Sport
World Cup Day 4 Round-up
Over £50m of jackpots up for grabs across Russia 2018 18+
The usual three-game service was resumed after a bumper four-game helping on Saturday, but the reduced quantity was more than made up for in quality. Upsets aplenty along with some moments of real class made for a wonderful Day 4 in Russia.
Diedhiou See That Performance?
First-time World Cup referee Malang Diedhiou took charge of the Group E match between Costa Rica and Serbia. He earned lots of plaudits for the way he handled the game, letting things flow where possible but equally asserting himself when necessary. He also navigated a succession of VAR delays deep into stoppage time – with Costa Rica pushing for an equaliser these had the potential to cause frustration and controversy, but the match official commanded respect from the players.
In the end, the breakthrough team of the 2014 World Cup could not salvage a point; Serbia took the lead early in the second half courtesy of a wicked free kick from Aleksandar Kolorov, and were able to hold on to their advantage. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was the standout performer: he looked a class above everyone else on the pitch. It is little wonder the biggest clubs in world football are circling.
Olé!
Mexico got their tournament off to a dream start in the 4 PM kick-off, producing a huge upset against the highly-fancied Germany. It was evident from the outset that Joachim Löw was wary of the counter-attacking threat posed by the Mexicans; the lightning-quick front three stayed forwards at all times, and the German manager had clearly instructed his players not to commit too many bodies at set pieces as a result. This led to the odd sight of corners being swung in towards just two or three white shirts in the box. Despite these precautionary measures, it was a counter that undid the World Champions – Javier Hernandez left Mats Hummels for dead before weighting a perfect ball into the path of Hirving Lozano, who cut inside before firing the ball beyond Neuer.
This high-intensity tactic did take its toll on the Central American side, and midway through the second half an equaliser looked on the cards. Multiple Mexican players seemed dead on their feet, wearily dragging themselves into defensive positions and regularly resorting to somewhat panicked clearances. However, they ultimately defended staunchly; Rafael Marquez, appearing in a remarkable fifth World Cup, was one of three substitutes who served to freshen the team up a little. Try as they might, Germany simply could not find a way through. Substitute Mario Gomez had a big chance late on, but couldn’t direct his header beyond Ochoa. This is a nightmare start for Löw and his men, and suddenly there is a huge amount of pressure on the South Korea and Sweden games. Mexico, meanwhile, are now in a very strong position in terms of progression – this is sure to delight their fans, who deserve praise for creating the atmosphere of the tournament so far.
Neymar and Co Fall Short
Much of the pre-tournament media hype surrounding Brazil has focussed on Neymar – the talismanic PSG forward was famously ruled out of the 7-1 humiliation at their home World Cup through injury, and many have suggested that he will be out to right wrongs in Russia. However, it was the current rather than former Barcelona man who shone in the opening game against Switzerland: Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring after thirty minutes following a period of dominance, whipping a delightful shot into the top corner from outside the box. There is not one single player in the world better at this than Coutinho. It is uncanny how many times he has scored almost the exact same goal, generating mind-bending levels of whip to guide the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
However, there was a significant drop-off in quality following the goal. The passing combinations, initially so slick and intricate, became laboured. The skills stopped coming off – Valon Behrami put in a monstrous performance in the middle of the park, breaking up play time and time again. The frustration was palpable, and it only increased when Switzerland plucked an equaliser out of very little at the start of the second half. Shaqiri delivered a searching corner, and Zuber was on hand to power a header past Alisson. There was some suggestion of a foul on Miranda as the ball came in, but it would have been soft; the VAR team felt that there was nothing warranting review, which was probably the right call. Brazil did pick things up a little bit in the hunt for a winner, and there were a few moments where it became clear exactly what the South American nation are capable of, but much like Germany in the earlier game they ended up being frustrated by a resolute defence.
It says a lot that Brazil’s performance is up there with the most convincing of the pre-tournament favourites so far, despite failing to beat Switzerland. Of the truly distinguished national sides only Spain, who of course also failed to win, have looked better; it is exciting to think that this is a tournament in which a real variety of countries are in with a genuine chance. England, Belgium and Colombia will all be looking to establish their credentials in the coming days – they may be quietly starting to think that this World Cup could be here for the taking. There is, however, plenty more football to be played: bring it on.
Hero of the Day
This has to go to Hirving Lozano. It is not every day that you score a goal against the World Champions, let alone the winner. Even aside from the lovely strike, he played very well – his pace was a constant threat throughout the first half, and he made life very uncomfortable indeed for Joshua Kimmich.
Zero of the Day
A case could be made for giving this collectively to the entire German team, who were grossly underwhelming, but in the end they were not bad enough to wrest the dubious honour from ITV pundit Patrice Evra. The former Manchester United man looked stunned merely to be sitting next to a woman on a football panel, and when distinguished professional Eniola Aluko showed significantly more insight than either of the two male guests his face was one of outright shock. Indeed, he even stopped and applauded her knowledge. Perhaps his heart was in the right place, but there is no doubt that this came across as extremely condescending – do better, Patrice!
Over £50m of jackpots up for grabs across Russia 2018 18+
