2018 FIFA World Cup

[The Chronicler]

Tomorrow will be the first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

I have to say, it's quite surprising which teams were able to qualify for this World Cup (such as Egypt, Panama, and Iceland) and which teams failed to qualify (such as Netherlands, Italy, and the United States). At this point, I honestly don't know which team I'd like to see win it all, but maybe I'll have something more definitive once the group stage is under way.

I won't be watching any of the matches from the group stage (it'll just take up too much of my time), but I will be keeping track of the results at the end of each day.

For anyone here who's interested in this, which team do you think is most likely to win?

[Sneak]

I have watched World and Euro Football Cups for 16 years. And our team, money bags who can't even run, keep disappoint me at least since 2010...
And we couldn't able to build normal team to this day. I don't even know what to expect from our team now. :/
I wouldn't spoil tradition and will watch maches with our team, and matches after 1/4 finals.

Don't know who will win. Hope this year would bring us surprise. :3

[The Chronicler]

As I previously mentioned, I simply don't have the time to watch any of the group stage matches. However, I have been keeping track of them through summaries and news articles. I'll be posting links to the summaries I follow, for those of you who are interested in all the significant moments of each game.

Three days in and already there's been some rather interesting events.

Russia vs Saudi Arabia 5 - 0
In the first game, host nation Russia absolutely crushed Saudi Arabia with five goals, two of which came within the last few minutes. Though considering that Saudi Arabia is regarded as one of the weakest teams in this World Cup, that might not be saying much.

Egypt vs Uruguay 0 - 1
Despite sitting out their best player (who's still recovering from a shoulder injury), Egypt was surprisingly able to hold off against Uruguay for much of the match. It was only in the last few minutes that Uruguay was finally able to score a goal and win the match.

Group A now stands with Russia at the top with Uruguay in second.

Morocco vs Iran 0 - 1
This one seemed like it would end in a scoreless draw, but then right at the very last minute, Morocco made a serious error and ended up scoring an own goal, giving a point and the win to Iran. That has got to be quite an awful way to lose a game, even more so when you consider the two other teams they'll be facing in their group.

Portugal vs Spain 3 - 3
This was arguably the first highly anticipated match of this World Cup, and both teams delivered. Christiano Ronaldo scored all three goals for Portugal, but Spain was able to equalize with each goal, so this one ended in a draw.

Group B now stands with Iran at the top with Portugal and Spain tied for second.

France vs Australia 2 - 1
Australia is considered one of the weaker teams, so it's rather surprising that a supposedly strong team like France struggled against them. At least France was able to win this match, so there's still a good chance they'll advance.

Peru vs Denmark 0 - 1
This one seemed fairly evenly matched, though it was Denmark that managed to score a goal and get the win.

Group C now stands with France at the top with Denmark in second.

Argentina vs Iceland 1 - 1
You might expect a strong team like Argentina would do very well against a newcomer like Iceland, but this match turned out to be surprisingly even. While there's sure to be questions about Argentina and their star player, I'm starting to think that Iceland just might have what it takes to go further.

Croatia vs Nigeria 2 - 0
With a goal in the first half (counted as an own goal as it deflected off one of the defenders), followed by another goal in the second half, Croatia decisively beats Nigeria to earn a win and a good chance of advancing.

Group D now stands with Croatia at the top with Argentina and Iceland tied for second.

And that's the first set of matches for half of the groups. It'll be interesting to see how the other half of the groups will start out.

[Nick22]

Argentina had like 3 penalty shots and didnt convert ANy of them. they should have won 4-1 or 5-1.

[Ducky123]

Looking forward to seeing Germany play later

I only watched the match between Portugal and Spain so far and that one was pretty awesome

[Nick22]

Mexico upsets Germany 1-0. its the first opening round loss for Germany since 1982.

[Ducky123]

We played terrible, yep yep yep

[The Chronicler]

One thing I forgot to mention last time is that apparently this is the first World Cup in which VAR (which I just recently found out means "video assistant referee") will be used to help referees make better calls for incidents that might otherwise be difficult to determine. The first time it was used was during the match between France and Australia, and when its use made a call in favor of France, I heard that some French fans were so excited that they even sang a chant praising the use of video.

Anyway, Groups E through H have now played their first set of matches, and there continues to be big surprises.

Costa Rica vs Serbia 0 - 1
This one was rather evenly matched, though it was Serbia that ultimately got a single goal and thus the win. I guess Costa Rica relying on the same strategy as the previous World Cup may not be working out so well.

Brazil vs Switzerland 1 - 1
Brazil got their goal relatively early, but then Switzerland equalized in the second half, and Brazil struggled to overcome that, so this match ended in a draw. Brazil will have to do better against the other two teams in their group.

Group E now stands with Serbia at the top with Brazil and Switzerland tied for second.

Germany vs Mexico 0 - 1
This was perhaps one of the biggest upsets of this World Cup so far, no question about it. Germany really struggled in this match, and Mexico actually managed to win. The last two defending champions (Italy in 2006 and Spain in 2010) ended up going out in the group stage of the following World Cup, so now there's a possibility that trend might continue.

Sweden vs South Korea 1 - 0
This match had a lot of fouls, but the only goal was made possible during a penalty kick, given thanks to the use of VAR. Other than that, not much else happened.

Group F now stands with Mexico and Sweden tied for first.

Belgium vs Panama 3 - 0
Not much happened during the first half, but in the second half, Belgium scored three goals, and thus we finally see one of the big favorites of this World Cup actually prove themselves. This match also had quite a lot of yellow cards, with three for Belgium and five for Panama.

Tunisia vs England 1 - 2
England got an early lead, but Tunisia equalized before halftime, then England scored the winning goal within the last few minutes. A rather exciting finish, and it looks like England could very well have a good chance of advancing.

Group G now stands with Belgium at the top with England in second.

Colombia vs Japan 1 - 2
Columbia was the big favorite of this group, but just a few minutes in, they got a red card due to a handball, and Japan scored the resulting penalty kick. Columbia equalized before halftime, but Japan got another goal in the second half. Looks like this was yet another upset result, so it seems there are some teams here that shouldn't be underestimated.

Poland vs Senegal 1 - 2
With apparently a failure of communication for Poland, Senegal scores one goal in the first half, then score another in the second half thanks to impeccable timing of an injured player coming back onto the field. Poland eventually scored a goal late in the match, but it's too little too late. I did find it rather odd that Poland had gotten such a high rank in this group by simply taking advantage of a broken system, and today's results pretty much proved they didn't deserve it.

Group H now stands with Japan and Senegal tied for first.

And that covers the first set of matches for all of the groups, with plenty of shocking surprises all around. The next set of matches will give us a better idea on which teams really do have what it takes to advance beyond the group stage.

[Nick22]

Urugary defeats Saudi Arabia 1-0, and Portugal beats Morocco by 1-0 as well. Russua and Urugary have basically clinched spots in the knockout round in Group a as both have 6 points while Saudi Arabia and Egypt have 0. Portugal has 4 pioints in Group B, while Iran is currently tied with Spain, which if that holds puts Spain in a must win and get help scenario.

[Sneak]

Can't believe we stepped in finals.

[Nick22]

spain edges iran 1-0, putting spain at 4 points, and iran needing a win in their finale and help to advance.

[Nick22]

Croatia pounds Argentina 3-0, and clinch a spot in the knockout round. Argentina is not eliminated, but now needs to beat Nigeria and get help elsewhere.

[The Chronicler]

As with the first set of matches, I'm covering half of the groups for each post, so even though some additional matches occurred today, I'll cover them with the rest of the groups on my next post here. Anyway, onto the results of the second set of matches for Groups A through D.

Russia vs Egypt 3 - 1
Although Egypt's star player finally scored a goal at the World Cup, it didn't come until after Russia scored three goals in the second half (the first of which counted as an own goal). There might actually be something to this Russian team, though the real test will come when they next face off against Uruguay.

Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia 1 - 0
Saudi Arabia had a much better effort this time, but it wasn't enough with Uruguay's best player, Luis Suarez, scoring in the first half. Though with only one goal scored in this match, it's uncertain how Uruguay will do in their next match against Russia.

For Group A, Russia and Uruguay are definitely advancing, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have definitely been eliminated, with Russia at the top and Saudi Arabia at the bottom. The final set of matches will determine the final rank between the two advancing teams and the two eliminated teams.

Portugal vs Morocco 1 - 0
Once again, Christiano Ronaldo scores for Portugal, this time in only the first few minutes. Morocco certainly gave their best effort, but it just wasn't enough.

Iran vs Spain 0 - 1
Both teams played well, but it was Spain that managed to score a goal early in the second half, and that was all they needed.

For Group B, Spain and Portugal sit at the top, currently tied in every way except for the final possible tiebreaker, accumulation of yellow cards, with Spain having one less than Portugal and thus earning the top spot, for now. Although Morocco has definitely been eliminated, Iran still has a chance of advancing, and with Spain and Portugal currently tied, we won't know for sure who will actually be advancing until after the final set of matches.

Denmark vs Australia 1 - 1
Denmark's star player scored early on, but then Australia equalized before halftime thanks to a penalty due to a handball. Both teams did well in the second half, but couldn't get anymore goals, so this one ended in a draw.

France vs Peru 1 - 0
Despite some struggles for France, they were able to score a goal in the middle of the first half. Peru's best chance came just minutes before that, but couldn't make the goal.

For Group C, France is definitely advancing and currently sits at the top, while Peru has definitely been eliminated and currently sits at the bottom. Denmark and Australia both still have a chance of advancing, with Denmark currently ahead.

Argentina vs Croatia 0 - 3
After a stalemate in the first half, Argentina made a terrible error that allowed Croatia to score the first goal, and later got two more in. No doubt, this was definitely one of the most shocking results of the group stage so far. It's one thing for a former champion to lose, but it's quite another for a former champion to lose by such a large margin and not even score a single goal.

Nigeria vs Iceland 2 - 0
Again it was a stalemate in the first half, but it was in the second half that Nigeria was able to get some results. After the two goals, Iceland had a chance with a penalty kick, but missed. It seems Iceland's draw with Argentina had more to do with the latter's weakness rather than the former's strength.

For Group D, Croatia is definitely advancing and currently sits at the top. All three other teams still have a chance of advancing, with Nigeria currently in second, while Argentina is at the bottom behind Iceland due to conceding more goals.

So now we know of four teams definitely advancing (Russia, Uruguay, France, and Croatia) and four teams have definitely been eliminated (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Peru). Even so, it's not yet certain which teams will win their group or be the runner-ups, so we'll have to wait for the third and final set of group stage matches to know for sure. For now, we have the second set of matches for the other groups to go through.

[Nick22]

Mexico beats South Korea 2-1, giving Mexico 6 points in their group, and making  them almost certain to clinch a knockout berth. If Germany loses or ties with Sweden, Mexico will be in for sure.

[Nick22]

Germanys win against Sweden prevents Mexico from clinching a spot. Basically, if Mexico loses to Sweden by a goal, and Germany wins against South Korea by 2, then Germany will win the group, based on goal differential, and Sweden would get the second spot, based on head to head with Mexico.

[Ducky123]

That last minute goal of Germany... holy treestars

[Nick22]

Yes that last second was the difference between Germany being REALLY behind the 8 ball, and Germany now in a position to advance.
 Todays games saw England hang 6 goals on Panama, and Japan tied Senegal 2-2. England win, clinches a berth for them in the knockout stage.

[The Chronicler]

The rest of the groups have now finished their second set of matches, with still more incredible results.

Brail vs Costa Rica 2 - 0
Although Brazil won, both of their goals came only in extra time at the end of the second half. Costa Rica put up a good defense (such as frequently putting their opponent into an offside, which I remember seeing them do a lot at the previous World Cup), but just couldn't make anything happen on their offense.

Serbia vs Switzerland 1 - 2
Serbia scored early on, but Switzerland equalized in the second half, then scored the winning goal near the end. However, it seems that the two Swiss goal scorers celebrated with a hand gesture that Serbians consider very offensive, so there's a real possibility they could end up in trouble with the officials ahead of their next match.

For Group E, Brazil sits at the top, followed by Switzerland and then Serbia, with Costa Rica at the bottom and definitely eliminated. The top three are really close, so there's no telling which of them will be advancing. Brazil will really need to step it up in their next match.

South Korea vs Mexico 1 - 2
Mexico scored a goal in the middle of each half, while South Korea, after committing many fouls and getting four yellow cards, were able to score a goal at the last minute. Mexico has really proven itself to be one of the dominant teams in this World Cup.

Germany vs Sweden 2 - 1
Sweden scored in the first half, but Germany equalized at the start of the second half, then came that incredible winning goal during extra time at the end. Germany still has a chance of advancing, though with one of their players out of the next match due to two yellow cards, there's no way to know for sure how things will go.

For Group F, Mexico sits at the top, while South Korea sits at the bottom, with Germany and Sweden tied in the middle (the tiebreaker system currently puts Germany ahead of Sweden). However, no one is definitely advancing and no one has definitely been eliminated, so the final set of matches for this group should be very interesting.

Belgium vs Tunisia 5 - 2
Belgium kept scoring consistently throughout the match, while Tunisia, despite losing two players to injuries in the first half, were able to at least score two goals, with the second coming during extra time at the end. Even so, Belgium have definitely proven themselves to be one of the most dominant teams in this World Cup.

England vs Panama 6 - 1
England just dominated out there, with one of their players, Harry Kane, scoring half of their goals, enough to make him surpass even Cristiano Ronaldo for total goals scored so far in this World Cup. Panama may have lost by a huge margin, but their fans were definitely excited that they actually scored a goal in the World Cup for the first time ever.

For Group G, England and Belgium are definitely advancing and are tied at the top (tiebreaker system puts England ahead of Belgium), while Tunisia and Panama have definitely been eliminated, with Panama at the bottom. Now all that's left to determine is which of the two advancing teams will earn the top spot.

Japan vs Senegal 2 - 2
Both halves pretty much went the same way, Senegal scored a goal, then Japan equalized. Senegal sure seemed like they had the advantage, but Japan managed to show just enough effort to keep pace.

Poland vs Colombia 0 - 3
Poland put up a good effort, but Colombia ultimately proved to be a much better team, with one goal in the first half and two more in the second half.

For Group H, Poland has definitely been eliminated and sits at the bottom, while Japan and Senegal are tied at the top (with the tiebreaker system putting Japan at the top). Columbia is now close behind the two at the top, so all three of them still have a good chance of advancing.

So now there are two more teams definitely advancing (England and Belgium) and four more teams definitely eliminated (Costa Rica, Tunisia, Panama, and Poland). Even though we now know six of the sixteen teems that'll be advancing, we do not yet know for sure where they will place for the knockout stage, but that's what the final set of group stage matches will determine. Since the final pair of group matches are always played at the same time, it won't be much longer before the group stage is finished.

[The Chronicler]

For the sake of not spending an entire afternoon on these posts, I'll start commenting each day for the rest of this World Cup. Anyway, time for the final results of the first two groups.

Saudi Arabia vs Egypt 2 - 1
With both of these teams already eliminated, this match was pretty much just for bragging rights. Egypt started off strong with a goal in the first half, but Saudi Arabia played remarkably well, equalizing at the end of the first half and then scoring the winning goal right at the very end.

Uruguay vs Russia 3 - 0
With both of these teams already guaranteed to advance, the results of this match would determine where they would be placed on the bracket for the knockout round. Russia had crushed the other two teams while Uruguay only just barely beat them, but that all changed with this match. Uruguay simply dominated, scoring two goals in the first half and a third in the final minutes, while Russia struggled quite a bit and even lost one of their players due to receiving two yellow cards.

The final results for Group A:
1, Uruguay
2, Russia
3, Saudi Arabia
4, Egypt

Spain vs Morocco 2 - 2
With Morocco already eliminated, all Spain had to do to advance was simply not lose big time. In both halves, Morocco scored first, followed by Spain equalizing, with that incredible last goal in the final minutes, though Morocco severely disagreed with the referee's call on that one. Not only that, Morocco committed a lot of fouls and got a lot of yellow cards, so it seems they really played like they had nothing to lose.

Iran vs Portugal 1 - 1
This match was a must win for Iran, while Portugal would be okay with a tie but preferring a win. Portugal finally scored at the end of the first half, but Iran was able to equalize with a penalty in extra time at the very end. Iran is eliminated, and although Portugal will advance, it's not as ideal as they would have liked.

The final results for Group B:
1, Spain
2, Portugal
3, Iran
4, Morocco
(Spain wins the tiebreaker due to scoring one more goal than Portugal did)

With the results in for these two groups, we now know who will be playing in two of the upcoming knockout stage matches.

Uruguay vs Portugal
(This one is going to be very close, and probably will even go to overtime, but I think Portugal will eventually come out on top.)

Spain vs Russia
(I'm very sure that Spain will win this one, probably by more than one goal.)

Two groups done, six more to go.

[The Chronicler]

The next two groups are now finished.

Australia vs Peru 0 - 2
This was a must win for Australia, while Peru has already been eliminated. Remarkably, it was Peru that performed well, while Australia was just sloppy and missed a lot of opportunities.

Denmark vs France 0 - 0
France was already guaranteed to advance, while Denmark could easily advance with a tie, and it seems they both were well aware of that. They ended up playing a rather slow and boring game with not much really happening, resulting in the very first scoreless draw of this World Cup.

The final results for Group C:
1, France
2, Denmark
3, Peru
4, Australia

Iceland vs Croatia 1 - 2
This was a must win for Iceland, while Croatia was already guaranteed to advance. This match was remarkably close, but Croatia managed to score the winning goal in the last few minutes. I have to admit, I'm impressed by just how close Iceland actually came to advancing.

Nigeria vs Argentina 1 - 2
Both Argentina and Nigeria had to win this one to ensure either of them could advance. Argentina got an early lead thanks to star player Lionel Messi, Nigeria equalized early in the second half from a penalty kick, and Argentina scored the winning goal in the last few minutes. A truly remarkable comeback for the former champion team after the awful results of their last two matches.

The final results for Group D:
1, Croatia
2, Argentina
3, Nigeria
4, Iceland

With the results in for these two groups, we now know who will be playing in two more of the upcoming knockout stage matches.

France vs Argentina
(This could be another very close one and possibly go to overtime, but if I had to pick one, I think I'll go with France.)

Croatia vs Denmark
(I'm confident that Croatia could win this one.)

Four groups done, four more to go.