With seven glorious days of the World Cup done and dusted, each and every team will be closer to knowing where they stand on form – and acutely aware of what they need to do to navigate their way into the next phase.
With so many upsets playing out and the group of ‘usual suspects’ that were expected to cruise through the group stage failing to do just that, the tournament appears wide open.
There have been clear indicators around some teams, for others, it is still a wait and see exercise and the full picture will be painted over the coming days.
There has been a lot to like and a few disappointments along the way.
Like #1 – The host nation
Whatever your stance on the decision to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the subsequent legal charges against the majority of the people who made it, the hosts haven’t let the game or themselves down.
The political background to this Cup is significant and varying attitudes around the appropriateness of the venue will linger for some time to come.
With MH17, US Elections, international espionage and gender and sexuality issues all elevating Russia to the headlines in recent years, many felt the Cup deserved a friendlier more transparent home.
It all probably comes back to the word ‘award’. Host nations are awarded the right to welcome the world to their shores. I guess many politically minded people feel that Russia shouldn’t be awarded anything right now. I’ll let others make that call.
Dislike #1 Actually watching the games is apparently overrated
I’m not sure about the remainder of the planet, however down here in the chilly winter of Sydney Australia, World Cup football is in high demand.
The sad thing is, a vast number of Australians have missed considerable chunks of the action (entire matches at times) and the Government has stepped in to defer coverage back to the free-to-air broadcaster.
How long this will last is unknown yet Optus Sport and its failed streaming service will live long in the minds of Australians whenever broadcast rights become a topic of conversation in the future.
Like #2 – Upsets
As poorly as they make my tipping look, upsets and unpredictability are good for the game and it seems, will continue.
The first of real note was Iceland’s (here we go again) equaliser against Argentina, followed by a Lionel Messi penalty that was as weak as the aforementioned Optus stream.
The fairytale story of Euro 2016 may have picked up where it left off and if able to topple Nigeria this coming Saturday, Iceland will place themselves in a perfect position to progress.
Even more significant was Mexico’s toppling of many people’s favourite for the tournament in the Luzhniki Stadium.
Germany and the world were a little stunned at the 1-0 defeat on the back of Hirving Lozano’s goal in the 35th minute. Such a result spices up a group and the door opens for Sweden to advance to the round of sixteen with a win against the Mexicans.
As if that wasn’t enough, Selecao couldn’t do the job against Switzerland at the Rostov Arena after Coutinho’s first-half goal was cancelled out in the 50th minute by Steven Zuber.
In total, it meant I had taken three serious tumbles off my tipping chair in only the first four days of competition.
Philippe Coutinho on the attack for Brazil. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Like #3 late goals
Watching a game peter out with neither team desperate to push for a late goal is a by-product of club football.
Earning a point away from home against a home team also happy with a solitary point as they battle relegation, can sometimes look like well-choreographed gentlemen’s agreement.
There are no such games in the early matches of the World Cup. Perhaps a team might be chuffed to settle for a point in the third match to assure progression to the knock-out phase but in the early matches it is ‘all hands on deck’ and ‘batten down the hatches’ type football.
This can lead to dramatic finishes.
An early pattern has been set with Uruguay finding the first in a series of late winners in their match against Egypt. The Pharaohs had held on bravely before Jose Gimenez found the net with a solid header in the 89th minute.
Just hours later, Cristiano Ronaldo added to his two earlier goals when he shaped a late free-kick into the top corner and secured a 3-3 draw for Portugal against Spain. The 88th minute goal was genius at work.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
England’s Harry Kane added to the list with a well-placed header one minute into injury time to claim all three points against Tunisia. But it was Iran who took the honours during the first week with a tragic, 95th-minute own-goal winner against Morocco.
Aziz Bouhaddouz’s clearing header did nothing of the sort and saw Iran move to the top of their group.
Dislike #2 – No news on the romance front
With all the discussion around warnings given to local women about the marauding, hordes of amorous international men entering Russia prior to the tournament, there has been little follow up.
I was anticipating news reports of Russia becoming a hotbed of romance and passion as tanned and toned young people came together under the umbrella of football; united by the language of love.
Instead, attention has been firmly focussed on the players, the matches and the quality goals we have already seen, as well as some of the goals we have missed thanks to the incompetence of Optus.
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