An xG of 3.06 without scoring a goal, Morocco toping a group with 2 European giants and Group E providing a lot of entertainment! Let’s see what happened today in Qatar at the World Cup.
Group F
Results
Subs
Croatia: B. Petkovic 64′, M. Pasalic 64′, L. Majer 90′
Belgium: R. Lukaku 46′, T. Hazard 59′, J. Doku 72′, Y. Tielemans 72′, E. Hazard 87′
It was an all or nothing game for Belgium, they had to win to go through. For Croatia a draw was fine as well. Croatia started with more energy, they even got a penalty awarded, only for it to be taken away for a marginal offside. As time went on, Belgium became way more offensive and they had a lot of clear cut chances, some of them missed by substitute, Romelo Lukaku. The Belgian Red Devils finished with an xG of 3.06, without finding the net. This means they are out, Croatia to go through, but from second place.
| N. Aguerd 40′ | H. Ziyech 4′ Y. En Nesyri 23′ |
Subs
Canada: A. Hutchinson 60′, J. David 60′, I. Kone 61′, R. Laryea 65′, D. Wotherspoon 76′
Morocco: Z. Aboukhlal 65′, S. Amallah 65′, A. Hamdallah 76′, J. El Yamiq 77′, Y. Jabrane 85′
Morocco was on 4 points before this game, so a draw would have been enough to secure their advancement. They however did not want to leave anything to chance and opened the scoring early on by Hakim Ziyech. Canada played decent, however it was the African who got the second as well. Canada scored to make it 2-1, but that remained the final score. Canada had the better xG, 1.35 to the Africans’ 0.53, but the North Americans go home without a point.
Standings
| # | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Lose | Goals | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 : 1 | 7 |
| 2 |  | Croatia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 : 1 | 5 |
| 3 |  | Belgium | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 : 2 | 4 |
| 4 |  | Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 : 7 | 0 |
Probably not a lot of people expected this, but Morocco finished first, followed by Croatia. Belgium’s “Golden Generation” is eliminated, this was probably their last chance to win a major trophy.
Group E
Results
| R. Doan 48′ A. Tanaka 51′ | A. Morata 11′ |
Subs
Japan: R. Doan 46′, K. Mitoma 46′, T. Asano 61′, T. Tomiyasu 69′, W. Endo 87′
Spain: D. Carvajal 46′, F. Torres 57′, M. Asensio 57′, A. Fati 68′, J. Alba 68′
Spain opened the scoring early on, thanks to an Alvaro Morata header. Even though Spain had more than 70% of the possession, Japan clapped back with 2 quickfire goals at the beginning of the second half. Not a lot happened after this, both teams seemed content with the score, which is understandable, as this meant the duo will go through to the Round of 16.
| Y. Tejeda 58′ J. P. Vargas 70′ | S. Gnabry 10′ K. Havertz 73′, 85′ N. Fullkrug 90′ |
Subs
Costa Rica: Y. Salas 46′, R. Matarrita 74′, J. Bennette 74′, A. Contreras 90′, R. Wilson 90′
Germany: L. Klostermann 46′, N. Fullkrug 55′, K. Havertz 66′, M. Gotze 67′, M. Ginter 90′
Similar to Spain, Germany opened the scoring early on. Gnabry scored after a Raum cross. Germany controlled the game, however Costa Rica was dangerous on the counter and they equalized in the 58th minute, only to grab a second a few minutes later. Germany equalized(73′), then took the lead, 2 goals signed by Havertz, only for Fullkrug to make it 4 in the 90th minute. However it wasn’t enough, they are eliminated from the World Cup. Interestingly, they had an xG of almost 6, but even that converted to goals wouldn’t have been enough to go through.
Standings
| # | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Lose | Goals | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 : 3 | 6 |
| 2 |  | Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 : 3 | 4 |
| 3 |  | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 : 5 | 4 |
| 4 |  | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 : 11 | 3 |
Unbelievable, Japan are first in the group! They are going to be facing Croatia in the Round of 16. Spain finishes 2nd, they are going to go up against Morocco. Germany eliminated!