Alshehri, Aldawsari, Al-Victory

 

Lionel Messi would put Argentina onto the scoreboard after being gifted with the opportunity to convert a penalty kick. It seemed only textbook that Argentina should go on to win this match even if they failed to score again. Well, that textbook needs to be rewritten. Saleh Alshehri would score in the 48th minute to change the match just after halftime. In the 53rd minute Salem Aldawsari's shot would meet the hand of Emiliano Martinez, Argentina's goalkeeper, and skip past into the back of the net. A resolute Saudi defense prevented Argentina from scoring again. No one guessed this result. Just look below.

 

Contestant	Result	Argentina	K. Saudi Arabia	Prediction	P. Argentina	P. K. Saudi Arabia	Points	Oracle	Total
Artifex	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	2	1	0	0	0
Colubris	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	3	1	0	0	0
Fortuitous	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Draw	0	0	0	0	0
Historicus	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	4	1	0	0	0
IoannesNix	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	4	2	0	2	2
Musicus	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	2	0	0	0	0
Praeceptor	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	3	0	0	0	0
ReginaApis	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	4	0	0	0	0
Scriptor	Saudi Arabia	1	2	Argentina	4	0	0	0	0

Wales Baled Out

     

The final match of the day saw two teams return to the World Cup. For the United States, it had been a long 8 years as they waited to undo the shame of missing out on a trip to Russia's World Cup in 2018. For Wales, it's been a little longer. The Welsh national side hasn't participated in a World Cup since 1958. There was some rust to be shaken off, about 64 years worth. The U.S. came out hot dominating the game from the word go. Wales looked happy to sit back and defend trying to grab a counterattacking opportunity. Timothy Weah would make them pay in minute 36 putting the States up 1-0. Action would pick up in the second half culminating in Gareth Bale being needlessly brought down in the box with his back to the goal. A penalty was awarded. Gareth Bale would convert. The final minutes of the game were tense and exciting but neither team could find that winning goal.

 

Contestant	Result	USA	Wales	Prediction	P. USA	P. Wales	Points	Oracle	Total
Artifex	Draw	1	1	United States	3	2	0	0	0
Colubris	Draw	1	1	United States	2	1	0	2	2
Fortuitous	Draw	1	1	Draw	0	0	5	0	5
Historicus	Draw	1	1	Draw	1	1	5	5	10
IoannesNix	Draw	1	1	Wales	1	3	0	2	2
Musicus	Draw	1	1	Draw	1	1	5	5	10
Praeceptor	Draw	1	1	Draw	1	1	5	5	10
ReginaApis	Draw	1	1	Wales	0	1	0	2	2
Scriptor	Draw	1	1	Wales	0	1	0	2	2

3 Players finally achieved the hat trick of picking the correct result and both scores. Historicus, Musicus, and Praeceptor all picked up 10 points in this match. 

Standings:

Rank	Contestant	Points	Oracle
1	Musicus	27	7
2	Praeceptor	22	7
3	Historicus	20	5
4	Scriptor	19	4
5	Colubris	14	4
5	IoannesNix	14	4
5	ReginaApis	14	4
8	Artifex	10	0
8	Fortuitous	10	0

 With an impressive 22 points on the day, including picking the USA vs Wales match 100% accurately, today's player of the day is:

The once reigning Queen is looking to get her crown back.

Congratulations!

The Grand Salmon Alpaca

Gakpo Hands of Netherlands' Victory

     

First off, a shout out to the Sengalese fans. In my opinion, this was the first match from a televised viewer aspect that felt like had some energy. They played their horns and drums in celebration from the kickoff. This may not turn into a low energy World Cup after all. That being said, the two nations battled entertainingly for 84 minutes. That's when Cody Gakpo would knock in the no look header pictured above. Davy Klaassan would scored in stoppage time to kill off any chances for Senegal to come back and tie. Onto the scores.

Contestant	Result	Senegal	Netherlands	Prediction	P. Senegal	P. Netherlands	Points	Oracle	Total
Artifex	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	3	5	0	5
Colubris	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	2	5	2	7
Fortuitous	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	3	5	0	5
Historicus	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	3	5	0	5
IoannesNix	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	2	3	5	0	5
Musicus	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	0	1	5	2	7
Praeceptor	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	2	5	2	7
ReginaApis	Netherlands	0	2	Draw	1	1	0	0	0
Scriptor	Netherlands	0	2	Netherlands	1	3	5	0	5

2 Iran, Half a Dozen of the Other

     

Day 2's opener saw Iran face the daunting task of holding England to a draw. That's about as good a result as they could have hoped. Iran's goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a head injury which saw him needing to be substituted. Other than that, not much happened, other than the 8 goals scored as England walked away 6-2 the better.

Onto the Scores:

Contestant	Result	England	Iran	Prediction	P. England	P. Iran	Points	Oracle	Total
Artifex	England	6	2	England	4	1	5	0	5
Colubris	England	6	2	England	3	1	5	0	5
Fortuitous	England	6	2	Draw	1	1	0	0	0
Historicus	England	6	2	England	1	0	5	0	5
IoannesNix	England	6	2	England	4	3	5	0	5
Musicus	England	6	2	England	3	0	5	0	5
Praeceptor	England	6	2	England	2	0	5	0	5
ReginaApis	England	6	2	England	2	0	5	0	5
Scriptor	England	6	2	England	2	0	5	0	5