Tincho (@MP_persources): One of the most exciting group stages in World Cup history. We saw most of the contenders struggle to assert their dominance at first but in the end, all the contenders found a way to make it to the Round of 16… except.. well you know.. The one 0-0 draw between France and Australia seemed to be the only unwatchable match of the round. Even games against eliminated teams gave us something to talk about such as the Saudi Arabia vs Egypt match last Monday. Overall, a fantastic group stage.
Cam (@CamB_PerSources): This was one of the more entertaining group stages that we have seen in a while. One scoreless draw, upset, and loads of late goals: what more can you ask for. Overall there were a few surprises but very few in the teams that were expected to go through.
Group A
Tincho: Uruguay was the dominant team with three wins and no goals allowed. Although Cavani struggled for most of the tournament, he was able to join Luis Suarez on the scoresheet as the two strikers combined for three out of Uruguay’s five goals. Russia continues to be overrated in my eyes. Very similar to England at this World Cup. Dominated against noticeably weaker sides and were overhyped by most. For Egypt, I think the pressure of being a national hero and the savior of Egypt was just too much for Mo Salah. Extremely disappointing performance by Egypt this World Cup.
Cam: No surprises in the team that would top the group Uruguay, but Russia surprised many with their dominating play against Saudi Ariba and Egypt.
Quinn: I really wish Mo Salah played in the first game, that could have changed the result if he performed well. Was hoping to see Egypt do a bit better than scoring zero points. Always fun to see the host country make it past the group stages but I don’t see them getting into the quarterfinals by beating Spain. Spain is just too good. Uruguay is set to face Portugal and I also have a hard time imagining them getting through to the quarterfinals. However, this IS the World Cup we are talking about..and anything is possible.
Group B
Tincho: Portugal and Spain made it out but not without controversy. Two simultaneous VAR decisions helped save both of their World Cup campaigns. In the end, both teams narrowly progressed with a set of ties although Spain would end up winning the group thus avoiding Uruguay. Disappointment for Iran who exceeded everyone’s expectations and gave both Spain and Portugal a battle from start to finish. In fact, Iran was a missed 1v1 opportunity from eliminating Portugal in the last few minutes of the game.
Cam: Spain and Portugal were always going to go through but not in the manner we expected. Iran and Morocco put the European giants under pressure. Morocco were unlucky not to get a win and Iran were one goal away from entering in the knockout stage vs Portugal.
Quinn: The two teams advancing to the knockout stages come with no surprise. Spain and Portugal are two powerhouses that many expect to make it deep into the tournament. Their first game against eachother was one for the books as Ronaldo tallied a wonderful hat trick with a stellar performance. Both teams should have no trouble beating their round of 16 opponents.
Group C
Tincho: The most boring group of the World Cup so far. France never convinced me despite their two wins. I believe they were really lucky to come away with the three points against Australia in their opener and Peru seemed to be the better team for large parts of their game. I think the biggest disappointment was seeing Peru being eliminated after just two games. I think they played fantastic both against Denmark and France but their finishing came back to haunt them. France walked past this group while Denmark crawled to a 0-0 tie to qualify. Terribly boring group.
Cam: France and Denmark for me was straight forward as could be in my predictions. France, favorites of tournament, and Denmark, strong defensively with attacking capability, were easy choices on my eyes.
Quinn: Another group with not much to be surprised about. Peru played well and gave many the thought that they could potentially advance but ended up losing two games which is a hole almost impossible to dig out of. France is a solid team with strong assets all over the field and it was expected of them to win their group with ease. Their round of 16 match with Argentina should be a classic.
Group D
Tincho: Argentina required a perfect finish from Marcos Rojo late in the game to beat out Nigeria and earn their spot in the next round. Though they never played to their full potential, Argentina survived the group solenn my thanks to the big name players at their disposal. Meanwhile, Croatia dominated the group from start to finish with three wins while outscoring their opponents 7-1. We knew Croatia would come out firing at all cylinders but a combination of a lackluster Argentina side and a dominant Croatia side saw the Europeans win their group and avoid France.
Cam: Argentina were sent for spin after Iceland draw and than being ripped apart at the hands of Croatia. Argentina needed help from Nigeria to advance. If the Super Eagles lost to Iceland it would be the Europeans in second and not Argentina. Croatia have come to center stage as a dark horse contender (Mentioned that in Group preview before the tournament, just saying).
Quinn: Nigeria may not have made it out of Group D, but they definitely won best kits from the 2018 World Cup. Whoever made those deserves a raise. Croatia is home to my favorite midfielder in the world, Luka Modric. It’s no surprise to see them advancing along with Argentina (by the hairs on their necks). Messi owes Marcos Rojo lunch.
Group E
Tincho: Brazil was another contender that failed to impress me after three matches. On paper, they won the group stage in a rather comfortable fashion but in reality, we saw Brazil struggle at times both at the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Coutinho was the standout man for the South Americans as Neymar is still not fully recovered from his ankle injury. For Switzerland, Shaqiri’s late winner proved to be the decisive factor for the Swiss who made it out of their group despite a tie against Costa Rica. I did not expect Costa Rica to make it out of this group but I still expected to see more from the Central Americans. Had the game against Switzerland finish seconds earlier, the Serbians would be celebrating their qualification to the next round. One moment of poor defending cost them the tournament.
Cam: Brazil and Switzerland showed they had the experience over the aging sides of Costa Rica and Serbia. A early draw from both squads sparked a since of urgency, each team followed with wins in their next game.
Quinn: A nice group stage performance from Coutinho (two goals in three games) see’s Brazil onto the next round. Good to see Neymar back on the pitch after suffering a nasty ankle injury in February. Expected a bit more from Costa Rica, always sad to see such a great keeper like Keylor Navas have to watch the rest of the tournament from his couch.
Group F
Tincho: The biggest surprise of the World Cup has to be the elimination of the Germans. Toni Kroos’ miracle shot gave Germany their one and only reason to celebrate all tournament long. The worst German side I’ve ever seen in my life and for the first time since 1938, the Germans failed to make it past the first round. Mexico dominated the first two games and s stumble in their last game almost cost them but football finally decided to give them a helping hand. Sweden somehow ended up winning the group thanks to a dominating win against Mexico and will avoid Brazil and other contenders later on in the tournament. Despite losing their first two games, South Korea was a Mexico victory away from qualification. Best group of the World Cup.
Cam: Biggest shock of the Tournament that the reigning World Champions, Germany would not advance out of the stages. An early loss triggered panic mode and an unconvincing win vs Sweden did not build confidence. Sweden proved their defense capability by posting two clean sheets in route to topping group over Mexico. Mexico were bailed out by South Korea on final day after not allowing a goal.
Quinn: Group F might have been my favorite of the group stages. Mexico’s first stunning victory thanks to a lone goal from “Chucky” Lozano against the defending World Champions Germany was one of the bigger upsets of the group stage. It’s becoming normal to see the defending champion knocked out in the first round, and Germany is keeping the trend alive.
Group G
Tincho: Two europeans and then the rest. Belgium and England dominated both Tunizia and Panama which meant early qualification. Which of course, meant a meaningless Belgium vs England match on the last game where both sides cleared their benches. Yes Januzaj’s goal was amazing (Batshuayi ‘s header was better) but it was an overall tasteless game.
Cam: Straight forward with Belgium and England going through. The only question was battle for second place. The backups were able to dual it out with Belgium toping the group with nine points. England arguably ended up on easier side of bracket but to win the tournament you must beat everyone.
Quinn: As expected, England and Belgium advance to the round of 16 with comfortable leads over Panama and Tunisia. I am eager to see Belgium play more and think they will glide by Japan with ease.
Group H
Tincho: Another team that struggled but eventually found their way. Colombia started off the World Cup with a defeat to Japan after an early red card. Eventually, the found their rhythm against Poland and a late Yerry Mina goal gave them the group. To me, Senegal was the best team of the group for the vast majority of the games. Their elimination seems cruel and unreasonable to me. Nothing against Japan. I just think that Senegal was a much more exciting team to watch. Going forward, I think Senegal would’ve had a much better chance against the tougher opponents than Japan.
Cam: Arguably just behind Germany in most disappointing team is Poland, early lose against Senegal pegged the Poles back and Columbia’s inspired performance buried them to bottom. Japan and Senegal both surprised on the first round of games both coming away with wins. Colombia were able to top group with Japan loss. Oddly Japan advanced on FIFA Fair Play points over Senegal because they had less yellow cards.
Quinn: My favorite team going into the World Cup this year was Colombia. I’ve been to Colombia, and housed a foreign exchange student from Colombia so I have a small connection to the country. I was thrilled to see them advance, even though it was a nail biter into the 3rd game of the round. I loved watching Senegal, they played well. I was disappointed to see their experience cut short.