FIFA WORLD CUP 2018: End of First Matches
(Note: I have watched every team play once. Russia-Egypt, Uruguay-Saudi Arabia, Portugal-Morocco, and Spain-Iran have been played, but I have not watched any of them yet, nor do I know the results, other than the fact that Morocco let Nordin Amrabat play today despite his head injury four days ago.[1])
My thoughts after watching the first set of games:
Group A: I expected Russia to beat Saudi Arabia, but not 5-0. Saudi Arabia didn’t even show up for this game, and after the score reached 3-0, it looked like they gave up. I also expected Uruguay to beat Egypt, but the game was closer than I expected. Uruguay should win the group with Russia coming in second.
Group B: What a great game between Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal and Spain! Ronaldo’s free kick near the end of the game was so gorgeous that it almost made me spontaneously break into song. With them having tied, their performances in the other two games become more important, especially with Morocco losing to Iran. I predict that Portugal and Spain will each finish with 7 points, but Portugal will win the group on goal differential.[2] Iran, however, can tie with either Portugal or Spain and be in good shape to go through. Don’t count them out.
A special point on Morocco here. Their loss was a heartbreaker. An own goal in stoppage time? Ouch. However, given my passion regarding head injuries, I have to say more.[3] When Nordin Amrabat of Morocco went down with a head injury late in the Iran game, I was horrified at the athletic trainer’s “treatment” of the situation. Amrabat had been unconscious – it was clear that he needed to be handled with care, but the trainer did nothing of the sort. First off, he moved him. A lot. Secondly, he stood him up! Then, with Amrabat being glassy-eyed, the trainer sprayed him in the face with water and SLAPPED HIM ON THE FACE. A Twitter user said in responses to a tweet from Dr. Chris Nowinski – one of the leading concussion doctors in the world – that the trainer got his degree from the Three Stooges School of Medicine. After seeing that – and then hearing that Amrabat played today – I have to say I am no longer neutral about Morocco. I hope they lose every game.[4]
Group C: As a fan of France, their game against Australia was frustrating. They should have won by two or three goals. As a neutral observer, it was an exciting game that was only frustrating due to the fouls. It was a foul-fest. The referee did a good job and called what needed to be called, but still…it was a foul-fest. Denmark’s 1-0 win over Peru did not surprise me at all. Denmark is the better team in this matchup. However, Peru had some great chances that they failed to capitalize on – namely the penalty kick that was sent into orbit Roberto Baggio-style. France is fairly young, and Deschamps is a great manager who has them whipped into shape. They’ll learn from the first game and do well in the final two. I see them winning every game. The other positions are a bit tricky. Australia’s strength and physicality could give Denmark fits. I see them winning that game and beating Peru for the same reason, making France the group winner and Australia the runner-up.
Group D: One game surprised me and the other did not. I expected Iceland to be a tough team for Argentina to beat, but I still expected Argentina to win by a goal. I did not expect a tie, but I’m not entirely surprised. Iceland is GOOD. We saw how good they are in Euro 2016. Yet so many pundits and fans still don’t take them seriously. One announcer even called them a Cinderella[5] before the first game. Why, exactly?[6] THEY WON THEIR QUALIFYING GROUP. IN EUROPE. HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Croatia did not surprise me at all by beating Nigeria – they are the better team, after all – but I expected it to be a one-goal victory, not a two-goal victory. However, this should be Croatia’s last win of this particular World Cup. I see Iceland beating Croatia and Nigeria, and I see Argentina doing the same. Argentina and Iceland will finish level on points, but Argentina will win the group based on goal differential.
Group E: I wasn’t surprised here at all. Seriously. I expected Serbia to squeak out a win against Costa Rica – which they did, 1-0. And, yes, I expected Brazil and Switzerland to tie. I just did not see Brazil winning this game. Switzerland is a very organized team with players who are more talented than they get credit for. Brazil should be fine in their other games, but my gut said that this game would be a tie. For once, my gut was right.
Now, the game itself was a bloodbath. Switzerland clobbered Neymar every time he got near the ball. The referee should have issued more cards, because that was ridiculous. It reminded me of the way Diego Maradona was “defended” in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. I put “defended” in quotes because teams didn’t really defend him – they fouled the heck out of him instead. The referees in Brazil’s other two games need to be wary of this and protect Neymar better; otherwise, he may have to be peeled off of the field.
As far as the group standings go, I see Brazil winning the group and Switzerland coming in second; once again, based on goal differential. I also see the Switzerland-Serbia game being a bloodbath. These are two VERY physical teams.
Group F: The Group of Death. Ugh. Call me a chicken if you want, but I have no idea. I was shocked by the Mexico-Germany result – congratulations to Mexico on a great win, by the way – but beyond that…yikes. These teams are evenly matched. Sweden-South Korea was a fun game to watch. Mexico-Germany was fun to watch. Any team in this group can beat any of the others. This group reminds me of Group E in the 1994 World Cup, where Mexico, Italy, Ireland, and Norway all finished with identical records (1 W, 1 D, 1 L). Don’t be surprised if this happens here.[7] [8]
Group G: Belgium and England each won, and I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised by the margins of victory, either. Panama fought bravely but ran out of gas against a buzzsaw of a Belgian team. England’s young squad ran into some trouble but pulled through late in an exciting game. I predict that Tunisia will beat Panama but lose to Belgium. I see England beating Panama comfortably, and I see Belgium doing the same against Tunisia. I see England and Belgium playing to a draw.
This England team could do very well. They remind me of the 2002 squad, but with those players being the ages that they were in 1998.[9] I look forward to watching them more. They look hungry, and they look like they’re worried more about playing as a team than they are about endorsements. Belgium also could go very far as well. Either (or both) of these teams could easily make the semis or – dare I say it – be a dark-horse candidate for the final.
Group H: This was an under-the-radar Group of Death.[10] All four of these teams – Poland, Colombia, Senegal, and Japan – are pretty darn good. They’re evenly matched. Goal differential will almost definitely come into play here. After the results of the first sets of games, it could be another one where each team finishes with the same record. However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Senegal and Japan will finish 1-2. I see Senegal beating Colombia and tying with Japan. I see Japan losing a close one to Poland. I see Colombia beating Poland. That would leave Senegal with two wins and a tie; Japan with one win, one loss, and a tie; and Poland and Colombia each with one win and two losses.
On to the second set of matches! Feel free to comment.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018, 10:30 pm MST
[1] I realize the risk of making predictions that may already be wrong, but hey, it’s fun!
[2] I see them scoring more goals than Spain.
[3] I’ve had four concussions, with the last two causing me some problems. I have a hard time watching NFL football due to how upset I get when I see a player get a head injury.
[4] Sorry, Morocco fans.
[5] Can we end this expression in sports? Please? It’s insulting.
[6] It might be because their country’s population lies between that of Arlington, Texas and Bakersfield, California, but that’s not a good reason.
[7] Those teams in 1994 didn’t just finish with identical records – they had identical goal differentials. Mexico won it because they scored the most goals (three), Ireland finished second because they beat Italy, and Norway came in last because they only scored one goal while Ireland and Italy each scored two.
[8] Mexico and Sweden would have to tie, Germany would have to beat Sweden, South Korea would have to beat Mexico, and Germany and South Korea would have to tie. Seriously…do not rule this out. It very easily could happen.
[9] I hope that makes sense. The 1998 versions of the players on the 2002 roster.
[10] Is there a name for that? Group of Maiming, perhaps?