World Cup Recap: Day 8
Argentina on the ropes as Croatia and France book spots into the knockout phase
Jun 21, 2018, 8:21 pm
Leo Messi and Argentina are in deep trouble. Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images
World Cup Recap: Day 8
Two big matches highlighted Thursday at the FIFA World Cup: France vs. Peru and Argentina vs. Croacia. Both would end in European victories and send heartbreak to two sets South American fans.
Denmark 1-1 Australia
Samara Arena, Samara
Attendance: 40,727
Denmark looked primed to build on their three points against Peru by following that up with a result against Australia. The Aussies would look to avoid elimination with at least a point, if not the win. Both sides came out with promising chances early before Denmark’s two best men would partner up to attain the lead in the 7th minute. Nicolai Jorgensen worked some magic inside the box, between two Australian defenders, and popped the ball over for Christian Eriksen to hit it first-time into the back of the net. The Danes would look the more dangerous side until the Video Assistant Referee would come into play. After consulting the video, the referee would recognize a handball on Denmark and award a penalty to Australia. It would be the Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak who would convert to level the score in the 38th minute. The score would remain tied at halftime.
Both sides would trade opportunities in the second half with Australia generating the more promising chances. Australia looked the part of a side not wanting to leave their qualification up to chance and forced Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to make four saves in the second half. The result would remain 1-1 with Denmark moving up to four points while Australia picks up its first and avoids elimination.
Analysis: Denmark had a great opportunity to move top of the group with a win. The Danes had a great first half and were the side with more quality overall. The decision from the VAR indeed complicated their result but Denmark still could’ve seen out a win. Australia does have to be commended for their fight because they avoided elimination despite not scoring a goal in open play. A victory over Peru could be enough to send them through, though that will be easier said than done.
Notable stat: Australia’s two goals so far have come from the penalty spot.
France 1-0 Peru
Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg
Attendance: 32,789
France had a bit of a chip on their shoulder, garnering some criticism for winning their first match thanks to the Video Assistant Referee. Peru were staring at elimination after the Denmark-Australia tie and a win would really take the pressure off their back. Les Blues showed their talent early with Pogba getting a good look from range in the 12th minute while Raphael Varane had an excellent opportunity of a corner two minutes later. Antoine Griezmann and Paolo Guerrero would trade shots for their respective sides before Kylian Mbappe would decide this one in the 34th minute.
Peru would go down swinging. The South Americans outshot their European counterparts six to three in the second half, desperately looking to tie the encounter. Even a draw would benefit La Blanquirroja but they couldn’t find a quality shot past France goalie Hugo Lloris - who was only forced into one save in each half. Peru - with one game left to play - are eliminated from advancing to the knockout round while France begins to morph into the pre-tournament favorite they were touted to be.
Analysis: France picked up a great result against quality opposition. They face Denmark next, needing only a draw to assure themselves the top of the group. Peru will feel disappointed to come away with only a group stage appearance after a 36-year World Cup drought. Peru’s final match, against Australia, will be one dedicated to their supporters as they hope to leave Russia with a win.
Notable stat: At 19 years of age, Kylian Mbappe became France's youngest ever scorer at a FIFA World Cup.
Argentina 0-3 Croatia
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 43,319
Two talented sides, with European superstars, would face off in the likely decider of the top group spot. Argentina came in with pressure to better their form after a 1-1 draw against Iceland while Croatia looked to build on their 2-0 win over Nigeria. The first half would end in a scoreless draw as both sides had wasted opportunities in an otherwise tight encounter. Argentina’s clearest opportunity was one were a combination play saw midfielder Enzo Perez miss the open net. For Croatia, Mandzukic missed a heading opportunity - not the easiest opportunity but one that was makeable for a player of his caliber.
The second half is where Argentina came undone. Argentina’s goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero already had some risky plays, both in the Iceland game and in the first half against Croatia, but the costliest one would come in the 53rd minute. A horrible giveaway turns into an easy score - but still beauty of a finish - from Ante Rebic. Argentina would keep pushing forward, with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain entering the match as substitutions, to no avail. Luka Modric would then score a wonder goal from distance - equal to the caliber he’s scored for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League - to put Croatia up 2-0 in the 80th minute. Ivan Rakitic would score Croatia’s third in stoppage time.
Analysis: Croatia left with the result they wanted, a spot into the round of 16, in what has been their best showing. In doing so, they scored three goals against Argentina. This matters because Argentina is already on the brink of elimination and in need of other results to advance. Argentina will be rooting for Nigeria on Friday to make life easier because an Iceland win would force Argentina to have work against their deficit in the goal differential. Even so, Argentina looks to have much bigger problems and it’s not a stretch to think they would lose in their match against Nigeria. So much intrigue left for the final matchday.
Notable stat: Croatian defender Vedran Corluka, who entered the match in second-half stoppage time, picked up his 100th appearance with the national team in the win against Argentina.
Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Friday, June 22
7 a.m. - [Group E] Brazil vs. Costa Rica (FS1, Telemundo)
10 a.m. - [Group D] Nigeria vs. Iceland (FOX, Telemundo)
1 p.m. - [Group E] Serbia vs. Switzerland (FOX, Telemundo)
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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