COLOMBIA 1 SENEGAL 0 (Samara)
Colombia has eliminated Senegal by triumphing 1-0, narrowly proceeding to the next round as Group H leaders. Both nations started the match knowing that a win could secure a spot in the knockout stage, translating to a vibrant energy on the pitch. Senegal’s electric offense pressured the opponents immediately, spending the majority of the first 45 mins in Colombia’s half. Despite several threatening opportunities, however, both nations headed into halftime 0-0. Then, by the 74th minute, Colombia turned the match around as Yerry Mina found the corner and headed the ball into the post for the 1-0 lead.
JAPAN 0 POLAND 1 (Volgograd)
Poland defeated Japan 1-0 in their last World Cup game, however, the Asian side will proceed to the knockout stage due to FIFA’s new fair play rule. Despite entering the match already eliminated, Poland overpowered Japan easily with an energetic offense and a strengthened defense. The first 45 minutes saw a weakened Japan with no motivation to continued even though the opportunity to secure a knockout stage spot was still possible. Then, in the 60th minute, Japan awoke as they realized their World Cup dreams were in trouble: Rafal Kurzawa curled the ball into the face of the goal finding Jan Bednarek, who scored his first ever international goal. Japan’s energy heightened for a bit, but failed to make a true impact. Towards the last 20 minutes of the match, it was evident that Poland merely looked for the whistle to send them home, while Japan hoped to avoid a second goal by attaining possession in their own half. The supporters disdaining noises echoed around the stadium as the players pitch barely made an effort to finish the game strongly.
BELGIUM 1 ENGLAND 0 (Kaliningrad)
Belgium advanced to the round of 16 as winners of Group G after defeating England 1-0. Both Belgium and England had already qualified to the next stage prior to kickoff, playing merely for ranking purposes, which translated onto the pitch. Neither nation presented an energetic impact, falling back and opting for a defensive attitude. It wasn’t until the 51st minute that the action heightened as Adnan Januzaj cut past English defenders to curl the ball beautifully into the top left of the post for the 1-0 lead. England did very little to retaliate, failing to find the back of the net at all. Though the majority of the match was playing calmly in the middle half of the pitch, Belgium managed to seal the win and progress as leaders.
PANAMA 1 TUNISIA 2 (Saransk)
Tunisia will exit the World Cup with a victory after heroically defeating Panama 2-1. Both nations entered the match eliminated from the tournament, playing merely for pride. Panama looked to win their first World Cup match by applying early pressure on their opponents, choosing an offensive style of play. The Latin American side’s efforts paid off in the 32nd minute when Roman Torres found a rebound inside the box and fired a shot, causing goalkeeper, Aymen Mathlouthi, to stumble and let the ball loose inside the post. Tunisia retaliated minutes after the second half whistle as Wahbi Khazri slid a perfect cross to Ben Youssef, who clipped the ball into the net to equalize the match. Minutes later, Tunisia did it again as Sliti and Haddadi set up the ball perfectly for Khazri, who easily fired the ball into the goal to secure the 2-1 win. Panama has officially ended their first World Cup campaign as the nation to attain the least points.
