World Cup Recap: Day 11

Hat-trick Kane leads England over Panama, Colombia thump Poland to conclude second round of group stage

Victor Araiza
Jun 25, 2018, 6:20 am
Harry Kane was at it again. Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

The last round of games in the second matchday of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place on Sunday. England vs. Panama, Japan vs. Senegal and Poland vs. Colombia would wrap up things in Group G and H before simultaneous matches begin on Monday.

England 6-1 Panama

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod

Attendance: 43,319

Panama was overmatched as England’s talented squad ran through them in a seven goal affair. Eight minutes in, Manchester City’s John Stones knocks in a header from a corner to put the England up 1-nil. It would then be Manchester United’s speedy winger Jesse Lingard who would earn a penalty in the 20th minute. Harry Kane - who came into this match on two goals - buried the penalty to increase the lead to two. Lingard would get himself on the board with a blast from the half moon in the 36th minute. Stones would again capitalize off a set-piece, this time a free kick, in the 40th minute before Kane would convert again from the penalty spot to complete his own double in first half stoppage time. England were up 5-0 at halftime.

Kane picked up a hat-trick in the 62nd minute when a shot by teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek rebounded off the back of his foot on its way towards the net. Despite being down 6-nil, Panama fans were ecstatic when defender Felipe Baloy would convert off a free kick to score Los Canaleros first goal at a FIFA World Cup in the 78th minute. The match would end with the 6-1 scoreline, securing England and Belgium’s tickets to the round of 16 as Panama and Tunisia look ahead to their final match.

Analysis: England go top of the group with this result and match Belgium on goal difference. This means that the final group match between those two will determine the group winner, if there is a loser. If the teams play to a tie then the side with more fair play points in their favor will be top of the group, which is why England is ahead now. If both are tied, still, then a drawing of lots will need to decide the group winner. In Panama’s case, they will play their final match against Tunisia before both sides leave Russia. Don’t expect that to be a boring affair as both will look to leave with a win. Panama will be aiming for a historic first win at a World Cup while Tunisia will be hoping to get their first win since Argentina 1978.

Notable stat: Harry Kane became the first England player to score a hat-trick at the FIFA World Cup since Gary Lineker at Mexico 1986. Lineker went on to win the tournament’s Golden Boot, an award Kane is now in the lead for with his five goals at Russia 2018.

Japan 2-2 Senegal

Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg

Attendance: 32,572

A battle for the top of the top of Group H would leave us with only the fourth draw of the tournament. Senegal would take the lead in the 11th minute after Liverpool forward Sadio Mane capitalized on a goalkeeping error by Eiji Kawashima. Senegal's Youssouf Sabaly took a shot on goal, which Kawashima punched out. Unfortunately for Japan, Mane would be there next to their goalie to have the ball rebound off his shin and into goal. The Samurai Blue would tie things up in the 34th minute when Yuto Nagatomo and Takashi Inui would combine with ninja-like footwork inside the box.

Both teams would strive for the lead in the second half, with Japan coming closest with a shot of the post around the 64th minute. It would be Senegal that would break the deadlock with a right-to-left strike from Moussa Wague in the 71st minute. The legendary Keisuke Honda would enter the match in the following minute before tying the match in the 78th minute. The match ended 2-2 with everything to be decided on the final matchday.

Analysis: This match felt like a final for both teams, knowing a win would have clinched a spot into the next round. Still with possibilities to be eliminated, both sides control their destiny and will advance with a win. Japan look to have the easier route as they will face a Poland side that has yet to taste victory at Russia 2018. Senegal will face a Colombia side that will also be fighting for qualification.

Notable stat: Senegal have now scored in six of their seven World Cup matches. Japan scored in the opening two matches of a World Cup for the first time since they joint-hosted in 2002.

Poland 0-3 Colombia

Kazan Arena, Kazan

Attendance: 42,873

Both of these sides came into this match with their backs against the wall. A win would mean relief and higher chances of qualification to the next round, a draw would barely mean survival and a loss would mean elimination. The start of the match would be a deadlock. In fact, both sides generated a combined five shots in the first half. The only shot on goal, in fact, came from the Colombia’s goal in the 40th minute where a corner transpired to a header by FC Barcelona’s Yerry Mina. Colombia would lead 1-0 at the half.

Colombia would arrive in the second half with growing confidence, especially after goalkeeper David Ospina denied the equalizer to one of Europe’s top strikers in Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski’s FC Bayern Munich teammate James Rodriguez would pick up his second assist of the match as Radamel Falcao scored Colombia’s second in the 70th minute. Juan Cuadrado would pen the third for Los Cafeteros just five minutes later. Ospina would suffer an injury at around the 82nd minute on another denial to goal. The Arsenal keeper asked for a substitution but Colombia had made all its changes forcing Colombia to play with a keeper on one good leg for the rest of the match. The South Americans would dominate possession with Poland only posing danger once in the final stretch.

Analysis: This was an uplifting win for Colombia and one that may kick off a run in this World Cup. James Rodriguez showed his quality, picking up Man of the Match honors in his return to the starting lineup. The gravity of Ospina will be the question moving forward but Colombia has good options on the bench in Camilo Vargas and Jose Fernando Cuadrado, both players from the domestic league. For Poland, this is a disappointing exit and it will be interesting to see the energy they show in the final match despite having nothing to play for.

Notable stat: Colombia’s all-time leading scorer, Radamel Falcao, scored his first goal at a FIFA World Cup against Poland.

Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):

Monday, June 25

9 a.m. - [Group A] Uruguay vs. Russia (FOX, Telemundo)

9 a.m. - [Group A] Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt (FS1, NBC Universo)

1 p.m. - [Group B] Spain vs. Morocco (FS1, NBC Universo)

1 p.m. - [Group B] Iran vs. Portugal (FOX, Telemundo)

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THE BIG HURT

Astros fans beware: legal theft becoming more common at sporting events

This is getting out of hand. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Allsport/Getty Images.

Dr. Rick warns his patients, young homeowners who are turning into their parents, you can expect to pay more for snacks and drinks at a movie theater. It's the same deal at a professional sports venue. Three years ago, I put a down payment on a cheeseburger at Toyota Center ... I still have three more payments to go before I get it.

But this is ridiculous. The PGA Championship, the lesser (least) of golf's majors, is charging $18 for a beer, a 25-ounce Michelob Ultra, at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. It's $19 for a Stella Artois. You can buy a six-pack for less at the supermarket. Aren't there laws against price gouging, like during a hurricane? Isn't Tulsa where the Golden Hurricanes play? Get FEMA in here. Did tournament directors get together and ponder, how can we piss off our fans? Sure, it's Tulsa and there's not much else to do, but that's no excuse.

Charging $18 for a beer makes the concession stands at Minute Maid Park look like a Sunday morning farmer's market. A 25-ounce domestic beer during an Astros game is $13.49. A 25-ounce premium beer is $14.45. Yeah, that's high for a beer, but at Minute Maid Park there are lots of hands in the till. Aramark wants to make a profit, the taxman has big mitts, and the Astros want their cut, too. Look, you want to sign Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez to an extension or not? Then drink up and don't complain. Some quiet grumbling and head-shaking is permitted, however.

You know the PGA Championship is charging too much for a beer when even the rich pampered players take notice. "18 (!!!!!) for a beer ... uhhh what," former PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas tweeted. "Good thing I don't drink a lot."

Like he will be in line for a beer at a public concession booth, anyway.

Of course there will be fans sneaking in beer in baggies strapped to their ankles, like stuffing your pockets with store-bought Snickers before going to the movies. It doesn't have to be this way. The Masters, the most prestigious golf event, charges only $5 for both domestic and imported beer. I know it's a gimmick, part of The Masters mystique along with pimento sandwiches for $1.50, but still it's a welcome gesture. You never lose when you treat the public fairly. When Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in Atlanta, Falcons owner Arthur Blank insisted that food vendors charge the same inside the stadium as they do at their regular restaurants. Same thing when Denver International Airport opened, fast food restaurants couldn't jack up their prices to their captive customers. Here? There needs to be a loan window outside the Cinnabon booth at Bush-Intercontinental.

Except for the Masters in Augusta, golf's majors aren't tied to a city. A major comes to a city maybe every few years or in most cases never. There's no need to ride into a city like the James Gang, rob the local bank, and high tail it out of town. Golf should be the last professional sport to stick it to fans. While the game has made strides to open its arms to lower-income youths, golf remains an elitist, extremely expensive sport for regular folk. Equipment is expensive, private courses are exclusive and country clubs are exclusionary. Public courses are less expensive but still expensive and crowded. Plus there's never been a professional sport more dangerously dominated by one person than golf. I can imagine network executives on their knees praying that Tiger Woods makes the cut and plays on weekends. Otherwise, TV ratings go straight into the toilet, you know, like whatever team Mattress Mack is betting on. (I joke because I love, and frankly a little scared.)

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