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 Friday, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
Brazil 2, Costa Rica 0 in Saint Petersburg: Match report || match stats
Nigeria 2, Iceland 0 in Volgograd: Match report || match stats
Serbia 1, Switzerland 2 in Kaliningrad: Match report || match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
The two sides of Neymar
There are two sides to Neymar. He is a man of stark contradictions, a living and breathing dichotomy who both inspires and infuriates. On the one hand, Neymar is one of the world’s top players – definitely in the conversation alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He can take over games with his individual brilliance at times, or lay low and pounce at crucial moments like he did on Friday in scoring the goal that sealed Brazil’s win and sent Costa Rica crashing out of the tournament. He’s been a valuable and loyal servant to the Brazilian cause, and his 56th goal moved him past Romario as his country’s third all-time leading scorer, behind only Pele (77) and Ronaldo (62).
On the other hand, Neymar is a con man, a shameless huckster always looking to work the system and gain an advantage for himself by unscrupulous means. His constant playing for fouls in hopes of winning a penalty or a decision has become as much a part of his modus operandi as anything else. One of the best referees in the world, Dutchman Björn Kuipers, was fooled on Thursday when Neymar dramatically threw himself to the ground in Costa Rica’s penalty area. Justice was done, however when Kuipers was alerted to his act of trickery by VAR, and he overturned his decision. It was one of many attempts by Neymar on the day to dupe Kuipers. Save for that incident, the Dutchman saw right through Neymar and did not acquiesce, as the Brazilian’s self-indulgence was routinely ignored.
What’s especially nauseating about Neymar is his sense of entitlement, and how he constantly feels he should receive the benefit of calls from the referee. Neymar was so brazen in this regard that he tried getting in the face of Kuipers in the tunnel as the teams headed back to the locker rooms for the halftime break, only to be pulled away by a teammate. To be sure, Neymar comes in for rough treatment. In Brazil’s opening game against Switzerland, he was fouled 10 times, the most a player has been fouled in a World Cup match since 1998 when Alan Shearer was fouled 11 times vs Tunisia. But a little bit more humility and focus on influencing matters on the pitch in a constructive manner (as opposed to always looking to get opposing players cautioned) would go a long way to help his team’s cause.
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Change in tactics, personnel pay off for Nigeria
Gernot Rohr had to shake things up. If nothing else, the one take away from Nigeria’s opening 2-0 loss to Croatia for the German coach was that the status quo wouldn’t do, and that he had to make changes against Iceland if the Super Eagles had any hope of fighting their way back into contention in Group D. A defensive 4-2-3-1 formation did little to trouble the Croatians, and it likely wouldn’t work against the ultra-defensive Icelandic side, either.
This time around, Rohr went with a more attack-minded 3-5-2 setup, benching forward Odion Ighalo, and bringing Ahmed Musa off the bench and partnering him up front alongside Kelechi Iheanacho. He also deployed captain John Obi Mikel in a more defensive role in midfield in order to protect the back line.
Rohr’s changes in tactics and personnel paid off, as Nigeria bossed this contest against Iceland, applying pressure throughout the first half before finally sticking the knife in after the halftime break courtesy of a pair of goals from Musa. Down early in the second half, Iceland was forced to open up, and it led to them being opened up at the back by Nigeria’s swift counter-attack. Nigeria was full value for this one, and now control their fate going into the final match of the group stage against Argentina – a win by the Super Eagles will see them progress to the knockout round.
Switzerland’s Shaqiri shows his class
Xherdan Shaqiri is an interesting figure. Long touted as one of Switzerland’s best attackers, he is a player of undoubted class when he suits up for his national team.
If you only saw Shaqiri play every two years in major international tournaments, be it at the World Cup or European Championships, you’d think he’s a superstar. But while brilliant for Switzerland, he’s looked mediocre since joining Stoke City in the Premier League in 2015. Perhaps playing with a stronger supporting cast brings out the best in him.
Whatever it is, the 26-year-old Shaqiri was marvelous on Friday, helping Switzerland become the first team at this World Cup to earn a come-from-behind win. In the dying minutes, he took full advantage of Serbia playing a ridiculously high defensive line, latched onto a through ball and kept his composure with a Swiss defender draped all over as he coolly slotted his shot underneath the onrushing Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic.
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BEST GAME
An early goal by Aleksandar Mitrovic set the table for what turned out to be an exciting contest between Serbia and Switzerland that featured end to end action between two team committed to attacking. Granit Xhaka’s goal, a long-range effort, was the highlight.
BEST GOAL
In the 49th minute, Nigeria went on the counter as Kelechi Iheanacho fed a pass to Victor Moses down the right flank. Moses delivered a ball into the box where Ahmed Musa took a lovely touch to control the ball and then hammered it home with a great half-volley. Honourable mention to Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka for his powerful, one-timer from outside the penalty area.
BEST SAVE
In the 56th minute, Paulinho plays a sideways ball into the box for Neymar. The PSG forward hit it first time from eight yards out, but Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas tips the shot over the crossbar.
BEST MOMENT
Tite’s celebration of Philippe Coutinho’s injury-time goal was so wild that the Brazilian coach couldn’t control himself, and he tumbled to the ground in excitement.
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
For all the talk of Neymar and his importance to Brazil at this tournament, Philippe Coutinho has been his team’s best and most important player in Russia. The FC Barcelona mane scored the goal of the tournament thus far in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, and then bagged the winner in injury time to lift Brazil past a pesky Costa Rica side. Aside from scoring the decisive goal, Coutinho was also the main attacking and creative threat for Brazil on the day.
BEST TWEET
BEST QUOTE
“We don’t need referee’s decisions to win a game. Brazil doesn’t need any help.” – Brazil coach Tite, on his players complaining to referee Bjorn Kuipers at halftime.
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Brazil has won 10 of its 11 last matches against Costa Rica. Its only loss came in a friendly in 1960.
• Neymar’s goal came at 96:49 – the latest recorded injury time minute goal in a World Cup game since 1966.
• Ahmed Musa has scored four World Cup goals for Nigeria. Only Asamoah Gyan of Ghana (six) and Cameroon’s Roger Milla (five) have scored more goals amongst African players.
• All six of Nigeria’s wins at the World Cup have been against European teams.
• Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 18 goals in 26 games for club and country in 2018.
• Switzerland has lost just one of its last 24 matches (with 17 wins). Its hasn’t tasted defeat since a 2-0 setback against Portugal in a World Cup qualifier last October.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Ahmed Musa, Nigeria: The Nigerian forward was flying all game, causing all kinds of problems for Iceland’s back line with his speed and movement. Scored a brace with a pair of brilliant and composed finishes.
2) Philippe Coutinho, Brazil: Played in a deeper position than normal, but was hugely influential in Brazil’s attack. Scored the injury-time winner that finally sunk the resolute Costa Ricans.
3) Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland: The Stoke City star was outstanding in service of his country, scoring the decisive goal that lead the Swiss to victory.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SATURDAY
Group G: Belgium vs. Tunisia in Moscow (8:00 a.m. ET) – It took a while for Belgium to finally break down Panama in their opening game. But when they did, they exploded for three goals from open play in the second half. Will Tunisia put up the same kind of resistance against the potent Belgian attack?
Group F: South Korea vs. Mexico in Rostov (11:00 a.m. ET) – Mexico pulled off the shocker of the tournament thus far with a 1-0 win over Germany. But midfielder Marco Fabian has warned against complacency: “Some consider us to be group favourites now, and that’s a compliment – but it’s one we shouldn’t believe. There are no favorites in this World Cup.”
Group F: Germany vs. Sweden in Sochi (2:00 p.m. ET) – Germany struggled with Mexico’s speed, and it was shocking how many quality scoring chances it conceded. That shouldn’t be a problem against Sweden, who play a methodical brand of soccer. The Swedes could be the perfect “rebound” opponent for the Germans.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
Writing in The New York Times, James Montague details how Nemanja Matic is a player who’s never far from home and explains how the Manchester United star watched Vrelo Sport, the village team he owns, win the Serbian fifth division title the day before leaving for the World Cup:
“Few world-class soccer players are also team owners. Matic owns two. He also finances FK Jedinstvo, a third-tier club from nearby Ub, where he played as a boy. It is all part of a deep connection he maintains to Serbia, and more specifically to his hometown, with the help of the millions he has earned in the Premier League. Matic has also become known in Serbia for his philanthropy; he has financed an array of projects, including church improvements, equipment for firefighters and, reportedly, even the grocery bills of some retirees.”
