Matchday 16 at the FIFA World Cup saw France establish themselves as the clear favourite of the tournament with an emphatic win. Spain won as well to maintain their favourite status as well, but the path was anything but simple.
Surprise nation Cabo Verde kept their dreams alive, and Uruguay lost the plot.
France 4 – 1 Norway
Norway surprised many with a significantly changed lineup, changing 10 players from their 3-2 win against Senegal.
However, with both France and Norway having won their first two matches and knowing they would qualify, Norway seemed pragmatic in their lineup choices.
Kylian Mbappé gave Norway its first scare, a warning shot off the crossbar in the first 30 seconds of the match. But either failing to take the warning or simply unable to deal with France’s pressure, they found their first goal six minutes later.
Mbappé won the ball in the midfield and immediately switched it to Ousmane Dembélé on the right. Dembélé worked his way quickly into the 18-yard box and unleashed a hard shot past the Norwegian keeper, Egil Selvik, who did not see it until too late.
Jørgen Strand Larsen had a decent opportunity in the 14th minute. The striker brought down a loose ball inside the box and struck it on the volley. However, he was unable to keep the ball down, and it sailed over the net.
France’s Dembélé struck again in the 20th minute, this time with his left foot, a smashing ball from outside the 18-yard box as he moved centrally to get a better position.
But not a minute later, Norway answered. At the restart after France’s goal, Norway moved quickly up the left, crossed into Thelo Aasgaard, who caught the French keeper, Mike Maignan, moving the wrong way.
Aasgaard took advantage and gave the Norwegians the immediate jumpstart they needed.
And in the 32nd minute, Dembélé completed the first-half hat-trick. His trickery of movement and control single-handedly gave him the space necessary for the shot through traffic.
The second half started with an early penalty for Norway. Theo Hernández brought down Oscar Bobb in an easy call for the referee. Strand Larsen stepped up to the spot, but it was without power and was saved by Maignan.
France understandably was content to sit back in the second half with the job feeling completed. It did allow Norway to move forward, but their chances were few and far between.
France did get another in the second half of stoppage time. Désiré Doué jumped for the high cross and headed in the last goal for his first of the World Cup.
There was little time for anything else to occur at that stage. France came out the deserved winners 4-1 over Norway to top Group I.
Group I completed
Senegal posted an emphatic 5-0 win over Iraq, ending the Middle Eastern nation’s World Cup. The five goals also put Senegal in a decent position to qualify as a third-place team.
This means France will play their Round of 32 match at the New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30. They await the knowledge of who they will face.
Norway will face Côte d’Ivoire on June 30 as well. That game is at the Dallas Stadium.
Spain 1 – 0 Uruguay
There was no doubt that Spain was going to dominate possession in this match, and that’s exactly how they began. Spain controlled the width of the game, letting them play dangerous balls into Uruguay’s 18-yard box.
For their part, Uruguay handled the pressure well. The South American nation was also able to find transitions through the middle on the rare occasion. However, they were unable to gain entry into Spain’s box.
Spain looked the more likely of the two to build something, but even for the World Cup favourites, those chances were few throughout the opening 20 minutes of the first half.
Uruguay found their footing after the hydration break as they pushed through the middle, using Roberto Bentancur and Manuel Ugarte to not only disrupt Spain but also to build their attack.
But for all of Uruguay’s fight to grow into the match, it was Spain that scored first. Alex Baena’s hard shot beat Fernando Muslera in the 42nd minute.
The Uruguayan keeper got both hands on the ball but somehow could not keep it from going into his net. It’s a goal that Muslera should have been able to hold onto.
Darwin Núñez had a chance to tie the match late in first-half stoppage time, but his redirection stole the power out of the ball, making it easy for Unai Simón to grab.
It wasn’t a great half by any means, but Spain was undoubtedly the happier of the two for the late goal.
Neither side truly challenged the other in the second half. Uruguay was more desperate for a goal, needing at least a draw to keep on par with Cabo Verde in their group, but neither side managed a shot on target as they headed into the hydration break.
In fact, the goal in the 42nd minute was the only shot on target for 85 minutes.
Agustín Canobbio was given a red card for a high-boot challenge in stoppage time. The Uruguayan grabbed the referee by the front of the shirt immediately after, bringing the likelihood of further discipline later on.
Spain won, but it was not a match they are likely to look back on fondly. Only one created chance, loads of possession with minimal build-up and a frustrated star.
Group H completed
Spain topping Group H means they will play their Round of 32 match at the Los Angeles Stadium on July 2.
Cabo Verde drew against Saudi Arabia. The three points were enough to get second in the group.
They will play Argentina on July 3 at the Miami Stadium.
Both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia have been eliminated from the tournament.
Egypt 1 – 1 Iran
Egypt knew that a win would guarantee them the top of Group G, and their start showed just how important it was for them.
It took only five minutes for Egypt to get on the board.
Mahmoud Saber benefitted from Mohamad Salah orchestrating the ball from the centre of attack. As the ball fell to him, his shot went through the legs of the Iranian keeper, Alireza Beiranvand, and into the back of the net.
But Iran was given a golden opportunity to instantly get back into the match when Mehdi Taremi was taken down in the 18-yard box in the 8th minute. He stepped up to the spot, but his shot was poor.
Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir stood tall and saved it, the third penalty save of the World Cup so far.
But Iran was not to be denied. In the 14th minute, Ramin Rezaeian pounced on a rebound and made the difficult angle shot to tie the match.
Milad Mohammadi’s initial shot was hard and low, which Shobeir was able to save but not handle. The rebound was fortuitous for Rezaeian.
Halftime approached with the score at 1-1, a fair result at that stage of the match.
Substitutions for Egypt at the half helped solidify their defence and provide a jump to their attack. Through the second half, Egypt was the team playing with intensity.
Their lead on the group was tenuous, and more than a few eyes were on the match roughly 230 km north in Vancouver. Partway through, their fears were confirmed as Belgium scored a third goal in their match, giving them a lead by goal difference in the group.
It seemed as though more attention was being paid to the Belgium and New Zealand match rather than this one as Egypt’s spot kept fluctuating through actions other than their own.
Iran thought they had it in stoppage time. Shoja Khalilzadeh found the ball in the box after a free kick melee and popped it into the net.
But VAR eventually ruled it offside by the slimmest of margins. Egypt’s saving grace was their keeper being so out of position that it made the play offside.
The 1-1 score stayed, sending Egypt through and Iran waiting.
Group G completed
Belgium squeaked into top spot through goal difference. This means they will play their Round of 32 match at Seattle Stadium on July 1.
Egypt will face Australia in the knockout round on July 3. That match is at Dallas Stadium.
Iran is in the third-place table but will have to wait for results tomorrow to see if they qualify.
Up next
The final day of the group stage see Croatia face Ghana and Panama take on England. Colombia will play Portugal and DR Congo goes up against Uzbekistan.
Finally, Algeria plays Austria and Jordan take on last World Cup champions Argentina.
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