By Callum West
After an exciting opening group stage to the 2018 World Cup, Callum West takes us through the groups one by one.
After an exciting opening group stage to the 2018 World Cup, Callum West takes us through the groups one by one.
Group A
Egypt were expected to win this group having the previously on form Mohamed Salah but it
turned out he couldn’t carry the team to any victories. Russia, who had the home advantage, did quite well in the group although they came second to Uruguay who won all three of their games. Saudi Arabia did not do so well; on the first day of the tournament they were beaten 5-0 by Russia but surprisingly won against Egypt. Moving on to the knockouts are Uruguay and Russia.
Group B
Being a competitive group due to the presence of both Portugal and Spain, all points were precious here. The first game of this group was a 3-3 draw between Portugal and Spain. After Iran beat Morocco, the last few games between the group were close and there was a strong possibility for one of the world class teams to take an early exit. In the deciding fixtures, Portugal vs Iran and Morocco vs Spain, nail biting action occurred with Portugal fans on the edge of their seats hoping to see out a draw with Iran with Spain getting beaten 2-1 until the last seconds of the game when Aspas scored a late equaliser, meaning Spain held on to first place. Spain and Portugal made it through to the final 16.
Group C
Group C was expected to be too easy for France but they made it hard for themselves only winning by a small margin in both games. France received a controversial penalty against Australia due to the newly implemented VAR (Video Assistant Referee). Denmark won 1 and drew 2 of their matches to come second in the group, gaining a place in the round of 16 alongside France.
Group D
Argentina thought their group would be easy but drawing their first game and losing their second put them in a position where they had to beat Nigeria in their final game and hope Iceland were beat by Croatia. It all went Argentina’s way with Croatia winning all of their games, receiving all 9 points available and topping the group. Argentina went through only with a lucky VAR decision to beat Nigeria 2 - 1.
Group E
This group was made up of 4 teams with different strengths and weaknesses: Brazil, Costa Rica, Switzerland and Serbia. Brazil topped the group, after winning 1 and drawing 2. Between the rest was a fight for second place and a fixture in the knockouts. Costa Rica were surely out after they lost their first two matches. So who was going to join Brazil - Switzerland or Serbia? It was Switzerland as the only team they got beaten by was Brazil, whereas Serbia lost 2 and only won 1.
Group F
This group looked very easy for Germany coming into the tournament, however this turned out to be a very frustrating World Cup for the previous World Champions. Mexico beat Germany 1-0 in the opening game of the group. Sweden also nearly beat Germany and took them right to the very last second where Toni Kroos scored a top corner free kick from the edge of the box. Germany had to win against South Korea or they were out. It was a draw until into added time and South Korea scored twice to destroy Germany’s dreams of reaching the knockout stages. Sweden and Mexico reached the round of 16 after an exciting group stage for group F.
Group G
Belgium and England had to battle for all points in this group. England were taken to the last minutes against Tunisia where Harry Kane secured 3 points on his World Cup debut after scoring 2 goals. The first games also saw Belgium win 3-0 against a weak Panama side and also beat Tunisia. England had a fantastic 6–1 win over Panama and the battle for the top spot went down to Belgium vs England. Even the weaker Belgium substitute team beat England 1-0 with Adnan Januzai with a left footed wonder strike, meaning Belgium topped the group with all 9 points. Belgium and England progress to the knockouts.
Group H
The group containing Poland, Columbia, Senegal and Japan looked very challenging. With all teams winning at least 1 game, the group table looked very close towards the end of the group stage as there were only 3 points in it. Colombia winning 2 games ensured they had a place in the knockouts. The only team to beat Colombia was Japan. Japan and Senegal finished the group on level points and level on goal difference meaning it went down to the new Fair Play Rule, where the team with the least yellow and red cards get the advantage. In this case, it meant that Japan went through to the knockout stages over Senegal. This also meant there are no African teams left in the World Cup as Nigeria were also knocked out. Japan and Columbia make the final 16.
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