BRAZIL 2 COSTA RICA 0 (ST. PETERSBURG)
Two stoppage-time goals by Brazil forces Costa Rica to become the fifth nation to be eliminated from the 2018 World Cup. Brazil dominated possession from the start, forcing Costa Rica to sit back and rely on the counterattack. At the 12th minute, Casemiro suffered a nosebleed, leaving Brazil down to 10 men for a short period. Though Costa Rica attempted to take advantage, they failed to find the lead. The Selecao proved to be the better side during the first half with impeccable rhythm and passing, however, the game remained 0-0 going into the halftime. Brazil’s momentum continued during the second 45 minutes, creating threatening opportunities merely five minutes after the whistle. Brazil’s relentless pressure did not stop, forcing Costa Rica goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, to make save after save. Costa Rica looked to be in trouble at the 78th minute when the referee marked a foul by Gonzales on Neymar as a penalty. The call, however, was quickly overturned by VAR, giving the Ticos a fighting chance. Stoppage time proved to be the deciding factor of this match as Brazil released their frustrations into building opportunities. In the 91st minute, a lovely play by Brazil’s offense allowed Coutinho to arrive at the box and tap the ball past Navas and into the goal for the lead. Then, six minutes later, Neymar sealed the game with a stunning goal to eliminate Costa Rica’s dreams of passing to the knockout stage.
ICELAND 0 NIGERIA 2 (Volgograd)
Nigeria has granted Argentina a second chance at making it out of the group stage by defeating Iceland 2-0. The Super Eagles entered the match as the underdogs but quickly proved to match Iceland’s tempo and ability. Though the ball spent the majority of the first 45 minutes in the idle third of the pitch, towards the end, Nigeria gained control. The second half gave the Super Eagles the opportunity to resume their possession. Moments after the whistle, at the 49-minute mark, Nigeria broke on the counterattack, enabling Ahmed Musa to fire a strike and find the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. Though Iceland attempted to retaliate, they failed to penetrate the opponent’s defense. The goal inspired Nigeria to grow in confidence, stimulating more shots on goal and threatening attempts. Their strengthened mentality soon proved successful as Musa made his way to the opposition box, drawing Iceland goalkeeper, Hannes Þór Halldórsson, in the process, and blasted the ball into an empty net to double the lead. Nigeria’s celebration was short lived as minutes later, their opponent was awarded a penalty. Iceland’s star player, Gylfi Sigurðsson, stepped up and fired the ball way over the post, securing their 2-0 defeat and sending Nigerian supporters into a frenzy.
SERBIA 1 SWITZERLAND 2 (Kaliningrad)
A last-minute goal allows Switzerland to triumph over Serbia 2-1, denying their opponents the opportunity to secure a knockout stage spot. The action began quickly as Dušan Tadic found his way into the box and provided a lovely cross to Aleksandar Mitrović, who powerfully headed an unstoppable shot into the goal for the early lead. Serbia’s goal inspired Switzerland to retaliate by gaining possession and proceeding with control. In their hopes to maintain the lead, Serbia adopted an aggressive style of play, earning Nemanja Matić, Sergej Milinković-Savić and Luka Milivojević, a yellow card to end the half. Going into the second 45 minutes, Switzerland upheld their high energy and dominance over Serbia. At the 52nd minute, Xherdan Shaqiri fired a strike that deflected off of Aleksandar Kolarov for Switzerland’s first threatening play of the half. Shaqiri’s efforts did not go to waste as Granit Xhaka found the rebound and blasted the ball into the net to find the equalizer. Swiss players used the score to motivate themselves in finding the back of the net again and fuel their hopes of making it out of the group stage. Serbia’s defense stood in the way of Switzerland, rejecting their opponents’ efforts time after time. Towards the end of the match, however, Serbia could not keep up with Switzerland’s energy, allowing Mario Gavranovic to cut into the box and find an unmarked Shaqiri, who tapped the ball into the goal to lock the lead.
