On the face of it, a 1-1 draw with bottom-dwelling, already-eliminated Venezuela in front of 60,000 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires was a godawful result for Argentina, and it really was. But from a broader perspective there’s a lot more to analyze and discuss than simply draw = bad.
If we were to compare soccer to handwriting, we would say Germany plays like Catholic nun schoolteacher handwriting, with neat little letters, nothing out of place, everything in line.
Spain plays like cursive, with little loops and swooshes you barely notice until you see the bigger object and marvel in its beauty.
Brazil plays like graffiti letters, big and colorful and saying more than the words themselves could.
With only a handful of matches remaining in World Cup qualifying, it’s become clear which nations are in serious danger of missing out on Russia next summer. While all will become clear in October, here are 25 global superstars who, if World Cup qualifying ended today, would either fail to appear at the tournament or would need to navigate a playoff to qualify.
The United States came into this international break hoping to get at least four points, maybe all six from two matches against Costa Rica and Honduras in World Cup qualifying. You wouldn’t blame the Americans for their confidence, coming into the break with a 14-match unbeaten streak. That confidence is in tatters now thanks to some USMNT defensive struggles, which proved to be contagious for the rest of the team.
Syria needed a win or a tie Tuesday against Iran to keep its World Cup hopes alive. Down 2-1 going into stoppage time, it looked like the dream was dead.
And then it wasn't.
Absolute scenes. 93rd minute equaliser to keep Syria's World Cup dream alive. Pitch invasion. The works pic.twitter.com/Uk4hIlZebh
— Chris Deeley (@ThatChris1209) September 5, 2017
Near the end of England's 2-1 win against Slovakia in UEFA World Cup qualifying, England's precocious and occasionally hotheaded young midfielder Dele Alli became fed-up with somebody.
Dele Alli tells his marker that he's number one. #england #engsvk pic.twitter.com/Tk3VW1rU49
This past Saturday, Spain hosted Italy in a World Cup qualifier at the Bernabeu in Madrid. Both sides have won the competition in the post-millennial age and can justifiably feel bitter about being drawn in the same group. Italy, who have a well-established tradition of being utterly awful in the qualifying rounds of international tournaments yet miraculously not losing, are now at risk of finishing second in the group.