Qatar is a terrible place to host a World Cup for everyone except FIFA. Corrupt and rotten to the core, every one of them.
Croatia vs. Canada
Although chaos was the theme of the day, this match was probably the most predictable one beforehand. Croatia romped to a 4-1 victory over the Canadians despite going down early. This match was one of youth and athleticism versus experience and tactics. Canada have a lot of young and talented players, and it was their superstar Alphonso Davies who got their first goal of this tournament and Canada’s first goal ever at a World Cup just two minutes into the game via a header from close range. A historic moment for their nation!
But Croatia were undeterred, to say the very least. They’ve been in this sort of position before at a World Cup, and were runners-up in 2018 for a reason. They scored the next four goals over the course of the match, with two of them coming from winger/forward Andrej Kramaric. It was a brilliant day for him and the Croatian midfield in general, with a masterclass from the aging but still all-world midfielder Luka Modric. They really gave the Canadians a lesson in how to effectively pass the ball around.
Canada have sadly been eliminated from World Cup 2022, joining Qatar. Perhaps their manager John Herdman has learned the hard way not to shoot his mouth off at opposition of this caliber in pre-match interviews. It’s clear the Croatians felt disrespected today, so they were highly motivated to win. Croatia is top of Group F on 4 points.
Morocco vs. Belgium
Okay, time for some chaos now! The Belgians were strong favorites to win Group F pre-tournament, but they lost today 2-0 to a well-disciplined and opportunistic Moroccan team.
This match was a choppy one for the most part, with Belgium in particular struggling to break down a very stubborn opposition. Belgium had the majority of the possession, but that suited Morocco just fine. Belgium’s best effort of the half came early on when Michy Batshuayi’s attempt was deflected away by Moroccan keeper Munir Mohamedi. But the Morroccans broke on the counter-attack via their speedy wingers such as Hakim Ziyech several times and were causing a ton of problems for the aging Belgian defense, either via direct attacks or by winning free kicks. Morocco thought they had a goal in first half stoppage time from a header, but it was ruled out for offside after VAR checked it.
The Moroccans held on in the second half defensively, and the later it got, the more you felt like they might nick a goal. They finally did get a goal on 73 minutes from attacking midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri, who’s free kick from near the corner flag inexplicably dipped under Belgian midfielder Thibaut Courtois for 1-0. Courtois is one of the best keepers in the world, so it was very odd to see him commit such a glaring error. He has to cover his near post from the angle, and he simply didn’t. Morocco didn’t care of course, because they were now en route to a famous victory if they could hold on for 17 minutes plus stoppage time.
Belgium poured men forward trying to find an equalizer. Their best chance came when center back Jan Vertonghen headed it just wide around 80 minutes or so. But Morocco then got their second in stoppage time via another counter-attack, with a pullback cross from the right hand side of the box finding forward Zakaria Aboukhlal in front of the goal on his own, and he made no mistake with a finish into the roof of the net. It sealed all three points for Morocco in one of their biggest results ever at a World Cup.
Belgium are in trouble. They are 3rd on 3 points, but are very much on the outside looking in. They now face the daunting prospect of playing in-form Croatia to try and stay alive and progress to the next round. To make matters worse, Vertonghen and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne are sniping at each other in the press, so one can imagine that the locker room chemistry for the Belgians is rather acidic right now. These Belgians are talented, but I think they might be coming to grips with the idea that collectively they may not be athletic enough to keep up with speedier opposition. Could this group stage be the last hurrah for Belgium’s golden generation?
Morocco are 2nd in Group F on 4 points. Croatia has the tiebreaker on goal differential. The north Africans now face already-eliminated Canada on the final matchday. It is possible they progress even if they lose to Canada, but they will want to of course guarantee progression for themselves.
Japan vs. Costa Rica
This was also another chaotic result, with the Costa Ricans shocking the Blue Samurai 1-0. Japan, fresh off their upset over Germany, were heavily favored in this match not only due to their own strengths but also the defensive frailty of Costa Rica. The Spanish put 7 goals past the Ticos on the first matchday of Group E.
But the surprising heroes on the day were the Costa Rica back four and right back Keysher Fuller, who curled home from just inside the penalty area in the 81st minute after the Japanese gave the ball away in their own final third. Keeper Shuichi Gonda got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out. Some say Gonda was at fault for the goal, but as a former amateur keeper I think that’s a tad unfair on him. It was a well-taken strike after a defensive error. He maybe could have got a stronger hand to the ball, but the Japanese defense can’t give the ball away like that.
Fuller’s goal was Costa Rica’s first of the tournament, and amazingly it was their first shot on goal as well. A very surprising and unlikely result, but this was Costa Rica’s formula in 2014 that got them to the semifinals. Militant defensive discipline and opportunistic goal scoring.
Japan could have progressed to the second round today with a win, but their loss now sees them in 2nd on 3 points. Costa Rica move up to 3rd in the group on 3 points, although Japan has the tie-breaker over them on goal difference.
Spain vs. Germany
This was the biggest matchup of the day on paper and maybe the entire group stage, as these two respective countries are powerhouses in world football. It ended 1-1 which isn’t a chaotic result in and of itself, but it did create chaos in the group standings. Coming into the match their respective moods couldn’t be more different. La Rioja were flying after their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica, while Die Manschaft were well aware that a loss today would see them almost certainly eliminated from the tournament at the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup.
Both sides were keen to defend well and not concede, and that’s how it went for the first hour or so. I would give the Spanish a slight edge as they had more possession, but the possession wasn’t utilized towards much until just after the hour mark when veteran left back Jordi Alba received the ball on the left wing in space. He spotted the diagonal run of striker Alvaro Morata into the box, and played him the ball along the ground. Morata beat his marker to the ball and clipped it with his first touch into the air and over German keeper Manuel Neuer for 1-0. It was Spain’s most dangerous attack of the match and they did well to capitalize.
Ze Germans immediately went into attacking mode, as they had no other choice but to do so. They started pressing Spain higher up the pitch, and they began forcing some errors. Such an error led to their equalizer, when they lost the ball in their own final third. It was a well taken goal from fairly close range by substitute striker Niclas Füllkrug. He and midfielder Jamal Musiala nearly ran into each other trying to run onto Musiala’s flick around the Spanish defense, but Füllkrug got there first and lashed it into the roof of the net over keeper Unai Simón.
Credit to German manager Hansi Flick for rolling the dice and bringing on Füllkrug when they needed a goal. I’d like to see a certain England manager roll the dice when similarly needed. Musiala had an excellent match as well, particularly when they were pushing for an equalizer. They could not be eliminated today even with a loss, but a loss would have all-but-guaranteed elimination. They are still bottom of Group E on 1 point, and will need a victory over Costa Rica to secure progression. A draw does them no good.
Spain will be slightly disappointed to have given away the lead and the chance to progress, but a 1-1 draw against the Germans is never something to be too upset about. They are still top of Group E on 4 points, and can win the group with a draw against Japan if Costa Rica and Germany draw. They will want to win this group though, so I imagine they’ll go for the win and take Japan very seriously.
4-4-2 