The World Cup is well into its second week as teams across all 12 groups fight to secure vital points needed to qualify for the knockout stages. Three teams have already managed to secure their tickets, including co-hosts Mexico and the United States, and European powerhouse Germany.
The tournament has also produced some dramatic upsets as teams crashed out of the competition due to poor performance, including who many perceived as dark horses, a star-studded Turkey side.
Four main fixtures took place on Sunday and into the early hours of Monday, here is a summary of all the clashes from groups G and H.
Spain v Saudi Arabia
Spain was quick to rectify what many saw as a disastrous start to their World Cup campaign last week after suffering a goalless draw to first-timers Cape Verde, despite having a star-studded team, coming off the back of Euro triumph and being considered one of the most likely teams to win the title.
Facing off against Saudi Arabia in matchday two, Spain looked decisive, finished lethally and dominated the game across the board, from possession, to passing to chances created, as they cruised past their Gulf challengers 4-0 in an exciting fixture.
Barcelona’s 18-year-old superstar open the scoring for La Roja in just the 10th minute of the game after Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal crossed the ball into the box, finding Yamal for an easy tap in, who with it scored his first ever World Cup goal.
The Seleccion’s 65% possession meant that chances were raining in for the Iberian side, who were able to find Oyarzabal in the 21st and 24th minutes. The La Liga veteran forward made quick work of his first two chances of the game, converting both to give his side a 3-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
The second half saw more of the same, as Spain continued to apply pressure and play forward-moving attacking football, preventing Saudi Arabia from gaining a grip or generating any sort of momentum-shift breakthrough.
Real Madrid’s latest signing from Chelsea, Marc Cucurella struck a ball off a corner kick on the volley just four minutes into the second half, where it deflected off a Saudi defender before also finding the back of the net, further consolidating Spain’s convincing lead.
La Roja were set to expand their lead once more after Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored a goal in the dying minutes of the game, but following Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check, was ruled offside and disallowed, ending the game at 4-0.
Belgium v Iran
The second kick-off of the day featured Group G’s Belgium who took on the Islamic Republic of Iran in Los Angeles.
Belgium, coming off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Egypt in their World Cup opener, looked to secure a vital three points to guarantee their qualification into the knockout stage, after a horrific 2022 Qatar World Cup performance saw them get eliminated at the group stage.
Iran had also been coming off a 2-2 draw in their opening match against New Zealand, with the whole group being deadlocked at a point each.
Belgium looked to have the momentum for much of the game, but ultimately failed to convert its chances, settling for a goalless draw with Iran, despite possessing the ball close to 70% of the time, taking 22 shots during the 90 minutes – seven of which were on target – and completing almost 600 passes, around double of Iran’s output.
A red card for defender Nathan Ngoy who tackled an Iranian forward after making a mistake and putting him through on goal was set to pose a challenge for the Red Devils, who had to complete roughly 30 more minutes of play with a man down.
But even with the numerical disadvantage, veteran midfielder and Manchester City great Kevin de Bruyne was able to produce chances for his side, but a mixture of luck and poor finishing saw his team unable to capitalise.
Belgium now sits tied with Iran at two points, but is in third place after the Islamic Republic on goal differential. Their last group stage fixture is scheduled for next week, where they will face off against New Zealand in what will surely be a high-stakes fixture with their qualification on the line.
Uruguay v Cape Verde
Cape Verde has continued its dramatic first World Cup appearance, stunning South American greats and the first ever winners of the World Cup, Uruguay, 2-2 in a thrilling match.
The archipelago nation of 10 islands opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the match, scoring a stunning bottom right corner goal off a free kick miles away from the box.
Maximiliano Araújo levelled the score for his side just over 20 minutes later, heading the ball into the back of the net after it fell in front of him following a shot which hit the post.
The Uruguayan side was able to gain the momentum in the fixture, and just minutes later scored once more in the sixth minute of the first half’s stoppage time.
Agustín Canobbio slotted the ball past the keeper for an easy tap in after a quickly orchestrated play found him through, in the box and unmarked.
Uruguay looked to shift its strategy after the halftime break to focus on defensive solidity, but a patient Cape Verde didn’t rush, held its press and ultimately forced the South American nation to make a critical mistake.
Uruguay’s defender Mathías Olivera was caught in a moment of inattentiveness as he flunk a sloppy pass into dangerous territory, far from any of his teammates. The pass forced goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to quickly leave his line to close the spaces for Cape Verde’s Helio Varela who was quickly approaching the loose ball.
Varela was able to dribble past Muslera outside the box and slotted the ball into the open net, levelling the game 2-2.
Cape Verde then shifted positionally into a low block, and successfully held out for the remaining half hour, preventing Uruguay from taking the lead once more.
Egypt v New Zealand
The second Group G fixture of the night kicked off in the early hours of Monday, seeing Egypt and New Zealand take to the pitch with both sides looking to top the group after Iran and Belgium’s draw earlier.
New Zealand came off the blocks hot, looking threatening from the early minutes of the game and forcing Egypt’s goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir to make a few critical saves inside the first 10 minutes.
Their efforts ultimately materialised as defender Finn Surman was able to jump above the field and score a header off a corner kick in the 15th minute of the Group G clash, giving his country the lead and setting the pace early on.
The remainder of the first half saw both teams trade attacks but neither were successful in converting their chances, maintaining a 1-0 scoreline in New Zealand’s favour going into the second half.
The second half saw a dramatic shift in the game, as Egypt came out looking dominant, registering higher possession, more shots and overall control of the game.
The Pharaohs were able to find the net after repeated attempts some 15 minutes into the second half, after full back Mohamed Hany crossed the ball into the box, finding midfielder Mostafa Zaky – known as Ziko – who headed the ball in and through keeper Max Crocombe’s hands to equalise.
Liverpool and Premier League veteran Mohammed Salah was able to give his side the lead for the first time in the game, after a carefully constructed one-two with Ziko found him in ample space inside the box. It didn’t take much for the Egyptian talisman to slot the ball into the far left corner, making the score 2-1 in the 67th.
Salah was able to increase his match contribution 15 minutes later, feeding Mahmoud Trezeguet a beautifully crossed corner kick, which was powerfully headed into the bottom left corner, extending the lead to 3-1.
Egypt continued to apply pressure and at one moment looked certain to score a fourth after Ahmed Sayed, known as Zizo, was through on goal after dribbling past the keeper in the dying minutes of the game, but failed to score as he readjusted to take the shot on his dominant foot, giving the goalkeeper time to track back and make the save.
