Today’s Day 7 and I already know the result of Russia vs. Egypt and Portugal vs. Morocco but I still wanted to take a moment and discuss this complete set of games. Every country has played once. There have been a few surprises and a few disappointments. I’ve highlighted the surprising (lucky) teams in green and the disappointing teams in red.
Group A
- Russia
- Uruguay
- Egypt
- Saudi Arabia
This group has provided no surprises. I expected Russia and Uruguay to go through. There’s nothing yet to suggest that they won’t, especially with Russia’s second win against Egypt. Sorry, Salah, you had some tough luck running into Sergio Ramos when you did.
Group B
- Iran
- Portugal
- Spain
- Morocco
So, Iran is topping this group. That’s a bit of a surprise but it won’t last (it already hasn’t, as I write this, Portugal is topping the group). Iran’s next game is against Spain and I don’t see them coming away with a result. Cherish this moment, Iran!
Group C
- France
- Denmark
- Australia
- Peru
Yeah, that looks about right.
Group D
- Croatia
- Iceland
- Argentina
- Nigeria
I’m going to predict that Argentina will go through. If they don’t, it will be the first major disappointment of the tournament. Iceland is still an underdog favorite. And Croatia looked strong against Nigeria. This is probably the most interesting group in the tournament.
Group E
- Serbia
- Brazil
- Switzerland
- Costa Rica
Serbia, or as I like to call them “The Iran of Group E,” are lucky to be at the top of this group. They’ve earned their place with a win but Brazil and Switzerland are both strong. I still see those two moving on from this group.
Group F
- Sweden
- Mexico
- South Korea
- Germany
I’m not surprised that Mexico is sitting pretty in second but Sweden in first? While it might be nice to have them progress without Ibrahimovic just so that guy will shut his damn mouth, this situation is also likely to change. Germany will turn this around. Because Germany. I’m thinking Germany and Mexico will go through.
Group G
- Belgium
- England
- Tunisia
- Panama
Yup, that looks about right.
Group H
- Japan
- Senegal
- Poland
- Colombia
I’m happy about the Senegal win, sloppy as it was. But Colombia had some terrible luck in their first game. They’ve dug themselves a hole and I’m not sure if they’ll get out. This could be another surprising group.
