Underdogs

The path to how Messi and Ronaldo can square off in the World Cup final

It was a long shot when the tournament began, but the answer to "can Messi face Ronaldo in World Cup 2022 final" is suddenly somewhat plausible with both Argentina and Portugal reaching the quarterfinals on opposite sides of the bracket.

That means Messi and Ronaldo both need to win just two more games to reach the final at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18. Here's how it's to be done. 

Can Messi face Ronaldo in World Cup 2022 Final?

Argentina's route to the final

World Cup favorites Spain bounced by ultimate humiliation: a Panenka and a waddle

Spain's shock 2018 World Cup Round of 16 exit at the hands of Russia — when La Furia Roja took 79% possession with 1,115 passes but fell in a penalty shootout — was supposed to be the ultimate nightmare fuel for the purveyors of tiki-taka.

On Tuesday in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16, Spain suffered another incredible upset in a penalty shootout, this time to African neighbors Morocco after taking 77% possession with 1,019 passes. 

USMNT starting 11 vs. Netherlands confirmed: Pulisic in, Sargent out

The USMNT starting 11 vs Netherlands has been confirmed with Christian Pulisic returning to the lineup after being forced off with a pelvic contusion against Iran last time out. Josh Sargent, however, still hasn't fully recovered from his ankle injury (he's unavailable for selection) and the starting striker claim goes to Jesús Ferreira (his first appearance).

Son gets his World Cup moment and helps send South Korea to Round of 16 with 91st minute assist

South Korea secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the World Cup on Friday with an incredible last-minute goal against Portugal to win 2-1. The South Korean victory paired with Uruguay defeating Ghana 2-0 meant that the Asian underdogs advanced due to the tiebreaker of having more goals scored than Uruguay.

The18's USA vs. Netherlands prediction

The United States navigated group play admirably, going unbeaten and only conceding once, to advance to the World Cup Round of 16 with the Netherlands awaiting at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET.

The USA vs. Netherlands odds clearly cast Gregg Berhalter's men as the underdogs. After 90 minutes, the Netherlands is 10/11 to win while the United States is at 10/3. The odds for requiring extra time are at 23/10. 

This ball was called in play for Japan’s winning goal — it’s the reason Germany is out of the World Cup

Germany is out of the World Cup after an extremely controversial Japan goal vs Spain on Thursday. Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2 but were eliminated due to having a lower goal difference than Spain.

Group E chaos is exactly why we love soccer

Unpredictability is inherent in soccer, and major international tournaments seem to always throw up a heaping of craziness. The gulf between reality and previous perceptions reminds anyone who claims to know soccer that they don’t, and if we were truly as smart as we claim to be, we’d stop trying to predict results. Just embrace the unpredictability and the chaos and enjoy these moments. 

Australia explodes at 3 a.m. local time as Socceroos reach World Cup last 16

Heading into Wednesday's final matchday in World Cup Group D, Australia figured it'd probably only need a remarkable draw against Denmark, the world's 10th-ranked side, to advance to the round of 16 for only the second time in their history and first since 2006.

Kickoff was scheduled for 2 a.m. in Australia, and supporters took up their traditional post in Federation Square (downtown Melbourne) to watch as Australia went about its task admirably to keep things at 0-0 after 45 minutes.

Senegal advances, eliminates Ecuador and likely awaits England (maybe USA) in last-16

Questions surrounded Senegal heading into the World Cup after star attacker Sadio Mané was ruled out of the tournament, but the Lions of Teranga aren't the champions of Africa because of the efforts of one single individual. Senegal clinched the runner-up spot in Group A and eliminated Ecuador by defeating La Tri 2-1 at Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.

Canada said they'd 'F' Croatia up, but it was Croatia doing all the 'F-ing'

After vowing to f**k Croatia up Sunday, Canada manager John Herdman could only watch in horror as his side showed its extreme World Cup naivety in a 4-1 defeat to the 2018 runners-up. 

Canada — the leading side in Concacaf during qualifying — is now the second to exit the tournament, following quickly in the footsteps of the host nation Qatar.

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