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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
The semis are set: France and Spain in Arlington, and England and Argentina (again) in Atlanta. Here’s how it happened:
● England 2, Norway 1 (in extra time) ● It was 88 F and 68% humidity at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens for the start of this quarterfinal, with England in total possession to start the game and Norway sometimes placing its entire team in front of the ball.
At the first hydration break, the English had 73% of possession and the only shot of the game.
But out of the break, the game changed and the Norwegians were thinking offense. A header by scoring star Erling Haaland in the 35th was saved by England keeper Jordan Pickford. Then, in the 36th, forward Andreas Schjelderup was simply standing on the left side of the field with the ball, then slammed a left-footed liner across the English goal and into the top of the net in the 36th for a 1-0 lead!
After another foray into the England zone and a shot by midfielder Martin Odegaard in the 40th, Norway settled back into defense-and-counter mode. But it only worked for so long.
In the 47th, English forward Anthony Gordon crossed from left to right to of the box to midfield star Jude Bellingham, who then rolled toward goal, had space and sent a left-footed shot from the middle of the box into the net to tie the game at 1-1. Norway contended the goal kick that preceded this action hit the overhead camera wire and should have been re-taken; it was not called (FIFA said it didn’t happen).
England star striker Harry Kane scored at 45+4 off a feed from Bellingham, but it was called offsides. The half ended tied, with England at 68% possession and Norway up, 5-4, on shots.
Both sides were looking for the lead, and in the 54th, off a Norway corner, a shot by midfielder Patrick Berg was saved by Pickford, then rebounded in front and was kicked in for a goal by defender Torbjorn Heggen. But the goal was nullified for a Haaland foul – a two-hand shove – on defender Elliot Anderson before the corner was taken.
It was a defensive battle, with the second hydro break showing England at 61% possession but both sides at six shots. So there were a total of three shots in the “third quarter.”
A Norway corner in the 76th caused a lot of chaos in front of the England net and a header by midfielder Sander Berge hit the crossbar, and was barely cleared. A promising cross by England striker Bukayo Saka from the right endline in the 87th looked ready for a score, but it was cleared by midfielder Fredrik Aursnes.
In the 90th, English sub defender Djed Spence pressured Norway keeper Orjan Nyland on a ball played back, and hit Nyland’s kick, which popped out of bounds, but could have been an England goal! But it finished 90 minutes at 1-1, with England at 58% possession and Norway up on shots, 9-7.
In extra time, England was on offense from the start, and in the 93rd, a shot from the top of the box by striker Morgan Rogers was saved by Nyland, but the rebound was volleyed into the goal by Bellingham, his sixth goal in the tournament. 2-1.
In the 99th, a run by Spence into the box resulted in a foul by midfielder Oscar Bobb that was initially called for a penalty, but it was nullified after video review. .
An exhausted Haaland was subbed out by Norway for the second extra period for Jordan Larsen. Norway was looking to equalize, but Nyland had to double-save Spence and Saka on the 108th. Norway would not find a goal and it ended 2-1, with 53% possession at the end for England and 14-13 on shots.
England survived in the heat, and advances to an indoor match in Atlanta for the semi. Norway will be remembered for a long time for this historic run.
● Argentina 3, Switzerland 1 (in extra time) ● Warm conditions of 83 F and 66% humidity at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for this quarterfinal, with a stunning early strike from Argentina early on.
After being down 2-0 to Egypt in the Round-of-16, the Argentines wanted a better start. They had a corner in the 9th on the right side of the field, and resulted in a shot from midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was deflected by a Swiss defender for another corner. From the other side of the field, star Lionel Messi sent the corner to the middle of the box and Mac Allister got his head on it and sent it to the far side of the Swiss net for the 1-0 lead in the 10th.
At the hydration break, the Swiss had 52% possession and shots were 3-3, but Argentina was in control. The Swiss controlled the ball, and finally got a real chance in the 31st on a run into the box by forward Dan Ndoye, but he was pushed aside by Argentine defender midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and Ndoye then fell over keeper Emiliano Martinez in the middle of the box.
The Swiss continued with the ball and the half ended 1-0, with Switzerland at 57% in possession and the shots still at 3-3, i.e., no shots recorded in the “second period.”
Down a goal, the Swiss looked for the equalizer at the start of the second half, but the Argentine defense was tight. Ndoye was finding some room for crosses and a dangerous header in the 65th, and midfielder Granit Xhaka sent a curling shot from the top of the box in the 66th that Martinez had to save.
Then in the 67th, another play by Ndoye tied it! He came down the left side, forwarded the ball to defender Ricardo Rodriguez, who kicked it back to Ndoye, who sent a screamer to the far side of the net for the tie. 1-1.
The game changed dramatically in the 70th, as striker Breel Embolo went down, with a yellow card given to Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes. But video review reversed the call, and Embolo got the yellow and because he had one, was disqualified (red card). Now, the Swiss play with 10 men. The hydro break followed, with 53% Swiss possession, a 9-to-5 shots lead and now playing a man down.
In the 84th, Messi tried to catch the Swiss sleeping and broke for the goal as a cross was tried, but Swiss keeper Gregor Kobel was ready and caught the shot, with offsides called on Messi. Messi also missed a shot just wide right at 90+2 and Kobel had to fend off a couple more shots before the 90-minute whistle blew. Now, Argentina had 55% possession in the game and a 10-9 shots edge, but extra time was next.
Argentina held the ball against the packed-in Swiss defense, but no goals in the first extra period. Argentina possession was up to 59% now and shots were 17-11, so 7-2 for the defending champions in the period.
Argentina continued probing and Kobel stopped a Messi blast on goal in the 112th. But a few seconds later, striker Julian Alvarez had the ball on the left side at the top of the box, moved to his right and sent a long, right-footed strike that just cleared Kobel’s hand and ended up in the far right corner of the Swiss goal for the 2-1 lead.
The Swiss looked for another goal and pressing, were subject to a fast break the other way. Thiago Armada’s shot was blocked by Kobel, but sub striker Lautaro Martinez was there to finish on the rebound at 120+1 for the 3-1 final. Argentina finished with 59% possession and a 22-11 shots edge on the way to 12th straight game without a loss in World Cup play.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
On to the last four matches of the tournament:
● Semifinal: 14 July in Arlington: France vs. Spain (3 p.m. Eastern)
● Semifinal: 15 July in Atlanta: England vs. Argentina (3 p.m. Eastern)
● Third: 18 July in Miami Gardens (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Final: 19 July in East Rutherford (3 p.m. Eastern)
And then it will be over.
¶
/Updated/TicketData.com reporting showed that the lowest “get-in” price for the quarterfinals went down from the round-of-16:
● $913 for the Group Stage
● $1,015 for the Round-of-32
● $1,453 for the Round-of-16
● $1,188 for the Quarterfinals
And all of the quarterfinal matches dove in price (from their highest point) as the games got closer:
● FRA vs. MAR: $3,194 on 23 June to $1,027 on 9 July (–68%)
● ESP vs. BEL: $4,395 on 22 June to $1,087 on 10 July (–59%)
● ENG vs. NOR: $4,144 on 3 July to $1,805 on 11 July (–56%)
● ARG vs. SUI: $4,167 on 22 June to $832 on 11 July (–80%)
Through 100 of 104 matches, the median (not average) of the lowest “get-in” prices was $912.
¶
U.S. television ratings have soared for the country’s two favorite teams: the Americans and Mexico.
The epic England-Mexico round-of-16 match drew 23.5 million for English-language coverage on Fox and 23.20 million in Spanish on Telemundo for a 46.7 million final total, upgraded from the preliminary report.
The U.S.-Belgium match did even better, with a 37.2 million final total on Fox and 12.9 million on Telemundo for a 50.1 million total. This match was seen by more U.S. viewers, outside of the NFL, than any sporting event since game seven of the Cubs-Cleveland World Series in 2016.
The entire round-of-16 averaged 14.5 million on Fox and 11.1 on Telemundo for a 25.6 million average total. For comparison, the Knicks-Spurs five-game NBA Finals series averaged 20.9 million on ABC.
¶
A story by Mexican Sports Journalists Federation President Evencio Flores on the AIPS Web site about the impact of the World Cup in Mexico noted:
“The rosy figures from agencies, financial, tourism, and economic entities tried to convince us that everything would become a land of plenty, with overflowing coffers, cities teeming with visitors, that after the World Cup, we would all be happy, by decree, forever and ever.
“Reality crushed us, took root within us, overwhelmed us.
“The economic impact barely reached 50 billion pesos [~$2.82 billion U.S.], 25% of what was expected, with only 800,000 visitors out of the 5.5 million the Ministry of Tourism had announced.”
Rather amazingly, there was also this:
“Zero serious security incidents at two of the three venues (except for five deaths during a celebration at the Angel of Independence in Mexico City). The Mexican government achieved what many believed impossible: that the World Cup would not be remembered for tragedies. That, for the international narrative, is worth more than the nearly $3 billion earned.”
Really: “except for the five deaths”?! Following the 2-0 Mexican win over Ecuador in the Round-of-32 on 30 June, it was reported that “Three people died from asphyxiation during crowd congestion along Paseo de la Reforma, while a fourth victim died later in a hospital after being transported from the celebration area” and a fifth fatality was disclosed during a 6 July briefing by Mexican officials, related to the World Cup, but not necessarily to the Mexico-Ecuador match and crowd.
During the entire scope of the World Cup in Mexico (at three sites), there were 120 total requiring significant treatment, plus the five deaths. True, these tragedies were not at the stadiums, but any injury to spectators – let alone a death – around a sporting event is a major tragedy.
¶
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