Belgium, the world's second-ranked team, needed a win over Croatia on Thursday to avoid elimination and reach the World Cup round of 16. The Belgium players had promised unity and urgency in the face of rumors alleging total chaos in the squad, but the Red Devils again came out flat with Leandro Trossard and Dries Mertens leading the attack.
El México que queríamos ver en el Mundial apareció ante Arabia Saudita. Rápido, vertical y capaz de hacer goles. Lo malo de esta historia es que ese Tri llegó tarde a Catar y no pudo evitar ser eliminado en la fase de grupos.
Ojalá lo hubiéramos visto ante Argentina y sobre todo en el debut ante Polonia.
Pero bueno, así es la vida y así fue la performance de un México que en su último partido en el Grupo C hizo soñar a su afición, pero que hoy hace las maletas de regreso a casa.
Mexico beat Saudi Arabia but the third goal wouldn't come. Argentina beat Poland but the third goal, which would've gotten it done for El Tri, wouldn't come. When the final whistle sounded at Lusail Stadium, bringing the insanity of World Cup Group C to a close, it confirmed Argentina as winners and Poland as runners-up on goal difference (Poland's zero vs. Mexico's negative one).
It had been even closer than that.
Heading into Wednesday's final matchday in World Cup Group D, Australia figured it'd probably only need a remarkable draw against Denmark, the world's 10th-ranked side, to advance to the round of 16 for only the second time in their history and first since 2006.
Kickoff was scheduled for 2 a.m. in Australia, and supporters took up their traditional post in Federation Square (downtown Melbourne) to watch as Australia went about its task admirably to keep things at 0-0 after 45 minutes.
The United States men’s national team triumphed against Iran with a nervy 1-0 victory on Tuesday to clinch a Round of 16 game against the Netherlands. The USA gave American fans several heart attacks along the way, but this is a massive accomplishment for the team.
The USA grinded out a tough one but ultimately came out on top. The magic moment came from none other than Christian Pulisic who put his body on the line to score the game-winner.
The United States held on for dear life and beat Iran 1-0 Tuesday to advance to the World Cup round of 16 while eliminating Team Melli. It looked like it would be a comfortable evening after Christian Pulisic put the U.S. up 1-0 in the 38th minute and with the Americans winning every individual duel on the pitch, but Iran dominated the final 20 minutes searching for an all-important equalizer.
DOHA - Doha’s Stadium 974 thrummed to the samba beat on Monday night as Brazilian fans brought Latin American swagger to this patch of Qatar and Casemiro fired Brazil into the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup finals with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland.
The midfielder’s spectacular 83rd minute goal sent Brazil through with a game to spare and lit a touch paper to a contest that up to then had struggled to smolder.
When Ghana, the youngest team at the World Cup, eventually meets the USMNT, the second-youngest, in the World Cup semifinals, it's clear that the juvenile inconsistencies of both will allow one team to shine in the opening 45 before the other side comes storming back in the second half.
The only thing that makes a spectacular comeback better is when it's started with a stunning goal. Needing a moment to act as the catalyst, to give the Indomitable Lions a kick back into contention, Vincent Aboubakar provided that spark with a silky solo goal to put Cameroon within one against Serbia.
WHAT A CHIP
After a VAR check, the goal stands and Cameroon takes one back! pic.twitter.com/2zwCtckDjW
Germany still has a chance to advance out of the group stage, however it will be an uphill battle as the 2014 World Cup champions tied Spain 1-1 on Sunday. German fans will be disappointed not to come away the three points as their team botched several big chances.
In the final moments of the game Leroy Sané broke free toward Spain’s goal. In the middle he had Niclas Füllkrug as an option or he could shoot. Instead, he did this.
This entire sequence was WILD