Happy Hump Day, TSFers! Match day three gets underway today. The next four days will be non-stop action, three sets of concurrent matches each day. I hope you have your dual-screen setups ready to go! As they have been all World Cup, the kickoff times will not be consistent, which is rather annoying as a viewer.
Today’s contests:
Switzerland vs. Canada, 3 pm ET, FOX
Bosnia vs. Qatar, 3 pm ET, FS1
Switzerland has to beat Canada to win the group. Canada will win the group with a draw. The winner of Bosnia
vs. Qatar is likely to go through in one of the 3rd-place spots, but a draw would send both home.
Scotland vs. Brazil, 6 pm ET, FOX
Morocco vs. Haiti, 6 pm ET, FS1
Brazil will win the group if they match or better Morocco’s result, so Morocco need to win and have Brazil drop points to win the group. Scotland’s three points might be enough to put them through in a 3rd-place spot already. Haiti are eliminated.
Czechia vs. Mexico, 9 pm ET, FOX
South Africa vs. Korea, 9 pm ET, FS1
Mexico have won the group. South Korea will finish second with a win or draw, but if they lose AND Czechia beat Mexico, South Korea would be out. Both South Africa and Czechia need to win to stay in the competition.
Portugal 5 – Uzbekistan 0
This was not much of a match at all. The Portuguese were far too much for the Uzbeks. It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo has found his level with a first half brace. That level is “wouldn’t be in the World Cup if the format wasn’t expanded” right now. I maintain that Portugal would be better with him as a substitute.
England 0 – Ghana 0
I hope that all the England supporters watching their superior side struggle to break down and create chances against a low block realize the similarities to what Arsenal faced all season. I’d bet many of them wish England had been a bit more clinical from set pieces, too. Doesn’t all that sound familiar? But I won’t hold my breath. Credit to Ghana, they had a plan, they stuck to it, and it has them likely to advance. Harry Kane missed an excellent rebound chance towards the end of the second half that would have won the match.
Croatia 1 – Panama 0
An early second half marker from Ante Budmir was all Croatia needed to get back on track after losing to England. The loss eliminates Panama from the World Cup.
Colombia 1 – Congo DR 0
Rodrigo Munoz scored his second of the tournament in the 76th minute to claim the points for Los Cafeteros. Luis Diaz needs a refresher course on the Offside Law. Perhaps he was doing his best Pippo Inzaghi impression, the man about whom Alex Ferguson once quipped “that lad must have been born offside.” Colombia are the least convincing 2-win side in the World Cup so far.
