Group stage is complete! 16 teams are heading home. 16 teams remain in Russia, 8 of which for only one more match. So how do things look after half the field have been eliminated?
Group Winners and Runners-up
Group A
Winner: Uruguay
Runner-up: Russia
Group B
Winner: Spain
Runner-up: Portugal
Group C
Winner: France
Runner-up: Denmark
Group D
Winner: Croatia
Runner-up: Argentina
Group E
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Switzerland
Group F
Winner: Sweden
Runner-up: Mexico
Group G
Winner: Belgium
Runner-up: England
Group H
Winner: Colombia
Runner-up: Japan
Russia and Japan might be the biggest surprises to advance. Groups E and G are the only groups to produce the top two teams based on rankings from their respective groups. Ten teams from Europe will advance. Four teams from South America made the final cut. One team each from Asia and North America will get at least an extra game.
RO16 Fixtures
Saturday 30 June, 2018
In the early game we'll see France take on an Argentina squad which many believe are fortunate to make it this far. Will their advancement revive them to deal with a French team many pundits believed had the depth and talent to go all the way? Both teams advanced despite looking less than impressive during the Group Stage. Which team will put it all together first?
Following that match is an intriguing match-up between two teams with flamboyant strikers. Uruguay and Suarez will face Portugal and Ronaldo. Each team scored 5 goals through Group Stage but Uruguay kept a clean sheet (the only team to do so). If history tells us anything, it's that the World Cup winners usually have the Golden Gloves winner. Can Uruguay keep their net empty or will Ronaldo have enough magic left to lift his team to the Quarter-finals?
Sunday 1 July, 2018
To get the day started Spain is tasked with dispatching a rather spunky Russian squad which scored 8 goals in two matches. Uruguay showed the blueprint to taming the Siberian beast. Will Spain win a game everyone believes they should or will Russia continue to surprise on their home turf?
Later that day we're treated to a match between Croatia and Denmark. Croatia has looked impressive thus far in the tournament. They have a well balanced team and have done well to keep goals scored against them to a minimum. Denmark, on the other hand, only won a single game in their group and have managed a pedestrian 2 goals through three matches. Can Denmark find some offense against a disciplined Croat defense or will their lack of scoring potential sink them?
Monday 2 July, 2018
Monday starts off with a bang as Brazil have to face a Mexico team which has looked formidable thus far. Brazil, like France, have tons of talent but they have looked less than impressive so far. Will they put it all together to send Mexico packing or will Mexico overwhelm them like they did Germany? This has the potential to be a very entertaining game.
Don't worry about saving any of your energy from the first game. The second game is quite the snooze fest. Belgium won the RO16 lottery with their win over England to earn the privilege of playing a Japanese squad that doesn't look all that threatening. Belgium, which has been one of the best teams in the tournament so far, scoring a tournament leading 9 goals through three games, should be able to put this game to rest by half time.
Tuesday 3 July, 2018
Tuesday will provide a better finale to the RO16 than the Group Stage finale. Both matches feature fairly evenly matched squads and, honestly, any of the four teams could win. The day kicks off with Sweden taking on Switzerland. Sweden impressed in their win over Mexico but Switzerland looked like no slouch against Brazil. This game could go either way.
To cap off the RO16 we're treated to a match between England and Colombia. England have looked much more threatening, and frankly more fun to watch than in decades past, when they play their starters. Colombia has plenty of talent and they can string together passes with the best of them. England's defense has looked vulnerable in all three of their Group Stage fixtures. Can Colombia capitalize? England has also displayed their ability to score goals in bunches. Can they get enough goals to take the W? Between England's penchant for scoring (with their starters) and their suspect defense this game could potentially produce a lot of goals. This could be quite the bang to end the RO16.
Who are your picks? Which teams do you wish to see more of / less of?
Discuss!! And, as always, Happy Watching.
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