With six games and a lot at stake, matchday 16 of the FIFA World Cup was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
The marquee game of the day was supposed to be France vs. Norway in a match that would pit France’s Kylian Mbappé vs. Norway’s Erling Haaland in a battle between two of the world’s most prolific scorers.
That showdown never materialized and fans were worse off for it.
With no preference for finishing in for first or second place, Norway boss Stale Solbakken chose to rest his most important
players — a true downer for anyone hoping to see a clash of such scoring titans. France, as expected, dominated Norway’s rotated lineup, but will Solbakken’s strategy work?
The loss of momentum is a thing, no doubt, but rest is also very important for a Norway side whose best players might be a bit worn down from the tournament.
As always, the question will be answered in the next round.
Here is a recap of all the games.
France secures a thumping 4-1 victory against seemingly helpless Norway
Both sides had already secured qualification with two wins. Hence, Norway decided to take a step back. The likes of Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, and Alexander Sørloth all sat on the bench. Even if the Norwegians lost, they had an easier opponent in Ivory Coast.
France decided to go head on, since going first meant that their next knockout round game would be on the East Coast. The same timezone, minimal travel, and they could continue to stay in Boston — a huge advantage.
From the start of the game, every French player wanted a piece of the hapless Norway side. By the time Ousmane Dembélé scored in the 6th minute, France had already made five chances. Dembélé then scored his second goal in the 20th. Kylian Mbappé managed to assist both the goals.
In retaliation, Thelo Aasgaard scored just a minute after the second goal. The buildup came through Andreas Schjelderup from the left, who spotted Aasgaard on the edge of the box. Here, Aasgaard managed to trick the defenders, get into the perfect space and score, while misdirecting goalkeeper Maignan. The Norwegian retaliation ended there, as Dembélé scored a hattrick by the 32nd. This was special, as it was the first time that a hattrick had been scored in the first half in the 21st century.
In the second half, a major chance opened up for Norway — they were awarded a penalty after Oscar Bobb was fouled in the box. Jørgen Strand Larsen was set to take the penalty, but Maignan managed to save it with a dive to his right
Desiré Doué playing the entire duration of the game was clearly frustrated, but his relentless pursuits was finally rewarded towards the end of the game. With all his fellow starters replaced, Doué alongside substitute Bradley Barcola made it 4-1. Barcola came down the left flank, cuts to his right, crosses into the box, as Doue runs into the box and heads the ball into the corner of the net.
Regarding the Bayern Munich contingent, Michael Olise had a rather average game. Playing centrally did not suit him, but he made earnest attempts, as reflected by his xG of 0.51 and three shots attempted. Dayot Upamecano on the other hand, had a solid game, with nearly ten defensive contributions.
France’s emphatic win means they will be facing Sweden in the knockouts.
Senegal demolishes Iraq and set records
Let’s start with something insane. Senegal beat Iraq 5-0 to become the first African team to score five goals in the World Cup.
What stood out was not the scoreline, but the story behind it.
First, the Iraq red card. Iraq were already 1-0 down, with Habib Diarra’s early goal. Then, defender Rubin Sulaka picked up a yellow after grabbing and pulling Sadio Mane, preventing his impending goal. Later, on review, it was deemed a clear denial of goalscoring opportunity.
By the 13th minute, Iraq were down to ten, and this proved to be an incredible advantage that Senegal made full use of. They resumed scoring in the second half. Ismaila Sarr tested the limits of his opposition’s defence and with an assist from Lamine Camara, become Senegal’s leading all-time goalscorer. Papa Gueye took advantage of this setting, running down the entire Iraqi midfield. He scored once assisted by Sarr and the second assisted by Iliman Ndiaye. Ndiaye’s favour was returned, as Gueye assisted him in the 82nd, scoring the 5th and final goal.
Senegal took their xG of 3.03 and turned it into five spectacular goals, while Iraq barely registered one shot on target. Their defense worked as hard as possible, but it simply wasn’t enough. This sees Senegal as among the highest placed third-place teams while Iraq exits the World Cup.
Final standings of Group I: France (1), Norway (2), Senegal (3), Iraq (4)
Spain edges Uruguay, sending them back home
This game was a comedy of errors for a neutral.
The background of this game in itself is rather interesting. Uruguay’s locker room was apparently wildly unstable, with many being dissatisfied with Marcelo Bielsa. His side had already suffered a group-stage exit in 2022 and with this loss, it is highly likely he may lose his job. Uruguay needed only one point to qualify, but with an xG of 0.2? The once glorious South American side now stands desperately in need of an overhaul.
That aside, let’s talk about the game. Álex Baena’s lone goal separates the two sides. There’s less to talk about the goalscoring and more to talk about the goalkeeping. Legendary Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera managed to catch the ball, but immediately let it slip. The momentum of that shot was not visibly high either and Muslera;s slip lead to the ball gently rolling into the back of the net. His performances against both Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde were poor but this was thus far, the legend’s worst performance.
The rest of the game, even from Spain was rather average. Perhaps the most iconic moment was Ferran Torres missing what was clearly an open shot on target. The Spaniards held onto the ball the whole game, passing the ball around the whole time, with a decent chance once in a while but a shambolic finish. The midfield domination was met by a bang-average attack who fluffed the easiest of chances.
The worst of it was what Uruguay did right in the dying minutes of the game. Agustin Canobbio went studs-up into Pau Cubarsi. A clear red. Even if they had all the chances to, Uruguay simply could not muster even the one goal they needed.
Uruguay had virtually nothing to offer and Spain chose to offer nothing.
Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia feature in dead rubber draw
There is so little to talk about this game.
Cabo Verde are the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup knockouts. They played it smart — three draws, giving them three points, just enough to become runners-up. They defended with all their heart and did in fact make the better chances. Saudi Arabia played mere spectators. For a team that desperately needed the goal could hardly finish. Either they hesitated to shoot, or they blew the easiest of chances. The quality of the Saudi Arabian National Team has been long under fire and with this World Cup exit, this is certainly a team that needs a major revamp.
Cabo Verde will face defending champions Argentina in what will certainly be a thrilling fixture.
Final standings of Group H: Spain (1), Cabo Verde (2), Uruguay (3), Saudi Arabia (4)
Belgium return to form with a stunning win against New Zealand
The Belgium golden generation has turned into a mere memory in recent years. At the last World Cup, they were eliminated in the group stage. This year, they drew Egypt 1-1 and Iran 0-0, after falling to score from the multiple chances they’d created. Needless to say, not much was expected from the Red Devils.
Against New Zealand, Belgium managed to ‘click’ somehow. Take the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Leandro Trossard. They made fantastic chances — especially Trossard who looked incredibly sharp, made well-timed runs and partnered well with Jeremy Doku. Despite missing out on an early penalty, they continued to stay focused and their efforts finally bore fruit.
Trossard received a perfectly positioned corner kick in the box and effortlessly converted it. New Zealand looked earnest — qualification was just as important for them, but both the Belgian defense and veteran goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois were quick to nip their chances. The wingers put in their best efforts but neither the midfield, nor their striker was doing much to help.
Belgium returned to the second half determined, resulting in easily their most memorable performance in years. Trossard scored his second goal, with de Bruyne in the buildup. The legendary midfielder finally secured a goal himself and was subbed off later.
A surprise goal came in from New Zealand, as the efforts of Elijah Just paid off. Just, their brightest prospect this tournament, scored via a corner from the edge of the box. But Belgium pulled the game back with two goals. One from Romelu Lukaku and a last minute goal from Alexis Saelemaekers assisted by Lukaku.
To put simply, the best Belgian performance in recent years was driven by circumstance and desperation. Whether this is a temporary state, or a true identity, remains to be tested in the knockouts. New Zealand however, had so much to give, but fell short. They return home but certainly will return in 2030 stronger.
VAR leaves Iranian dreams hanging with a draw with Egypt
In what was easily the most dramatic game of the night, Iran faced Egypt. Iran’s chances at qualification relied on this fixture while Egypt had already progressed to knockouts.
The scoring was opened in five minutes by Egypt’s Mahmoud Saber. The midfielder shot between the Iranian keeper’s legs, assisted by Hassan Trezeguet. However, immediately afterward, a challenge against Iran’s Mehdi Taremi in the box gave them a penalty. Taremi took the penalty only to miss it — it was promptly saved by keeper Mostafa Shobeir. In three minutes, Iran managed to mend the situation — a goal from Ramin Rezaeian who fired the ball into the roof of the net.
In less than fifteen minutes, this fixture had proven itself to be perhaps the best of the day. Aggressive, ruthless attacks from each side continued throughout. Interestingly, this game featured a total of seven yellow cards — three from Egypt and four from Iran. The second half offered chances to both sides, but there was nothing substantial, until stoppage time.
At the 93rd minute, Iran scored from an insanely messy pinball situation within the box. Shoja Khalilzadeh, for a minute, had turned a national hero. He celebrated so passionately he was given a yellow card, but his joy came crashing as VAR ruled it marginally offside. In a minute, they recouped again, but hit the crossbar. The game ended there, but Iran’s hopes did not. The fans and the team will wait till tomorrow, when the list of the top third-place teams will be compiled to decide who will progress to knockouts.
Tomorrow holds millions of Iranian dreams. Will they make it further? We will simply have to wait and see.
Final standings of Group G: Belgium (1), Egypt (2), Iran (3), New Zealand (4)
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