We’re getting into the nitty gritty of the World Cup group stage. That means one thing: It’s time to pull out those calculators and abacuses (abaci?) and start crunching numbers for the countless World Cup knockout stage possibilities.
The riff on “Seven Nation Army” is good, but it’s not so good that it should set the barometer for stadium energy levels at every major international tournament for the rest of time.
Worse noise blaring at the World Cup: Vuvuzelas since 2010 or Seven Nation Army since 2006?
— Travis Yoesting (@TravisYoesting) June 21, 2018
If Miguel Layun manages to bury any of his six total shots over in Russia, he’s one of the stories of the World Cup. Of course Chucky Lozano has been excellent. Of course Carlos Vela has taken his game to a level that even the most ardent of Vela supporters couldn’t have anticipated. Of course Andres Guardado is a wizened midfield wizard.
Group of Death? Watching the Mexico vs South Korea highlights you quickly realize the only ones dying are those going up against El Tri.
Placed in a difficult group with Germany, Sweden and South Korea, arguably the toughest in the World Cup, many thought Mexico would have a difficult time advancing to the Round of 16. After a 2-1 victory over South Korea on Saturday, El Tri is all but through to the knockout rounds and on the way to possibly winning Group F.
After beating Germany in the World Cup opener, Mexico couldn’t afford a let down in the second match. Thanks to a Carlos Vela goal vs South Korea, El Tri stayed right on track on Saturday in Rostov, Russia.
To be the best, one must beat the best. Mexico did just that in its opening match, overpowering Germany with an impressive 1-0 win in the Group F opener on Sunday. With a result like that, many are wondering how Mexico can win the World Cup, if it’s possible and what the path would be.
Mexico take on South Korea Saturday, June 23 at the Rostov Arena on the second matchday of Group F action at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The match begins at 11:00 a.m. ET on FOX and Telemundo with South Korea desperate for a result following a 1-0 opening defeat to Sweden, whereas Mexico is riding high following a 1-0 victory over defending champions Germany.
Mexico's captain Rafa Marquez came on for the final 20 minutes of El Tri's opening match win against Germany and made a few key tackles to preserve his side a vital three points in Group F.
Remember Michael Jordan’s flu game in the 1997 Finals, when he scored 38 points to will Chicago to a 3-2 series lead over Utah? Well, while Germany left back Jonas Hector stayed home to recover from a cold, Mexico attackers Carlos Vela and Chucky Lozano were slicing through the Die Mannschaft defense while emulating MJ — playing with guts while puking up said guts.
A massive Mexican contingent of fans at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow (Fox’s Kasey Keller went as far as to say it was 80 percent El Tri fans vs. 20 percent German) was on hand to watch Mexico defeat defending world champions Germany 1-0 thanks to Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s goal in the 35th minute.