REVIEWING GAMES 17 TO 20: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

 WC 2022 REVIEW: PART FIVE

OVERVIEW OF GAMES 17 TO 20

-Mitansh Kagalwala

 

Day Six kicked Matchday Two off to a start, bringing with it the chance to get our first qualified nation and must-win games. Iran saved themselves from elimination with two late goals against Wales, Senegal dumped Qatar out of the tournament, the Netherlands just about earned a point against Ecuador, and the USA and England shared the spoils, which means the sport is now called Socball. Here’s what we made of it:

Iran 2-0 Wales

Rouzbeh Cheshmi 90+8’, Ramin Rezaeian 90+11’

Football gives us fans several moments that make us cry: last-minute goals, last-minute misses, and last-minute penalty calls, among others. It’s not often, however, that the sport makes us tear up before the game even starts. When you’ve been through as much strife as the Iranians have recently, it’s not hard to imagine why hearing your national anthem play for the world to hear causes such emotion, giving us some of the most iconic and powerful moments of the World Cup. And the Iranian team responded to that passion, taking the game to Wales. They pounced on a loose pass in the first half, but Ali Gholizadeh was ruled to be offside. Wayne Hennessy then rushed out of his box to crash into Mehdi Taremi, earning him a red card and leaving Wales down to 10 men. Iran pushed, and got their reward in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi smashing home from range. Three minutes later, Ramin Rezaeian dinked in Iran’s second, breaking Welsh hearts and sealing Iran’s victory.

Photo Via: BBC


Qatar 1-3 Senegal

Mohammed Muntari 78’ ; Boulaye Dia 41’, Famara Diedhiou 48’, Bamba Dieng 84’

A must-win game for both sides following their Matchday 1 losses, Senegal and Qatar both started off well. Qatar had an early shout for a penalty when they broke forward on the counter, but the referee ruled that the Qatari striker was searching for a foul and waved plan on. Boulaye Dia then put Senegal into the lead just before the break, capitalizing on Boualem Khoukhi’s slip to roll past Meshaal Barsham. Three minutes after the restart, Famara Diedhiou glanced home from a corner to double the lead. Qatar grew into the game as it progressed, Mohammed Muntari cutting the deficit back down to one, but Bamba Dieng wrapped it all up late into the game. The result sees Qatar eliminated, and sets-up a virtual pre-quarterfinal between Senegal and Ecuador.

Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador

Cody Gakpo 6’ ; Enner Valencia 49’

If it ever turns out that this is Cody Gakpo’s World Cup and we’re just living through it, remember you heard it here first. The young Dutch star notched his name for a second time in as many games, absolutely rocketing the ball in at the near post with his left foot. It seemed as though the Netherlands were going to run away with it, but they took their foot of the pedal after the opener, allowing Ecuador to pounce. The South Americans had an equalizer ruled out, when Pervis Estupinian diverted the ball into the net, but Gonzalo Plata was caught offside obstructing the goalkeeper’s view. They did eventually get their goal, Enner Valencia scoring his third of the World Cup off a rebound. Ecuador were the better side for much of the game, and will be slightly disappointment they didn’t come away with the three points. The result means Netherlands only need a draw against Qatar to advance, while Ecuador have a must-win game against Senegal.

USA 0-0 England

It may have ended 0-0, but the United States will count this as a win. They will be disappointed, however, that they didn’t actually get the three points. The USA were the better team for much of the game, completely shutting down England to the point that all the confidence the English had built up after their win against Iran evaporated completely. Tyler Adams was absolutely fantastic, the perfect midfielder in this system. England, on the other hand, had another sleep-worthy performance, and criticisms against Gareth Southgate rose once again. Why Phil Foden didn’t get a single minute yesterday is as big a question as any. It certainly is a major point of concern how England’s performance falls when they come up against a team willing to press them up the field and take the game to them. If this form continues, it definitely isn’t coming home. As for the USA, the result means their next game against Iran is basically a knockout game, with the winner going through.


CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR WORLD CUP SERIES

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 DAY ONE REVIEW

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 REVIEW PART TWO

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 REVIEW PART THREE

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 REVIEW PART FOUR

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