NOTE: This article was an ongoing writing effort and will not factor in Tuesday afternoon's Russian/Egypt match or this morning's Portugal/Morocco match. There will be another one of these following every team's second group stage match.
Tuesday saw Group H's teams play their first matches of the tournament, and with that every team played once. It's been an outstanding tournament with plenty of early thrills and excitement, and some surprises. I'm taking you group-by-group to talk about what we through each group's first matches.
Group A:
What We Already Knew: Uruguay is going to be tough.
Uruguay may have needed an 89th minute goal to get past Mo Salah-less Egypt, but while the late goal was a bitter pill for Egypt, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez did look dangerous all game and both had a serious off day when it came to finishing. This game could have been 2 or 3 to nil even before Jose Mario Gimenez's final chance and while Egypt hung around to give Uruguay a great fight, Uruguay showed just how tough of an out they would be this tournament.
What Surprised Us: Russia and/or Saudi Arabia's quality.
Russia put five goals, all five stellar strikes in their own way, past Saudi Arabia, the second-worst team in the World Cup according to FIFA rankings. Most, though, thought they'd at least have a fighting chance against a Russian side that is not truly blow-away despite its solid quality. Russia scored first in the 12th minute and were off to the races from there. This now puts Russia in a good position with a +5 goal differential, but might expose Saudi Arabia to being a punching bag of the group if Egypt pull off a win against Russia and need to get their goal differential up.
Group B:
What We Already Knew: Ronaldo is one of the world's best players.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a heck of a day. After just one goal in each of the three prior World Cups, he exploded out with three goals, the final of the three being his best effort. He knocked in a sparkling free kick past a leaping man in the wall's head to level the match against Spain 3-3 and finalize his hat trick. While his first two goals were a penalty kick and the result of a keeping mistake, the third is one that people will remember. Spain's wounds were almost wholly self-inflicted without question, but Ronaldo made sure to make them pay for committing them.
What Surprised Us: Iran is in the lead.
Admittedly, before the start of the first Group B match day, the winner of the Iran/Morocco match leading the group wouldn't have been that large of a surprise, but Morocco was considered the favorite with players like Hakim Ziyech and Medhi Benatia. Instead, it was a 95th minute own goal from Aziz Bouhaddouz that stunned the North African nation and gave Iran a huge three points. Iran will need to get their own goals, instead of banking on own goals, if they want to advance, and they will need better performances from the man they call Iranian Messi, Sardar Azmoun, leading the line.
Group C:
What We Already Knew: France out in front.
In a 6 AM EST kick-off, very early for the French fans that reside in the United States, the French took down Australia 2-1 with a penalty kick and own goal, both of which had to be confirmed by the new VAR technology. Additionally, the own goal went through a change of scorer as it was originally given to Paul Pogba. They have the lead and will hope to remain in the driver's seat as they take on Peru in their next match, who lost to Denmark 1-0, and will hope that a win and a result in the Denmark/Australia game will see them through.
What Surprised Us: No one looked like a world-beater.
Despite the French's 2-1 win, there were some shaky moments. They only held a lead in the match for 13 minutes and they conceded a penalty of their own just four minutes after Antoine Griezmann converted his. And even the penalty and goal both were very close decisions that needed the VAR assistance to confirm. Meanwhile, Peru missed their chance at an early lead as Christian Cueva blasted a spot kick over the bar and in the second half Denmark converted their best chance with Yussuf Poulsen's neat finish in the 59th. You would guess that France and Denmark will hold early form and both go through, but none of the four sides in this group instill loads of confidence.
Group D:
What We Already Knew: Croatia is for real.
Despite the inner turmoil of the Croatian Football Federation, Croatia's squad in this World Cup is enough to overcome outside distractions, as their 2-0 victory over Nigeria may have shown. With Dejan Lovren in the form of his life in defense, an attack consisting of four outstanding players, and two central midfielders, one each playing for the top two clubs in Spain (Luka Modric with Madrid, Ivan Rakitic with Barcelona), they are a side with wealth of quality and if this was a secret to those out of the loop before the tournament, it will not be now.
What Surprised Us: Iceland is for real.
Okay, maybe this wasn't a MASSIVE surprise, especially not for those that watched Euro2016, but the smallest nation in the world snagged a point off last World Cup's runners-up. We already knew that Lionel Messi wouldn't be able to do it all himself, and indeed the defending for Iceland's game-tying goal that came just four minutes after Sergio Aguero's opener was very poor, but with a chance to put Argentina up front in the second half Messi's penalty in the second half was saved rather easily, and it was Messi who also drew criticism. If Croatia can deliver a result against Argentina and Iceland can take down Nigeria in each side's next match, we might be looking at a Round of 16 match with Iceland involved.
Group E:
What We Already Knew: Serbia was slept on before.
With a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica, Serbia put themselves in a strong position to push forward and out of a difficult group and into the knockout stages. With a lovely free kick from AS Roma wing-back Aleksandar Kolarov, the one goal was enough to give them all three points in the meeting with a Costa Rica team that has become known as one of their region's better sides. They have quality up and down the 23-man squad, with players littered throughout their side who play for teams in Italy's Serie A and England's Premier League, among many other top-class leagues around Europe. If they were overlooked before, now they should be on everyone's radar.
What Surprised Us: Brazil is shaky.
Phil Coutinho scored in the 20th minute, and everyone expected Brazil to continue along and perhaps slot a few more past a solid Switzerland side as a statement to the rest of the nations involved. That was far from the case as Switzerland's Steven Zubor delivered a goal off a corner kick and leveled the game five minutes into the second half, and the Swiss held on, including surviving a penalty shout for Brazil in the 73rd that was ultimately waved off. Gabriel Jesus was poor as the central striker for the green and yellow and trouble continues to brew with Neymar's injury concerns in training. They are a side brimming with quality and really should not find a great deal of resistance even in an overall solid group. But now they must be extra careful not to overlook Costa Rica.
Group F:
What We Already Knew: Anything can happen in the World Cup.
This group of Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea seemed clear cut at the start -- last Cup's winners Germany would advance, and the second place would be a scrappy fight to take on Brazil. Instead, what we have in Group E (this group's 'match-up group' where first place in F takes on second place in E, and vice versa) is an uncertain Brazil and in Group F we have an uncertain Germany. People touting Mexico as being in danger of not even finishing second were stunned with their 1-0 win over Germany. South Korea, with their star Son Heung-min of Tottenham, couldn't get anything going on attack and were stopped cold by the more defensive-minded Sweden side. You never know what to expect, and Group F is a prime example of that.
What Surprised Us: Germany's struggles.
When it came to match one sides that disappointed, Germany are without question number one on that list. In what I would have considered their biggest group stage match, Germany did not show up. Mexico hit Germany time-after-time on the counter-attack and only needed one goal in the 35th to sink the German hopes for a result in the match. Germany's full-backs over-attacked regularly and were exposed constantly by El Tri, who held firm. Germany did not look toothless, they attacked well at times, but their defensive mishaps were too glaring to overlook and German fans will surely be a bit more worried now than they were at the start of the World cup.
Group G:
What We Already Knew: Belgium's attack is insatiable.
With Panama level 0-0 at the half, you wouldn't have been wrong to ponder the thought that maybe this is just the World Cup of under-performing giants. If you did think that, however, the Red Devils proved you wrong in the second half as they carved up the Central American side for three goals including two from star striker Romelu Lukaku, as they looked like the best side in the top ten through the first set of matches. Dealt a rather easy draw, it was crucial that they made the most of this match against Panama, and Belgium certainly did so.
What Surprised Us: Tunisia's scrappiness.
England had their foot on the gas for the entire opening stretch of the match, finally finding the net just eleven minutes into the match through Harry Kane. Things seemed to be going well, perhaps England would take advantage of their easier group draw, like Belgium. Instead, Kyle Walker conceded an unnecessary penalty and allowed Tunisia to convert. From there, Tunisia did all they could to harass Harry Kane and his English teammates in hopes of holding the Three Lions to a draw. They almost did it. But in the 91st minute, Kane equalized in a strikingly similar goal to his first (a second ball off a corner kick). It was a very 'English' game when all told, but the tools and tricks Tunisia had could come into play again against Belgium and is something that is worth looking out for.
Group H:
What We Already Knew: Group H is a wide-open open group.
Despite the fact that there are two teams with three points and two with zero now, no team looked out of depth in this World Cup. Senegal may have caught some by surprise, but those with knowledge of the top four European leagues surely recognized several of the names in the Senegalese starting eleven. Ditto for Japan, whose winning goal was scored by Yuya Osaka, star of German side Koln. Poland is a top ten team in the world and Colombia managed to hold strong even with ten men in the side almost the entire game after a 3rd minute red card, and then giving up a 6th minute penalty to put them down. This group is still wide-open after the first match and its developments will be exciting to watch unfold.
What Surprised Us: The manner of victory.
That said, surely no one was expecting the sorts of games we were in for. The second-fastest red card in World Cup history, a penalty given as a result, putting Colombia down one, then a foul given that was criticized following it that resulted in a Colombian direct free kick goal, and finally Japan's winner with just over 15 minutes left in the match. And this was out first game of the group. Senegal scored their goals off an own goal that shocked the Polish side, and then M'Baye Niang being let back onto the pitch after injury at an inconvenient time for Poland as he got a nice touch and ran free for their second goal. Poland's late goal back was too little, too late, and Senegal pulled off the win. It was a hectic day of matches for Group H, but, as I previously mentioned, no one is down for the count by any means.
EDIT: 6/24/18: I mistakenly cited Saudi Arabia as the lowest-ranked side in the competition. This is false, as it is actually the host nation Russia (65th, compared to Saudi Arabia's 63rd ranking). I have edited the article to make it factually correct.
Tuesday saw Group H's teams play their first matches of the tournament, and with that every team played once. It's been an outstanding tournament with plenty of early thrills and excitement, and some surprises. I'm taking you group-by-group to talk about what we through each group's first matches.
What We Already Knew: Uruguay is going to be tough.
Uruguay may have needed an 89th minute goal to get past Mo Salah-less Egypt, but while the late goal was a bitter pill for Egypt, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez did look dangerous all game and both had a serious off day when it came to finishing. This game could have been 2 or 3 to nil even before Jose Mario Gimenez's final chance and while Egypt hung around to give Uruguay a great fight, Uruguay showed just how tough of an out they would be this tournament.
What Surprised Us: Russia and/or Saudi Arabia's quality.
Russia put five goals, all five stellar strikes in their own way, past Saudi Arabia, the second-worst team in the World Cup according to FIFA rankings. Most, though, thought they'd at least have a fighting chance against a Russian side that is not truly blow-away despite its solid quality. Russia scored first in the 12th minute and were off to the races from there. This now puts Russia in a good position with a +5 goal differential, but might expose Saudi Arabia to being a punching bag of the group if Egypt pull off a win against Russia and need to get their goal differential up.
Group B:
What We Already Knew: Ronaldo is one of the world's best players.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a heck of a day. After just one goal in each of the three prior World Cups, he exploded out with three goals, the final of the three being his best effort. He knocked in a sparkling free kick past a leaping man in the wall's head to level the match against Spain 3-3 and finalize his hat trick. While his first two goals were a penalty kick and the result of a keeping mistake, the third is one that people will remember. Spain's wounds were almost wholly self-inflicted without question, but Ronaldo made sure to make them pay for committing them.
What Surprised Us: Iran is in the lead.
Admittedly, before the start of the first Group B match day, the winner of the Iran/Morocco match leading the group wouldn't have been that large of a surprise, but Morocco was considered the favorite with players like Hakim Ziyech and Medhi Benatia. Instead, it was a 95th minute own goal from Aziz Bouhaddouz that stunned the North African nation and gave Iran a huge three points. Iran will need to get their own goals, instead of banking on own goals, if they want to advance, and they will need better performances from the man they call Iranian Messi, Sardar Azmoun, leading the line.
Group C:
What We Already Knew: France out in front.
In a 6 AM EST kick-off, very early for the French fans that reside in the United States, the French took down Australia 2-1 with a penalty kick and own goal, both of which had to be confirmed by the new VAR technology. Additionally, the own goal went through a change of scorer as it was originally given to Paul Pogba. They have the lead and will hope to remain in the driver's seat as they take on Peru in their next match, who lost to Denmark 1-0, and will hope that a win and a result in the Denmark/Australia game will see them through.
What Surprised Us: No one looked like a world-beater.
Despite the French's 2-1 win, there were some shaky moments. They only held a lead in the match for 13 minutes and they conceded a penalty of their own just four minutes after Antoine Griezmann converted his. And even the penalty and goal both were very close decisions that needed the VAR assistance to confirm. Meanwhile, Peru missed their chance at an early lead as Christian Cueva blasted a spot kick over the bar and in the second half Denmark converted their best chance with Yussuf Poulsen's neat finish in the 59th. You would guess that France and Denmark will hold early form and both go through, but none of the four sides in this group instill loads of confidence.
Group D:
What We Already Knew: Croatia is for real.
Despite the inner turmoil of the Croatian Football Federation, Croatia's squad in this World Cup is enough to overcome outside distractions, as their 2-0 victory over Nigeria may have shown. With Dejan Lovren in the form of his life in defense, an attack consisting of four outstanding players, and two central midfielders, one each playing for the top two clubs in Spain (Luka Modric with Madrid, Ivan Rakitic with Barcelona), they are a side with wealth of quality and if this was a secret to those out of the loop before the tournament, it will not be now.
What Surprised Us: Iceland is for real.
Okay, maybe this wasn't a MASSIVE surprise, especially not for those that watched Euro2016, but the smallest nation in the world snagged a point off last World Cup's runners-up. We already knew that Lionel Messi wouldn't be able to do it all himself, and indeed the defending for Iceland's game-tying goal that came just four minutes after Sergio Aguero's opener was very poor, but with a chance to put Argentina up front in the second half Messi's penalty in the second half was saved rather easily, and it was Messi who also drew criticism. If Croatia can deliver a result against Argentina and Iceland can take down Nigeria in each side's next match, we might be looking at a Round of 16 match with Iceland involved.
Group E:
What We Already Knew: Serbia was slept on before.
With a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica, Serbia put themselves in a strong position to push forward and out of a difficult group and into the knockout stages. With a lovely free kick from AS Roma wing-back Aleksandar Kolarov, the one goal was enough to give them all three points in the meeting with a Costa Rica team that has become known as one of their region's better sides. They have quality up and down the 23-man squad, with players littered throughout their side who play for teams in Italy's Serie A and England's Premier League, among many other top-class leagues around Europe. If they were overlooked before, now they should be on everyone's radar.
What Surprised Us: Brazil is shaky.
Phil Coutinho scored in the 20th minute, and everyone expected Brazil to continue along and perhaps slot a few more past a solid Switzerland side as a statement to the rest of the nations involved. That was far from the case as Switzerland's Steven Zubor delivered a goal off a corner kick and leveled the game five minutes into the second half, and the Swiss held on, including surviving a penalty shout for Brazil in the 73rd that was ultimately waved off. Gabriel Jesus was poor as the central striker for the green and yellow and trouble continues to brew with Neymar's injury concerns in training. They are a side brimming with quality and really should not find a great deal of resistance even in an overall solid group. But now they must be extra careful not to overlook Costa Rica.
Group F:
What We Already Knew: Anything can happen in the World Cup.
This group of Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea seemed clear cut at the start -- last Cup's winners Germany would advance, and the second place would be a scrappy fight to take on Brazil. Instead, what we have in Group E (this group's 'match-up group' where first place in F takes on second place in E, and vice versa) is an uncertain Brazil and in Group F we have an uncertain Germany. People touting Mexico as being in danger of not even finishing second were stunned with their 1-0 win over Germany. South Korea, with their star Son Heung-min of Tottenham, couldn't get anything going on attack and were stopped cold by the more defensive-minded Sweden side. You never know what to expect, and Group F is a prime example of that.
What Surprised Us: Germany's struggles.
When it came to match one sides that disappointed, Germany are without question number one on that list. In what I would have considered their biggest group stage match, Germany did not show up. Mexico hit Germany time-after-time on the counter-attack and only needed one goal in the 35th to sink the German hopes for a result in the match. Germany's full-backs over-attacked regularly and were exposed constantly by El Tri, who held firm. Germany did not look toothless, they attacked well at times, but their defensive mishaps were too glaring to overlook and German fans will surely be a bit more worried now than they were at the start of the World cup.
Group G:
What We Already Knew: Belgium's attack is insatiable.
With Panama level 0-0 at the half, you wouldn't have been wrong to ponder the thought that maybe this is just the World Cup of under-performing giants. If you did think that, however, the Red Devils proved you wrong in the second half as they carved up the Central American side for three goals including two from star striker Romelu Lukaku, as they looked like the best side in the top ten through the first set of matches. Dealt a rather easy draw, it was crucial that they made the most of this match against Panama, and Belgium certainly did so.
What Surprised Us: Tunisia's scrappiness.
England had their foot on the gas for the entire opening stretch of the match, finally finding the net just eleven minutes into the match through Harry Kane. Things seemed to be going well, perhaps England would take advantage of their easier group draw, like Belgium. Instead, Kyle Walker conceded an unnecessary penalty and allowed Tunisia to convert. From there, Tunisia did all they could to harass Harry Kane and his English teammates in hopes of holding the Three Lions to a draw. They almost did it. But in the 91st minute, Kane equalized in a strikingly similar goal to his first (a second ball off a corner kick). It was a very 'English' game when all told, but the tools and tricks Tunisia had could come into play again against Belgium and is something that is worth looking out for.
Group H:
What We Already Knew: Group H is a wide-open open group.
Despite the fact that there are two teams with three points and two with zero now, no team looked out of depth in this World Cup. Senegal may have caught some by surprise, but those with knowledge of the top four European leagues surely recognized several of the names in the Senegalese starting eleven. Ditto for Japan, whose winning goal was scored by Yuya Osaka, star of German side Koln. Poland is a top ten team in the world and Colombia managed to hold strong even with ten men in the side almost the entire game after a 3rd minute red card, and then giving up a 6th minute penalty to put them down. This group is still wide-open after the first match and its developments will be exciting to watch unfold.
What Surprised Us: The manner of victory.
That said, surely no one was expecting the sorts of games we were in for. The second-fastest red card in World Cup history, a penalty given as a result, putting Colombia down one, then a foul given that was criticized following it that resulted in a Colombian direct free kick goal, and finally Japan's winner with just over 15 minutes left in the match. And this was out first game of the group. Senegal scored their goals off an own goal that shocked the Polish side, and then M'Baye Niang being let back onto the pitch after injury at an inconvenient time for Poland as he got a nice touch and ran free for their second goal. Poland's late goal back was too little, too late, and Senegal pulled off the win. It was a hectic day of matches for Group H, but, as I previously mentioned, no one is down for the count by any means.
EDIT: 6/24/18: I mistakenly cited Saudi Arabia as the lowest-ranked side in the competition. This is false, as it is actually the host nation Russia (65th, compared to Saudi Arabia's 63rd ranking). I have edited the article to make it factually correct.
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