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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
The semis are set: France and Spain in Arlington, and England in Atlanta, waiting for its opponent to be determined.
● England 2, Norway 1 (after 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 vs. Switzerland ● In Kansas City. (9 p.m. Eastern) A report will be added once the match is completed.
≡ 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. ??? (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 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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