A couple of upsets already at the World Cup!
The World Cup started over a week ago and the games have been coming in thick and fast. We’ve been seeing countries from different continents battle for the most prestigious title in football.
The hosts Qatar were off to a terrible start on Day 1 as they lost to South American side Ecuador 2 goals to nil in the tournament’s first game. It was the first time in a long while that the hosts of the World Cup would be defeated in their first game of the tournament. Striker Enner Valencia got both goals for the Ecuador team but suffered a knock during the game and was subbed off.
In the same group, African champions Senegal also lost their first game of the tournament to the Netherlands, 2 goals to nil. The Dutch are topping the group while Ecuador are second with the same points. Senegal and Qatar are 3rd and 4th respectively.
In the second group, England ran riot against Iran thumping them by 6 goals to 2. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka got two goals in that game. In the same group, the United States of America played a 1-1 draw against Wales in a very pulsating game. England sits at the top of that group, Wales second, USA third, and Iran fourth without a point.
In the third group, something dramatic ensued as favourites for this World Cup tournament, Argentina, were defeated in spectacular fashion by Saudi Arabia. Argentina had an early lead due to a penalty by Messi but in the second half, Saudi Arabia somehow crawled their way back into the game and got two goals.
In the same group, Poland and Mexico played a goalless draw. Robert Lewandoski missed a penalty in that game. Saudi Arabia sits at the top of the group, Poland second, Mexico third, and Argentina fourth without a point.
In the fourth group, Denmark played a goalless draw against the African side, Tunisia. France, in the same group, ran riot against Australia as they defeated them by 4 goals to 1, even though Australia scored the first goal. Olivier Giroud got two goals in that game and he is now France’s joint all-time highest goal scorer, tied on 51 goals with France legend Thierry Henry. France sits at the top of the group, Tunisia second, Denmark third, and Australia without a point fourth.
In the fifth group, more unprecedented drama ensued as Japan came from behind to defeat Germany by 2 goals to 1. Germany has lost its last two World Cup games to Asian teams. In the same group, Spain dismantled Costa Rica by 7 goals to nil. It was a mismatch as the Spaniards dominated from start to finish. Barcelona wonderkid Gavira also got a goal in the game. Spain sits at the top of the group, Japan second with the same points, Germany third, and Costa Rica fourth.
In the sixth group, African side Morocco played a goalless draw against last tournaments finalists Croatia in a rather feisty match. In the same group, Belgium managed to secure a 1-nil win against Canada despite being totally outplayed by the Canadians–a stroke of luck perhaps. Belgium sits at the top of the group, Croatia second, Morocco third, and, Canada fourth.
In the seventh group, Switzerland managed to squeeze past African team Cameroon with a 1-nil score line. The interesting thing is that the lone goal scorer for Switzerland, Breel Embolo, is originally from Cameroon.
In the same group, Brazil defeated Serbia by 2 goals to nil thanks to a brace from Tottenham striker, Richarlison Andrade. Brazil sits at the top of that group, Switzerland second, Cameroon third, and Serbia fourth.
In the eighth group, Uruguay played a goalless draw with South Korea in a very fast-paced and rigid game. In the same group, Portugal defeated the black stars of Ghana 3 goals to 2 in another tightly contested game. Portugal sits at the top of that group, South Korea second, Uruguay third, and Ghana fourth.
#Sport is a segment that keeps you abreast of everything happening in the world of sports, shares facts, and sometimes also takes you down memory lane to relive some unforgettable sporting moments. In this edition, we are looking at the results from the first round of group-stage matches at the World cup.
