Most memorable moments at the World Cup come in the knockout rounds, when it’s win or go home. But in order to get to the knockout rounds, teams must advance through the group stage. The World Cup group stage rules and World Cup tiebreakers will help separate those teams welcomed into the playoff rounds and those going home early.
As the Argentina vs Croatia highlights show, Lionel Messi and company collapsed against an altogether superior opponent on Thursday in Nizhny Novgorod, 3-0. Spearheaded by the influential play of the sublime Luka Modric, Croatia is through to the Round of 16 while Argentina is on the verge of a shock group stage elimination.
Denmark escaped with a 1-1 draw against a resilient Australia earlier this morning, and the Danish can thank their lucky stars that Australia didn’t convert more of its chances.
The Danish Dynamite opened the game with a bang, as striker Nicolai Jørgensen and star midfielder Christian Eriksen combined in a beautiful pass-and-move play, and Eriksen rocketed a volley past Socceroos keeper Mat Ryan.
19-year-old PSG forward Kylian Mbappe, already the game’s second-most expensive player ever and the winner of the prestigious 2017 Golden Boy award, has become the youngest goalscorer for France at any major international tournament after opening the scoring for Les Bleus against Peru.
A goal in football is always followed by a wild celebration. These celebrations are often a player’s signature, and they include pointing to the sky and thanking the footballing gods, the always cool knee slide or the epic running explosion while screaming in unison with the fans. The World Cup goal celebrations at the 2018 tournament have been no different.
This year’s World Cup provides an opportunity for the planet to see a variety of signature celebrations. Below are some of the best World Cup goal celebrations that we’ve seen so far.
Mexico take on South Korea Saturday, June 23 at the Rostov Arena on the second matchday of Group F action at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The match begins at 11:00 a.m. ET on FOX and Telemundo with South Korea desperate for a result following a 1-0 opening defeat to Sweden, whereas Mexico is riding high following a 1-0 victory over defending champions Germany.
There’s no more important player at the World Cup than Olivier Giroud. France, one of the favorites, has looked terrible thus far. They struggled past a turgid Australian side thanks to a deflected goal and a penalty. There’s no doubt that France has one of the best squads at the tournament, but it really doesn’t look it at the moment.
Things are getting serious over in Russia. In Group A, Russia and Uruguay are through to the Round of 16 whereas Egypt and Saudi Arabia are going home. In Group B, Morocco suffered an early exit while both Spain and Portugal enjoy positions of strength. Let’s take a look at who’s become legend and who’s become a cautionary tale following day seven of the World Cup.
Mexico's captain Rafa Marquez came on for the final 20 minutes of El Tri's opening match win against Germany and made a few key tackles to preserve his side a vital three points in Group F.
“Does Messi do that?” Alexi Lalas sneered while looking at the camera during Fox’s halftime coverage of Portugal vs. Morocco. The act in question was a three-yard diving header off a corner from Ronaldo to give Portugal an early lead. (He doesn't; he usely takes the corners or stands at the edge of the box because he's just pushing 5-7.)
But does Messi do this?