Today we saw the end of the group stage.  Groups J, K, and L finished up play and the knockout bracket is all set.  First place in groups K and L was still up for grabs while there were second and third place implications in every group.  We also ended up with the most incredible and dramatic moment of this World Cup.  Here’s a look at how it all went down:

Group L

England 2-0 Panama

This one went about as expected.  A win for England was always likely to secure them the top spot in the group.  Panama were already eliminated after losing their opening two games.

England dominated possession in the first half with 72% but they weren’t able to create a ton of clear cut chances.  Meanwhile, Panama looked decent on the counter.  The question heading into the second half was whether or not Panama could pull off what Ghana did against England in the previous game.  As it turned out, they couldn’t.  England eventually got a breakthrough in the 62nd minute when Jude Bellingham scored from a corner and Harry Kane added a second just 5 minutes later.  That was enough to give England the win and the top spot in the group.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana

This game was always likely to determine second place in the group.  And that’s how it ended up.  Croatia took the lead in the 31st minute when a Petar Sucic shot from outside the box beat Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare low and to his right.  While it was a good finish, I thought Asare should have done better to get to it.  The game would go to halftime at 1-0 and Croatia were in second. 

Ghana would pull back level in the 73rd when Derrick Luckassen side footed the ball into the net following a free kick.  It was initially called offside and the VAR took some time to come to a ruling but it was pretty clearly a good goal and they eventually got it correct.  At this point, Ghana were going through in second.  Croatia would get their winner in the 83rd when Nikola Vlasic headed it in from a Luka Modric corner.  The goal would put Croatia back in second for good.

Final Group Standings

The group ended up finishing as expected, though there were some unexpected results along the way.  Particularly the Ghana draw with England.  Speaking of England, I thought they played pretty well overall and definitely deserved to win the group.  Croatia and Ghana were pretty even and it was fitting that they played each other to determine second place.  As for Panama, I thought they gave a good account of themselves.  They didn’t score or get any points but they also weren’t easy to beat in a group where they were clearly overmatched.

Group K

Portugal 0-0 Colombia

Coming into the day, this was one of the marquee games on paper.  A Portugal win would win them the group while a draw or Colombia win would keep the Colombians in first. Both teams went for it with their lineups but in the end we got a relatively dull draw. 

Without any goals in this one, there isn’t much to talk about other than a late Colombia goal that was called back for offside.  It was off by an extremely fine margin but it was the right call.  Colombia probably deserved the goal though.  They were the better team throughout and had the better chances to score.  Portugal didn’t create all that much and were pretty disappointing on the night.

DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan

This ended up being the much more interesting game in this group.  Both teams needed a win, though in Uzbekistan’s case they needed several goals to have a shot of going through. DR Congo only needed a victory as it would get them to four points and guarantee a spot in the round of 32.

It was an incredible start for Uzbekistan as Eldor Shomurodov had the ball in the back of the net within 20 seconds.  He was clearly offside though and it was called back.  Shomurodov would get his goal anyway ten minutes later with a wonderful finish.  He chipped the ball across and over the goalkeeper and into the far post to give his team a deserved lead.  DR Congo looked like they had equalized a short time later on a tremendous strike from Nathanael Mbuku but it was called back for a foul in the buildup when Mbuku’s arm came across the face of an opposing player.  Harsh call in my opinion.

DR Congo would push hard in the second half and finally got a goal in the 68th through a Yoane Wissa penalty.  Then, Fiston Mayele would score a goal that’ll go down in DR Congo history in the 78th.  It ended up being the winner and Wissa would seal it with a great strike just into stoppage time.  Incredible moment for the Congolese.

Final Group Standings

Colombia finished first and fully deserved it.  They probably should have finished on 9 points too.  Portugal were lackluster but still finished second.  I had higher hopes for them but honestly, shame on me.  They always seem to let down in these tournaments despite their immensely talented squad of players.  As for DR Congo, what a fantastic group stage for them.  Drawing Portugal, only losing on a late goal to Colombia and then taking care of Uzbekistan is a big success.  Lastly, Uzbekistan did show a few good moments but they were very clearly overmatched.

Group J

Argentina 3-1 Jordan

The game was meaningless with Argentina having already won the group and Jordan all but guaranteed to finish last (their only chance was a big win in this game).  We ended up seeing a rotated Argentina side that was still more than good enough to handle this game.

Giovani Lo Celso hit a free kick in the 19th minute to give Argentina the 1-0 lead.  Lautaro Martinez would put away a penalty in the 31st to make it 2-0 heading into halftime.  Mousa Tamari would finish off a nice team move in the 55th to pull one back for Jordan.  But then, Lionel Messi who didn’t start this one, came on at the hour mark and predictably got a goal of his own in the 80th minute by burying a free kick.  It was a historic goal, as he is now the only player to have scored in seven consecutive World Cup games.  Just unreal.

Austria 3-3 Algeria

What a fascinating way to end the group stage.  Previous results made the scenarios here very clear.  A win for either team would put the winner through as the second placed team and Iran would qualify as the last of the 8 to third placed teams.  A draw would get both teams through with Austria in second and Algeria third.  That meant that potentially both teams could just play for a draw and ensure they both advanced.  Luckily, both teams went for it.

Marko Arnautovic went through on goal and put a deft touch past the goalkeeper to give Austria the 1-0 lead in the 28th minute.  Algeria pulled back level just before halftime via a great goal from Rafik Belghali.  Marcel Sabitzer would score in the 55th to give Austria the lead again but five minutes later, Riyad Mahrez would tie it again at 2-2 and it looked for sure like that would be it.  However, this is the 2026 World Cup.  After both teams seemingly had their foot off the gas, Mahrez made a run forward and scored 3 minutes into stoppage time to put Algeria through and certainly eliminate Austria.  It was pure revenge for the Algerians who had been waiting since 1982 to get one over on Austria (for context).  But then, Austria would bring on 6’7″ striker Sada Kalajdzic and he would nod home a goal with the last touch of the ball to unbelievably seal the draw and more importantly, send Austria through.  Absolutely astonishing stuff.

This back and forth must have been excruciating for Iran as they were surely watching on from afar, their future in the tournament hanging in the balance.  They went from being out at 0-0, through at 1-0, out at 1-1, through at 2-1, out at 2-2, through at 3-2, and then out again at 3-3. I’ve never seen anything like it.  Just a devastating result for them.

Final Group Standings

The final standings here went pretty much as expected.  Argentina were clearly the best team coming in and easily went through in first.  Austria and Algeria was a close call for second but in the end I think Austria probably deserved it.  And then Jordan were always going to be up against it and it was no surprise that they finished last.

Final Thoughts

What an incredible ending to a brilliant group stage.  This tournament has been so much fun to watch so far.  And now we’re down to 32 teams and head to the knockouts.  It’s crazy that after 24 games in four days we now only have one game to kick off the round of 32 on Sunday, with Canada taking on South Africa.  The round of 32 games that jump out to me from a neutral point of view are Netherlands vs Morocco, Belgium vs Senegal, and Brazil vs Japan.  But there are so many more that will bring intrigue and excitement.  I can’t wait.