Japan find the Ueda to Eliminate Tunisia

 9/26ths of the World Cup

 

 

Tunisia's loss to Sweden 1 goal to 5 left the team in turmoil. Head Coach Sabri Lamouchi was fired after only his 5th match in charge. Enter Herve Renard for his third appearance at a World Cup. He lead Morocco to the 2018 World Cup where they finished bottom of the group, and Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup where they also finished bottom of the group. Tunisia were in desperate need of a win to not finish bottom of the group, though it would be hard to place all the blame on Herve Renard. Japan were riding the high of coming back twice to draw Netherlands at 2 goals apiece. A win here would put them in contention for Group Winners, and leave them with more points than Sweden for an automatic spot in the Round of 32. Japan would start quickly with a goal in the 4th minute by Daichi Kamada. Ayase Ueda would double the lead in the 31st minute infuriating Tunisia's coach Renard. The second half would also fall to Japan with a goal by Junya Ito at the 69th minute, and capped off by a second goal from Ayase Ueda in the 83rd minute. Japan sit 2nd in Group F with all to play for in their final match against Sweden. Tunisia join Haiti and Turkiye as teams eliminated after their second match day of the Group Stage.

 

 

  

Two competitors picked Germany to be victorious over Cote d'Ivoire  by the score of 2 goals to 1. Only one of those competitors managed to earn 26 points, cutting their deficit to second place from 5 points to 1, and to first place from 20 points to 6. Congratulations Praeceptor on the performance of the day.

 

 Four more matches on Sunday as groups H and G sort themselves out further. Both groups saw all teams finish in draws, sitting with 1 point each. To the victors go the spoils, may you pick the right outcomes.

 

 

 

Cura-WOW! Ecuador Held to a Draw

 35/104ths of the World Cup

 

 

Ecuador's loss to Cote d'Ivoire left them hungry for a win. Curacao's thrashing at the hands of Germany left them looking to prove they belong at the World Cup. The shortest distance between the two countries is 1,070 miles, and yet they have never played one another before. Ecuador dominated the match in all the major statistics except one. They could not finish with more goals than Curacao. The 90 minute stalemate earns Curacao their first World Cup point and leaves them with a slim opportunity to escape the Group Stage. Ecuador sit ahead of Curacao only thanks to a better goal differential. They will be hard pressed to move further in the tournament without a victory. Their hardest test will be against Germany, while Curacao will fight for their lives against Cote d'Ivoire. 

 

 

The German Undav-or to comeback against Cote d'Ivoire

 17/52nds of the World Cup

 

 

Germany eased their way to a 7-1 victory over Curacao. Cote d'Ivoire grabbed 3 points from Ecuador. The two met for a chance at going top of Group E and booking their place in the Round of 32. Their only prior meeting was a friendly in 2009 that finished a 2-2 draw. Cote d'Ivoire were looking for their first advancement from the Group Stage and were looking good for it through Franck Kessie's 30th minute strike. The German's struggled to find the goal until super sub Deniz Undav entered the match. His 68th minute shot found the netting and tied the match at 1-1. He would save the day for Germany in the 4th minute of stoppage time as he would again net a goal. It's his 3rd goal in two matches off the bench. Germany have made it to the Round of 32 with a match to spare. Cote d'Ivoire sit in 2nd with the fate of their tournament in their hands.

 

  

Netherlands Sweep-en Sweden Aside

 33/104ths of the World Cup

 

 

 The Netherlands and Sweden have played 21 times with Netherlands getting the best of the Swedes on more occasions. They've played many friendlies, European Championship Qualifiers, and even World Cup Qualifiers. Their only previous meeting at the World Cup was in 1974 when they played to a scoreless draw. Netherlands entered with 1 point from their disappointing draw with Japan. Sweden were riding the high of their drubbing of Tunisia. Looking for the path to the Round of 32, both teams were hungry for points. The Netherlands would strike early and often. Brian Brobbey would score in the 5th and 17th minutes to give Netherlands a 2-0 lead. Cody Gakpo would come out in the second half and add two goals in the 47th and 54th minutes to increase the lead to 4-0. Anthony Elanga would enter the match and put one goal back for Sweden in the 59th minute. Crysencio Summerville would put a 5th goal on the board for Netherlands in the 89th minute. The final whistle sees Netherlands sitting atop of Group F. Sweden sit in 2nd place knowing they have a tough confrontation with Japan to determine what their World Cup future is like.

 

 

Galarza, the Paraguayan way to Slay a Turkiye

 4/13ths of the World Cup

 

 

The only previous match between Turkiye and Paraguay occurred at the Copa Centenario in 1995. That match ended in a scoreless draw. Both sides would need at least the same result to keep their tournament hopes alive. Paraguay fell to the United States in their opening match 4-1. Turkiye dominated Australia in most statistics, but still fell to the Socceroos 0-2. The deciding action would come in the 2nd minute when Matias Galarza would score to put Paraguay ahead. Turkiye would chase the match but fail to find the all important goal, their second match without the important statistic. Not even gifting Turkiye a man proved helpful as Miguel Almiron received a red card in the 3rd minute of first half stoppage time. The second straight loss eliminates Turkiye from the World Cup, the second team sent packing. Paraguay has life, but will need to defeat Australia in their ultimate matchup of the Group Stage.

 

 

Three perfect picks of the day, including two by Tournament Leader IoannesNix. One performance was better, by 2 points. With 26 points on the day, a perfect pick in Morocco's 1-0 victory over Scotland, and jumping 2 spots from 4th to 2nd, congratulations to Musicus.

The action picks up on Saturday at 1:00 pm as Groups E and F complete their 2nd Group matches. Best of luck to all.

 

 

Cunha let somebody else Score, Brazil?

 31/104ths of the World Cup

  

  

Brazil were disappointed with their draw against Morocco. Haiti were equally disappointed with their narrow loss to Scotland. Neither side was locked into the Round of 32, but both were looking to make history. The two sides have met three previous times. Twice in friendlies, and again in the 2016 Copa America. Haiti have been outscored 17-1 in those matches. Brazil would win on the scoreboard with goals from Matheus Cunha in the 23rd and 36th minutes. Vinicius Junior would add a third goal in the 3rd minute of stoppage time of the first half. The action would commence in the second half, but neither side could find the back of the net. For Haiti, this was their best result against Brazil. They took almost as many shots as Brazil (6 to 7), and found the target on about an equal amount (2 to 4). Unfortunately, Haiti were not as clinical with their finishing as Brazil, and find themselves with the most dubious title of first team eliminated from the World Cup. Brazil sit with 4 points along with Morocco, and finish their Group Stage against Scotland with the hope of winning Group C.