Tagakay na sa World Cup
Didn’t I say brace yourselves? Tighten your seatbelts folks. The World Cup has shifted into high gear! It’s the knock-out stage, the crucial stage that we’ve all been waiting for. For all teams, one win means a step to the finals. One loss and it’s goodbye. The group stage (elimination round to you basketball fans) was a mix of the expected and a few pleasant surprises. The big question if this will be maintained in the knock-out rounds.
First, the pleasant and welcome surprises. Very few predicted that Asia would create an impression at the World Cup, but we have proudly waved our Asian banner. Japan made it to the knock-out stage after scoring a huge win over Colombia then proving that being called for fewer yellow cards can be a big help. This was the final tiebreaker that sealed the deal when Japan and Senegal were tied at the end of group play with four points each. Both also the same goal difference and the same goals scored, making the yellow cards as basis to break the tie. The other big surprise was South Korea’s 2-0 win over Germany, the defending champions. Although their chances of making it to the next round
was slim, the Koreans still went all out and stunned the Germans who confirmed the World Cup “tradition” of the defending champion’s jinx. AfterwinningtheWorldCup,thepastchampionswereeliminated at the succeeding World Cup. These are Germany (2014), Spain (2010), Italy (2006) and France (1998). Mexico, which benefited from this upset, will forever be grateful to Korea.
The favorites moved on as expected. Brazil, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Argentina showed why they were the top teams; add an asterisk for Argentina which had to go through some scary moments before making it through. Solid performances in group play were displayed by “non-favorites” England, Sweden, Croatia, and Uruguay, making them serious threats to the traditional powerhouses. Now who among the lot will stand out, display championship poise, play consistently, and win it all? The knock-out stage is a different ballgame all together due to the sudden death format. There’s no turning back and every game is a must-win scenario. This is when you throw all those stats and group play games away as everyone starts from scratch. And every game is a good one and you’ll have to stay up late every night to watch these. Last night, Argentina played France while Uruguay faced Portugal in two explosive matches to start the knock-out stage. Wow! Spain plays host Russia at 2 p.m. tonight as Croatia goes up against Denmark 2 a.m. Monday morning. You still awake? Want more? It’s Brazil-Mexico at 10 p.m. tomorrow followed by Belgium-Japan at 2 a.m. Wednesday. The last Round of 16 matches (fixtures in football terms) are on July 3, featuring Sweden-Switzerland and Colombia-England match-ups. Take your pick. All games are expected to be tight and will be nerve-wracking. The Quarterfinal match-ups are even more intriguing but I’d like to take it one game at a time for now.
Portugal is favored over Uruguay but the latter has been peaking at the right time. Then Portugal has proven that someone other than Ronaldo can also score. Argentina has struggled through the group stage and many expect France to exploit this. Russia was exposed by Uruguay and Spain will certainly look at the tapes of that game to go through. In one is supposedly the “easiest” match of the round, Croatia is expected to get past Denmark. Brazil vs Mexico is a classic Americas showdown with Brazil expected to pull through, but not after a tough struggle. I’d like to see Japan move on to the quarterfinalsbutBelgiumwon’tallowittohappen.Swedenisfavored over Switzerland while the Colombia-England face-off is a tough one to call. Football fans are impressed with England’s showing in group play, and are even looking at them to go all the way to the finals. If you’re up for it, the daily schedule pegs two games a day with the first at 10 p.m. Philippine time, and the next game a 2 a.m. The good news is that the Argentina-France, Spain-Russia, Brazil-Mexico and Sweden-Switzerland games are set at 10 p.m. I’m sure local TV ratings will be high for these games. I was hoping that the Colombia-England match would also beat 10 p.m. but I guess we’ll all have to sleep early then set our alarms for the 2 a.m. kick off.
On another note, your favorite players are scoring as expected, Harry Kane (England) has scored five goals while Romelo Lukaku (Belgium) and Ronaldo have four apiece after three games. Belgium has scored the most number of goals so far with nine. Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) has been the best goalkeeper so far with 17 saves. Neymar and Lionel Messi have scored only one goal each so far, but that’s expected to turn for the better in their next game(s). It doesn’t come as a surprise that they are the most tackled, marked and defended players in the World Cup. Goals aren’t going to come easy for the two. Aproud moment for us Asians (that won’t be found in the stats sheet) is the example set by Japanese spectators who practice CAYGO (Clean As You Go) after watching a game. They clean up their own trash, place these in garbage bags and dispose of this properly. How I wish everyone will follow their cue and do the same.
It’s the knock-out stage of the World Cup. So fasten your seatbelts even tighter. This run is going to experience more turbulence and a bit of a rougher ride. But it’s going to be one fun and enjoyable ride. Enjoy it.