The morning games on Wednesday at the World Cup provided all the excitement one could ask for as the defending champs crashed out with Cho Hyun-Woo stopping everything that came his way while winning over the hearts of Mexico as he helped them secure a spot in the knockout stage despite a rough outing versus Sweden.
Who could have foreseen this? Germany, the defending champion, had never been knocked out in the group stage, advancing in its previous 18 tournaments. Die Mannschaft won the 2017 Confederations Cup with ease. All that was needed was a win for Germany vs South Korea and Joachim Low’s men would have moved on to the next round.
Instead, it was a tepid 2-0 loss for Germany vs South Korea, sending the 2014 World Cup champion home with a last-place finish in Group F.
So, who could have foreseen this? Anyone who learns from history.
Mexico’s deserved 3-0 spanking at the hands of an exceptional Sweden side doesn’t matter. El Tri’s through to the Round of 16 thanks to one of the greatest upsets in the history of the World Cup. The defending champions are out, and they’ll long have nightmares of South Korea goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo, who made six saves on the day.
Had it not been for the last minute heroics of Toni Kroos, Germany would have nightmares of how agonizingly close Julian Brandt came to scoring in the second minute of stoppage time against Sweden.
Brandt, who plays as a winger for Bayer Leverkusen, entered the game in the 87th minute, and it didn't take long for him to make an impact.
Aside from Costa Rica, every team in action Wednesday has some rout to the knockout stages. Our World Cup predictions start in Group F and finish with Group E.
Mexico will take on a Sweden team that will have to go against its style and push forward for goals. Germany will look to ride the momentum of Toni Kroos' absurd game-winning goal at the death while South Korea will hope for a miracle.
The Germany vs Sweden match on Saturday was set up to be Fox’s best broadcast of the tournament.
The match came right after Mexico held on to beat South Korea, boosting interest in the game. The defending champion was on the brink of elimination against another recognizable European foe. And it was one of the few matches Fox actually had people in the stadium, with John Strong and Stu Holden calling the match from Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.
Toni Kroos had an awful game for 90 minutes. But holy hell did he come through when his team needed him most. The Kroos goal vs Sweden saved Germany from near certain elimination, shooting from an impossible angle to give Die Mannschaft a 2-1 victory on Saturday.
OK. Who here thinks Mexico will suffer a hangover after its monumental win over Germany? Group F hangs in the balance as South Korea will try to spoil the El Tri party and Germany looks to get back on track. Sweden is a rock solid team that beat European heavy weights on its way to qualifying for Russia. Then Group G's second round of matches gets underway as Belgium takes on Tunisia.