Today marks the end for groups D, E, and F. There was a lot to play for, with Ecuador hoping to salvage their tournament, three teams in Group F capable of finishing first, and Paraguay and Australia potentially fighting for second in Group D. Here are my thoughts on how it all played out:

Group E

Ivory Coast 2-0 Curaçao

Coming into this one, Curaçao needed to win for a chance at moving on. For Ivory Coast, a draw was likely to be enough but a win would guarantee they advance out of the group. It ended up being a pretty comfortable win for the Ivorians in the end. Nicolas Pepe got a brace with goals in the 7th and 64th minutes. Curaçao never really looked like they were going to come away with three points. There isn’t much else to really say here, so we can move on to the more exciting of the two games.

Ecuador 2-1 Germany

Germany had already secured the top spot in the group after beating Curaçao and Ivory Coast. Ecuador needed a win to go through after losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast and drawing Curaçao 0-0. It was set up for a dramatic game from an Ecuadorian perspective and that’s exactly what we got.

It was a disastrous start for Ecuador as Leroy Sane scored for Germany in the 2nd minute. There was some controversy around the goal as Aleksandar Pavlovic played the ball with a high boot and made contact with an Ecuador defender just before the goal. Nothing was called on the field or by VAR during the review. In my opinion, it was unbelievable that the goal was allowed to stand. Ecuador would respond just seven minutes later though when Nilson Angulo fired a shot past Manuel Neuer from just outside the box. They had to push hard for a winner and finally went ahead in the 77th minute. Gonzalo Plata flicked the ball past Neuer from basically a yard out following a corner. The goal would put Ecuador through as long as they were able to hold on. There were some nervy moments but in the end they got it done.

Final Group Standings

This was yet another group that didn’t go how I expected. I thought we’d see more from Ecuador and I had them topping the group with Germany second, Ivory Coast third and Curaçao last. Germany of course ended up winning the group but they didn’t really impress me. I don’t think they’re up to the standard of the usually great German sides we see in World Cups. Ivory Coast surprised me a bit and they were probably unlucky to not get anything out of their game against Germany. They very well could have won the group. Ecuador disappointed but they did enough on the last day here to get through in third. Finally, Curaçao got their historic result when they drew Ecuador. That was about as much as you could expect from the smallest nation to ever play in a World Cup.

Group F

Netherlands 3-1 Tunisia

This one went just about as expected. I’m actually surprised it wasn’t an even more lopsided result. Coming in, Tunisia were already eliminated and the Dutch were first only on goals scored. They needed a win to be confident in staying there.

The Netherlands took no time at all to establish that there wasn’t going to be any drama. They got two goals in the first seven minutes to immediately put Tunisia away. The Dutch took their foot off the gas early in the second half and Tunisia were able to pull a goal back when Hannibal’s corner was met by Hazem Mastouri and headed down into the corner. The Netherlands would score a corner of their own though about six minutes later to restore their two goal lead. That was all it took to take the three points.

Japan 1-1 Sweden

If you told each coach you could guarantee they’d get a point out of this game, I think they’d both take it. Japan did have a chance to win the group but they would’ve had to have a better result than the Netherlands or make up some goal difference/goals scored. Sweden also could have improved their positioning but a draw was always going to be enough for them. In the end, that’s what we got.

The game didn’t really take off until the second half when Daizen Maeda gave Japan a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute. Ritsu Doan provided an incredible pass for the assist. Anthony Elanga would hit a beautifully curled finish into the far corner just six minutes later to bring the game back level at 1-1. Sweden looked the more likely to get a winner from there on and nearly got one in stoppage time. They weren’t able to get it though and a draw was probably a fair result.

Final Group Standings

What a fun group this ended up being. And, it was one I actually had right. I thought the Netherlands looked even better than I expected and deserved to finish top. Japan were very good as well and will be a tough out. Sweden had a crazy group stage with a 5-1 win over Tunisia followed by a 5-1 loss to the Netherlands before their 1-1 draw today. They obviously have a lethal attack but I don’t think the rest of the side is good enough to make any noise in the knockouts. Lastly, it has to be said that Tunisia are probably the worst team in this tournament. Zero points and a -10 goal difference is really bad. They also never looked competitive for even a second in any of their games. Other teams who got zero points at least showed some flashes. Absolute disaster for the Tunisians.

Group D

Paraguay 0-0 Australia

I’m pretty sure I said in the last blog (these all kinda blur together to be honest) that this game was one to watch heading into the day. I could not have been more wrong. Both teams realistically only needed a draw to advance out of the group. And boy did they play like it. Paraguay parked the bus and made Australia have to break them down. The Aussies were never going to be able to do it. That’s basically all there is to say about this one. One of the worst games of the tournament so far.

Turkiye 3-2 USA

The game that meant nothing in the group standings ended up being the much more entertaining one from Group D. The US got yet another early goal when Auston Trusty was left wide open at the far post from a corner in the 3rd minute. Turkiye would bounce back though with goals from Arda Guler and Orkun Kokcu to take a 2-1 lead into the half. Sebastian Berhalter brought it back level in the 49th with a great strike low and into the corner but Turkiye would get a winner with virtually the last kick of the ball. Can Uzun was left unmarked and Kaan Ayhan would poke the ball into an empty net to give Turkiye three points to go home with.

From a US perspective, I think I’m ok with this result. Almost the entire starting 11 was rotated for this one so I don’t think we can be too disappointed. The backups hung with Turkiye’s starters and only lost on the last kick of the ball. I do think this game showed why certain players aren’t starting. In particular, the whole back line. They simply were not good enough. In a way, their performance collectively reinforces why it was a good idea to rest the starters. The US would be screwed without them so you couldn’t risk injury or yellow card suspensions. At the end of the day, my only gripe with this game was that Matt Freese didn’t start in goal. I would’ve liked to see him face more pressure and actually have to make some saves. He only had to make two across his first two gamesl But it is what it is. On to the knockouts.

Final Group Standings

Like a lot of people, I expected Turkiye to be much better in this tournament. I did have the US winning the group, but with Turkiye, Paraguay, and Australia behind them in that order. I expected this final group game between the US and Turikye to be for the top spot. But it ended up being meaningless after Turikye had an awful first two games. Because Turkiye were so bad and the US blew out Paraguay 4-1 in the opener, it opened the door for Australia to somehow finish second. So credit to them for doing so I guess. All they had to do was beat a disjointed Turkiye team and draw in a game that no one was trying to win. I don’t see Australia or Paraguay making much noise in the knockouts but we’ll have to wait and see who exactly they end up playing.

Final Thoughts

That’s another day done. We got to see some drama which is always nice when closing out a group stage. There were some questions about the new format and how it would affect these groups and honestly I’m still unsure how to feel about it. I’ll save that for another blog. Tomorrow we get to close out groups G, H and I. The intrigue here is whether or not Belgium can bounce back from drawing their first two games and if Cape Verde can do enough to get through. Can’t wait to find out!