► Text Observer.com Noah Zhao
With Portugal's crisp 2-0 victory over Uruguay, the first two rounds of the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar officially ended. Of the top 32, some have already qualified, some have already been out, and some teams have to fight hard to qualify for a place.
In terms of teams, France, Brazil and Portugal have won two consecutive games and are basically certain to advance; The teams of England, the Netherlands and Spain are unbeaten and have a high probability of promotion; Teams such as Qatar and Canada have underperformed and have been identified as out.
Regardless of the outcome, these teams will do their best in the final round, either for promotion or for dignity, and continue to feast for the fans.
Brazilian female fans at the World Cup in Qatar Photo from IC Photo
Group A: The most "dish" hosts are out, and the remaining teams have a chance
The standings are from the same as FIFA
When current FIFA President Sepato Blatter announced the host country of the 2022 World Cup 12 years ago, cheering Qataris may not have imagined that their team would behave so badly on the field.
Wrapped in the aura of Asian champions, Qatar defeated Ecuador 0-2 in the first round, breaking the host's unbeaten first-round "golden body". In the second round, Qatar lost 3-1 to Senegal. After two matches, Qatar has accumulated 0 points and has not qualified for the group stage. At the same time, this point also set a new World Cup all-time record. In the last game, for the sake of dignity and for the sake of the home fans, they are bound to "fight to the death" with the strongest team in the group, the Netherlands.
Among the remaining three teams, the Netherlands and Ecuador have 4 points, and the qualification situation is very good. Senegal has 3 points and also has a chance. In the final round, the Netherlands played Qatar and Ecuador played Senegal. The Netherlands and Ecuador can qualify in a draw, while Senegal may qualify in a draw, but winning will ensure promotion.
Group B: Another "death group", even England is not very stable
After winning 6-2 in the first round, England manager Garthew Southgate washed away the criticism before the outside world and was in the limelight. The attacking line with Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane as the tactical core is extremely luxurious, both teams have scored, and the "British Emperor" has also shown a superior standard. However, England's qualification prospects are not stable.
After two rounds, England have 4 points, Iran 3 points, USA 2 points and Wales 1 point. In the final round, England played Wales, Iran and the United States in the spotlight. England can qualify for a draw, Iran and the United States who win will ensure promotion, and Wales will have a chance to win.
In the most extreme case, if Wales wins against England, and Iran and the United States also have a team to win, Wales can rely on the mutual victory and defeat relationship to beat England and ensure promotion. Although Wales' top star, Bale, is not in the same form as before, they will do their best in the final round to qualify for a spot.
On the other side, Iran and the United States also ushered in a focus war. Before the game, the US Soccer Association's move to modify the Iranian flag brought great political controversy and also attracted strong dissatisfaction from all walks of life in Iran. Outside the green field, history and reality are intertwined, "new hatred and old hatred" go together, and the two teams are the focus of the final round. In 1998, Iran defeated the United States 2-1, will history repeat itself?
Group C: Messi's "last dance", can Saudi Arabia defend Asian honor?
After losing to Saudi Arabia in the first round, Messi's "meme" spread around the world. But in the second game, Messi stepped up at the team's most difficult time, opened the scoring for the team with a close cut, completed the "redemption", and also obtained a key three points for Argentina's qualification.
Of all the stars in Qatar, Messi is undoubtedly the brightest. With the aura of Copa America and Europa League winners, the 35-year-old Messi's Argentina team will once again attack the ultimate goal, the Hercules Cup. Will he be able to fulfill his dream in what could be the last World Cup?
Group C is similar to Group B from the perspective of the situation. Poland is temporarily in first place, but Mexico in last place "has a breath left". After achieving the biggest "cold" victory in the history of the World Cup, Saudi Arabia lost to Poland in the second round and lost the good game of promotion. Can they defend Asian football in the final round? This is also one of the highlights of Group C.
In the final round, Argentina will face Lewandowski's Poland, while Mexico will beat Saudi Arabia. The current points situation in Group C is more fraught, with all four teams likely to qualify, except for Poland, the remaining three teams can only be fully guaranteed if they win. In the final round, it is very likely that qualification will be determined by mutual win-loss and goal difference.
Group D: France rode the dust, Australia and Denmark "stumbled"
France's successive injuries before the start of the World Cup cast a shadow over the reigning champions. But after two games in the group stage, the French team still showed their superior strength. In the goal table, Mbappe also topped the table with 3 goals. Outside the arena, there was also good news from France, who had previously withdrawn from the World Cup due to injury, and Benzema, who had previously withdrawn from the World Cup due to injury, has basically recovered and is expected to return to the World Cup in Qatar.
In this group, France have already qualified and head coach De Shang may have already begun preparing for the knockout rounds. But the remaining teams will undoubtedly have to fight for a promotion spot. A win by Australia ensures promotion, with Denmark and Tunisia both needing a win and seeing the outcome of another.
Group E: "Group of Death", can there be a miracle in Germany?
Before the start of this World Cup, Group E was hailed as the group of death. Of the four teams, Germany and Spain are the top European powerhouses, while Japan and Costa Rica are also strong enough to make it to the knockout rounds. But unexpectedly, this formed the "death group" of the German team.
In the first game, Japan made continuous personnel adjustments in the second half, scoring two goals in less than 10 minutes to defeat Germany 2-1, which exploded another small upset. After the game, off-field factors also appeared frequently, and the German team's "covering its mouth" scene before the game attracted group ridicule. Defender Antonio Rudiger's high-legged gesture drew criticism of "disrespecting the opponent". In the dressing room, the German team was even exposed to rumors of "discord".
On the other hand, the rebuilt Spain beat Costa Rica 7-0 in the first round, showing good offensive ability, as well as technical and tactical performance.
In the second round, the situation in Group E was even more confusing. Germany drew with Spain, Costa Rica beat Japan, and Group E was "messed up". A draw in Spain qualifies, a win by Japan and Costa Rica secures promotion, and Germany will have to see the outcome of another match if they win.
Group F: Infighting Belgium, the vanishing "golden generation"
In this group, the outside world was optimistic about the previous runners-up Croatia and the European "Red Devils" Belgium. But Belgium's performance was not satisfactory. With top European stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, Belgium lost 2-0 to Morocco in their second game.
In the final round, Croatia and Morocco drew and Belgium needed to win. But there was constant news of infighting in Belgium before the match. A reporter from the French newspaper La Liga wrote an op-ed saying that Belgium veteran Vertonghen lashed out at least two players in Dutch after the match against Morocco, possibly De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. And Romelu Lukaku stepped in and mediated this infighting.
Although the Belgian team reporter later came forward to deny it, the "team newspaper" refused to delete the article, and the truth of the incident is still confusing. On the other hand, De Bruyne previously said in an interview that "the Belgian squad is too old to win the World Cup".
Due to domestic history and culture, Belgium has always been rumored to have different factions. Now that the Belgian "golden generation" is getting older, can they prove themselves in this competition?
Group G: Brazil advances, Switzerland Serbia "desperate"
Five-star Brazil faced Switzerland in the second round, with both teams winning in the last match. Despite the lack of Neymar and Danilo, who were suspended due to injury, the strong Brazilian team still firmly dominated the field from the beginning of the game and created many scoring opportunities. Including this match, Five Star Brazil has been unbeaten in 17 consecutive group games, setting a new World Cup record.
For Brazil, which has a luxurious squad and a lot of newcomers, protecting their players from injury and preparing for the knockout round may be their goal in the final game.
In the final round, Serbia will face Switzerland, while Brazil will face Cameroon. Brazil have qualified, but they will need to draw with Cameroon if they do not want to face Portugal in the knockout rounds. As a result, Brazil is set to secure the top spot in the group.
Switzerland and Serbia are in a similar situation, both needing to win in the final round to secure the last place to qualify. If the two sides draw in the final round, it will depend on the result of the match between Brazil and Cameroon: if Cameroon does not beat Brazil, Switzerland will qualify; If Cameroon wins, Switzerland will have a good chance of being out (Switzerland leads Cameroon by one goal difference and two goals less). And if Switzerland loses to Serbia, then they will say goodbye to the World Cup directly.
Cameroon, by contrast, has a darker road ahead. If they want to qualify in the final round, they can only win the road of Brazil, and they also have to hope that Switzerland next door will not win, and they can participate in the small point competition, which is obviously a difficult task to achieve.
Group H: Portugal qualified, drew and sent South Korea home
Before the start of the game, the conflict between Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United was "known all over the city", but his performance on the field did not seem to be affected. After two wins in two games, Portugal has secured a promotion spot. Cristiano Ronaldo, like Messi, is staging the "last dance" for the Hercules Cup. In the Portuguese squad, the combination of B. Fernandez and B. Silva is in good shape.
At present, the points situation in this group is the same as in Group G: Portugal, who have won two consecutive games, are firmly in first place with 6 points, and Ghana is second with 3 points; South Korea and Uruguay are both third and fourth with one point. In the final round of the group stage, Portugal vs South Korea and Ghana vs Uruguay.
In the final round, if Portugal are unbeaten, they will definitely secure the top spot in the group, and even if they lose, they will not even slide to the second place in the group. However, there was a "holiday" between the two teams, and 20 years ago at the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the nine-man Portugal lost to South Korea in a controversial match. It is worth mentioning that Bento, one of the players who were sent off that year, has now become the coach of the South Korean team, but after the last game, he received a red card due to dissatisfaction with the referee's decision, and will not be able to command the sidelines of this game.
In contrast, Ghana's victory will secure promotion, while South Korea and Uruguay will both need a win and see the outcome of the other.
Source| Observer.com