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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, soccer fans!
For the first time ever, the World Cup and the holiday season collide to bring us tidings of great joy.
Pro Soccer Wire is here to help with both. Check back for our daily World Cup coverage throughout the tournament and check below for the best gift ideas for the soccer fan in your life, including PSW’s own very first soccer jersey.
Made with our friends at Icarus FC, this jersey will have you on the right side of history as the USMNT is back in soccer’s grandest stage for the first time in eight years.
Whether you train on the pitch at any level, or just scream at the TV from your couch, we’ve got you covered with these best gifts for soccer fans.
Add Germany to the list of teams facing a must-win scenario entering the final set of games at the World Cup.
They played to a 1-1 draw with Spain on Sunday, and normally that’s a respectable outcome in a game between two traditional powers. It’s just that due to Germany’s shock 2-1 loss to Japan in their Group E opener, the three-time champions are now left needing a win and some help to avoid repeating their embarrassing 2018 group stage exit.
Spain and Germany played the kind of tactically astute game the world would expect out of them, leading to a first half that came down to some close calls. Antonio Rüdiger saw his 40th minute goal called back for offside, while Spain carved out some promising opportunities that just needed a better finish.
Luis Enrique turned to his bench looking for that final piece of skill, and got it from Álvaro Morata just over an hour into the match. Jordi Alba got up the touchline before delivering a low, near-post cross that the Atlético Madrid striker cleverly stabbed home, using the outside of his foot to squeeze a shot between Manuel Neuer and and the post.
Spain controlled long spells after taking the lead, though a Jamal Musiala miss served as a warning that they weren’t out of danger. With Hansi Flick essentially throwing five men up on their front line and Germany looking increasingly desperate, the equalizer finally arrived in the 83rd minute.
Lukas Klostermann surged up the right flank before squaring to Leroy Sané. The Bayern Munich midfielder drew two Spanish defenders before attempting to slip Musiala through, but between Sané’s pass being behind the run and the presence of Rodri, the chance looked like it would vanish.
Instead, Musiala’s attempt to drag play wide bounced conveniently into the path of Niclas Füllkrug, and the Werder Bremen striker — who, at age 29, stepped onto the field with just one international goal (scored in a pre-tournament warm-up against Oman) to his name — justified Flick’s faith, powering a shot past Unai Simon.
Germany made an ultimately unsuccessful push for a last-gasp winner, and for good reason: the draw doesn’t really do them a ton of good.
To get out of Group E, they must beat Costa Rica on Thursday, and they also need Spain to avoid defeat against Japan. In the event of a draw in that latter contest, the scorelines involved would be critical, as Germany will begin the day behind Japan on goal difference (0 to minus-1).
Barring a German stumble or a blowout win — Costa Rica has, of course, already been crushed once in this World Cup — it’s going to be an extraordinarily tight finish. A 1-1 draw for Japan and a 1-0 win for Germany, for example, would see Japan advance based on the third tiebreaker, their head-to-head win when the two met at Khalifa International Stadium.
Distressingly for Germany, the pattern playing out is like a cover version of what happened to them at Russia 2018. In that edition of the World Cup, Germany opened the tournament by being stunned by non-UEFA/CONMEBOL opposition (Mexico filling the role of Japan), and followed it up with a comeback against a European foe (a 2-1 win over Sweden). Game three was supposedly against the group’s weakest team, but South Korea struck twice in the game’s dying moments to win 2-0, sending Germany packing after just three games.
Costa Rica is seen as the minnow in Group E, and if Germany can’t do better this time around, they’ll be facing intense scrutiny as they fly home far earlier than anyone expected.
Herdman said this in a post-game, televised interview during a World Cup, and so this extremely normal and predictable attempt to motivate a team followed an extremely normal and predictable path to going viral. Herdman was eventually mocked by Croatian tabloids, and his opposite number Zlatko Dalić told reporters ahead of the game that his team — the overwhelming favorites in Sunday’s Group B clash — deserves respect.
“These are words that have motivated the whole of Croatia,” said Kramarić, who had a brace on the night, to reporters after the match. “I want to thank the coach of Canada for the motivation. He could have chosen better words. He could have formulated it a bit differently. In the end Croatia demonstrated who F’d whom.”
Full quote from Kramaric: "These are words that have motivated the whole of Croatia. I want to thank the coach of Canada for the motivation. He could have chosen better words. He could have formulated it a bit differently. In the end Croatia demonstrated who F’d whom."
Herdman’s speech wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, and every coach in this tournament has probably struck a similar note at some point in their careers. Kramarić, in saying that the message could have simply been slightly refined, even acknowledged that the language and bluntness were far more the problem than anything else.
However, that’s the lesson here. If Herdman had told the world that his message to his squad was merely one about believing they could beat Croatia, no one would have batted an eye. Instead, it became a rallying cry for a Croatian team that hardly needed one, and the letter “F” will probably follow Herdman for a long time to come.
Davies announced to the world that Canada is done being a pushover
Canada may not have gotten the result they wanted, but Alphonso Davies still produced the goal they needed.
Croatia won 4-1, shifting into high gear after a tepid start to the tournament, and Canada can no longer qualify for the knockout round. However, in the years to come, Canadian fans will remember that one history-making goal for their side more than they lament defensive lapses that let the game slip away.
To know why, you have to go back to 1986, with Canada going to their first-ever World Cup. They weren’t embarrassed — facing Michel Platini and France, for example, they held out for 79 minutes in a 1-0 defeat — but they left the tournament with zero points and zero goals.
They had to wait 36 years to get another crack at the men’s tournament, but the World Cup remained cruel. Canada suffered arguably the most unjust result of the tournament so far against Belgium, with Davies seeing his early penalty kick saved. Canada’s wait for a goal from a Canadian man at a World Cup would extend for a few more excruciating days. With Croatia the opponent, the prospect of their wait getting extended was looming.
Davies made sure that once gameday came around, Canada fans would get their moment quickly. A long ball to Cyle Larin found the Canada striker in a seam, and he shuttled the ball out to Tajon Buchanan. With Canada surging forward and Croatia simply not realizing the game had kicked off, Buchanan drove a cross to the back post, where Davies soared high to power a header home.
Canada head coach John Herdman had to calm a bit of a storm over his “F Croatia” post-game motivational speech after that Belgium loss, but you have to say, giving that kind of team talk is designed to get exactly this kind of response. Canada, the team with four previous World Cup games and zero goals in any of them, had no fear at all of Croatia, an established global power who went to the 2018 final.
It was a perfect reaction for this Canadian team, who have time and again shown that they believe they can play with anyone. That attitude adjustment breaks decades of tradition for their men’s national team, who were generally trying to sneak a lucky goal and hang on for dear life rather than make their opponents worry.
The “New Canada,” as Herdman likes to call them? They’re a problem for every team they face.
Yes, the game itself slipped away as the first half wore on. Andrej Kramarić equalized in the 36th minute after a long spell of Croatian pressure on Milan Borjan’s goal, and Marko Livaja gave them a 44th minute lead after a moment of poor defensive work on the Canadian back line.
Canada made a real go of it coming out for the second half, sending a few shots barely wide, but Kramarić struck again as Herdman’s side faced repeated problems in central midfield and inside their own box. Croatia, after not really looking quite right against Morocco, roared to life, and Canada wasn’t quite good enough in critical moments to keep pace. A stoppage-time fourth from Lovro Majer flattered Croatia.
It happens. Sometimes, even when you belong on this stage, you lose 4-1 to Croatia. There are only two or three teams in this World Cup that can be completely confident in their ability to avoid getting put in the spin cycle by Croatia the way Canada was for spells. Canada’s inexperience came through, and they’re one of the first teams to be officially eliminated after arguably the most difficult opening pair of fixtures anyone in the tournament had.
However, Davies’ goal should be seen for what it is: a true watershed moment for Canada on the men’s side. It’s definitively not the “biggest moment in Canadian soccer history,” when Canada’s women have literal gold medal on their shelves, but it is the announcement that Canada’s men’s national team has truly arrived at this level.
Iran officials reacted angrily to the gesture from U.S. Soccer
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – An already-contentious occasion with massive stakes got even spicier for the U.S. men’s national team on Sunday, as a social-media squabble turned up the heat on Tuesday’s must-win World Cup match versus Iran.
Fierce, women-led street protests have rumbled on in Iranian streets for weeks, with the nation’s hardline Islamic government responding with violent crackdowns that have reportedly killed hundreds and led to thousands of arrests. Amid that backdrop, U.S. Soccer officials decided to show support for Iran’s human-rights activists by using an Iranian flag without the Emblem of Iran on the USMNT’s Twitter header and some social-media posts.
The emblem was added to the flag’s center after the Iranian Revolution of 1979; it is a stylized depiction of the word Allah that represents the phrase “There is no god but God” and has become associated with the country’s fundamentalist religious leadership.
“The intent of the post was to show support for women’s rights, it was meant to be a moment,” said USMNT press officer Michael Kammarman at a Sunday media availability at the team’s Al-Gharafa training base. “We made the posts at the time, all the other representations of the flag remain consistent, and will continue to.”
The flag on the USMNT’s Twitter header was soon adjusted to reflect the official Iranian flag and the social-media posts have been taken down amid rapid blowback. Iranian officials and state-associated media have reacted with anger, accusing USSF of removing God from their flag and attempting to disrupt their national team before a crucial game for both sides.
“We know that this game isn’t isn’t played in a bubble,” said U.S. defender Tim Ream. “There are a lot of things that happen around the world and people want our opinions, but our opinion is that we want to play the game. And the game is for everyone. And that’s what we’re focused on.”
U.S. Soccer officials had consulted with Iranian experts on the gesture of support, but did not inform USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter or his players before posting the images of the altered flag.
“We’re huge supporters of women’s rights,” said USMNT defender Walker Zimmerman. “We didn’t know anything about the post, but we are supporters of women’s rights. We always have been. We’re focused a lot on Tuesday from the sporting side as well, so you [a reporter] mentioned it’s a distraction. I think this is such a focused group on the task at hand. But at the same time we empathize, and we are firm believers in women’s rights and support them.”
The USMNT are on two points and must win Tuesday’s match at Al Thumama Stadium to advance to the World Cup’s knockout phase, while Iran enter with three points and need only a draw to advance. The game is a redux of the nations’ meeting at the 1998 World Cup in France, where Iran won 2-1 amid similar political tensions owing to their tangled history over the decades.
The moment may have passed for the Golden Generation
Kevin De Bruyne gave an eye-opening interview to The Guardian this week, in which he suggested that his Belgium side — currently ranked second in FIFA’s world rankings — has “no chance” of wining the World Cup.
“No chance, we’re too old,” De Bruyne said. “I think our chance was 2018. We have a good team, but it is aging. We lost some key players. We have some good new players coming, but they are not at the level other players were in 2018. I see us more as outsiders.”
Was De Bruyne simply trying to take the pressure off his team? Put some of the attention onto himself and away from his teammates?
After Belgium’s first two World Cup games, another possibility emerges: He was just being honest.
Abdelhamid Sabiri gave Morocco the lead in the second half with a whipped-in free kick that bypassed everyone, including a screened Thibaut Courtois. Zakaria Aboukhlal added a second in stoppage time to put the gloss on Morocco’s third ever win at a World Cup.
This current crop of Belgium players has been referred to as a “Golden Generation” for years now and they have accomplished some big things for a country that has a population in the region of just 12 million.
Notably, the Red Devils finished third at the 2018 World Cup. The problem for Roberto Martinez’s side, though, is that most of those players form the core of this current team as well.
Seven of the 11 players Belgium started against Morocco were 30 or older, with two of them 29 years old. Searching for a late goal, Belgium brought on 35-year-old Dries Mertens and half-fit Romelu Lukaku, among others.
It’s not over for Belgium at this World Cup, and the Red Devils do count among their ranks up-and-coming talents like Charles De Ketelaere and Amadou Onana, both 21.
But it’s seems the Golden Generation’s moment to do something truly special may have passed.
Watch Morocco stun Belgium
A major moment for Morocco as they stun Belgium for its third win in FIFA World Cup history! 🇲🇦
At the World Cup, most coaches avoid the public eye at all costs. Luis Enrique embraces it
AL-RAYAN, Qatar – There was a brief pause, surely because FIFA’s Spanish-to-English translator was weighing how best to interpret for mixed company the vulgar term Luis Enrique had just applied to himself in the midst of the Spanish national team’s official press conference.
The translator went with “stupid,” though Spanish-based media made clear that the coach’s wry word choice, “gilipollas,” is quite a bit stronger than that – more like “a––––––” or “idiot.”
“You might find it interesting that I do so much better when I’m managing problems, I’m that much of a gilipollas,” he said, prompting laughter among the journalists present. “Don’t laugh. I feel more at ease when I’m in the face of adversity, when I have to lift the mood of my players, to bring everything you’ve got inside, make the most of my roots and my origins.
“As a coach I’ve had very successful moments, but when I perform at my best, it’s when I’m in the face of adversity and hardship. These couple of weeks have gone so well. But my essence, when I give my best, is against hardship.”
Just another entertaining moment in the life of perhaps the most interesting coach at Qatar 2022.
Over the past week, Spain’s manager has also posted topless thirst traps on his Instagram, joked about pregnancy scares from the star attacker on his team, Ferran Torres, who’s dating his daughter, Sira Martinez, and drawn hundreds of thousands of viewers to his regular Twitch livestreams.
There, among other things, he’s discussed orgies and the sex lives of himself and his players, and mocked himself as “an old geezer who doesn’t know how to work the Bluetooth on his headphones,” despite the rather obvious fact that he’s one of the most technology-savvy coaches in the game.
Luis Enrique allows his players to ride electric scooters to and from training rather than pack in and out of a cramped team bus, for example, and uses wireless microphones attached to GPS monitor vests to communicate with his players during training while stationed up in towers to give himself a tactical viewpoint.
All this makes the former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder fairly revolutionary given the cautious, defensive norms of his profession, especially at this event, where the pressures are enormous and his colleagues usually regard the public eye as a dangerous intrusion that could reveal secrets and wreck their carefully-constructed plans.
Luis Enrique isn’t breaking injury news or giving away his starting XIs ahead of time, and he’s clearly not lost any of the intensity he’s famous for both as a player and manager. But he does use Twitch — something he began just ahead of the World Cup, cheekily announcing, “streamers of the world, get out of the way! I’m heading downhill and I’ve got no brakes!” — to field questions from fans and offer glimpses inside Spain’s daily routine in Qatar.
He’s not ducking the hot topics, either: One viewer asked him about his players having sex at the tournament, which is not an irrelevant matter, considering that some World Cup coaches over the years have banned their squads from indulging, occasionally even keeping their romantic partners away from their camps.
“It’s something I consider totally normal,” said Luis Enrique. “I mean, if you’re at an orgy the night before a match, it’s not ideal. But hey. With the clubs, they are at home and I have zero worries if they do it or not. If they do it, it is because it is going well for them.
“With common sense, each one with their own wife or with whomever he wants.”
Some might see this as a bit too much information, especially in an environment where even the slightest derivation from the norm can draw intense scrutiny. Some pundits and even other teams’ coaches, for example, suggested that the German national team’s covered-mouths gesture in protest of FIFA and Qatari censorship before their match against Japan had some effect on the final result, a 2-1 upset win for the Samurai Blue.
But the Spanish seem to be bought in on their coach’s way of working. In fact, their players themselves are often among those six-figure Twitch audiences.
“We enjoy, like the most part of the people who are watching this,” said midfielder Dani Olmo on Saturday. “I think he has hundreds of thousands of viewers, spectators. Yeah, It’s funny, but you also learn, because he’s talking about everything, but also every meeting, every speech he has with us, you learn something.
“So it will be good also for the people, for our fans who are following us, so they can see how he is more personally. So it’s good.”
Argentina’s talisman came though when his national team, and his country, needed it the most
LUSAIL, Qatar – He’s 35 now, no longer quite the quicksilver dribbling phenomenon he once was, torturing opposing defenses, dominating some of the highest-level matches of the 21st century. He’s a more mercurial presence, drifting, watching, walking for long stretches as he waits for the optimal moments to expend his energy to change games, just as apt to do so with a pass as a shot.
But Lionel Messi is still Lionel Messi. And he can still hoist a nation of 47 million soccer-obsessed people onto his back and carry them forward on the stage they love the most.
Somewhere around 88,000 souls had the privilege of witnessing his latest such act in person at glittering, pulsating Lusail Stadium on Saturday night. That’s where Messi delivered Argentina — both the national team and the nation — from the collective agony they’ve been suffering since the shock 2-1 upset loss at the hands of Saudi Arabia.
After more than an hour of tense, fraught and frankly ugly play, due in no small part to Mexico’s defensive tactics, Messi popped up in a fleeting pocket of space in Zone 14 to clip a daisy-cutting strike past Memo Ochoa to break the deadlock and spark euphoria, or perhaps something stronger and more haunting than that, among the legions of sky blue and white-clad supporters.
“The days were very long, that’s how they felt, and we were eager to have a chance to turn the situation around. It was a critical game,” said Messi in Spanish in the postgame press conference, alluding to the opportunity to “start again” after this victory. “We knew that if we won today, we’d have another chance … It was a weight off our shoulders and peace of mind.”
How much weight? On the Argentina bench, retired legend turned assistant coach Pablo Aimar wept next to manager Lionel Scaloni, visibly wracked with emotion as the tension broke. Afterwards manager Scaloni was asked about the moment.
Few sights demonstrate the pressure being heaped on this Argentina team like the site of assistant manager Pablo Aimar breaking into tears after today's vital Messi goal to help Argentina rebound from their opening game loss to Saudi Arabia. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/JejuXfMQ4u
“It’s what you live when you are here,” he said. “The feeling that you are playing something more than a football match, that’s not nice, and that is what I was feeling … the feeling we all had was relief, and of course it is difficult to make people understand that tomorrow the sun will shine whether we win or lose.”
This truly was a group-stage match with the jitters and the zero-sum vibe of a knockout match. Mexico’s Argentine manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino, said to be a favorite of Messi’s, who coached him on both the national team and FC Barcelona, went defensive with his lineup and shape, a 5-3-2 formation intended to stymie Messi & Co., and it just about worked.
“The idea was to stop their midfield and then counterattack very quickly, finding spaces. We did achieve that in some ways, but we missed the final pass,” said the former Atlanta United coach, who now faces a steep road to reach the knockout stages and the withering public criticism that inevitably comes with that.
Though it was a far cry from the vibrant, proactive El Tri sides of the past, much less Martino’s own high-octane philsophical identity, it seemed to frustrate Scaloni’s team and the mounting tension in this lavish bowl was palpable. Could Messi’s fifth World Cup really end in the group phase?
It took a formation change to a 3-5-2 by the Albiceleste and some trademark Messi magic to provide the answer they sought.
“Tata’s groups predominantly have the ball, get lots of numbers into the box, push the wingers high – it was quite the opposite, thus it was quite a closed game,” said Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. “But I think we had patience.”
Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
Many had predicted this would be Argentina’s tournament. It’s Messi’s last dance (most likely) and quite possibly the apex of a group of players who with last year’s Copa America title finally cured their habit of losing finals. Losing to the unfancied Saudis right out of the gate had thrown all that into question, and a country with more psychologists per capita than anywhere on earth is expert at fretting over their team.
“This brings us more calmness. After the loss I was very anxious, and wanted to reverse the situation. I really wanted the win,” said Messi, who surprised reporters by taking questions in the postgame mixed zone in addition to his role in the press conference as man of the match.
“We have confidence in our group, our team. We haven’t lost much and we can’t reverse that because of just one loss, but it wasn’t easy to come and play against Mexico, which has a great national team, one that plays well, that runs a lot. It was a unique situation because we knew that one loss would make it very hard, and for many this was the second game in a World Cup, and all of that adds up.”
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Messi and Argentina may well mount the march to the final that so many expected them to make; their next chance to display their championship credentials arrives on Wednesday versus Poland. This night’s drama suggests we’ll be on the edge of our seats whatever the outcome.
“The feelings of joy and happiness that we won, of course they are there and they enjoy that in the dressing room. But that’s it, tomorrow we will prepare for the next game,” said Scaloni, whose team celebrated raucously in their Lusail locker room long after the final whistle. “We need to find that emotional balance when we win, when we lose.
“On top of having great players,” he added, “we have Leo.”
Mexico is on the brink of a group-stage exit for the first time since 1978
Mexico couldn’t be eliminated no matter the result of Saturday’s World Cup group match against Argentina, but the 2-0 loss to the South Americans puts El Tri on the brink of their first group stage exit from the World Cup since 1978.
After a cagey first half that saw El Tri fluster Argentina in the Copa America champions’ final third, the second saw goals from Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez make the difference. Argentina stayed alive in its push to get out of the group stage after a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in the first group game.
Here are three thoughts as Mexico now looks to work out a great escape to get out of the group’s basement and into the round of 16 for the eighth consecutive time:
Mexico game plan comes undone in one moment
Mexico set up in a way that was designed to fluster Argentina star Messi and the rest of Argentina’s powerful attack. But this was the type of game where a moment of magic could arrive at any time, in which 30 seconds switched off could make the difference.
That moment arrived in the 64th minute, as Messi took a touch and fired past Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
“We made a mistake that had to do with the three midfielders coming together in the same area as Argentina and when we weren’t able to stop that build and the opponent turned us around, they found Messi alone and he hit the goal from a medium distance, but I don’t think it was a game in which he found a lot of space in the final third,” Martino answered testily after a journalist asked him in the news conference about leaving Messi plenty of space.
“But I also understand that Argentina’s goals can change the view of what happened over the 90 minutes. Normally, that happens because you guys normally analyze results.”
Call it lazy journalism if you must, but the result is what matters here. If Mexico played a terrible match and came away with a 1-0 win, its prospects of getting out of the group and continuing toward its ultimate goal of winning the World Cup would be much stronger.
Going into a match Mexico had a game plan that, as Martino himself said in his news conference, anticipated few attacking opportunities and relied on getting a goal on a set piece or other chance encounter. That sets a team up for failure when, predictably, one of the best players in the world makes a great play.
It’s a strange game to go with that strategy, but it’s what Martino and his staff did. Now, they’re very much working from behind going into the final match.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Midfield eventually breaks down as Martino drops Edson
El Tri kept a three-man midfield but changed personnel as Martino went from a 4-3-3 in the first game to a 5-3-2 in the second. But this change saw Martino drop Edson Alvarez, who has been one of the national team’s most consistent performers.
Reports in Mexico indicate that the Ajax player’s late arrival into Mexico’s camp in Spain before the World Cup meant he didn’t have as much time to get familiar with the formation change, leading Martino to utilize experienced midfielders Andres Guardado and Hector Herrera with Luis Chavez behind them.
While Martino couldn’t have seen the knock to Guardado in the first half coming, it’s been obvious all cycle that Guardado and HH aren’t able to hang with a top team for 90 minutes any longer.
“Edson? Nothing. I understood this was the team that had to start,” Martino said when asked if Alvarez was kept out for an injury or another reason. But he could’ve used the Ajax ace in the middle, especially considering Alvarez has the versatility to slot into the center back line if Martino truly wanted to utilize the midfield trio he had.
The midfielders weren’t the only players to run out of gas.
With the strategy of having typical wingers Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and Alexis Vega start up top and essentially take on the entire Argentina defense on their own, the players both ended up coming off looking worse for the wear.
“We had thought the tiredness of the two forwards was going to be significant, and we’d have to make changes. We trained in that way. We decided on the Vega change, Chucky asked to come out just before the Argentina goal and that’s where we re-accommodated and went to our habitual system taking a guy out of the back five.”
That Martino’s plan took into account the amount of running the two forward players would be doing but apparently not what he was asking from Guardado, HH and Chavez is puzzling. A platoon approach may have worked better or even sacrificing Herrera rather than Alvarez to go with a player more recently asked to shut down top players in the UEFA Champions League.
(AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Mexico needs goals and goals and goals, but from where?
El Tri’s scenarios to advance are clear and all of them involve, first and foremost, beating Saudi Arabia.
Mexico also could use some help in the other game, though there are ways through with all possible results. If Poland beats Argentina and Mexico gets the win, El Tri advance. If Argentina wins and drives Poland’s goal difference down, Mexico can advance with some goals of its own in a victory. A draw in the other game combined with a Mexico win by four or more also would see Mexico move through in second place.
Here's how #ElTri and the rest of Group C sit as the dust settles. To get out of the group, #Mex needs: – A win against Saudi Arabia to get to 4 points AND – A Poland win OR – A combination of an Argentina win + Mexico win by a margin that swings the GD pic.twitter.com/N4vrnqfRQU
Clearly, the most likely scenarios to get through involve Mexico not only beating Saudi Arabia, but also scoring more than once. But where are those goals going to come from? After 180 minutes of soccer, Mexico is yet to find the back of the net. It’s clear Raul Jimenez has only about a half-hour in the tank. We’ve yet to see Martino lean on Rogelio Funes Mori. And while Lozano and Vega both have had good performances in each of the first two contests, they both work better with a No. 9 to set up after creating from the wing.
“While we still have a chance, we’ll keep trying. It definitely will be difficult,” Martino said. “The second Poland goal hurt us, and Argentina’s second goal hurt us more.”
It’s true that Enzo Fernandez’s goal was a big blow for Mexico. But Martino knew this was the situation from the moment the draw was revealed. Even still, he left creative players like Diego Lainez off his roster and never made up with Mexico’s all-time leading scorer Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
A game like Saturday’s was screaming for a player who could come off the bench and make something from nothing for himself, or a gritty player in the middle to claw a goal back. Instead, Mexico now is heading into the last match wondering how it can score all the goals it needs to extend its tournament.
In a game devoid of quality, the legend stepped up with a moment of brilliance
Argentina needed someone to step up and save its World Cup status. It’s not hard to guess who was there to fill the role of hero.
Midway through the second half of a scoreless game against Mexico, one filled with rough challenges and devoid of any attacking quality, Lionel Messi stepped up with a moment of brilliance to make the difference.
Argentina, of course, entered the game on the back of one of the most stunning results in World Cup history: a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia that left one of the pre-tournament favorites needing to avoid defeat against Mexico, or be eliminated in their second game.
A draw would have left them in a precarious position as well, though. Only three points would really do for the Albiceleste.
For a while on Saturday at Lusail Stadium, those three points looked elusive. Lacking any real attacking threat of its own, Mexico succeeded in turning the game into a slugfest. By the 64th minute, it was difficult to see where the goals would come from for either side.
But that’s when Messi stepped up and did what he does best. Needing just a few feet of space from around 25 yards out, he drove an inch-perfect fizzing low shot into the far corner.
There’s all to play for in Group C entering the final matches, with Mexico still having a chance to advance despite sitting in last place with one point. Argentina and Saudi Arabia are on three points apiece while Poland tops the group with four.
But Argentina now has a platform to go forward and make the kind of deep run so many expected. Without their superstar, Argentina may have been pondering a much different fate after Saturday’s game.
