After each matchday of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily blog will recap the day’s events, and look ahead to the next day’s slate of games.
Here’s what happened on Wednesday, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
Portugal 1, Morocco 0 in Moscow: Match report || match stats
Uruguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 in Rostov: Match report || match stats
Iran 0, Spain 1 in Kazan: Match report || match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
A cruel fate for Morocco
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his tournament-leading fourth goal of this World Cup, and he now has 85 in service for his country, more than any other European player in history. Ronaldo’s header off a free kick was enough for Portugal to collect its first win in Russia, a result that meant Morocco became the first nation to be officially eliminated at this World Cup.
Spare a thought for the North Africans. They’ve been brilliant in this competition, and they were the better side on the balance of play on Wednesday, putting Portugal under constant pressure with their smart movement with and without the ball. Their probing attacks down the wings, especially through Noureddine Amrabat, gave the Portuguese all they could handle. Morocco’s buildup play was excellent. Its finishing wasn’t. They’re going home because they don’t have a proven goal-scorer up front.
This has to be bitter pill for Morocco, who not only outplayed Portugal, but also lost 1-0 to Iran courtesy of a late own-goal. Morocco is much better than their 0-2 record suggests – they’ve distinguished themselves with their bright attacking play and commitment to getting forward. They deserve to stick around, but it can be a cruel game sometimes.
As for Portugal, you have to wonder how long they can continue like this. Ronaldo has accounted for all four of the team’s goals at this tournament, putting his country on his shoulders in what have turned out to be two tight contests. At some point, others have to step up and relieve some of the goal-scoring burden the Real Madrid star is carrying on his shoulders if Portugal has any hopes of going far in Russia.
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Uruguay grinds it out
Uruguay booked its spot in the second round following a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, a result that also meant Russia moved on. Russia and Uruguay are the first two teams at this World Cup to advance to the knockout round. While the host nation has dazzled with its goal-scoring prowess (eight goals in total thus far), Uruguay has taken a different path to the knockout stage of the competition.
A pair of 1-0 wins sees Uruguay go into the final match of the first round tied with Russia for first place in Group B. The South Americans are known for being tight at the back, with five consecutive clean sheets and eight in their last 11 international contests. It hasn’t been pretty at times from Uruguay. Luis Suarez scored the lone goal against the Saudis, but he was pretty quiet on the day, as was fellow star striker Edinson Cavani.
But this is typical Uruguay: They grind it out, focus on keeping things tight at the back and find a way to win. Led by the dynamic central defensive pairing of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez, Uruguay limited the Saudis to just eight shots with only two on target. Perhaps more than any other national team in international soccer, Uruguay has mastered the art of game and tournament management, and we’re seeing it in full force from the South Americans in Russia.
Spain keeps its cool vs. Iran
It had to have been incredibly frustrating for the Spanish players to go back to the dressing room after the whistle blew to end the opening 45 minutes of their Group B game against Iran. The halftime stats tell you all you need to know about how much La Roja dominated: 81 per cent possession (81!), and 352 completed passes (compared to just 49 for Iran).
But for all its statistical domination, Spain headed into the break tied at 0-0, managing just one shot on target, as they were unable to break through Iran’s compact and well-organized defensive shape. Try as they did over and over, Spain couldn’t get in behind Iran, who at times defended with six players across the back and three more just in front of them in support. Never mind parking the bus, Iran parked an entire convoy at the edge of its penalty area in an attempt to thwart their attack-minded opponents.
Spanish patience and persistence paid off in the end, though. Diego Costa bagged his third goal of the tournament early in the second half, receiving the ball at the top of the area and then turning as he unleashed a shot. He didn’t hit the ball cleanly, but it ricocheted off an Iranian defender and found its way into the back of the net.
Spain is often criticized for not having a “Plan B,” for not straying from their pass-and-move, possession-based game when it’s not proving fruitful. This isn’t a weakness, but rather a strength. Spain has complete confidence in the way it plays, and feels it’s only a matter of time before they break their opponents down. Patience is the key. The Spaniards showed an abundance of it against Iran, and were rewarded for their efforts.
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BEST GAME
The late match in Kazan pitted one of the best attacking teams in the international game against one of the stingiest. It was a fascinating tactical battle between two countries with vastly different playing styles, and for more than half of the contest, the question lingered: Would Spain finally be able to break down Iran? They did, but it took some time.
BEST GOAL
In the fourth minute, Cristiano Ronaldo gave his Moroccan marker the slip inside a congested penalty area and connected on a low header to score his fourth goal of this World Cup.
BEST SAVE
In the 57th minute, Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech swung a cross deep into the box to teammate Younes Belhanda who connected on a header, but Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio did well to get down and put a hand to it, knocking it out for a corner kick.
BEST MOMENT
Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher worked the Portugal vs. Morocco match in Moscow. Fletcher is a 41-year-old accountant from St. Catharines, Ont., and he is working his second World Cup. Nice to see some Canadian content at this tournament.
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Jose Fonte’s reputation has taken a beating over the past few years, and his departure from West Ham United to play in the Chinese League didn’t quell his many detractors. But the central defender was on top of his game on Wednesday, helping Portugal withstand wave after wave of attacking play from a rampant Morocco side to earn a vital three points.
Jose Fonte vs. #MAR:
• Most clearances (10)
• Most aerial duels won (8)Rearguard action. pic.twitter.com/veeDhsU6W7
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 20, 2018
BEST TWEET
BEST QUOTE
“We [coach and players] have to talk. This is inexplicable. We couldn’t keep the ball. We have to rectify this for sure.” – Portugal coach Fernando Santos on this team’s performance vs. Morocco.
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Cristiano Ronaldo is the first Portugal player since José Torres in 1966 to score a goal with his right foot, left foot and head in a single World Cup tournament.
• Manager Fernando Santos has won only two World Cup matches, and both were against African teams: with Greece against Ivory Coast in 2014, and with Portugal against Morocco.
• Luis Suarez is the first Uruguayan player to score in three different World Cups (2010, 2014 and 2018).
• Uruguay has won its first two matches of a World Cup for the first time since 1954 in Switzerland.
• Gerard Pique earned his 110th cap on Wednesday. He’s the 13th player to reach the century mark for Spain.
• Both Isco (55) and Sergio Ramos (53) of Spain completed more passes than Iran (49) in the first half.
Stats courtesy of Opta.
THREE STARS
1) Noureddine Amrabat, Morocco: The lively winger was sensational in a losing effort, give Morocco’s attack plenty of attacking width with his dangerous and probing runs.
2) Diego Godin, Uruguay: Excellent in quarterbacking a solid Uruguayan defence that gave away very little against a desperate Saudi Arabia side.
3) Diego Costa, Spain: He scored the game’s lone goal (albeit off a deflection), and used his size and physical style of play to make things uncomfortable at times for Iran’s defenders.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY
Group C: Denmark vs. Australia in Samara (8:00 a.m. ET) – Denmark is coming off a 1-0 victory over Peru, but it did come at a cost for the Danes. Starting midfielder William Kvist fractured two ribs and is expected to sit out the remainder of the tournament.
Group C: France vs. Peru in Yekaterinburg (11:00 a.m. ET) – Les Bleus looked rather laboured in its 2-1 win over Australia, and as a result coach Didier Deschamps hasn’t ruled out making major lineup changes against Peru. Look for a bit of a shakeup in the French midfield.
Group D: Argentina vs. Croatia in Nizhny (2:00 p.m. ET) – One of the marquee matches of the group stage. All eyes will be on Lionel Messi after he missed a penalty and failed to score in a 1-1 draw against Iceland. Croatia has one of the best midfields in this tournament, so Messi could be in for a long night.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian writes about Óscar Tabárez and how the legendary manager has overseen a major change within Uruguay’s national team:
“The head cocked to one side, the patient expression, the pause while an answer is considered: in some ways this is the same Óscar Tabárez he has always been. His answers in press conferences still ring with intelligence and clarity. He is still the impeccably dressed police chief he always was, a man who somehow includes on his CV both being a primary school teacher and holding a raging Gabriel Batistuta back by the nipple during a riot in Santiago while bleeding from a wound to the cheek and all without it seeming remotely surprising.”
