The FIFA World Cup was sprinting towards the end of the group stage with six games a day.
Two games were happening at the same time, raising the stakes even further as teams fought to advance to the knockout stage. Nobody wanted to go home early.
It was another fun-filled day of soccer. Let’s go over it.
Germany vs Ecuador: Ecuador Prevails
Jamal Musiala and Germany were already through to the Round of 32 and had won the group, so they didn’t have a lot to play for. But after a last-minute loss to Côte d’Ivoire and a disappointing draw against Curacao, Moises Caicedo and Ecuador had to win to stay alive.
It was not a good start for them at all. Germany’s Leroy Sane blasted one past Hernan Galindez. Ecuador were irate because Aleksandar Pavlovic kicked Pedro Vite in the head while trying to get to the ball. Why wasn’t this called or even looked at by VAR? Who knows? Cue Dean Martin singing Ain’t That A Kick In The Head.
Ecuador knew it was now or never. Vite didn’t let the kick to the head get to him. The current Pumas and former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder won the ball from Felix Nmecha with a brilliant tackle, and he found Nilson Angulo running down the wing. The Sunderland left winger then hit it perfectly to beat Manuel Neuer. It was game on. Ecuador struggled to score all tournament, and this goal was much needed.
From there, it was a battle. Ecuador were playing like their lives depended on the outcome of this game. Neuer came up big with saves off Enner Valencia. Caicedo and Vite were giving it all in the midfield. Vite was creating while Caicedo was holding the fort down defensively. Jodel Ordonez and William Pacho made sure to stifle Musiala, Sane, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane. The latter nearly restored the lead for Germany in the second half, but the shot was right at Hernan Galindez.
Ecuador got their moment just over a minute later. Kevin Rodriguez headed Vite’s corner kick, but Gonzalo Plata of Flamengo deflected the ball past Neuer. Ecuador rose out of the pit of darkness.
With that, Ecuador are through to the Round of 32 as they finished third in Group E. Look what it meant to the players, coaching staff and fans. What a display of resilience. The scenes were immaculate at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Côte d’Ivoire vs Curaçao: Pepe leads the way
At Philadelphia Stadium, Côte d’Ivoire were looking to bounce back after their collapse against Germany in Toronto.
Curacao put up a good fight in this game. But unfortunately, their World Cup dreams are over. Côte d’Ivoire only had seven total shots while Curacao had 11. But the Ivorians had three shots on target and scored on two of them.
Nicolas Pepe’s brace sent Côte d’Ivoire to the Round of 32. It only took seven minutes for Pepe to score. Wonderkid Yan Diomande took advantage of a Curacao defensive mistake and found Pepe in a pocket of space in the box. No mistake with the finish here.
The Villarreal right winger sealed the win for his country in the 63rd minute. Pepe again found a pocket of space and received a great through ball from Ibrahim Sangere. The finish was tidy as well.
It was a solid and efficient win by the Ivorians.
Japan vs Sweden: Chess Match
At Dallas Stadium, one team was coming off a big win, and the other was coming off a big loss. Japan crushed Tunisia 4-0, while Sweden was slapped 5-1 by the Netherlands. Both teams knew a win would send them to the Round of 32.
The Japanese were controlling possession and looked like they were going for a Tiki Taka approach to make Sweden chase the game. The Swedes tried to get to the Japanese on the counter-attack. Neither team could figure out the final third.
It was also a midfield battle. Daichi Kamada and Ao Takana were going toe to toe with Victor Lindelof and Yasin Ayari.
Sweden had to take off Isak Hien in the 34th minute after he collided with Ayase Ueda and brought on Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall. It looked like Hien was dealing with a hamstring injury, and Bergvall looked to stabilize the Swedish back line.
Japan’s number four also got hurt. Their centre-back Ko Itakura had to be taken off for Shogo Taniguchi of St. Trenidan in the 38th minute. Both teams had to adapt to the injuries.
It looked like a chess match. Both teams were cautious when they had the ball, and there was no offensive creativity.
The best chance came before halftime. The Japanese moved the bell well in and around the box. But Keito Nakamura was denied by Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. That was the same spot Nakamura scored against the Netherlands, in the same stadium, too.
It was more of the same in the second half. However, Sweden started to come alive offensively, but they couldn’t get a shot on Zion Suzuki.
In the 55th minute, the Samurai Blue awoke from their slumber. It was a great display of one-touch soccer between Ritsu Doan and Daizan Maeda. The Celtic attacking midfielder found himself on an island of space between the Swedish defenders and gave his country the lead.
Sweden wasn’t going down quietly. They started to control the game. It was a screamer from Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga that tied the game. The shot fooled Suzuki and the rest of the Japanese team. The shot was so powerful. The chess match continued.
Both teams had spells of possession. Suzuki and Widell Zetterström both made crucial saves when needed. Each team was waiting for the other to break.
In stoppage time, Suzuki had to stretch out to make a huge save off Aleksander Isak (who had a quiet game). The header from the corner looked like it was going on, but Suzuki was very alert.
Both teams fought hard; a draw was a fair result. You could argue that either team could’ve won: Japan should’ve blown the game open in the first half, while Sweden could’ve taken the lead in the second. Japan finished second in Group F, and Sweden finished third. Both have advanced to the Round of 32.
Netherlands vs Tunisia: Dutch Finish Tunisians
Meanwhile, at Kansas City Stadium, the Netherlands won their group with an efficient win over Tunisia.
The Tunisians had a horrible World Cup. This game didn’t start well for them either. The Dutch’s Donyell Malen played the ball into the box, and Tunisian captain Ellyes Skhiri put it in his own net. Not good for Tunisia.
But things went from bad to worse for Tunisia. Bryan Brobbey has had an incredible World Cup and he struck again as he pounced on the loose ball.
It looked like the Dutch were going to run away with the game as they scored two goals in seven minutes. They controlled possession and continued to create chances. But Tunisia made it interesting in the 53rd minute as striker Hazem Mastouri headed in the corner kick.
The Dutch didn’t want to let Tunisia play spoiler as new Tottenham signing Jean Paul Van Hecke restored the lead eight minutes later.
That sealed the win and the group for the Dutch. They will face Morocco in the Round of 32. Now that is a very enticing matchup, a battle between two dark horses. Japan will face Brazil.
USA vs Türkiye: A wild meaningless affair in Hollywood
This game really didn’t mean anything other than vibes. Well, vibes for the USA and their fans at Los Angeles Stadium.
The US have already won their group and decided to rest some players. Türkiye have already been eliminated.
It was a great start for the Americans. It took two minutes. Sebastian Berhalter of the Vancouver Whitecaps whipped in a great corner kick. Austin Trusty of Celtic had a lot of time and space to control the ball and put it in the net.
You would think the US would run away with this game. But Türkiye wanted to have their own vibes. Arda Güler scored the Turks’ first goal of the tournament. The Real Madrid attacking midfielder made a great run to find space to receive Baris Yilmaz’s pass. Türkiye figured out how to score…after they had been eliminated from the World Cup.
The US tried to get the game back, but Türkiye wanted to make their remaining time in North America count. In the 30th minute, Kenan Yildiz and Güler played some great quick passes, and Güler’s pass found Orkun Kökçü, who was crashing the net, as they say in hockey. The Besiktas midfielder gave the Turks the lead and stunned the American fans in LA Stadium.
US manager Mauricio Pochettino didn’t make any changes at halftime. Christian Pulisic (recovering from a calf injury sustained in the win over Paraguay), Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman were among the subs.
But Pochettino didn’t need to. Berhalter was everywhere with his passes and tackles. As seen in Vancouver, Berhalter can score goals, and he usually scores screamers. Three minutes into the second half, the Turks failed to clear, and Berhalter beat Ugurcan Cakir with a stunning half-volley. A bunch of clubs in Europe were definitely liking that.
Soon after the goal, Pochettino made his move. Tim Weah came off for the man they call Captain America. Pulisic came on to a thunderous ovation from the LA crowd.
The AC Milan winger showed off his electric pace and made an excellent run down the left wing, but he was denied by Cakir. Pulisic added some new energy to the game. He and the Americans wanted to blow the game open.
Yildiz and Baris Alper Yilmaz were creating chances for Türkiye. They were giving the American back line fits but had trouble beating Matt Turner or hitting the target. Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie were also doing a good job clearing the ball.
In the attack, the US seemed to be all gas and no brakes. They sped into the Türkiye box but kept messing things up in the final third.
The Turks ended up spoiling the Americans’ party. There was some really messy defending by the US, and they couldn’t clear the ball in stoppage time. Kaan Ayhan buried the ball past Turner, and the Turks were going home with something to celebrate. Where was this in the first two games?
For the US, the game didn’t mean anything as they had already won the group. But this should be seen as a wake-up call, not to get complacent. The defence made mistakes, and the attack wasn’t clean enough. They face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
For a game that didn’t mean anything, this was entertaining.
Paraguay vs Australia: Physical stalemate
The game that did have stakes wasn’t as entertaining as the one that didn’t.
North of LA at the San Francisco Bay Area stadium, Paraguay and Australia were fighting to advance to the round of 32. If you bet on this game being a 0-0 draw, congratulations. This had the makings of one as both teams hunkered down and played physical soccer.
Indeed, it was physical as there were hard tackles all over the place. Australia’s Connor Metcalf took a cleat to the face from Paraguay’s Andres Cubas. The FC St. Pauli midfielder and Whitecaps midfielder battled for the ball, and the Australian got the worst of it. Luckily, Metcalf stayed in the game. What a warrior.
With the 0-0 draw, Australia advanced to the Round of 32 and finished second. Paraguay will have to wait and see if they finish in the top eight of the third-place teams.
Masterclass of the day
Vite was phenomenal in Ecuador’s win over Germany. Perhaps a move to Europe beckons for him sooner or later.
Disasterclass of the day
The entire German attack was woeful against Ecuador. After Sane’s goal they lost their ruthlessness.
Stat of the day
Fan moment of the day
Their costumes look great. However, it is hard to get past the fact that they look like they are dressing up as clowns. It is still a creative way to dress up as the Japanese flag.
Meme of the day
Feel sorry for those who missed the US and Türkiye game. They missed a back-and-forth thriller.
Wrap-up
The World Cup madness of Day 16 begins at noon with a highly anticipated matchup. Kylian Mbappe and France will face Erling Haaland and Norway at Boston Stadium at noon Pacific. This is the battle between two generational talents.
Then, from Toronto Stadium, Sadio Mane and Senegal will look to stay alive as they face Iraq. That game is also at noon Pacific. At 3 pm Pacific, Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia battle for their World Cup hopes at Houston Stadium. At the same time, Federico Valverde and Uruguay face Lamine Yamal and Spain at Guadalajara Stadium. This is the battle for the winner of Group H.
The night games begin at 8:00 pm Pacific. Belgium and New Zealand will battle to get out of Group G at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. Down the I-5, Iran and Egypt will be facing each other at Seattle Stadium. Anyone can win Group G.
It should be another epic day of soccer. There is nothing like the World Cup.
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