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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
● Group I: France 3, Norway 1 ● Both teams were 2-0 and through to the round-of-32 ahead of this match in humid (76%) Foxborough. Norway put in 10 new starters (no Erling Haaland), but France’s Kylian Mbappe was on the field.
And Mbappe sent a terrific lead pass to forward Ousmane Dembele from the left side of midfield to the right in the seventh minute. Dembele did the rest, switching feet and coming up to blast a right-footed shot into the far side of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Dembele did it again in the 20th, taking a pass from Mbappe on the right side, dribbling to the left, taking a moment and then sending a laser with the left foot into the net for 2-0.
The Norwegians were unimpressed and on the following possession, saw midfielder Thelo Aasgaard take the pass from forward Andreas Schjelderup at the left side of the box, take a dribble towards the middle and then rifle a right-footed shot back to the short side of the French net to close to 2-1 in the 21st!
The hydro break came next, with 70% French possession and an 11-4 shots lead, but in a fight for sure. Dembele struck again in the 32nd, as he got the box at the right side of the box, dibbled in and sent a left-footed strike to the far post for a 3-1 lead. Wow.
(Fox’s Ian Darke noted that the last first-half hat trick in the World Cup was in 1994.)
The half ended 3-1, with the French at 62% of the ball and 14-4 on shots, an accurate representation of the half. Norway had a chance for a quick goal as a penalty was called on defender Theo Hernandez was called for a penalty against Norway’s Oscar Bobb in the box in the 48th. But forward Jorgen Larsen took a poor penalty that was easily saved by French keeper Mike Maignan.
The French were at 59% possession and 16-7 on shots at the second hydro break, as the game wound down. But France got to 4-1 at 90+4 as substitute forward Desire Doue scored a header to the right side of goal on a cross from Bradley Barcola. The French left no doubt at 57% possession and 18-10 on shots. Both move on.
● Group I: Senegal 5, Iraq 0 ● Both teams came in with two losses for the game in Toronto, and it got crazy right away. Senegal defender Abdoulaye Seck appeared to head in a corner in the fourth, but the goal was given to midfielder Habib Diarra as the ball grazed him on the way in.
Iraq suffered a red card in the 13th as defender Rebin Sulaka brought down forward Sadio Mane on what was considered a scoring opportunity, confirmed by video review. At the hydro break, Iraq had 60% possession, but the Senegalese had a 6-2 shots edge, and expecting more goals.
Senegal took control, of course, with the man edge and was at 58% possession at the half and 10-4 on shots, but just the one goal.
The lead stretched out in the second half, with a goal from forward Ismaila Sarr in the 56th following an Iraq turnover and an assist from Lamine Camara, then substitute midfielder Pape Gueye scored in the 59th for a 3-0 lead. At the hydro break, Senegal now had 63% possession and 16-5 on shots.
They got to 4-0 in the 71st as Gueye got his second on a left-footed strike from the top of the box that flew into the top left side of the Iraq net. Senegal was relentless, looking for goals which might give them a spot on the last 32 based on goal differential. It was 5-0 on a Iliman Ndiaye edge-of-the-box strike for a goal in the 82nd, with an assist to Gueye.
It finished with 69% possession for Senegal and 28-6 on shots in a total mismatch.
● Group I ● France dominated the group at 3-0 and went through easily, with Norway at six points at 2-1. Senegal (1-2) earned three points and will have to see if their goal differential (+2 now) is enough to advance.
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● Group H: Spain 1, Uruguay 0 ● The Spanish (1-0-1) were favored in Guadalajara, but Uruguay (0-0-2) needed points to advance. The start was cautious, with Uruguay careful to limit Spanish passing in their zone. Spain had 77% possession at the hydration break, and the only two shots in the game.
The Spanish kept probing and got a break in the 42nd, as midfielder Marcos Llorente got hold of a loose ball on the right side and sent a cross to the middle of the box to midfielder Alex Baena, who launched a right-footed shot, which ready to be stopped by Uruguay keeper Fernando Musiera, but got by him for a 1-0 lead.
Spain finished the half at 74% of the ball and 4-3 on shots in a game they led, but were not totally in control. The second half had Uruguay more aggressive – they needed a goal – but were unable to manufacture chances. But the defense was enough to deny Spain by the hydro break, despite 71% possession so far and 5-4 on shots (yep, two shots in the half so far).
Uruguay kept looking for an opening and found none; Spanish sub forward Ferran Torres had a chance to ice it in the 86th, but an open shot in the middle of the box ricocheted off the crossbar. An Uruguay scramble in the box in the 90th ended with an Uruguayan foul.
Uruguyan frustration boiled over at 90+4 with a studs-up tackle by forward Augustin Canobbio and a red card, with tempers flaring among multiple players. And it ended at 1-0 and in turmoil, with Spain at 67% possession and 6-5 shots. One of the worst games of this tournament.
● Group H: Cape Verde 0 Saudi Arabia 0 ● The amazing Cape Verde, with two draws, was looking to advance (!) with a win against the Saudis (0-1-1) in Houston, but the match began with defense at the core. No score at the first break, with even possession and the Saudis making the only shot of the first 25 minutes.
Cape Verde was more aggressive after the break, and finished with 53% of the ball and four shots to three in the half. The second half was more aggressive for Cape Verde, but still no score at the second hydro break, with 55% of the ball and 8-4 on shots.
It ended 0-0 and Cape Verde is on to the elimination round. They had 51% possession and 15-7 on shots, Astounding.
● Group H ● Spain won the group at 2-0-1 and five points, but was hardly the juggernaut expected. Cape Verde, the smallest country to ever compete in the World Cup and playing in the tournament for the first time, played to 0-0, 2-2 and 0-0 draws and goes through, to meet defending champion Argentina. Miracle in the making?
Uruguay (0-1-2) and Saudi Arabia (0-1-2) both had high hopes that did not pan out, and there will be repercussions for both at home.
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● Group G: Belgium 5, New Zealand 1 ● The Belgians (0-0-2) were on the attack immediately in Vancouver, but did not manage an early goal despite many minutes in front of the New Zealand goal. In the 20th, a possible penalty for a hand ball on New Zealand defender Finn Surman in the box was called off after a video review.
At the hydro break, Belgium held 74% possession and was 7-0 on shots, but no goals. In the 28th, a corner from star Kevin De Bruyne fell right in front of goal, where it bounced and hit New Zealand defender Tim Payne and kicked in by striker Leandro Trossard for the 1-0 lead.
The Kiwis got some time on offense as the half ebbed, but Belgium broke out multiple times, leading to misfires from striker Jeremy Doku and De Bruyne. Fellow forward Charles de Ketelaere was denied on a left-side blast in the 43rd by New Zealand keeper Max Crocombe.
But the half ended 1-0, even with 61% possession by the Belgians and 16 shots to one!
The Red Devils were on the march to start the second half and after a cross into the box by midfielder Hans Vanaken, Trossard shot again and it was blocked, but it bounced back to him and he didn’t miss in the 50th for a 2-0 lead.
De Bruyne got a brilliant goal in the 66th, taking a pass from the middle of the field to the left side, setting himself up and sending a left-footed laser to the far side of the net for the 3-0 lead. The break came soon after, with Belgium at 58% possession and 26-3 on shots.
The Kiwis got a much-deserved goal in the 84th, on a rebound in in the box that was slammed home by forward Elijah Just, to cut the lead to 3-1. Belgium substituted in star striker Romelu Lukaku and he scored almost immediately – 56 seconds later – as a cross from right to left by midfielder Nicolas Raskin found him at the back end of the Kiwi goal for a header to go to 4-1.
The Red Devils finished with a flurry as Lukaku pushed the ball to the right at the top of the box to Alexis Salemaekers at 90+4 and he crushed a shot that rushed into the net for the 5-1 final. Belgium finished with 55% possession, but an overpowering 35-6 shots advantage.
● Group G: Egypt 1, Iran 1 ● Both offenses were in gear early in Seattle, as group leader Egypt (1-0-1) scored in the fifth minute on midfielder Mahmoud Saber kicked in a rebound off a saved shot from star striker Mo Salah for the 1-0 lead.
But the Iranians (0-0-2) came right back with a penalty in the 11th, with striker Mehdi Taremi fouled on the box. But he took the penalty and it was saved in the right corner by Egypt’s keeper, Mostafa Shoubir. But the pressure continued and a shot by defender Milad Mohammadi was saved, but the rebound was available to defender Ramin Rezaeian, who scored from short range at a difficult angle to tie it in the 14th!
Both sides made forays, with Egypt controlling 62% of possession in the half and eight shots to six. The second half started with chances for both, but Egypt maintained 65% possession to the hydro break and had 12 shots to eight, but with the game still at 1-1.
The game continued on the way to a tie, but got crazy in stoppage time. At 90+4, an Iranian goal on a rebound by defender Shoja Khalilzadeh looked like the winner, but it was waved off for offsides.
Another Iranian rush into the box had a powerful header from midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi that hit the crossbar at 90+7, and it ended 1-1. Egypt had 61% possession and a 15-12 shots edge, but they barely survived.
● Group G ● The whole group was in chaos until the very end, but Belgium’s big win gave them a 1-0-2 record and five points and +4 on goal differential. That was enough to win the group as Egypt also had five points but +2 goal differential and was second.
Iran ends with three draws (3 points) and a zero goal differential and will have to wait to see if they qualify as a third-place team.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
On Saturday, 27 June, group play will finish:
● Group L: Panama vs. England, in East Rutherford (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Group L: Croatia vs. Ghana, in Philadelphia (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Group K: Colombia vs. Portugal, in Miami Gardens (7:30 p.m. Eastern)
● Group K: DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan, in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. Eastern)
● Group J: Algeria vs. Austria, in Kansas City (10 p.m. Eastern)
● Group J: Jordan vs. Argentina, in Arlington (10 p.m. Eastern)
The elimination round-of-32 will start on Sunday (28th) in Inglewood, California, between South Africa and Canada, at noon local time.
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Andrew Giuliani, the Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, says the U.S. should consider a bid to host the event again in 2038, the first available edition. The BBC reported Giuliani’s comments, that included:
“When you think that this World Cup may at some point expand out to 64 teams, I think the United States can handle it. Let me make sure we get through this World Cup on 19 July before we make our pitch for 2038 or other ones.
“There’s no better country that’s positioned to host a World Cup than the United States, and I think we’re seeing that on social media.
“I think we’re seeing that with all the fans that may be interacting with the U.S. for the first time, or the first time in a long time, that the U.S. truly is extremely welcoming, that we have such an incredible infrastructure.
“We have the stadiums built, so for the U.S., compared to other host nations, where it costs tens and tens of billions of dollars, you know, it cost us a couple of billion.”
The 2030 and 2034 World Cups have already been assigned. Any bid for a future World Cup must come from the U.S. Soccer Federation, which is already preparing for a formal acceptance of its bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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