European teams made it through the World Cup’s round of 16, leaving Argentina and Morocco as the only non-UEFA nations remaining.
Morocco didn’t need Ismael Saibari against Canada, but the Atlas Lions will be without him if they hope to match their 2022 feat of reaching the semifinals.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Egypt, Africa’s other Round of 16 representative, cornered Argentina, but fell victim to some questionable calls and non-decisions. Hossam Hassan accused officials of favoring Argentina, but he was not the first to do so.
The United States and President Donald Trump have filed a lawsuit with FIFA to have Folarin Balogun’s red card revoked. But they discovered that sporting justice also existed in the form of a 4-1 defeat to Belgium.
Lionel Messi kept Argentina and South America’s hopes alive, but five-time champions Brazil failed to adopt the Italian style of catenaccio. Colombia could not find a target (1 goal in the last 3 games). And while Paraguay clung to its fractious identity, it was unable to shake France.
Portugal were the only UEFA team to advance to the final round, losing 1-0 to Spain in Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup appearance.
Golden boot race begins
Messi’s penalty was saved by Mostafa Chobeil, but he equalized from the rebound in the 83rd minute, making it his eighth goal of the World Cup. This is the 21st record of his career.
Kylian Mbappé’s penalty in the 70th minute against Paraguay increased his total to seven in the tournament and 19 in his career.
Erling Haaland finished with two assists for Andreas Schjelderup, level with Mbappé on seven goals.
He scored six goals with Harry Kane’s penalty against Mexico.
Sports karma hits you
Poetic justice? Or did Belgium simply have a positional advantage?
The United States lost 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle, ending a promising run that drew a record TV audience, but it ended in a way that exposed the team’s limitations.
The Red Devils broke the press with a long ball from Thibaut Courtois, broke down the flanks with Dodi Lukabakio and Leandro Trossard, and found Charles de Quetelaère’s cross, taking advantage of the defense’s inattention.
The U.S. gave it their all in the opener against Paraguay, defeating a European opponent (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for the first time since 2002, but struggled to shift gears against Turkje and Belgium.
As for that red card, it only served to motivate the Red Devils and showed off Romelo Lukaku’s Trump-inspired dance steps.
welcome to the neighborhood
Like the U.S., Canada presses high first and asks questions later, which makes sense since their coach is former U.S. national team midfielder Jesse Marsh.
Morocco absorbed everything the Maple Leafs could throw at them and found an opening in the second half for a 3-0 victory.
Canadians and their neighbors to the south need to find alternatives to constant, all-out pressure.
Hard charging and double team tactics don’t always work, especially against higher ranked opponents.
The Atlas Lions have shown they don’t need to be at their best to win, and the arrival of Sufjan Rahimi has given them a replacement up front for Saibari.
England livened up the game at the height of Mexico City.
Mexico hoped to dwarf the Three Lions with thin air, high-decibel home-field cheer and a quick passing game.
Instead, El Tri decided their defense was too far behind Jude Bellingham (two goals in two minutes) and Anthony Gordon to keep up the pace, and Anthony Gordon sprinted to earn a penalty kick, giving Kane a 3-1 victory.
Messi may be the GOAT, but he’s not infallible
Argentina is vulnerable. The 3-2 victory over Egypt, their second successive close call against an African opponent, exposed Albiceleste’s defensive weaknesses and perhaps their over-reliance on Messi.
But along the way, Argentina also showed its resourcefulness against both Egypt and Cape Verde.
Messi saved the penalty but ultimately succeeded against the Pharaohs. You would think that Messi would convert the penalty almost perfectly, but this was recorded as his 34th missed penalty in history.
This is his second absence from the World Cup this year and the fourth in eight games of his career.
Messi remains Argentina’s most valuable player, but retained midfielder Leandro Paredes has emerged as key to the 4-1-3-2 arrangement.
Still, Egypt might have held out had Haisem Hassan not been injured. Hassan was an exceptional dribbler, and his assists on goals (and disallowed goals) included a highlight show of nutmegs, rabonas and stepovers.
Check out the history of the World Cup
France, and by extension soccer, may have been at a disadvantage due to Paraguay’s ultra-defensive tactics. But it wasn’t the first time.
En route to winning the 1998 World Cup, France struggled against Albirroja, and Les Bleus made it through to the last 16 with a 114th-minute goal from Laurent Blanc in Reims.
Although this Paraguayan national team has taken their aggression to the extreme, it must be noted that many of the South American games take what has been called the “dark arts” even further.
The higher the stakes, the higher the competition and the more intense it can be. This was a test of France’s composure, confidence and wide play.
In the end, Désiré Douai beat several opponents to win the penalty, but a VAR review was needed to detect a foul on Diego Gomez in a 1-0 win.
welcome to the club
Four-time winners Italy (failed to qualify) and Germany (round of 32) are long gone. Joining them were five-time champions Brazil (0W-3L-2D), who had never beaten Norway.
The Selecao had chances in their 2-1 loss to the Norwegians, but Bruno Guimarães missed a penalty and Endrik misfired on a breakaway. Neymar converted a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time, scoring his ninth goal in four tournaments and what could be his last touch at the World Cup.
defensive spain
Those who expected Spain to be on the back foot may need to reevaluate after La Roja’s 1-0 win over Portugal and a shutout in fifth place. Mikel Oyarzabal (4 goals) scored a goal, while Lamine Yamal (1 goal) did not.
