URUGUAY 3 RUSSIA 0 (Samara)
Uruguay advances to the knockout round as Group A leaders after defeating Russia 3-0. The action began almost immediately as Uruguay was awarded a free kick from a threatening position in the 10th minute. Barcelona striker, Luis Suarez, stepped up and fired the ball into the lower right corner for the early 1-0 lead. Russia attempted to retaliate by counterattacking, but could not penetrate their opponent’s defense. Then, in the 23rd minute, a corner by the Latin American side ended in an own goal by Denis Cheryshev as it bounced off of his heel and spun past Akinfeev. Frustrated by the score, Smolnikov fouled Laxalt, receiving a second yellow and subsequent red card, leaving Russia down to 10 men for the rest of the match. Despite being one man down, Russia maintained a strong defensive line until the 90th minute. Torreira crossed the corner into the box, initially reaching Godin, who attempted to head the ball into the post but was denied by Akinfeev. Godin’s efforts were not wasted, as Cavani found the rebound and tapped the ball into the post to secure the 3-0 lead.
EGYPT 1 SAUDI ARABIA 2 (Volgograd)
Saudi Arabia exits the 2018 World Cup with a last-minute 2-1 victory over Egypt. Neither nation was playing for qualification purposes, but for pride, as they were both mathematically eliminated prior to kick off. Despite the sadness of elimination, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were able to provide their supporters with moments of pure happiness. In the 23rd minute, Egyptian hero, Mohamed Salah, sprinted between two defenders to find the opposition box, and fired the ball into the post, sending Egyptian supporters into a frenzy. Then, minutes before halftime, the referee spotted a handball in the Egyptian box, awarding Saudi Arabia a penalty. Al Mulwallad stepped up and failed, enabling Essam Elhadary, at 45-years old, to celebrate becoming the oldest player in World Cup history by saving a penalty. Their celebrations were short lives, as a shove on Al Mulwallad by Ali Gabrin, earned Saudi Arabia another penalty. This time, Salman Al Faraj was able to score and find the equalizer. Five minutes into stoppage time, Al Dawsari scored to give Saudi Arabian supporters one last World Cup celebration.
SPAIN 2 MOROCCO 2 (Kaliningrad)
Spain held Morocco to a 2-2 draw, qualifying for the knockout stage and proceeding to the next round as Group B leaders. Morocco entered the match with an aggressive attitude, fouling the Spanish players 13 times throughout the 90 minutes. Morocco opened up the scoring in the 14th minute when Khalid Boutaib charged straight through the center of the pitch and slid the ball into the post to score the nation’s first World Cup goal since 1998. It didn’t take long for Spain to retaliate, as five minutes later, a progressive tiki-taka lead Isco to the box, allowing him to fire the ball over Munir for the equalizer. Though a draw would have greatly benefited Spain, an unstoppable 81st minute header by the substitute, Youssef En-Nesyri, gave Morocco the 2-1 lead. Then, a stoppage-time goal by Aspas that was originally marked as offside, was overturned by VAR, giving the Spanish side the equalizer.
IRAN 1 PORTUGAL 1 (Saransk)
Portugal has eliminated Iran from the World Cup and finished as Group B leaders with a 1-1 draw. Though Iran entered the match as underdogs, their relentless and determined attitude created fear among the Portuguese players. Portugal then turned the match around and began dominating possession and shots on goal. Minutes before the halftime whistle, Quaresma found his way to the opposition half and curled the ball into the post to find the lead. 51 minutes into the match, an Iranian foul awarded Portugal a penalty, but Ronaldo failed to double the lead. Though Iran continued to press their opponents, Portugal held on to the lead for the majority of the match. Then, in a moment of frustration, Portugal conceded a penalty, giving Iran a fighting chance to qualify to the knockout round. Karim Ansarifard stepped up and scored, but their efforts were not enough to overpower Portugal and proceed to the next round.
