It was the game, and group, that no one wanted to win. Thursday’s Group G finale pitted co-leaders Belgium and England against one another.…
It was the game, and group, that no one wanted to win.
Thursday’s Group G finale pitted co-leaders Belgium and England against one another. The sides were even on points, goals scored and goal differential, meaning the winner would go on to face Japan, the Group H runner-ups, next Monday in the Round of 16. Except, as both countries had made abundantly clear throughout the week, neither wanted to come out on top.
Of course, one team always was going to win the group, even if it came down to disciplinary record (Belgium had earned one more yellow card than England coming into the game). It didn’t come down to that ridiculous tie-breaker, though, as Belgium won a truly unremarkable game 1-0, thanks to a goal in the 51st minute by former Manchester United phenom Adnan Januzaj.
The game wasn’t as bad as Tuesday’s scoreless snooze-fest between France and Denmark, but when the final whistle blew, putting an end to 90 minutes of half-hearted and aimless running, all either side could do was shrug. With most of each side’s preferred starting eleven on the bench, there wasn’t much to glean from Belgium’s win.
In fact, it could turn out to be something of a curse. That’s because the winner of Group H now faces what looks like a much tougher road to the final. Belgium, assuming they get by Japan in the Round of 16 (which they should), will likely face Brazil in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, England, if they beat a James Rodriguez-less Colombia side (which they should), will get the winner of Sweden-Switzerland. Neither team is a lock to win its next game, of course, but it’s easy to see why England won’t be that disheartened by its loss.
Of course, neither England nor Belgium has achieved much recent major tournament success, so the anguish over whether or not either team even wanted to win Group H felt like a bit much. Sure, it makes sense to want the easier path to the final, but as this Cup has already shown — particularly with Germany’s shocking exit on Wednesday — things don’t always go as planned. At that point, a team might as well have the momentum of a few wins on their side.
Both Belgium and England should expect to reach the quarterfinals, but don’t be all that surprised if one — or both of them — don’t.
Even if neither side wanted to win Thursday’s game, that didn’t stop the contest from producing a moment of excellence courtesy of Belgium’s Adnan Januzaj. Shortly after the half, the speedy forward skipped past defender Danny Rose and curled a shot into the top corner past a diving Jordan Pickford to put his side up for good.
Saturday
France vs. Argentina, 10 a.m., Fox
Two of the tournament’s most underwhelming teams meet up in the first match of the Round of 16. An extremely talented France side seems much more likely to have the capacity to improve, though, so they should squeak by. Just don’t expect a classic.
Uruguay vs. Portugal, 2 p.m., Fox
Neither side has had the best of tournaments, but both have a game — Uruguay’s resounding defeat of Russia and Portugal’s draw with Spain — that shows they can contend with anyone. The Uruguayans have the better side, but Portugal has the better player in Cristiano Ronaldo, which might be the only edge they need.
Sunday
Spain vs. Russia, 10 a.m., Fox
Russia’s no-show against Uruguay, the first decent side they faced, made clear they weren’t unexpected world beaters. Spain is even better, so expect the host’s Cup challenge to come to an end.
Croatia vs. Denmark, 2 p.m., Fox
Thanks to their magnificent midfield, Croatia looks like one of the strongest sides of the tournament so far. Unless Denmark’s talisman, Christian Eriksen, can produce something special on Sunday, it seems unlikely that his side has what it takes to stop them.
