25 June 2018
Australia were expected to have exited the World Cup by now when the draws were made, but the Socceroos have surprised us all, can they make it to the next round with a win here? They lost their first game 2-1 to France thanks in part to an unfortunate own goal in the 80th minute having battled back from going a goal down. Their second game against Denmark was an improvement from the first as…
22 June 2018
There were fears that Germany would become the next defending champion to exit the World Cup at the group stage when they were struggling in their warm-up games, but their 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia seems to have made everyone think they are back to form. However, their first game against Mexico ended in the defending champions losing 1-0 to the North Americans. Germany’s defence was surprisingly…
22 June 2018
South Korea were the talk of the world 16 years ago when the co-hosted the 2002 World Cup. They reached the semifinal stage of that competition as the surprise package, but their football has never reached that height again. They lost their first game against Sweden 1-0, but to be honest the Swedes could have scored more goals if they were an attacking team because the Koreans never came to the…
22 June 2018
Belgium’s golden generation has another chance to win a trophy for their nation, and this may be the very last chance for most of the players in this squad. The Belgians are among the favourites to lift this trophy, but very often their lack of teamwork has robbed them of a team success. In their first game against Panama that almost cost them the game as they headed into the halftime break with…
20 June 2018
Most of us thought Argentina had the simplest match when they faced Iceland in their opening group game. Indeed a team led by Lionel Messi coming up against an Iceland side who qualified for their first competition just two years ago shoulda be certain win for the South Americans. However, it proved to be a very tough game for Messi and Argentina with the Barcelona man missing a penalty it ended…
20 June 2018
Despite having a star-studded lineup France struggled in their first game against Australia before an unfortunate own goal helped them claim all three points with a 2-1 win. Their struggle in their first match was not because they are a poor side, rather it was because of the determination of their opponents who pressed them all over the pitch. The French team would now look to build on that win…
20 June 2018
Denmark may be the luckiest team at this year’s World after they survived their first game without much effort. The Danes faced Peru last week and were out-thought and out-played by the South Americans, yet the ended up winning the game 1-0. The Peruvians had 17 shots on goal and even missed a penalty, but they still couldn’t convert even the simplest of chances, only for Denmark to score an…
18 June 2018
After a long wait, Poland and Senegal get their World Cup campaign on the way and they are both in one of the unpredictable groups in the competition so every game counts. Poland made a walk of their qualifying campaign, collecting maximum points in eight of ten games. They lost just once – 4-0 to Denmark, but that showed that they have a weaker side to their team- their defence. Their warm-up…
18 June 2018
Four ago it was a stunning tournament for Colombia and James Rodriguez in particular. The South Americans stormed to the quarterfinals after beating Uruguay in the round of 16, but the host proved to be too much for them and they exited at the last 8. James Rodriguez scored a stunning goal against Uruguay after another beauty against Japan, he earned a move to Real Madrid that summer and their…
18 June 2018
It’s been two years since England’s humiliating exit at Euro 2016 at the hands of little-known Iceland. Gareth Southgate leads a new team of exciting youngsters and experienced professionals to this year’s World Cup and the Three Lions would be looking to banish the demons of two years ago by going far in this competition. England’s opponent may be less fancied than Spain or Portugal but they…
15 June 2018
This could be Lionel Messi’s last involvement in an international competition with Argentina if he fails to lift the trophy. He would come into this competition still heartbroken from the final loss to Germany at the last competition in Brazil alongside the two Copa America final losses to Chile also. They would kickstart their World Cup campaign against Iceland who are debutants at this stage.…
15 June 2018
This France squad is one of the most talented in the world at the moment. After falling short at Euro 2016 which they hosted, they are expected to go very far when this World Cup starts for them. Les Blues are blessed in attack with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann. Their midfield also contains the likes of Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi, while four times Champions…