by Craig Laycock
Original article:
Portugal 5 - 0 Uzbekistan
England 0 - 0 Ghana
Panama 0 - 1 Croatia
Colombia 1 - 0 DR Congo
As we approach the two week mark of the competition, it was a day largely characterised by cagey displays and narrow scorelines, with the exception of Portugal’s game against Uzbekistan, which ended up being either a masterclass of Portuguese attacking or a disaster class of Uzbek defending, depending on your perspective.
The day’s highlights:
Portugal dominated a poor Uzbekistan side to win by a convincing scoreline, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting himself on the scoresheet to become the first player to score at six World Cups.
England played out a cagey match against Ghana, with the African side sitting in a low block and England preferring a patient approach to not get hit on the counter.
Croatia managed to get the three points from Panama in what proved to be another tight game.
Colombia snuck the win against DR Congo to put them through to the last 32.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Well, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t ready to retire just yet. He looked bereft and beaten after Portugal’s first game, but there was a steely resolve about him in this one. He might not have had the mobility he used to have, but he found himself in dangerous positions and continued to be Portugal’s focal point in attack.
We also learned that a low block can be effective against England, providing you also carry a threat on the counter. England probed but never really looked like trying to open up the game just in case Ghana’s counter-attacking threats came to the fore.
***
Portugal v Uzbekistan
Portugal routed Uzbekistan, with the main story of the night being Cristiano Ronaldo getting off the mark in the competition, with the relief on his face palpable.
Portugal stepped up their game relative to their last match against DR Congo, and put out an impressive display, getting off to a great start with an early goal from Ronaldo in the 6th minute.
A second goal followed through Nuno Mendes in the 17th minute from a free kick, and despite a small scare where it looked like Uzbekistan had got themselves back into the game with a spectacular shot from G'aniev (later ruled out for a foul in the build up), Portugal were in complete control of the game.
Ronaldo added a third for Portugal and his second of the night in the 39th minute, before an unfortunate Uzbekistan own goal was topped off with a confident smashed finish by Portugal’s Leao in the closing stages.
Uzbekistan found themselves overwhelmed for the second time at the competition, having previously been outmatched in their first game by Colombia - a difficult draw against two good teams.
***
England v Ghana
You’ll struggle to find many games at this World Cup with such an overwhelming imbalance of possession but, despite controlling the ball throughout, England failed to break down the gritty low block of Ghana and didn’t really generate enough clear cut chances to deserve to win the game.
Perhaps wary of Ghana’s counter attacking threat, you got the sense that England set up to not lose the game rather than open it up and leave space to attack on the counter. Once the pattern of play had been established early on, it proved impossible to break.
England manager Thomas Tuchel opted for Dyed Spence and Mark Guehi as his key changes in this one, later bringing O’Reilly back into the game, where he was able to make good progress with and without the ball and had England’s best chance, crashing a header off the bar. The rebound came to Harry Kane, who uncharacteristically blasted it over the bar from close range.
Before that, Saka had a good opportunity that was saved, and Mark Guehi had an effort of his own cleared off the Ghana goalline, although in fairness it was a relatively tepid effort.
After the highs of the Croatia game, a slight check and balance was inevitable along the way. England will need to be more inventive if they’re to progress in the knockout stages, but they remain top of their group as things stand with Paraguay up next.
***
Panama v Croatia
Croatia left qualification in their own hands after a narrow win against Panama, a result that eliminates the South American side and leaves them with nothing to play for against England except pride.
Luca Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia to push him higher in the upper echelons of record international appearances. He is now the fourth male player to reach the 200 cap mark in history, being held aloft by his teammates to celebrate the occasion at the final whistle. What a moment for one of the legends of the game.
Croatia disappointed somewhat in the first half as Panama brought the game to their European opponents and needed to bring on some extra firepower to make a mark.
Substitute Ante Budimir made the most of his inclusion, tapping in a Josip Stanisic cross to get Croatia off the mark.
Panama refused to give up in attack, causing problems for the Croatia defence and requiring a high quality performance from keeper Dominik Livakovic to keep out the relentless waves of attacks as Panama chased the point that would keep their hopes alive.
It didn’t come, however, and it was Croatia celebrating at the final whistle. If they beat Ghana in their next game, they’ll be through to the Round of 32.
***
Colombia v DR Congo
Colombia have been quietly going about their business in this competition, and put themselves into the Round of 32 with two games played with a win over DR Congo in front of a partisan crowd.
Colombia had several chances to go ahead before Crystal Palace’s Munoz struck in the 76th minute. Juan Fernando Quintero played a great ball to leave Munoz through on goal, and he duly converted the opportunity to take the lead.
Munoz was a constant threat for Colombia from wing-back and had many chances to make the scoreline more comfortable, having the ball in the back of the net before being ruled offside on one particular occasion.
The number 2 seems to have been carrying a silent but deadly threat in this competition, with two goals in two games now from wing-back as Colombia look to involve their wide players in key moments.
It’ll be down to their opponents in the R32 to figure out how to stop Munoz, and Colombia, from doing the same to them.
***
Now, can England get through the next few days without the national press tearing their gameplan against Ghana apart?
I guess we’ll find out.
Bring on day 14!
14 min read
Portugal 5 - 0 Uzbekistan
England 0 - 0 Ghana
Panama 0 - 1 Croatia
Colombia 1 - 0 DR Congo
As we approach the two week mark of the competition, it was a day largely characterised by cagey displays and narrow scorelines, with the exception of Portugal’s game against Uzbekistan, which ended up being either a masterclass of Portuguese attacking or a disaster class of Uzbek defending, depending on your perspective.
The day’s highlights:
Portugal dominated a poor Uzbekistan side to win by a convincing scoreline, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting himself on the scoresheet to become the first player to score at six World Cups.
England played out a cagey match against Ghana, with the African side sitting in a low block and England preferring a patient approach to not get hit on the counter.
Croatia managed to get the three points from Panama in what proved to be another tight game.
Colombia snuck the win against DR Congo to put them through to the last 32.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Well, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t ready to retire just yet. He looked bereft and beaten after Portugal’s first game, but there was a steely resolve about him in this one. He might not have had the mobility he used to have, but he found himself in dangerous positions and continued to be Portugal’s focal point in attack.
We also learned that a low block can be effective against England, providing you also carry a threat on the counter. England probed but never really looked like trying to open up the game just in case Ghana’s counter-attacking threats came to the fore.
***
Portugal v Uzbekistan
Portugal routed Uzbekistan, with the main story of the night being Cristiano Ronaldo getting off the mark in the competition, with the relief on his face palpable.
Portugal stepped up their game relative to their last match against DR Congo, and put out an impressive display, getting off to a great start with an early goal from Ronaldo in the 6th minute.
A second goal followed through Nuno Mendes in the 17th minute from a free kick, and despite a small scare where it looked like Uzbekistan had got themselves back into the game with a spectacular shot from G'aniev (later ruled out for a foul in the build up), Portugal were in complete control of the game.
Ronaldo added a third for Portugal and his second of the night in the 39th minute, before an unfortunate Uzbekistan own goal was topped off with a confident smashed finish by Portugal’s Leao in the closing stages.
Uzbekistan found themselves overwhelmed for the second time at the competition, having previously been outmatched in their first game by Colombia - a difficult draw against two good teams.
***
England v Ghana
You’ll struggle to find many games at this World Cup with such an overwhelming imbalance of possession but, despite controlling the ball throughout, England failed to break down the gritty low block of Ghana and didn’t really generate enough clear cut chances to deserve to win the game.
Perhaps wary of Ghana’s counter attacking threat, you got the sense that England set up to not lose the game rather than open it up and leave space to attack on the counter. Once the pattern of play had been established early on, it proved impossible to break.
England manager Thomas Tuchel opted for Dyed Spence and Mark Guehi as his key changes in this one, later bringing O’Reilly back into the game, where he was able to make good progress with and without the ball and had England’s best chance, crashing a header off the bar. The rebound came to Harry Kane, who uncharacteristically blasted it over the bar from close range.
Before that, Saka had a good opportunity that was saved, and Mark Guehi had an effort of his own cleared off the Ghana goalline, although in fairness it was a relatively tepid effort.
After the highs of the Croatia game, a slight check and balance was inevitable along the way. England will need to be more inventive if they’re to progress in the knockout stages, but they remain top of their group as things stand with Paraguay up next.
***
Panama v Croatia
Croatia left qualification in their own hands after a narrow win against Panama, a result that eliminates the South American side and leaves them with nothing to play for against England except pride.
Luca Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia to push him higher in the upper echelons of record international appearances. He is now the fourth male player to reach the 200 cap mark in history, being held aloft by his teammates to celebrate the occasion at the final whistle. What a moment for one of the legends of the game.
Croatia disappointed somewhat in the first half as Panama brought the game to their European opponents and needed to bring on some extra firepower to make a mark.
Substitute Ante Budimir made the most of his inclusion, tapping in a Josip Stanisic cross to get Croatia off the mark.
Panama refused to give up in attack, causing problems for the Croatia defence and requiring a high quality performance from keeper Dominik Livakovic to keep out the relentless waves of attacks as Panama chased the point that would keep their hopes alive.
It didn’t come, however, and it was Croatia celebrating at the final whistle. If they beat Ghana in their next game, they’ll be through to the Round of 32.
***
Colombia v DR Congo
Colombia have been quietly going about their business in this competition, and put themselves into the Round of 32 with two games played with a win over DR Congo in front of a partisan crowd.
Colombia had several chances to go ahead before Crystal Palace’s Munoz struck in the 76th minute. Juan Fernando Quintero played a great ball to leave Munoz through on goal, and he duly converted the opportunity to take the lead.
Munoz was a constant threat for Colombia from wing-back and had many chances to make the scoreline more comfortable, having the ball in the back of the net before being ruled offside on one particular occasion.
The number 2 seems to have been carrying a silent but deadly threat in this competition, with two goals in two games now from wing-back as Colombia look to involve their wide players in key moments.
It’ll be down to their opponents in the R32 to figure out how to stop Munoz, and Colombia, from doing the same to them.
***
Now, can England get through the next few days without the national press tearing their gameplan against Ghana apart?
I guess we’ll find out.
Bring on day 14!
Day 13: Ronaldo's relief, England's frustration
You're a wizard, Ronny.
Original article:
Last updated:
Portugal 5 - 0 Uzbekistan
England 0 - 0 Ghana
Panama 0 - 1 Croatia
Colombia 1 - 0 DR Congo
As we approach the two week mark of the competition, it was a day largely characterised by cagey displays and narrow scorelines, with the exception of Portugal’s game against Uzbekistan, which ended up being either a masterclass of Portuguese attacking or a disaster class of Uzbek defending, depending on your perspective.
The day’s highlights:
Portugal dominated a poor Uzbekistan side to win by a convincing scoreline, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting himself on the scoresheet to become the first player to score at six World Cups.
England played out a cagey match against Ghana, with the African side sitting in a low block and England preferring a patient approach to not get hit on the counter.
Croatia managed to get the three points from Panama in what proved to be another tight game.
Colombia snuck the win against DR Congo to put them through to the last 32.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Well, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t ready to retire just yet. He looked bereft and beaten after Portugal’s first game, but there was a steely resolve about him in this one. He might not have had the mobility he used to have, but he found himself in dangerous positions and continued to be Portugal’s focal point in attack.
We also learned that a low block can be effective against England, providing you also carry a threat on the counter. England probed but never really looked like trying to open up the game just in case Ghana’s counter-attacking threats came to the fore.
***
Portugal v Uzbekistan
Portugal routed Uzbekistan, with the main story of the night being Cristiano Ronaldo getting off the mark in the competition, with the relief on his face palpable.
Portugal stepped up their game relative to their last match against DR Congo, and put out an impressive display, getting off to a great start with an early goal from Ronaldo in the 6th minute.
A second goal followed through Nuno Mendes in the 17th minute from a free kick, and despite a small scare where it looked like Uzbekistan had got themselves back into the game with a spectacular shot from G'aniev (later ruled out for a foul in the build up), Portugal were in complete control of the game.
Ronaldo added a third for Portugal and his second of the night in the 39th minute, before an unfortunate Uzbekistan own goal was topped off with a confident smashed finish by Portugal’s Leao in the closing stages.
Uzbekistan found themselves overwhelmed for the second time at the competition, having previously been outmatched in their first game by Colombia - a difficult draw against two good teams.
***
England v Ghana
You’ll struggle to find many games at this World Cup with such an overwhelming imbalance of possession but, despite controlling the ball throughout, England failed to break down the gritty low block of Ghana and didn’t really generate enough clear cut chances to deserve to win the game.
Perhaps wary of Ghana’s counter attacking threat, you got the sense that England set up to not lose the game rather than open it up and leave space to attack on the counter. Once the pattern of play had been established early on, it proved impossible to break.
England manager Thomas Tuchel opted for Dyed Spence and Mark Guehi as his key changes in this one, later bringing O’Reilly back into the game, where he was able to make good progress with and without the ball and had England’s best chance, crashing a header off the bar. The rebound came to Harry Kane, who uncharacteristically blasted it over the bar from close range.
Before that, Saka had a good opportunity that was saved, and Mark Guehi had an effort of his own cleared off the Ghana goalline, although in fairness it was a relatively tepid effort.
After the highs of the Croatia game, a slight check and balance was inevitable along the way. England will need to be more inventive if they’re to progress in the knockout stages, but they remain top of their group as things stand with Paraguay up next.
***
Panama v Croatia
Croatia left qualification in their own hands after a narrow win against Panama, a result that eliminates the South American side and leaves them with nothing to play for against England except pride.
Luca Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia to push him higher in the upper echelons of record international appearances. He is now the fourth male player to reach the 200 cap mark in history, being held aloft by his teammates to celebrate the occasion at the final whistle. What a moment for one of the legends of the game.
Croatia disappointed somewhat in the first half as Panama brought the game to their European opponents and needed to bring on some extra firepower to make a mark.
Substitute Ante Budimir made the most of his inclusion, tapping in a Josip Stanisic cross to get Croatia off the mark.
Panama refused to give up in attack, causing problems for the Croatia defence and requiring a high quality performance from keeper Dominik Livakovic to keep out the relentless waves of attacks as Panama chased the point that would keep their hopes alive.
It didn’t come, however, and it was Croatia celebrating at the final whistle. If they beat Ghana in their next game, they’ll be through to the Round of 32.
***
Colombia v DR Congo
Colombia have been quietly going about their business in this competition, and put themselves into the Round of 32 with two games played with a win over DR Congo in front of a partisan crowd.
Colombia had several chances to go ahead before Crystal Palace’s Munoz struck in the 76th minute. Juan Fernando Quintero played a great ball to leave Munoz through on goal, and he duly converted the opportunity to take the lead.
Munoz was a constant threat for Colombia from wing-back and had many chances to make the scoreline more comfortable, having the ball in the back of the net before being ruled offside on one particular occasion.
The number 2 seems to have been carrying a silent but deadly threat in this competition, with two goals in two games now from wing-back as Colombia look to involve their wide players in key moments.
It’ll be down to their opponents in the R32 to figure out how to stop Munoz, and Colombia, from doing the same to them.
***
Now, can England get through the next few days without the national press tearing their gameplan against Ghana apart?
I guess we’ll find out.
Bring on day 14!
14 min read
Day 13: Ronaldo's relief, England's frustration
You're a wizard, Ronny.
Portugal 5 - 0 Uzbekistan
England 0 - 0 Ghana
Panama 0 - 1 Croatia
Colombia 1 - 0 DR Congo
As we approach the two week mark of the competition, it was a day largely characterised by cagey displays and narrow scorelines, with the exception of Portugal’s game against Uzbekistan, which ended up being either a masterclass of Portuguese attacking or a disaster class of Uzbek defending, depending on your perspective.
The day’s highlights:
Portugal dominated a poor Uzbekistan side to win by a convincing scoreline, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting himself on the scoresheet to become the first player to score at six World Cups.
England played out a cagey match against Ghana, with the African side sitting in a low block and England preferring a patient approach to not get hit on the counter.
Croatia managed to get the three points from Panama in what proved to be another tight game.
Colombia snuck the win against DR Congo to put them through to the last 32.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Well, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t ready to retire just yet. He looked bereft and beaten after Portugal’s first game, but there was a steely resolve about him in this one. He might not have had the mobility he used to have, but he found himself in dangerous positions and continued to be Portugal’s focal point in attack.
We also learned that a low block can be effective against England, providing you also carry a threat on the counter. England probed but never really looked like trying to open up the game just in case Ghana’s counter-attacking threats came to the fore.
***
Portugal v Uzbekistan
Portugal routed Uzbekistan, with the main story of the night being Cristiano Ronaldo getting off the mark in the competition, with the relief on his face palpable.
Portugal stepped up their game relative to their last match against DR Congo, and put out an impressive display, getting off to a great start with an early goal from Ronaldo in the 6th minute.
A second goal followed through Nuno Mendes in the 17th minute from a free kick, and despite a small scare where it looked like Uzbekistan had got themselves back into the game with a spectacular shot from G'aniev (later ruled out for a foul in the build up), Portugal were in complete control of the game.
Ronaldo added a third for Portugal and his second of the night in the 39th minute, before an unfortunate Uzbekistan own goal was topped off with a confident smashed finish by Portugal’s Leao in the closing stages.
Uzbekistan found themselves overwhelmed for the second time at the competition, having previously been outmatched in their first game by Colombia - a difficult draw against two good teams.
***
England v Ghana
You’ll struggle to find many games at this World Cup with such an overwhelming imbalance of possession but, despite controlling the ball throughout, England failed to break down the gritty low block of Ghana and didn’t really generate enough clear cut chances to deserve to win the game.
Perhaps wary of Ghana’s counter attacking threat, you got the sense that England set up to not lose the game rather than open it up and leave space to attack on the counter. Once the pattern of play had been established early on, it proved impossible to break.
England manager Thomas Tuchel opted for Dyed Spence and Mark Guehi as his key changes in this one, later bringing O’Reilly back into the game, where he was able to make good progress with and without the ball and had England’s best chance, crashing a header off the bar. The rebound came to Harry Kane, who uncharacteristically blasted it over the bar from close range.
Before that, Saka had a good opportunity that was saved, and Mark Guehi had an effort of his own cleared off the Ghana goalline, although in fairness it was a relatively tepid effort.
After the highs of the Croatia game, a slight check and balance was inevitable along the way. England will need to be more inventive if they’re to progress in the knockout stages, but they remain top of their group as things stand with Paraguay up next.
***
Panama v Croatia
Croatia left qualification in their own hands after a narrow win against Panama, a result that eliminates the South American side and leaves them with nothing to play for against England except pride.
Luca Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia to push him higher in the upper echelons of record international appearances. He is now the fourth male player to reach the 200 cap mark in history, being held aloft by his teammates to celebrate the occasion at the final whistle. What a moment for one of the legends of the game.
Croatia disappointed somewhat in the first half as Panama brought the game to their European opponents and needed to bring on some extra firepower to make a mark.
Substitute Ante Budimir made the most of his inclusion, tapping in a Josip Stanisic cross to get Croatia off the mark.
Panama refused to give up in attack, causing problems for the Croatia defence and requiring a high quality performance from keeper Dominik Livakovic to keep out the relentless waves of attacks as Panama chased the point that would keep their hopes alive.
It didn’t come, however, and it was Croatia celebrating at the final whistle. If they beat Ghana in their next game, they’ll be through to the Round of 32.
***
Colombia v DR Congo
Colombia have been quietly going about their business in this competition, and put themselves into the Round of 32 with two games played with a win over DR Congo in front of a partisan crowd.
Colombia had several chances to go ahead before Crystal Palace’s Munoz struck in the 76th minute. Juan Fernando Quintero played a great ball to leave Munoz through on goal, and he duly converted the opportunity to take the lead.
Munoz was a constant threat for Colombia from wing-back and had many chances to make the scoreline more comfortable, having the ball in the back of the net before being ruled offside on one particular occasion.
The number 2 seems to have been carrying a silent but deadly threat in this competition, with two goals in two games now from wing-back as Colombia look to involve their wide players in key moments.
It’ll be down to their opponents in the R32 to figure out how to stop Munoz, and Colombia, from doing the same to them.
***
Now, can England get through the next few days without the national press tearing their gameplan against Ghana apart?
I guess we’ll find out.
Bring on day 14!
14 min read