never been a team to just roll over. I can’t wait to see what happens in Group F.

Belgium kicked off against Tunisia knowing that a win would all but secure a spot in the knockout stage. A decisive 5-2 win meant that, with an England win too, both sides would advance without playing one another yet. Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard both netted braces, and Michy Batshuayi, coming on as a substitute, scored one and could’ve scored four. Tunisia looked bright, scoring twice including a good poachers goal from Wahbi Khazri, but Belgium’s class showed. England faced Panama in the other match and experienced a fantastic first half, scoring five goals. Harry Kane completed his hat trick in the second half, but England let their foot off the gas and were punished by Felipe Baloy scoring Panama’s first ever goal at a World Cup. This saw England’s clean sheet, and more importantly their lead in the goal difference standing, disappear, meaning that they must beat Belgium in order to top the group. This matchup will likely be a fabulous affair with some true stars on show. However, the Tunisia-Panama matchup will also be a good game, with both sides having nothing to lose and both wanting to restore some pride for their nations after good performances but bad results against the big guns. Group G has been what we expected, but exciting nonetheless.

In Group H, the two teams that won their openers met in Ekaterinburg. Japan and Senegal battled to a 2-2 draw. Senegal used their pace and power to take the lead twice, but Japan’s experience helped them to equalize and secure a point. This result meant that the loser of the Poland-Colombia match would be eliminated. It would be the top seeded team Poland who fail to make it, and go out with a whimper. Colombia’s forward talent produced a masterclass, with Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado scoring, and James Rodriguez providing two assists. The Colombian defense shut down Robert Lewandowski, with Wilmar Barrios showing one of the performances of the tournament, and it is Colombia who still have a shot to progress next week by beating Senegal.

Matchday Two featured some highs and lows as we began to see some teams book their place in the knockout round, and others be eliminated. Matchday Three will bring even more drama as the final spots are decided. 

Stay tuned for a recap of Matchday Three coming soon!