World Cup Roundup – Groups G and H

Qatar is engaging in the hypocrisy of inviting the world to their country then getting mad when the world brings its culture along. FIFA don’t care because they’ve already been paid.

In my blog post yesterday I called for more high drama, and while today wasn’t as dramatic as yesterday, our drama reservoirs are nowhere near empty.

Group G

Winners – Brazil

Runners Up – Switzerland

Eliminated – Cameroon, Serbia

Brazil came into their match against Cameroon knowing they were already through to the next round, which is perhaps a partial explanation of their 1-0 loss to Cameroon today. While they bossed possession and chances for the most part, they really struggled in the final third. The absence of all-world forward Neymar was noticeable. I do think Brazil boast plenty of attacking talent and they should have won this match without him, but their inability to breakdown a usually below-average Cameroonian defense is a concern for them in the next match if Neymar is unavailable again.

Even though the west African side is going out today, they can hang their hats on a very solid performance today against one of the favorites to win the tournament. Striker Vincent Aboubakar was on hand in stoppage time to head home the winner, after which he was promptly sent off due to removing his shirt in celebration and receiving a second yellow. Some people called this a boneheaded move by Aboubakar as he knew he was on a yellow already and removing the shirt after a goal is an automatic yellow card by rule. But given the late stage of things and the result in the other match, I suppose his actions are understandable. He likely knew Cameroon were going out, so he figured he’d exit with a bit of panache. Can’t say as I blame him. If you’re going to go out, go out with style!

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Serbia vs. Switzerland was the thriller in this group, with five total goals scored and a 3-2 final result in favor of the Swiss. The Swiss knew they could potentially get away with a tie to secure progression, while Serbia needed a win and help from Cameroon. There was also an element of rivalry about this match, as two Swiss players (midfielders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka) are ethnically Albanian, and there is a long and very messy history of sectarian conflict between Serbs and Albanians that still exists to this day. The animosity shown towards Xhaka in particular was apparent. To be clear, I am not taking sides on this particular conflict, I just find the idea of an ethnic/cultural rivalry spilling over into football fascinating.

The first half of this match was madness! Shaqiri struck first for the Swiss on 20 minutes, but in-form Serbia forward Aleksandr Mitrovic got an equalizer just six minutes later. The Serbs then took a vital lead on 35 minutes thanks to striker Dusan Vlahovic. The pendulum swung back the other way though just before halftime, when Swiss striker Breel Embolo leveled the score once again. After 45 minutes the match was finely poised, and given that neither side was defending all that well, we appeared to be in store for more goals.

There was only one more goal scored though, though it came off the back of a very well-worked team goal from the Swiss. Midfielder Remo Freuler finished off the neat move by wrong-footing Serb keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for 3-2. I thought the Serbs would respond immediately to going behind, and while they did throw men forward to try and find an equalizer, the Swiss stabilized themselves at the back a bit and held on for the rest of the half. Serbia tried their damnedest to find a winner, with Mitrovic having most of the chances, but they could not find another goal.

The Swiss have progressed out of their group at four of the last five World Cups, and they have the talent to cause problems for any opposition they face. I wonder if their defending is consistently good enough for a deep run, though (here would be the place to make a Swiss cheese joke). Serbia can take pride in fighting until the end, but ultimately there will be disappointment as they probably had enough talent to get out of this group as well. But their defending was even worse than the Swiss defending today, so they will be going home.

Group H

Winners – Portugal

Runners Up – South Korea

Eliminated – Uruguay, Ghana

This group was the more dramatic one of the day, and it’s difficult to know where to start. The big upset was South Korea stunning Portugal 2-1. Portugal were already through going into this match, but they showed no signs of complacency early on as they had the lead from winger Ricardo Horta just 5 minutes into the match. It was a simple cutback cross from right back Diogo Dalot that opened up the Korean back line, and Horta was in the right place at the right time to fire home. Portugal looked good to go on and win the match, but were pegged back on 27 minutes after center back Kim Young-gwon swept home from close range. The ball was played in from a corner and took a deflection off a Portuguese defender before it fell to Kim, who was less than 5 yards from the goal.

But a draw wouldn’t be good enough for the Koreans. They needed a win today, although they found themselves penned-in their own half for much of the rest of the game. Portugal went close to a second goal several times, with striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing some clear opportunities to score. The Koreans got their next chances on 65 and 67 minutes, but were denied a goal thanks to saves from keeper Diogo Costa. They kept Portugal at arm’s-length over the next 20 minutes or so, and finally got their winner in stoppage time.

South Korea’s superstar forward Son Heung-min had been rather quiet by his high standards over the course of the group stage, but he wrote his name all over the headlines today by providing the game winning assist. The ball broke to him and he carried it up the pitch in space, eventually meeting three Portuguese defenders on the edge of the penalty area. He did well to hold on to the ball and control it while waiting for support, and once it arrived he played a neat pass to forward Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang took a touch to create space and then powered a shot home with his second touch. Great work from Son down the right, and a clutch finish from Hwang to see them through. South Korea’s supporters and players were beside themselves!

Son had to drag this team to victory today, and I feel he is going to have to do that again as the tournament progresses. As goes Son, as goes South Korea. He is their national hero right now though, and if he even gets just half a yard of space in the right area, he will punish the opposition. Portugal for their part will be disappointed to have conceded a late winner, although it must be said they could have finished it off several times today had they not been so wasteful in front of goal. The world saw today what Manchester United fans have seen all season; Ronaldo is simply not what he once was. Fortunately though the Portuguese have a strong squad around him, so I still think they will go far in this tournament.

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With the South Korean’s win they secured second place, but that spot was very much up for grabs until their stoppage time winner.

Ghana thought they might take the lead in the opening 20 minutes of their match against Uruguay after being awarded a penalty, but keeper Sergio Rochet saved forward Andre Ayew’s rather tame effort to keep the match scoreless. Uruguay then finally got some goal-scoring thanks to attacking midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who netted twice in the span of six minutes in the first half. Striker Luis Suarez was heavily involved in the build-up to both goals, registering an assist on the second one.

But Uruguay knew they needed to score as many as possible, because if South Korea beat Portugal, both sides would be level on points. The two sides were all level on goal difference, but South Korea found the tiebreaker on goals scored with their late goal. The Uruguayans for their part kept attacking and attacking, but they could not find a third goal no matter what they tried. Ghana were creating the occasional half-chance here and there, but they never really looked like seriously threatening Rochet’s goal aside from the penalty. Their final ball was either lacking or their shots were going wide/high.

The Uruguayans were furious late on when they felt they should have a penalty after an alleged foul on striker Darwin Nunez in the box, but it wasn’t given to them. That led to some ugly scenes at full time, with the Uruguayan players surrounding the referee and appearing as if they were going to assault him. The referee did well to stand up to them, but it was a fairly classless display by a team that had no one but themselves to blame today. Had they played better earlier in the tournament, the penalty decision wouldn’t have mattered either way.

Ghana had one thing on their minds coming into this match: revenge. At the 2010 World Cup during the Round of 16, Suarez made himself public enemy number one in that country when he flagrantly used his hand to clear a Ghanaian goal-bound shot away. He was sent off for that, but the Ghanaians missed their penalty and Uruguay advanced. Although they did not beat Uruguay today, they did just enough to keep them from advancing and thus exacted some degree of revenge. To be fair, Suarez is a generally despicable person. I think he’s a racist, a cheat, a shithouser of the worst variety, and he generally has one of the most punch-able faces I have ever seen. He looks like a rat, to put it simply. It’s no wonder he’s viewed in Ghana by many as an incarnation of the Devil himself. But his tears on the bench after Uruguay went out will sustain me for several days, as this was probably his last World Cup. It’s always nice to see a villain get what’s coming to him.

And with that, the group stage is over! Congrats to everyone who progressed, commiserations to all who did not (except Suarez). The Round of 16 kicks off tomorrow, and there are no more draws at this point. We have to have a winner in all of these upcoming matches, which means the prospect of a penalty shootout is very much on the table. Who will advance to the quarterfinals, and who will be going home? We will soon find out!

Brazil vs. South Korea – Monday, December 5th – 7 AM PST

Portugal vs. Switzerland – Tuesday, December 6th – 11 AM PST

World Cup Roundup – Portugal Escape Ghana and a Goal of the Tournament Candidate

Qatar is still terrible. FIFA is still corrupt. This tournament should not be held there.

Uruguay vs. South Korea

This match ended 0-0, which is a good result for South Korea but disappointing for Uruguay. They have too much attacking talent to be scoring zero goals against a side like South Korea. All credit to the Koreans though for defending well the whole 90 minutes. Lots of attacking intent on display from both sides, but neither side could make a breakthrough.

Switzerland vs. Cameroon

Many people including myself had this pegged as a draw, but credit to the Swiss for grinding out a 1-0 win. Striker Breel Embolo got the one and only goal in this match just after half time, and it was via some very neat build-up play by the Swiss. Embolo slid home a cross from the right virtually unmarked though, and that cannot happen at a World Cup. Cameroon’s defense was nowhere to be seen. Even though it was a momentary lapse of concentration, even just a momentary lapse can cost you the game. It will be very difficult for Cameroon to get out of this group now.

Portugal vs. Ghana

This was probably the most entertaining match of the day, as it was a 5-goal thriller that ended with Portugal winning 3-2. The first half was a snoozer aside from a disallowed goal by striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Things really kicked off in the second half. Ronaldo, freshly released from Manchester United, became the first man to score at five different World Cups when he pushed Portugal ahead from the penalty spot on 66 minutes. The foul on him that led to the goal was dubious at best, but Ronaldo converted when called upon. Ghana found an equalizer on 73 minutes via Andre Ayew, but Portugal were back in front just 5 minutes later thanks to wunderkind Joao Felix. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes found his run with a lovely weighted pass down the right channel, and Felix hit the ball first time past the Ghanaian keeper.

Portugal got a third via another exciting young talent in winger Rafael Leao, who played in his first ever World Cup match today. Ghana gave the ball away in midfield and Portugal sprang into instant attack, with Bruno bringing the ball forward in space. He found Leao off to his left, who opened his hips and re-directed the ball into the far corner with one touch. A very quick and well-executed goal.

Portugal thought they were home and dry being up 3-1 on 80 minutes, but Ghana showed some backbone and got their second goal via winger Osman Bukari on 89 minutes. A long ball was played down the left wing and run onto by a Ghanaian winger, and after shaking off his marker the ball was crossed into the center. Bukari was mysteriously mostly unmarked, and he made no mistake with his header past keeper Diogo Costa.

Portugal almost conceded a third extremely late on. Costa had the ball in his hands in his own penalty area and put it down to kick it out, but failed to see Ghanaian striker Iñaki Williams standing behind him just inside the goal. Williams sprinted out and took the ball from Costa legally, but he slipped at the vital moment and could not get a shot away before the ball was cleared by the Portuguese defense. Costa very nearly cost his team the game with his lack of awareness, and Williams will be ruing that missed opportunity for years to come.

Portugal are good in attack but their defense is suspect, and it’s the same for Ghana. It will be interesting to see how these teams do against the potent attack of the two other teams in the group.

Brazil vs. Serbia

This was the last match of the day, and while the action was somewhat tepid for awhile things eventually got going for the Brazilians, who won 2-0.

Serbia defended really well in the first half and while it was clear that Brazil looked to be the more dangerous team, they couldn’t find a way through. Star forward Neymar was being fouled and harassed every time he was on the ball, and the Brazilians looked very disjointed in attack overall. It just wasn’t quite coming off for them, and the longer it stayed at 0-0 the more it felt like Serbia might get a result from the match.

But striker Richarlison was on-hand to make sure that didn’t happen on 62 minutes, when he scored from close range off a rebounded save. Winger Vinicius Jr. powered a shot towards goal from the left hand side of the box, which keeper Vanja Milinković-Savić could only parry. Richarlison reacted quickest to the rebound and prodded it home for 1-0, sparking wild celebrations in the crowd and on the bench. It’s always a heart-stopping moment when the ball is loose off a rebound, and unluckily for the Serbs it fell almost straight to the opposition.

Richarlison was just getting warmed up though. He got Brazil’s second through a spectacular effort on 73 minutes that sealed the points. He received a cross from the left hand side along the ground, and used his left foot to hit the ball into the air. He turned on a dime with his right leg rising into the air, and he hit the ball on a very sweet volley low and away from Vanja. It was a beautiful display of athleticism from Richarlison and it’s probably the goal of the tournament so far.

Serbia did not really create many chances in response, and by the end it was Brazil more likely to get a 3rd goal than for Serbia to get their first. It was frustrating for Brazil for about an hour, but if Richarlison is going to play like this for the rest of the tournament, Brazil have to be among the favorites to win the tournament. Their team is incredibly deep and also hungry. Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times, but paradoxically have not won it for 20 years. This team has the depth and talent to end that dry spell.

England Victorious over Switzerland – International Friendly

The national teams are all in action for the next week or so, with many countries still attempting to book their place for World Cup 2022. England has already qualified, so the next few matches will be centered on manager Gareth Southgate deciding who he wants to take on the plane with him. Switzerland have already qualified as well, so they were in a similar mindset. When your team qualifies from their group outright and you don’t have to worry about a tricky playoff fixture, you have the luxury of focusing on different tactical formations and player lineups. Today’s match at Wembley was an example of both sides trying to figure out what works best for them.

England had some injury issues at the back coming into the match, which forced Southgate to play a back three of Connor Coady, Ben White, and Marc Guéhi (on his England debut). After this match, I don’t think Southgate will be eager to go back to that formation with those specific players. The Swiss aren’t known as a dominant attacking side, but they were very strong in the first half and found a lot of space on the wings behind the wingbacks. Indeed, it was Swiss legend Xerdan Shaqiri who found a bit of room on the right-hand edge of the box for a cross that led to the opening goal for the Swiss. Shaqiri wasn’t closed down properly, and he was able to get in a left-footed aerial cross that found the head of striker Breel Embolo. Embolo redirected the ball back across goal, and England keeper Jordan Pickford had no chance to get to it. Shaqiri should have been closed down on the edge of the box, and White was too far away from Embolo to get to the cross first. 1-0 to the Swiss and England couldn’t really complain about it.

England were lucky to not be down 2-0 shortly after that, after a shot from Shaqiri struck the hand of Pickford and rebounded off the underside of the cross bar. The Three Lions woke up a bit after that though, and finally started making some runs forward consistently and causing problems for the Swiss at the back. England and Crystal Palace right back Kyle Walker-Peters (not to be confused with Kyle Walker, it’s two different guys!) was causing problems down the right hand side. He was combining well with Chelsea loaned-Crystal Palace winger Connor Gallagher, and the Swiss weren’t sure how to mark them properly. Their pressing led to a giveaway from Swiss defender Fabian Frei, as Walker-Peters was able to block his poor clearance straight into the path of Gallagher. Gallagher played the ball along the ground, with midfielder Mason Mount letting the ball roll across his path. England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw was on hand to strike the ball directly at the goal, and it was a sumptuous strike into the left side of the goal that gave deputy Swiss keeper Jonas Omlin no chance. Shaw doesn’t score many, but he did well to be in the right place at the right time. The Swiss hadn’t made many mistakes up to that point, but England punished them nonetheless.

The second half was nowhere near as fluid as the first, likely due to the litany of changes brought by both managers right around the hour mark. Both sides were defending well, but neither side was creating many dangerous chances. England had shifted to a back-4 with White moving out to right back, a change which seemed to suit him well. The Swiss could maintain possession, but they couldn’t find that final dangerous pass.

England got their second goal and eventual winner from talisman striker Harry Kane on 78 minutes from the penalty spot. A cross came in from the right wing that England headed towards goal, only to see it blocked by the raised arm by Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber. The ref did not award a penalty at first, but after a lengthy VAR check it was decided that a penalty was to be given. By the letter of the law it probably was a handball, although in the past under different iterations of the rule, it may not have been. Zuber had his back to the ball and knew nothing about where it was, but he had his right arm extended out from his body when the ball made contact. Any time an arm is in an “unnatural position” that helps the defender cover more space, there is always a chance a penalty will be awarded.

Kane stepped up to the spot and buried the ball in the left side of the net. Omlin actually guessed correctly and went to his right to save it, but the power and placement of the shot made the ball very difficult to save. Kane now has an astonishing 49 goals for England on just 48 caps, and he is now level second with the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton on England’s all-time scoring list. Kane is simply world-class. Ok yes this was a friendly and yes he would be expected to score from the penalty spot, but to be only 28 and a scant 4 goals behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time record is absolutely staggering. No doubts about his place in the squad when it is time to travel to the World Cup. If he carries on like he is doing and wins a trophy with England, it is very likely he goes down as the best English player of all time.

The rest of the match was mostly drama-free, with England’s talented subs creating a few half chances before the final whistle went. England won the match 2-1, and it’s always good to win in any situation. Southgate will have plenty of food for thought going into Tuesday’s match against Ivory Coast. Rotational players like Gallagher, Walker-Peters, Guéhi, and late sub Tyrick Mitchell all did well; but as alluded to it would be surprising if England played a back-3 again any time soon. If they do, it will be with different players in the line-up. The Swiss took advantage of the space on the wings far too often today, so the experiment there today probably won’t be attempted again. This wasn’t a classic or clinical performance by any standard, bur England got over the line in the end. Room for improvement for sure, but you’re never going to see the best football in a friendly.

Ivory Coast presents a different set of challenges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Southgate switched things up again for that match. At tournament time, you need to be able to win as many different ways as possible, and you have to be ready to defend against many different styles of play. I would like to see Gallagher and Walker-Peters given more opportunities to shine.

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Quick note: spare a moment to laugh at Italy. The reigning European champions were eliminated from World Cup 2022 qualification by minnows North Macedonia earlier in the week. A huge upset, and it means a second consecutive World Cup without Italy in it. Couldn’t have happened to a better set of fans and players 😉