World Cup Round of 16 – France and England Clinical

The government of Qatar is repressive and fascist. FIFA is corrupt and hypocritical. Simple as.

Neither match was a close one in the end today, but we have ourselves a serious showdown set in the quarterfinals here.

France vs. Poland

This was the early match of the day and defending champions France won fairly comfortably in the end 3-1, but there were undoubtedly a few moments of panic for them before and after they scored the opening goal on 43 minutes via Olivier Giroud. The Polish defense gave him far too much space and he was able to redirect a shot back across goal. Giroud actually hit the ball into the ground a bit first, which caused it to bounce over the hand of Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny and in for 1-0. It could be argued though that Poland should have already been ahead, and would have been if not for some goal line clearances by the French defense around the 35 minute mark. Szczęsny had been brilliant up until then, but his defense really let him down.

France were the better team on the day, as they were frequently the ones pressing the Polish and winning the ball high up the pitch to create chances. When the opposition’s front four contains Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann, giving the ball away to them is suicidal. The Polish were lucky to hold the French out for the first 40 minutes, and they were also fortunate to keep it at 1-0 until the 76 minute mark.

It was then that Mbappe decided to take over the game, and he did so by scoring two goals in quick succession, each of them powerful and precise finishes over Szczęsny that gave him absolutely no chance. Mbappe is one of, if not the, best players in the world right now and he showed why with those two goals. Everyone knows he’s a world-class sprinter, but he showed a real striker’s instinct and technique today too. Mbappe is the current top scorer at this World Cup with 5 goals.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski got a goal back for his side from the penalty spot in the dying seconds of the match, and while it fooled French keeper Hugo Lloris it was nothing more than a consolation goal. Even Lewandowski knew it was just going to be one for the statistics, and of no other real significance.

France decisively move on to the quarterfinals. They look incredibly strong right now, even if it took them a while to score today. I was concerned about their injuries and team spirit coming into this tournament, but so far those worries have been unfounded. It helps that Mbappe is in absolutely scintillating form right now. Poland will be sad to be going home, but they lost to an extremely good team today.

England vs. Senegal

My stomach was turning itself inside out in anticipation of this match. England were favored coming in, probably in part due to the unavailability of Senegalese all-world winger Sadio Mané (injury) and industrious midfielder Idrissa Gueye (suspension). But the team known as the Lions of Teranga were not to be underestimated, as they are the reigning African champions.

And indeed, it was the Senegalese who were on the front foot almost from the off. They were using their pacey forwards to press England’s defense high up the pitch, knowing that England like to play the ball out from the back. This tactic employed by manager Aliou Cissé worked quite well for a bit, and they almost caught England out several times. Their best chance came around half an hour into the match, when forward Boulaye Dia found some space in the box and lashed a powerful shot towards goal that required a rather magnificent save from England keeper Jordan Pickford. He stuck out his left arm and held it firm to deny Dia, and England cleared.

England had a lot of possession in the opening 35 minutes or so, but they weren’t really doing anything with it. The middle of the park was devoid of England shirts, so there was nowhere for the center backs to pass it to. However, England finally got a meaningful attack going down the left wing on 39 minutes, and it resulted in the first goal from midfielder Jordan Henderson. A neat backheel fell to striker Harry Kane, who spotted the run of midfielder Jude Bellingham ahead of him. His weighted pass made it through the defense, and Bellingham latched onto the ball just outside the box. He ran into the box as his marker was level with him, but his cutback cross found Henderson in space. Henderson hit it first time along the ground, and it rolled into the goal just past the reach of keeper Edouard Mendy. A massive relief for England and very much against the run of play, but we’ll take it! Henderson is the 8th different English player to score at this tournament.

Senegal pushed forward to try and find an equalizer, but it was England who got an important second goal on the very stroke of halftime. England won the ball back via Bellingham after a deflected cross fell into his path, and he carried the ball forward while riding challenges from the opposition. He found winger/forward Phil Foden ahead of him to his left in a one-on-one with a defender. Foden hit a return pass into the path of Kane, who was running forward in support and unmarked. The ball deflected off a defender before falling to Kane, who took a touch and then buried a powerful shot into the net from about 12 yards out, just to the right of the penalty spot. Mendy had no chance, and Kane is now just one goal behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time England scoring record. Kane has been a wonderful facilitator of play so far this tournament, but getting him on the scoresheet today was very important. He showed his striker’s instincts with that finish, and England will need those instincts going forward.

The England fans in the stadium and around the world went from anxious to buoyant in the span of about 8 minutes! Cissé was forced into making three changes at halftime, but they failed to make much of an impact as England got the next goal on 57 minutes from winger/forward Bukayo Saka. This time it was Senegal giving the ball away in a dangerous area, with it being brought forward by Kane. Kane was tackled though and the loose ball fell to Foden, who beat a defender on the left wing before spotting the diagonal run of Saka across his man. The cross from Foden was inch-perfect, and Saka deftly lifted it over Mendy with his first touch for 3-0. England were running rampant and well on their way to the quarterfinals.

The tempo of the game slowed down a bit from there, as both managers made changes. England boss Gareth Southgate was keen to get some of his key players off to save them for the next match, while letting the talents of the bench players shine as well. Although no more goals were scored, England were closer to finding a fourth than Senegal was to finding a first. In the end it was a very satisfactory day for the Three Lions, if a bit nervy to start off.

Credit to Southgate for sticking to his guns and going with the team he felt was right. I was surprised at the omission of forward Marcus Rashford and the inclusion of Henderson in the starting line-up today, but both of those worries were without merit. It turns out that Southgate might just know what he’s doing, although I certainly could do without the slow starts in the future. In the first half hour I feared this game would go the way the one against the Americans did, with it ending 0-0 and England generally looking lackluster. But once England moved the ball up the levels of the pitch with pace and purpose, there was little Senegal could do about it. The first goal today was a product of Southgate’s system, make no mistake about it. The players’ positioning on the wings and playing the ball out from the back led to the opening for Kane to find Bellingham. The system does not always work of course, but today it did.

A special shoutout to Bellingham, who was Man of the Match (among many fine candidates) for me today. The 19 year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder showed a range of skills today I have not seen from an Englishman since maybe…ever? He can pass, he can dribble, he can head the ball, he can tackle, he has positional awareness, and while he did not score today he did so against Iran in the first match. This lad can do it all, and he can do it all at an extremely high level. If he keeps going like this, he can develop into the best midfielder in the world. Not being hyperbolic.

CAM ON INGERLAND!!!

Quarterfinals – England vs. France – Saturday, December 10th at 11 AM PST

World Cup Roundup – Groups C and D

Qatar is a socially backwards country but FIFA doesn’t care because they have money. There is nothing FIFA loves more than money.

Group D

Winners – France

Runners Up – Australia

Eliminated – Tunisia, Denmark

The French knew they were already through to the next round, so manager Didier Deschamps changed up his team significantly for this final group match against Tunisia. France are so deep in talent though that starting some bench players doesn’t necessarily mean a big drop off in quality for them. Tunisia needed a win from this match and then for the Denmark/Australia match to go their way as well. Even against a rotated side, Tunisia were still heavy underdogs.

But all credit to Tunisia for going out and earning themselves a famous 1-0 victory. France defended well in this match generally, but were rather toothless going forward until it was already late on in the match. Tunisian attacking midfielder Wahbi Khazri got what was ultimately the winner on 58 minutes, after he went on a long run with the ball in the center of the park. France did not get a challenge in until he was already in a position to shoot, and although his effort was rather tame it fooled France keeper Steve Mandanda just enough. It rolled over the line and the Tunisians were ecstatic.

Make no mistake – France were outplayed today. Tunisia were the ones playing the ball forward the most and had the most attacking intent. Les Bleus did have an Antoine Griezmann goal ruled out for offside late on, but that was their deadliest attack. France will need to be better in the Round of 16, especially going forward.

Tunisia did their part to advance, but needed a draw between Australia and Denmark to secure progression. After their final whistle blew, the Tunisians flocked to video monitors to see the final few minutes of the other match.

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Australia/Denmark was a much more intense affair, probably because both sides were fighting for their World Cup survival instead of just the one. Both sides really went for the winning goal, but it was Australia that came away with the surprising, maybe even shocking, 1-0 victory.

Denmark were the better side for the opening 45 minutes, as they created most of the chances. Aussie keeper Matthew Ryan made 2-3 fine saves to stop them, and on other occasions his defenders made a last-ditch tackle to help him out. They improved and started creating half-chances of their own in the second half, and it was on the hour mark that they finally got their breakthrough. They recovered the ball in their own final third, and it was eventually collected by attacking midfielder Riley McGree. He spotted striker Matthew Leckie in front of him making a run between two defenders. He played the ball to Leckie, who brought it forward while being closely marked by a single Danish defender. Leckie was allowed to carry the ball into shooting distance, and after some nifty dribbling he got a low shot away from just inside the Danish box that nutmegged his marker and beat Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel at the far corner. It was a well-worked counter-attack that could go down as one of the most famous goals in Australian history.

The Danish had more possession after that and tried to find a winner, but their finishing was truly woeful. Headers going wide or high every single time. Well done to Australia for holding on, but Denmark were just as poor today as they have been the whole tournament. A team with that level of quality in it should not be struggling as much as they are. They had a lot of injuries pre-tournament and several of the players were rusty as a result, but that’s not really an excuse. Against Australia and Tunisia at least, the Danish should be winning. Very toothless in attack for all three of their matches.

But Australia’s famous win sees them through to the knockouts for the first time since 2006. They can defend well and got just enough offense to progress. The win wasn’t without drama though. Had Leckie not scored and the match ended 0-0, it would have been Tunisia going through instead. Well done to the north Africans for getting a famous victory as well, but it wasn’t enough to secure progression. If such a thing as a “bittersweet victory” exists, this one for Tunisia was one of them.

Group C

Winners – Argentina

Runners Up – Poland

Eliminated – Mexico, Saudi Arabia

There was even more drama in this group than there was in Group D! Argentina beat Poland 2-0 today thanks to goals from midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and striker Julian Alvarez. Poland were in this match until the Mac Allister goal just after half time, as keeper Wojciech Szczęsny had saved a penalty from Lionel Messi on 39 minutes. The Poles were struggling in attack, but Szczęsny did well to make the save and keep his team in it for a little while longer. Poland looked rather toothless today, but I think that’s because psychologically they knew they were in a good place to advance, even with a loss. They went through today as runners’ up, but they will need to play much better in attack to have any chance at winning their next match. Credit to Argentina for improving over the past two games and getting the results needed to win their group. Their defense in particular has looked much stronger.

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The high drama was in the Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia match. The Mexicans were desperate for a victory, and needed not only to win but to do so by several goals to overtake Poland on goal difference. Saudi Arabia knew that a draw might be enough for them to go through, but realistically they needed to win to guarantee progression.

Mexico were the better team in this match, although it was 0-0 at halftime again. Carlos Vega had the best chance early on, although his effort after being through on goal was snuffed out by Saudi keeper Mohammad Alowais. The Mexicans kept their impetus though and found the back of the net (for the first time at this World Cup) just after halftime thanks to a header from forward Henry Martín. 1-0 wasn’t enough though, as they needed at least two more to overcome the goal difference tiebreaker. They either needed to score themselves or hope that Argentina could get a third against Poland. The Mexicans got their second however just 6 minutes later from a thunderous free kick from midfielder Luis Chavez. This was another Goal of the Tournament candidate, given that he was almost 30 yards out and still placed it into the top corner. World-class strike!

For the next 30-35 minutes or so, Poland and Mexico were level on points, goal differential, and goals scored. The final tiebreaker kept Poland ahead though, and much to my surprise that tiebreaker was/is yellow card accumulation. Poland had two fewer yellow cards at that point, so they were placed ahead of Mexico in the standings. That rule needs to be changed. Instead of punishing teams that are playing aggressively, why not have shots on target be the final tiebreaker? The rules of the game should be set up to reward attacking football, after all.

Ultimately however the yellow card tiebreaker did not matter, as the Saudis got a goal back in stoppage time from attacking midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari. That was a hammer blow to Mexico, as it largely ruined their chances of overcoming their negative goal difference. Mexico had the ball in the back of the net twice after they got their second, but each was called back for offside. The second decision was correct, but Hirving Lozano’s run and shot just a few minutes after the second goal was a much closer call. In all reality, it was too little too late for El Tri.

I think Mexico’s fate at this World Cup was sealed before a ball was even kicked though. There was no call up for Javier Hernandez or Carlos Vela by manager Tata Martino, and it was clear that Martino would be fired once Mexico’s World Cup run ended due to his contract situation. Martino is positively reviled by the Mexican media, and I can’t say as I blame them. His failures here are numerous. He did not call up two of Mexico’s best players, and no one seems to know why. He did not set up his team to win with his tactics, and he did not make the right substitutions when needed. Mexico have a fair amount of talent, but they need play in a tactical system that suits them. They did not do that until the second half of today’s match, when it was far too late to start doing so. If this is the last World Cup for legendary keeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, it is a rather lackluster way to go out.

The Saudis got off to a fantastic start in this tournament, and their upset of Argentina in the opening group game is probably the most famous one in their history. They did not do enough in the other two group games, and were particularly poor today against Mexico. They can take pride in their improvement, but they ultimately will need more talent to make a deep run at any World Cup going forward.

Argentina vs. Australia – Saturday December 3 at 11 am PST

France vs. Poland – Sunday December 4 at 7 am PST

World Cup Roundup – France Secure Progression and Argentina Arrives

Qatar is actually the perfect host country from FIFA’s point of view. It’s run by an authoritarian regime that is absolutely loaded with money. What a double bonus for them!

Australia vs. Tunisia

Australia got an absolutely vital victory today over Tunisia, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from striker Mitchell Duke on 24 minutes. He did well to get good contact on the ball, straining all the muscles in his neck to redirect a deflected cross from fellow striker Craig Goodwin past the Tunisian keeper. The Socceroos had to endure a torrid 68+ minutes after that from the overwhelmingly Tunisian crowd who created an extremely hostile atmosphere, but they kept them out and secured all three points.

Tunisia find themselves at the bottom of Group D with one point, with Australia in a surprising second place thanks to this victory. The Aussies would have been eliminated with a loss today, but they showed some real nerve and put themselves in good position to progress instead. The one thing Tunisia have going for them is that France might play reserves in their final match, so they might have a better chance at a result than normal. Unlikely given France’s talent, but possible.

France vs. Denmark

The other match in Group D saw defending champions France take on Denmark. Many tipped Denmark to be dark horses candidates for a deep run in this tournament, but that has so far proven to not be the case. They lost today 2-1 and find their World Cup hopes hanging by a very thin thread. Two scintillating goals from superstar striker Kylian Mbappe saw France through, despite being pegged back from a set piece header by Danish defender Andreas Christiansen. Both goals from Mbappe were from close range, but he was in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s all you have to do.

France have a lot of injuries right now, but as long as they have Mbappe, that’s really all that matters. While there are questions as to his ego and locker room presence, there is no denying his abilities on the pitch. The numbers speak for themselves. He has 7 World Cup goals at age of 24, something only Pelé has done. He has 32 goals for France as well. He is going to smash numerous international records if he keeps going like this.

By virtue of their victory today, Les Bleus have qualified for the Round of 16 and are the first nation to do so. They need only a draw against Tunisia in their final group game to guarantee 1st place in the group. The Danish are not eliminated, but they need a victory over Australia to secure progression. Anything less will do them no good, and would be a disappointment for team that is underrated in terms of talent.

Poland vs. Saudi Arabia

Group C was also in action today, with the surprising Saudis taking on a (so far) lackluster Poland team. This match ended 2-0 to the Poles though and was notable for the antics of the Saudis, who were flopping and diving so effectively they should have been awarded gold medals. They are a well-coached team, so it was no accident that the plan was to slow the game down as much as possible and make Poland really work to beat them.

Poland got their first from a swift move down the right flank, which ended with a deflected pass from striker Robert Lewandowski straight into the path of midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range on 29 minutes. The Poles were overjoyed at scoring their first goal of the tournament.

Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny was called into action on 55 minutes and made a fine double-save from close range to keep the Saudis out. The highlight of the match then came on 82 minutes, when Poland sealed the points via Lewandowski, who stole the ball off a Saudi defender on the edge of the box and slotted home Poland’s second and his first-ever goal at a World Cup. The joy on his face was impossible to miss, as he is 34 and therefore potentially at his last World Cup. His lack of goals at this tournament over the years has been the one black mark on his illustrious goal-scoring career, but today he can take pride in helping his nation go top of Group C on 4 points. Poland can advance with a draw against Argentina, and they can win the group if they beat them.

For the Saudis I have to feel that perhaps the success of the Argentina match was still lingering in their minds. They went behind fairly early and aside from the aforementioned close range chance on 55 minutes, they did not offer much in attack. They will need to regroup for their final group match against Mexico, as they are 3rd on 3 points. A win over Mexico sees them through for sure, although they might be able to get away with a draw depending on how the other match goes.

Argentina vs. Mexico

This match was highly anticipated by both sides, as there is a little bit of a rivalry between them internationally. For one reason or another, they always seem to be playing each other come the World Cup. Lots of shit-talking was happening online between supporters of both sides before kickoff. The Argentines would win 2-0, but it took two glorious strikes to get it done.

Before getting to the goals, a quick moment of recognition for how the Mexicans played for the first hour of this match. They were the better team in the opening 45 minutes. No two ways about it. They had the possession, they were passing better, and they had more attacking intent. Mexico’s best chance of the half came when winger Alexis Vega forced keeper Emiliano Martinez into a fine save from a free kick just before half time. It was 0-0 at the half but you sensed that the negative headlines in Buenos Aires were probably already being written.

The problem with Argentina however is that you cannot lose concentration when playing them, not once and not even for a second. They have a player named Lionel Messi that some may have heard of, and he proved today why he will go down as maybe the greatest player to ever kick a ball. He received a pass from winger Angel Di Maria and found himself in the most space he had been in the whole match, in the middle of the field just outside the penalty area. He took a touch or two forward and then lashed a low and powerful left-footed shot towards the right hand corner of the goal that beat Memo Ochoa and settled into the net just inside the post. The expression of joy on Messi’s face was similar to that of Lewandowski’s, and the Argentines inside the stadium were ecstatic.

Messi then turned provider on 87 minutes for the Argentine’s second, when he found midfielder Enzo Fernandez on the left side of the penalty area. Fernandez dribbled to create space and then lashed a beautiful curling shot into the opposite corner of Ochoa’s net. Points sealed, and it was largely thanks to Messi. Time and time again he has saved Argentina, and he was clearly not ready to bow out of this World Cup just yet.

Mexico will be disappointed with not capitalizing on their dominance in the first half, and for the momentary lapse in defensive concentration that led to Messi’s opener. They simply backed off him too far and let him do what he does best – run at defenses in space in the center of the pitch. That is a recipe for disaster against him, and it must be said that Ochoa did not cover himself in glory with his positioning either. The goal wasn’t his fault, but he maybe could have done better. Nothing he could do about the second goal.

Mexico’s problems are deeper than losing by two wonder strikes though. They are bottom of the group with just 1 point, and must beat Saudi Arabia to have any chance at progression. They were uninspired in attack against Poland and again today. They can play a lot of neat and tidy passes in the buildup, but then they fall apart when it comes to the final ball or getting a shot on goal.

It seems this team lacks a center forward, so one has to ask yet again why Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer Javier Hernandez was not included in this team. He is fit to play and was in good form pre-tournament, yet it seems there are some internal politics and ego in play here. Mexico manager Tata Martino apparently has some kind of personal, non-football related issue with the man nicknamed “Chicharito”, and it has led to him not being called up to this tournament. If that is the truth, and by all accounts it is, then Martino must be sacked as manager. Hernandez is arguably Mexico’s best player, so to leave out over a personal dispute is completely unprofessional and outright negligent. Couple this baffling decision with some of the questionable tactical decisions Martino has made during this tournament, and it becomes clear why so many Mexican fans are calling for his head.