FIFA Fever: Korea shocks Germany; Group stage concludes today

Day 15 saw two contrasting images of ardent fans at the FIFA World Cup 2018 during the match Korea Republic vs Germany – the fans of the former erupting in a wave of yellow frenzy and the latter in disbelief and deathly silence.

Defending champions Germany have been knocked out of this WC after being handed out a shocking 2-0 defeat by South Korea – proving once again that the FIFA World Cup 2018 is indeed a tournament of upsets. For the Koreans, the two goals by Kim Young-Gwon and Son Heung-Min sealed Germany’s fate. Though the Germans had possession of the 70 per cent of the time, they failed to convert even one of their numerous efforts into a goal. However, South Korea’s spectacular win has failed to win the team a berth in the last 16 as in another Group F match Sweden defeated Mexico 3-0. 

Brazil overwhelmed Serbia with a 2-0 win. Scoring first for Brazil was José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Júnior, popularly known as Paulinho, in the 36^th minute. Though Neymar didn’t score a goal this time, he orchestrated the one scored by Thiago Silva in the 68^th minute. Brazil will now meet Mexico in the final 16 match to be played on July 2, 2018. 

Mexico uncharacteristically puts up a lackluster show against Sweden, a far cry from their strong performance against both Germany and South Korea. This was despite the full-throated support of a stadium full of Mexican fans. Sweden outplayed Mexico, winning 3-0 – the first two goals for Sweden were scored by Ludwig Augustinsson and captain Andreas Granqvist. In a tragic turn of events, Mexican player Edson Alvarez scored an own goal, cementing Sweden’s win. 

In the fourth match of the day, Switzerland and Costa Rica drew 2-2. The drama-filled match saw two Swiss players facing suspension – with both captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schaer receiving their second Yellow Cards. Switzerland will be facing Sweden in the final 16 tie on July 3 without these two experienced players. 

The Group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2018 will draw to a close today (June 28) and the tournament will proceed to the Round of 16 knockouts. The teams that will qualify from Group H will be determined at 7.30 pm IST with Japan facing Poland and Senegal battling Columbia. 

Both Japan and Senegal can cruise to the knockout stages if they defeat their opponents today. Of course, nothing has been that simple in this WC. Japan needs a single point to make it to the Round of 16. Even a draw result is enough for them to qualify. However, their coach Nishino has greater ambitions and intends to aim for the top spot in their Group. If they qualify, it will be the third time that Japan has made it to the Round of 16 at the WC. Japan has displayed variety in their offensive strength with goals clocked by players Inui, Honda, Osako and Kagawa. Veteran forward Keisuke Honda, who sat out for the first 72 minutes in their match against Senegal, was wisely deployed by Nishino at a crucial juncture in the match and justified his involvement in this WC by scoring the winning goal. Team members applauded Honda’s efforts and we look forward to seeing another performance by him in their match against Poland. 

In some respects, Senegal was lucky to tie with Japan as the Asian side conceded an early goal due to a blunder by goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima. But they must have recognised the difference in experience between them and the Japanese players. Japan dominated the game with more successive plays into Senegal’s penalty area, although the African team did convert their chances better. Now Senegal needs a win against Columbia to qualify from their Group. Both the team’s players are evenly matched in physique and style of play. It is the responsibility of Senegal’s coach Cisse ensure his team has that extra edge to bring the match to a favourable result. 

The Columbian team desperately needs a win today if they are to remain in the WC. The Latin Americans fared poorly against Japan, but their resurgence in the 2^nd half of their match against Poland has restored some faith in the team. Juan Cuadrado and Radamel Falco made a strong impression on fans in their previous match and Columbia’s chances for qualifying will largely depend on their performance today. 

Later in the day, the match between Tunisia and Panama will be completely overshadowed as Belgium faces off against England in the same hour at 11.30 pm IST. Neither team has much at stake in this match except their pride. The last time these two teams met at the WC stage was in Italia 90 when David Platt bailed England out with a 121^st minute goal. This year, two of the tournament’s top scorers – Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane – belong to Belgium and England, respectively. Tasked with securing a win for their team, these two players are also the top contenders for the prestigious Golden Boot. Who will score the most goals in the coming game? 

SonyLIV is the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup 2018. It is the go-to destination for all football fanatics. 

Check out Match Centre on SonyLIV, where viewers can see live scores, player positions, team data, match statistics and live commentary. For a more engaging experience, users can set reminders or view the entire schedule, while the points table gives a quick update on the standings, scores, etc. Additionally, SonyLIV has also created a fan-zone on the second screen that users can access on their mobile phones or tablets and experience features like match predictions, emotion meter, polls, and contests, even as they watch the game in real-time. 

Other features include, viewing missed games with snippets and clips of key moments from every match along with highlights. To cater to the widest possible range of viewers, SonyLIV will be available in six simultaneous audio feeds - Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English.