Intriguing match- ups for KO stage
THE World Cup started with eight groups of four, 32 nations seeking to make it to the knockout stage. Colombia and – just barely – Japan grabbed the two spots from Group H in Thursday’s early matches, and England and Belgium sorted out the top of Group F later that night to complete the field moving forward.
Here’s a look at what’s next, starting with the round of 16: Group A v Group B; Group E v Group F. This half of the bracket features big names in two highpowered matches right out of the gate: A loaded France squad plays Lionel Messi and Argentina in tomorrow’s early game, followed by Uruguay and Luis Suarez against Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, with the winners meeting July 6.
Belgium plays Japan, which sneaked out of its group because it had fewer yellow cards than Senegal. Monday’s later match pits Neymar and Brazil against a mercurial Mexico squad that knocked off Germany and South Korea but got hammered by Sweden. The winners play July 6. Group C v Group D, Group G v Group H. Sunday starts with Russia hosting Spain in Moscow’s main stadium, with the late game pitting Denmark, which hasn’t lost since the autumn of 2016, against Croatia, which eased through its group with three wins. The winners meet July 7. England will carry high expectations into their match Tuesday against a talented Colombia team. The final game round of 16 game features a Swedish side that won a tough group up against an efficient Swiss team.