Qatar is an Islamo-fascist police state still stuck in the Middle Ages, and the money grubbing assholes at FIFA love it. Authoritarianism is bad for humanity but good for them.
Morocco vs. Croatia
This match ended in a 0-0 draw and was a total snoozefest. Good result for Morocco against the runners-up in 2018, but neither side was impressive in attack today.
Spain vs. Costa Rica
This was a demolition of Costa Rica by the Spanish from the get-go. Spain won in dominating fashion 7-0, in what was really a disappointing outing for a Costa Rican side that made the semifinals in 2014. The Spanish under manager Luis Enrique appear to be revitalized, on the other hand. Spain have been inconsistent since their 2008-2010-2012 era of domination, and for many who cheer for La Rioja this tournament was the chance to turn over a new leaf, so to speak. Enrique has opted for youth rather than experience when he picked his team, and so far it is paying off spectacularly. Teenagers like Gavi and Ansu Fati are going to be a problem for years to come.
Given the dominating fashion of this win and what happened with Germany (see below), the Spanish are now firmly in the driver’s seat to win their group. But are they contenders to win it all? Maybe. It’s tough to say at this point. How they play against Germany and Japan will provide more insight into the answer. As for right now though, do not underestimate them. They clearly have the attacking talent to cause problems for anyone.
Belgium vs. Canada
Although Belgium won this match 1-0, it was easily the worst match I have seen from Belgium in at least 10 years. They are chock full of world-class talent but today they looked old, slow, and at times disinterested in playing hard. Canada was all over them from the outset, and it was only through the heroics of Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois that they didn’t go behind. He saved an early penalty after a Belgian handball taken by Canadian winger Alphonso Davies that kept the score level, and Davies will be absolutely kicking himself over that. His penalty was far too close to Courtois and lacked any kind of power. He also may have tipped where his shot was going during the run-up, given the positioning of his hips. He had a golden opportunity to score Canada’s first ever goal at a World Cup, but he bollocks’d it completely. Pressure!
It could be argued though that Canada should have had at least one, maybe two more penalties awarded to them in that first half. One should have definitely been given when a Canadian striker was trod upon in the area, but the referee had already improperly given an offside against Canada. There was another handball in the box later in the half, although to give that one as a penalty would have been harsh. What was clear is that the Belgian back line was at complete chaos for most of the first half, and they were extremely lucky not to concede.
The goal for the Belgians was a good one, although it was their only really good piece of attacking play and it was aided by some poor Canadian defending. A long ball was played over the top by Belgian center back Toby Alderweireld onto the run of striker Michy Batshuayi, who reached the ball before any Canadian defenders did and hit it first time on the volley into the far corner of keeper Milan Borjan’s net. They got the goal right on the edge of halftime, and it felt almost cruel to Canada. This goal was very much against the run of play, but ultimately Canada can only blame themselves. There was no pressure on Alderweireld when he passed the ball, and the run of Batshuayi beat three Canadian defenders to the ball. You can’t get beat over the top like that at this level. Had their positioning been better, they might have been able to clear the pass before it even got to Batshuayi.
The second half was far less eventful, although Belgium continued to struggle maintaining possession and surrendered several half-chances as the game progressed. Canada simply could not find a finish though. They will play better against Croatia and Tunisia, but they really let one slip through their fingers today. Belgium, for their part, will need to step their game up significantly if they want to make a deep run. They were very poor today and it was due to Courtois and dumb luck that they won. I expect players like Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard to play much better going forward.
Germany vs. Japan
This was your shocker for the day, and indeed would be the biggest shock of the tournament so far had Saudi Arabia not pulled its heroics yesterday. Japan won 2-1 after coming from behind against a much more talented German side.
Indeed, this match was eerily similar to the Saudi Arabia match in terms of how it played out. The Germans dominated the first half and went ahead on 33 minutes via a penalty from midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. No real arguments about the call as keeper Shūichi Gonda clearly fouled a German attacker when he slide-tackled to win the ball. Gundogan sent Gonda the wrong way from the spot, and it was 1-0. As with Argentina yesterday, many expected the Germans to kick on from there and win comfortably. Japan did manage to hold on until halftime only conceding one goal however, and that has proven to be a dangerous score line at this tournament. Both the Argentines and the Americans can attest to that.
They then had to rely on more defensive prowess and good keeping from Gonda to keep the Germans out. It seemed that every time a last-ditch tackle was needed, one of the Blue Samurai was on hand to make it. Germany kept getting more and more frustrated the longer it took them to find a second goal. Much like Saudi Arabia yesterday, they were saved by the offside flag and VAR several times.
Japan finally got their equalizer on 77 minutes, having grown into the game in terms of possession and creating chances around the 65 minute mark. A shot came in from the left side of the box from midfielder Kou Itakura that German keeper Manuel Neuer saved, but the rebound fell straight to substitute winger Ritsu Doan, who made no mistake when he stabbed the ball home from 5 yards out. The Germans were shocked, and it seemed like all the bad memories from their failure in 2018 came back into their minds.
Japan blew the roof off the building just five minutes later when Itakura played another ball forward along the right wing that found winger/forward Takuma Asano. He took a touch that knocked the ball into space, and he did well to hold off the German defender trying to take it off him. He got very close to Neuer’s goal before rifling a shot into the roof of the net over Neuer from a tight angle. There was a slight pause from the crowd as it appeared the shot went over the cross bar and into the roof of the net at first, but they erupted once it became clear that the shot had gone in. Great composure from Asano and well done to Japan overall for continuing to fight after going behind.
This Japanese team and their supporters are slowly but surely becoming fan favorites at this World Cup. Not only do they show spirit and togetherness on the pitch, but their supporters are showing that in the stands as well. It is a common site to see Japanese supporters helping to clean stadiums after matches, even for ones that don’t involve Japan! Such a practice is based in the Japanese cultural value of respecting public spaces and keeping them nice for everyone. It’s brilliant, really. I hope the Japanese do go far in this tournament, as they are the sort of team you want to see succeed.
The Germans have a lot of questions to answer after this match, particularly about their defensive play. The winning goal was a simple ball over the top that no one got to before Asano did. Very basic, from a tactical standpoint. Is there something mentally wrong with this German team? If so, their manager Hansi Flick needs to figure out the problem and resolve it quickly. If their defensive issues are not solved, Spain will wipe the floor with them in their next match and it could be a second consecutive group stage exit for Die Manschaft. Such a thought would have been unimaginable 10-15 years ago.
A quick (and rare) shoutout of recognition to Ze Germans though for their pre-match protest of Qatar’s human rights abuses. When they posed for their pre-match team photo, all XI men covered their mouths with their right hands. They were indicating that they would not be silenced by FIFA or Qatar, and the chancellor of the German FA has made it clear that human rights are non-negotiable for this German team. Cynics call it a hypocritical half-measure, while others see it as a way to bring the issues of human rights to the forefront.
4-4-2 