Sport
World Cup Day 6 Round-up
Over £50 Million worth of prizes across Russia 2018. 18+
Day 6 of the 2018 World Cup always looked set to be a good one, and it did not disappoint. All six of the teams involved found the net, scoring a combined ten goals – it was an exciting way to complete the first set of fixtures and kick off the second round.
Colombia See Red
Colombian fans have travelled to Russia in their thousands, and a sea of yellow greeted the South American side for their opening fixture. However, these supporters were silenced within minutes – an early foray forward for opponents Japan forced a save out of Ospina, and Carlos Sanchez then blocked the follow-up effort with his hand. He had to go, and unlike Luis Suarez eight years ago his temporary act of goalkeeping was not rewarded: Shinji Kagawa, a true legend of Japanese football, slotted the penalty away to give the Asian side the lead.
Colombia responded strongly, and had the better of the game for most of the first half despite being a man short; the manager sacrificed Juan Cuadrado for central midfielder Wilmar Barrios after half an hour in order to try and restore some control in the middle of the park, and for a time it looked as if Japan were the side down to ten men. There were few complaints when Quintero scored the equaliser close to halftime – his ingenious free kick went under the jumping wall before squirming beyond the keeper. The initial foul on Falcao was somewhat dubious, but 1-1 at halftime was a fair reflection on the game.
However, the numerical advantage was apparent in the second half. Colombia did not have the energy to maintain control of the game and were made to absorb lots of Japan pressure – in the end, it was too much for them, and Osako scored from a corner with twenty minutes to play. This triggered something of a response from the heavy pre-game favourites, but some resolute defending kept them at bay. The early red card ultimately proved decisive, and Japan now have a great chance of progressing from a very open group.
Senegal Deliver Africa’s First Win
Senegal vs Poland provided Round 1’s curtain call. For a while, it looked as though it may be disappointing – very little was offered by either side for much of the first half. The highlight came from the stands, where the Senegal supporters adorned with hats and flags brought a welcome flash of vibrancy and colour. Eventually, they were given something to cheer. It always looked like a slice of luck might be needed to break the deadlock, and it came via a Cionek own goal. Sadio Mane shifted the ball to Idrissa Gueye, whose wayward shot was inadvertently diverted beyond Szczęsny by the defender.
Midway through the second half, Senegal doubled their lead through another freak goal. This time, Poland had only themselves to blame – a dreadful back-pass by Grzegorz Krychowiak caused confusion between Bednarek and the goalkeeper, and M’Biaye Niang capitalised on the indecision. His darting run to get to the ball ahead of the keeper came immediately after his re-entry on to the pitch following treatment for an injury; this prompted Polish complaints, and it was certainly a novel way to score, but the defence should definitely have been more alive to the threat.
The side somewhat flatteringly ranked 8 th in the world did at least manage to pull one goal back late on, Krychowiak going a little way to redeeming himself by powering a wonderful header beyond the keeper, but Senegal held on for a well-deserved win. Particularly following Colombia’s shock defeat, the side captained by Sadio Mane will surely fancy themselves to progress to the last sixteen.
Woe for Mo
Mane’s club teammate Mohamed Salah gave his nation hope when he was named in the starting line-up for this crucial game against the hosts, but in the end Russia ran out comfortable winners. Salah’s quality shone out from the start, but it was clear that his injury was still affecting him; Russia, for their part, put in another surprisingly strong performance. Winless in seven prior to the start of the tournament, their early form has confounded everyone: this time Hector Cuper’s men were the victims, eventually losing 3-1 and seeing their hopes of qualification all but ended.
An open first half ended goalless, but it was always apparent that both teams were capable of scoring. It was an end-to-end affair, although Russia were creating the better chances – ultimately, the opener came through a slice of fortune rather than any Russian brilliance. The Egyptian goalkeeper opted to punch a poor cross, the weak follow-up shot struck Fathi and deflected wickedly into the net for the second own goal of the day. This seemed to undo the North African side, who collapsed to find themselves three goals down after just twenty second-half minutes. The second came after some excellent work from Russian full-back Mario Fernandes on the right flank – his cut-back was turned home by Cheryshev, who is now joint top-scorer at the tournament with Ronaldo. Number three followed just minutes later, and this time it was Dzyuba getting in on the action with a tidy finish. Eight goals in the opening two games is a frankly remarkable start for the hosts.
Egypt belatedly rallied, and very few football fans would begrudge Mo Salah the goal he scored. It is hard to carry a nation on your shoulders when one of them is only just out of strapping, but he worked hard to make himself available for the team and put in a performance filled with heart – he stepped up after the Russian defence got too physical in the box, and lashed the penalty emphatically past the goalkeeper. This always looked destined to be a consolation, but as consolations go it was a very meaningful one: this was Egypt’s first World Cup goal since before Salah was born, and it undoubtedly meant a lot to both player and country. They should have had a second penalty shortly after, which would have made for a very interesting finale, but VAR inexplicably failed to alert the referee to the clear infringement inside the box. Barring a remarkable victory for Saudi Arabia against Uruguay, Egypt will be heading home from Russia following the conclusion of the group stages. The Russians, meanwhile, look set to march on to the knockouts.
Hero of the Day
This goes to the Japanese striker Osako, who scored the goal which secured the unlikely victory against Colombia. A woeful shot earlier on had flown out for a throw-in, and the BBC commentators were somewhat vociferously suggesting that he should make way for Shinji Okazaki – he ended up proving them wrong and bringing joy to an entire nation.
Zero of the Day
Plenty of contenders for this, given the red cards and own goals flying around, but in the end, it has to go to Krychowiak. Even his late goal is not enough to save him from receiving this title – his sliced long pass back to the keeper was inexplicable, and ended up seriously costing his team. If Poland fail to progress, he will look back on this moment with horror.
Over £50 Million worth of prizes across Russia 2018. 18+
