Game of the day: Mexico 2 – 1 Saudi Arabia
It was a tricky alternative for this slot, as a result of not one of the 4 video games right now had been implausible shows of the game by themselves. But contemplating the stress and drama they carried in relation to one another, this made for a few of the greatest viewing a World Cup can supply. For freaks like us who maintain two TVs in the lounge, that is our reward, our justification, or raison d’etre.
Anyway, Mexico are heading dwelling as a result of they didn’t get the yet another aim they wanted. For the primary time on this event, and actually the primary time in for much longer than that, Mexico regarded like an precise attacking risk. Saudi Arabia tried the identical gambit, a minimum of to begin, that they did towards Argentina, with a maniacally excessive line behind their ahead line in a mid-block, principally surrounding the midway line and attempting to condense play right into a 10-15 yard space. But whereas Argentina are constructed on affected person, intricate, quick passes to work their method up the sector, Mexico are extra conditioned to play instantly and hit by means of balls and go excessive. And let’s be clear once more, Saudi Arabia’s ploy solely labored towards Argentina due to Lautaro Martinez being two inches offside, perhaps. It was simply as a lot luck as crafty stratagem.
So Mexico created a wealth of probabilities, however has been their bugaboo for just about the whole cycle, or a minimum of ever since Raul Jimenez obtained harm two years in the past, they don’t have a surefire striker. Jesus Corona’s damage earlier than the event solely exacerbated this drawback, leaving Chucky Lozano as their solely world-class attacker. It’s not an enormous shock that Mexico’s two targets within the second half got here off set items.
Still, Mexico gave their followers a thrill, if solely an inexpensive thrill in the long run. As they threw a lot of the nation on the Saudi aim, they scored twice in 5 minutes, which set each video games in Group C on edge. Thanks to Argentina taking a 2-0 lead, each Mexico’s and Poland’s general goal-difference was again to 0. Which meant Poland’s plan from there was caught in between the minds of getting their very own aim to take the goal-difference benefit whereas additionally being afraid of giving Argentina more room to attain once more. Or they might sit nonetheless, try to bore Argentina to dying, and trip their benefit in honest play factors (yellow and crimson playing cards). Mexico’s cost was simpler, which was simply to attain once more towards a Saudi workforce that was principally eradicated. And if that didn’t work, they might hope for Graham Zusi to all of a sudden turn into Argentine, come on as a sub towards Poland, and bail their ass out once more. Neither occurred.
Of course, there was yet another twist. Saudi Arabia scored on the counter in damage time, which swung the goal-difference battle again to Poland. But, Mexico nonetheless solely wanted yet another aim, as a result of in the event that they obtained it they’d undergo on targets scored. But they couldn’t discover it, and I suppose they will really feel higher about going out on a tiebreaker of goal-difference as a substitute of honest play factors, as a lot of the second half was poised to ship them out on. Though most of us would have chuckled endlessly and probably burst a kidney doing so if Mexico ate it as a result of they had been barely dirtier shits than Poland.
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Other outcomes
Argentina 2 – 0 Poland
As we stated, Poland just about had their place within the knockout spherical land on them greater than they did something to take it. No one anticipated Poland to try to match Argentina on the ball, and it’s hardly a nasty plan to make them break you down and try to hit on the counter. It already labored for somebody on this event, in any case. The crux of that although is that you simply a minimum of try the second half, and even take into consideration the second half, or seem like you understand how the second half works, or that you simply’ve ever tried the second half within the current previous.
Poland supplied nothing on this sport, and Robert Lewandowski was so remoted from his teammates that he began portray a face on a volleyball. Poland may solely punt the ball within the course they hoped Lewandowski can be, and if he may by some means get to it he must maintain it up for 3 minutes earlier than any teammate may be part of him. This has been Poland in principally each event they present as much as, which appears a disgrace as a result of there are gamers right here. They must be able to greater than merely seeing in the event that they forged a shadow exterior their very own 18 each seven minutes.
Poland can thank their keeper for advancing. Wojciech Szczęsny regarded like he may make a run at Tim Howard’s file for saves in a World Cup sport, and he may need needed to if Argentina hadn’t known as off the canine for essentially the most half within the final 10 minutes. He saved a Messi penalty, which is the margin that Poland obtained out of the group by, and made eight different saves.
The panic over Argentina was at all times overblown after their opening loss. Spain misplaced their first sport in 2010, in any case. They had been on the ass-end of lightning being deposited in a bottle, and have grown into the final two video games and look fairly sharp now. The first half towards Mexico was terrible. The second half was higher. The first half towards Poland was fairly good, and the second half higher. Today’s massive change was Martinez being faraway from the beginning lineup for Julian Alvarez, and he responded with six photographs and the second aim. Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister, didn’t actually should do a lot in midfield, contemplating how ham-handed Poland was, however that may be a scary metal wall for the actual groups later within the event to have to barter.
France 0 – 1 Tunisia, Denmark 0 – 1 Australia
Much just like the shenanigans in Group C, the morning noticed two matches that should be considered collectively in Group D. Neither was a fantastic sport in a vacuum. France despatched out the B-team as a result of they already had the group clinched for all intents and functions. Australia’s plan has at all times been the identical, which is to work arduous, defend, and see what they might scrounge if the possibility got here. Boy did they.
The headline right here is that Denmark are out after being within the European Championship semifinal simply 16 months in the past (and having a really questionable penalty go towards them to knock them out). But they will’t actually have any arguments, as a result of they’ve regarded insipid for a lot of the event. Their hopes actually hinged on what they’d do within the opener towards Tunisia, they usually by no means actually threatened. The fear for the Danes has at all times been that they simply don’t have a striker, or perhaps a ahead line, that they might depend on to complete off no matter probabilities they did create.
And whereas Christian Eriksen is an excellent story, we’ve stated earlier than great tales don’t win by themselves. Australia didn’t discover it too difficult to cope with the Danish plan. They merely stood one or two guys round Eriksen always. Eriksen is just not Luka Modric, in that he can’t dribble his method into house to then launch his otherworldly imaginative and prescient and passing. He’s fairly stationary. Denmark didn’t have a Plan B.
Without Eriksen on the Euros, the Danes needed to discover varied methods to attain, whether or not that was rampaging wingbacks or pushing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg right into a extra offensive function or no matter else. We noticed principally none of that on this event, with everybody ready round for Eriksen to make issues go. In a sport they needed to win, towards a really restricted Australia aspect, they generated simply 0.65 xG and three photographs on track. Compare that to Mexico, in an analogous state of affairs, who piled up 11.
But honest play to Australia, who knew what they had been and did it to the hilt. They had been barely below risk from Denmark, and took their one likelihood. And it turned out they wanted that aim as Tunisia beat JV France. Only essentially the most addled kangaroo would have had the Aussies amassing six factors on this group, however right here we’re. And hey, we get movies like this.
Goal of the day: Well they could be again on the aircraft however Mexico did present us with this Luis Chavez freekick. Have a dip, son:
Eulogy for the departed – Mexico
I’ll try to maintain my glee concerning the U.S.’s greatest rival taking their flapping gums dwelling…and fail miserably. One wonders if Memo Ochoa nonetheless thinks the U.S. desires to see Mexico within the mirror now, dingus.
It isn’t actually a lot of a shock that Mexico goes dwelling, as a result of this has been one of many least spectacular Mexico sides in current reminiscence. As acknowledged above, they haven’t had a striker of any observe, and Corona’s damage disadvantaged them of a foil to Lozano on the opposite aspect. But that is Mexico, and they need to have extra depth than seeing one damage inflicting them to be out of solutions.
We noticed them in 4 video games towards the U.S. and Canada in qualifying. They didn’t win any of them. They scored one aim. They ought to have misplaced all 4, in actuality.
This will most likely engineer a variety of self-reflection in Mexico, and it ought to. Mexico is, arguably, the third most populous county on the planet the place soccer is the principle sport, behind Brazil and Nigeria. It has 3 times the inhabitants of Argentina. It has a wildly in style league. But both by means of their very own silliness, or corruption, or vanity, or some mixture of all three they’ve stalled out. Mexico shouldn’t be worrying about reaching the quarterfinals as some form of their very own Valhalla. They must be frightened about profitable the fucking factor. And they haven’t been farther away from both in a really, very very long time.
Saudi Arabia – They took their swing, they’ve a end result they’ll keep in mind endlessly, however you possibly can’t beat Argentina after which seem like your limbs fell off towards Poland and anticipate to undergo. Anyway, let’s have one final Right Said Fred second earlier than they go:
Denmark – Find a striker, or simply attempt to persuade FIFA that Norway and Denmark are the identical factor and run Erling Haaland on the market. It’s FIFA, it simply may work.
Tunisia – Victory over France most likely feels nice for a number of causes. They’ll a minimum of have that.
Did Alexi Lalas say something silly? He was nonetheless in USMNT glow, and we are able to’t blame him.
Did VAR fuck something up? It ended up being a BALL DON’T LIE state of affairs, however the penalty to Argentina felt awfully tender. Yes, Szczesny did catch Messi together with his fingers after Messi headed the ball, however it was a light-weight brush. Credit to Fox’s Mark Clattenburg although for mentioning that if an outfield participant had caught Messi with their ft after he had performed the ball, it will be a foul. Still felt actually tender, however as soon as the ref is named over to the display screen it looks like he’s compelled to vary his name merely to justify the time taken. Didn’t find yourself mattering, thank god.
Should we chuckle at Mexico yet another time? Let’s…