Julian to Argentina's Alvarez-cue

25/26ths of the World Cup

 

 

The last time Argentina were defending champions at a World Cup, they failed to make the playoffs, only to return and reclaim the championship at the following World Cup. Their opponents Switzerland have only been to the Quarterfinals 3 previous times in their history. The last was in 1954 when they hosted, and were eliminated by Austria. It was the defending champions who would strike quickly in the 10th minute when Alexis Mac Allister would put Argentina up 1-0. The Champions would take the lead into halftime. The second 45 minutes would tell a striking story. in the 67th minute Dan Ndoye would tie the match for Switzerland. Just 5 minutes later Argentina's Leandro Paredes would see a yellow card for a foul on Breel Embolo. VAR would intervene and lead referee João Pinheiro changing his decision due to a simulation by Embolo. The rule states that because Leandro was shown a yellow card, that card would be rescinded, and Embolo would be shown a yellow card. If a card was never shown, then Switzerland would earn a free kick without VAR intervention. Due to the initial yellow card being shown to Argentina's player, Embolo, who was already on one yellow card, received a second and was sent off. Switzerland would play the rest of the match down one man. Still, they pressed on and defended well to take the match to extra time. The first 15 minutes proved fruitless, as neither side could find the back of the netting. The second 15 minutes proved too much for an out-manned Swiss side. in the 112th minute Julian Alvarez would score to put Argentina ahead. 9 minutes later, in the 1st minute of the final stoppage time in the match, Lautaro Martinez would score a 3rd goal and shut the door on Switzerland's World Cup for good. Switzerland went farther in this tournament than many people thought they would, outlasting the likes of Brazil, Colombia, and the Netherlands. Argentina continue on their path to defend their 2022 World Cup Championship and will face England on Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

 

 

Today's top performer picked both England and Argentina to advance to the Semifinals. He also earned 9 Oracle points on the day. Moving back into 2nd place with 169 points, congratulations to Scriptor!

 

Only four teams remain with a chance to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The matches pause to give each team time to rest before resuming on Tuesday. France and Spain will battle for the first slot in the Championship match at 3:00pm from Dallas, Texas. Wednesday the winner of that match will find out who their opponent will be as England and Argentina meet for the first time since Lionel Messi has suited up for Argentina at 3:00pm from Atlanta, Georgia. Five contestants in the 2026 TSzAL World Cup have their Champions still alive. Two competitors have 3 of their final 4 still alive in the tournament. An unprecedented 3 players have all 4 of their Semifinalists ready to compete. MalumSigma sits first and has all his hopes riding on Argentina's ability to repeat as Champions. Scriptor maintains a slim 2 point lead on Historicus as both look for Spain to raise the trophy once again. Oracle points will be a huge factor in separating these two as they have picked the exact same teams to finish 1 through 4. Musicus leads Praeceptor by 13 points as they both picked France to win it all. They have different teams finishing 2nd through 4th, and each lost out on 1 of those finishers landing where predicted. Just 4 matches remain in the 2026 World Cup, and we could see the tightest finish in TSzAL history. Best of Luck to ALL!

 

 

 

 

Hey Jude, don't be so Sad, England is Moving On

99/104ths of the World Cup

 

 

In only their 4th World Cup of their long history, Norway have already gone farther than ever before. Twice they've been eliminated in the Round of 16, what was once the first round of the playoffs. This year they procured victories in both the Round of 32 and the Round of 16. The enthusiasm around the team was about to face a wall in the team of England. Since their Championship in 1966 England's best finish has been 4th Place, which they achieved in 1990 and 2018. Their quest to improve upon that meant finding a way to keep Erling Haaland from scoring. That task they would achieve, but Andreas Shcjelderup would put Norway ahead 1-0 in the 36th minute. England fought back thanks to Jude Bellingham who score in the 2nd minute of first half stoppage time to send England into the break with a draw. The second half would see both teams search for the go ahead goal, but neither side could make the break in their opposition's defense. This match was headed to extra time. It took all of 3 minutes for Jude Bellingham to put England ahead 2-1. Norway would battle, as any Viking would, but on this day the English would prevail. Norway head home with much to look forward to in the upcoming UEFA European Championship. England move on to face the winner of Argentina and Switzerland in the Semifinals.

 

 

Mira-Mikel Merino Strikes Again

59/52nds of the World Cup

 

 

Spain's last victory in the Round of 16 came at World Cup 2010 when they defeated Paraguay 1-0 on the road to their World Championship. They would have to break their current streak against a Belgian team that was looking better and better as this tournament went on. Belgium's problem would be figuring out how to score on Spain. La Furia Roja haven't given up a goal in 484 minutes of play at the World Cup, and have only seen 6 shots on target combined through their first 5 matches. Belgium's quest to reach beyond the Quarterfinals for the first time 2018 would start in peril. After 30 minutes of back and forth action, Fabian Ruiz would put Spain ahead 1-0. It seemed as though the Spanish attack was coming back to life in this tournament. Charles de Ketelaere would tie the match just 11 minutes later and rejuvenate a Belgian side that were trying to prove they belonged. As the match wore on, each side would see substitutions that would impact the match. Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois would go down in an injury. He would be subbed off for Senne Lammens who was making only his 3rd appearance for the national team. On the flip side, Spain had an ace up their sleeves. In their Round of 16 match-up the Spanish found themselves struggling to score against Portugal. In the 88th minute they subbed on Mikel Merino who would score the game winning goal in the 1st minute of 2nd half stoppage time. Needing a victory late in this Quarterfinal match-up, the call was made to swap Dani Olmo for Mikel Merino in the 86th minute. Just two minutes later, he would score to give Spain the 2-1. They would never look back. Belgium are once again eliminated without a trophy to show for their efforts. The last of their golden generation have aged and most likely played in their final World Cup matches. Spain rolls on in search of their 2nd title. They face France in the Semifinals on Tuesday, July 14.

 

 

 

Four players predicted that Spain and Belgium would face off in the 2nd Semifinal. All would pick Spain to win. Only one of these players would predict for the match to finish 2-1 in Spain's favor to gain all 5 Oracle Points. With 105 points on the day, and jumping from 3rd to 2nd, today's Player of the Day is Historicus!

The final two Semifinal matches will conclude tomorrow. First up Norway hope to continue their Cinderella run by defeating England at 5:00 pm in Miami, Florida. The winner of that match will face the better of the two sides between Argentina and Switzerland who will kick off at 9:00 pm from Kansas City, Missouri. Only 6 matches remain to determine the Winner. May those of you whose Champions are still playing find favor on the fields.

 

 

 

Morocco have a Case of French Deja Vu

97/104ths of the World Cup

 

 

Morocco was the surprise of World Cup 2022. Two victories and a draw against Croatia, Belgium, and Canada had them top Group F. They defeated Spain on penalties in the Round of 16, defeated Portugal in the Quarterfinals, and ran into France in the Semifinals. It took all of 5 minutes for France to score and grab a lead they would never relinquish. The 0-2 loss on December 14th, 2022 was the end of the road for Morocco's World Cup hopes. They would lose 1-2 to Croatia in the Third Place Playoff. Three and a half years later, Morocco found themselves in the Round of 16 once again facing the 2-time World Champions. The rematch would start in a better favor for Morocco as they would make it into halftime with a scoreless draw. This came about even after France were awarded a penalty kick, but not without some controversy. Morocco's defender Noussair Mazraoui would take down Kylian Mbappe in the box as the forward skillfully dribbled past him. VAR would step in to confirm the penalty, which lasted 3 minutes and 10 seconds. The delay impacted Mbappe who would shoot low to the right corner of goal, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou would stop the shot. Kylian would complain to the referee several times about the delay in his allowance to take the penalty. A fired up France came out in the second half looking to put the match to bed. Goals by Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the 60th and 66th minutes put the match out of reach for Morocco. The reigning African Champions head home to reload for the next round of Continental and World Championships. France march on for their quest to reach their 3rd straight World Cup Championship match. They await the winner of Spain and Belgium in the Semifinals.

  

 

 

Today's top performance was the only selection of France and Morocco to face off in the first Quarterfinal, and selection of France as the Victors. With 100 points on the day, and increasing his lead from 49 points to 67, give it up for the madman, MalumSigma. He is the second player to be top performer for 3 days in a row. However, he is doing it at the end of competition where it may matter most. Can anyone stop him? Tune in tomorrow.

Tomorrow Quarterfinal number 2 will be played at 3:00 pm from Los Angeles, California. Musicus and Praeceptor saw their World Cup Champions advance today in France's victory. Artifex has been let down by her pick for Champions in Sweden. It was a good effort, but the top spot seems impossible to reach now. Fortuitous has life with Norway still in the mix. MalumSigma continues to ride Argentina to his first Championship aspirations. Historicus and Scriptor both see their Championship picks in Spain battle in a do-or-die contest against a positive looking Belgian team. Will these two grow braver in their chances for victory, or will two more hopefuls come crashing down. Only time will tell.

 

 

 

Switzerland Vargas the Way to Beat Colombia's Goalkeeper

12/13ths of the World Cup

 

 

 

Switzerland have been eliminated in 4 of the last 5 World Cups, and the last 3  in a row, in the Round of 16. Their last playoff victory came in 1938 when the beat Nazi Germany 4-2 in a replay after drawing the first match 1-1. Their path to national history took them through the waiting arms of Colombia. The South Americans were hoping to reach the Quarterfinals for the 2nd time in their history, having achieved that benchmark in 2014. The Swiss had given up 3 goals in 4 matches, while Colombia had only given up 1 in 4 matches. This was always going to be a defensive battle. Unfortunately, for fans the match lacked goals after the 90 minutes of regulation, and 30 minutes of extra time. Their fortunes would be determined by a penalty kick shootout. Colombia would start. 

Juan Fernando Quintero would step up first for Colombia. His shot would go just left of center and in, as Gregor Kobel would dive towards the right of goal. Granit Xhaka would go first for Switzerland. He would fire to the left of goal, and though Camilo Vargas would dive in the right direction and get a hand on the ball, the shot was too strong to keep out. Both teams are tied at 1.

Davinson Sanchez would take the next spot kick for Colombia. He would fire top center of goal, and though Gregor Kobel dove to his right and out of the way, the ball would bounce of the inside of the crossbar, deflect down and stay out of goal. Zeki Amdouni would step up for Switzerland with a chance to take the lead. His shot would find the bottom right corner of the net as Camilo Vargas dove the opposite direction. 2-1 to Switzerland. 

Round 3 would begin with Jaminton Campaz. He would fire low and to the right, and beat Gregor Kobel who dove correctly, but just over the ball. Manuel Akanji would try next for Switzerland, with the hope of keeping the pressure on Colombia. His shot would go high and center but well over the crossbar to tie the shootout at 2 goals apiece. 

Cucho Hernandez would try to put Colombia up for the first time in the shootout. He would fire low and to the left, but Gregor Kobel would dive across the grass and block the shot with his hand. Cedric Itten would step up for Switzerland to try and put them back ahead. Cedric would fire down the center of goal as Camilo Vargas would dive to his right. Switzerland leads 3-2.

Luis Diaz would take the 5th penalty kick for Colombia needing to score to keep them alive. He would fire low and to the left while looking Gregor Kobel to the opposite corner. The keeper would fumble to his wrong side as Colombia's last hope would come to Camilo Vargas making a save. Ruben Vargas would step up and place the ball low and to the left as Camilo would dive the wrong way. Colombia will go home wishing they could have this match back as they surely could have won. Switzerland advance to the Quarterfinals to face Argentina.

 

 

 

Two players matched their picks today. Both selected Argentina to score 3 goals and advance to the Quarterfinals. They failed to pick Egypt as their opponents. They also selected Switzerland to battle Colombia, and failed to guess the scoreline or that Switzerland would advance. With 67 points apiece, MalumSigma and Scriptor made tiny waves in the tournament. Though Scriptor would move up from 3rd place to 2nd, it is MalumSigma who has extended his lead to 49 points. He also dominated the Round of 16 by picking 6 out of 8 winners heading into the Quarterfinals. Congratulations MalumSigma!

After 27 straight days of football, the World Cup finally takes a break. There will be no matches played tomorrow, as the Quarterfinals will kick off with France and Morocco at 4:00 pm from Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday. It is a rematch of the 2nd Semifinal from World Cup 2022 that saw France win 2-0, and Morocco fall to 4th place with 2 straight losses to end their run. Can Morocco avenge their defeat? You all better hope not.  No one picked Morocco to go into the Semifinals, and 5 competitors picked France to make it into the next round. 

A scoring update for the next round. Correct match-ups are now worth 15 points, and selecting the right winner in this scenario garners another 10 points. Each Semifinalist you correctly pick regardless of where you have them in the bracket is worth 75 points. 

The Grand Salmon Alpaca is off now to get some much needed rest. Until Thursday my Crias. Spend your off day with friends and family. You're hearts very well could be broken by the week's end. 

 

 

How to Win when you're Playing Messi

95/104ths of the World Cup

 

 

Argentina continue their quest for a 4th World Championship, and 2nd in a row, by facing off with Egypt in the Round of 16. Egypt finally won their first World Cup match by defeating New Zealand 3-1 in the Gorup Stage. They made it to the Round of 16 by defeating Australia in a penalty shootout. Could those tired legs compete with the powerhouse of Argentina? Yasser, as in Yasser Ibrahim would put Egypt ahead 1-0 in the 15th minute. A stunned Argentina would labor their way to halftime maintaining a 1 goal deficit. In the 2nd half, Egypt celebrated taking a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute via Mostafa Zico on a breakaway. Controversially, VAR stepped in and deemed the goal should not count. Marawan Attia was deemed to have fouled Lisandro Martinez as he stole the ball from the Argentinian defender. That goal would not count, but Mostafa Zico and Egypt would get a 2nd goal in the 67th minute that would count. Something else you can count on is Argentina's ability to get back into a match. Cristian Romero would give Argentina life with a goal in the 79th minute to trail Egypt 1-2. Then, the hero Lionel Messi would tie the match at 2 in the 83rd minute. At this point, Hotlanta became hotter as Argentina's fans fired up with cheers. As the match seemed to be headed to extra time, Argentina would strike a 3rd time in the 2nd minute of stoppage time as Enzo Fernandez would give Argentina the victory. Egypt heads home disappointed, feeling that shenanigans were afoot in their elimination. We can argue whether the foul by Marawan Attia that was missed by the referee deep in Argentina's defensive end should have been called out by VAR and disallowed. We cannot argue that Argentina marches on to face the winner of Switzerland and Colombia.