World Cup Recap: Day 5
Sweden, Belgium and England pick up wins; Panama plays in first World Cup
Jun 18, 2018, 6:16 pm
Harry Kane and England got an opening win. Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Premier League stars Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku each scored twice to lead their respective countries to victory on Monday. They also tied Russia’s Denis Cheryshev and Spain’s Diego Costa for second in the goalscoring charts - all behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sweden 1-0 South Korea
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 42,300
Sweden and South Korea faced off for the first time at a FIFA World Cup, with both looking to pounce on three points after Mexico’s win over initial group favorite Germany on Sunday. Sweden was the much more dangerous side by far, outshooting the Koreans nine to one in the first half. This was one of the more physical matches yet in this World Cup as South Korea could have had two penalty opportunities called against them in the first half. One of those tackles came in the 18th minute while a more glaring one occured in the 43rd minute - the referee did not chose to consult the video review booth for either play. Sweden’s best chance came in the 21st minute when forward Marcus Berg was denied by Korean goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo - a play that had Liverpool fans on social media calling for his signing [see: 2018 UEFA Champions League final]. The half would end nil-nil.
In the second half, both teams would have a better attacking outbursts but neither would take a stranglehold of the scoreboard. The deciding play came in the 62nd minute when one tackle inside the box proved too many for South Korea. Referee Joel Aguilar signaled for video review and proceeded to award a penalty in favor of Sweden. Team Captain Andreas Granqvist converted on the opportunity which would secure the full three points.
Analysis: The two favorites to move out of Group F are still Mexico and Germany, but the chance to play spoiler may have been decided here. Sweden’s next match against the defending champions could mean qualification if they are able to follow up Mexico’s performance to potentially eliminate the defending champions. Even a draw would bode well for Sweden, only because it would give them four points with Monday’s result. In South Korea’s case, they will need to come out with their best effort against Mexico as the three points are not an impossible task if they face off against an overconfident Mexican side.
Notable stat: Sweden won their first opening match at a World Cup since 1958, the year they hosted and advanced to the final against eventual champions Brazil.
Belgium 3-0 Panama
Fisht Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 43,257
Belgium, with one of the most talented teams in this World Cup, faced off against debutantes Panama. With many of Europe’s elite players on this Belgium team, it’s no surprise the Panamanians were outshot nine to three. None of Panama’s first half shots were on target. The first half would end scoreless, dominated mostly by untreathing attempts from both sides.
Belgium’s quality would show immediately in the second half as Napoli forward Dries Mertens capitalized off a badly cleared ball from the Panamanian defense to produce on of the better goals of the tournament. Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku would extend the lead with goals in the 69th and 75th minute to put the game out of reach.
Analysis: There are matches that are won ahead of time on paper and this was one of those. Belgium boasts one of the strongest teams in this World Cup and are contenders for that reason - halted from being favorites only because of their history. Panama first World Cup finals appearance is a case that sees them bring one of the oldest rosters in the tournament as a reward to their players’ career with the national team. Panama were impressively able to keep it nil-nil until the quality of Belgium - as expected - proved to be the difference.
Notable stat: Belgium won by its biggest margin of victory at a World Cup since defeating El Salvador 3-0 at the 1970 edition.
Tunisia 1-2 England
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Attendance: 41,064
People would tune in to this match to see if a young England squad could get the job done, led by one of the top European scorers in Tottenham’s Harry Kane. It would only take 11 minutes for Kane to make his presence felt on the scoreboard, capitalizing off a rebound from a corner attempt to give the Three Lions the 1-0 lead. Things would go from bad to worse for the Tunisians as goalkeeper Mouez Hassen had to be taken off in the 16th minute due to a shoulder injury. Hassen garnered attention during pre-World Cup friendlies for faking injuries after sundown so his teammates could break their fast during Ramadan. Tunisia would hold up quite well before lazy defending by Manchester City’s Kyle Walker would award a penalty against England. Ferjani Sassi would convert and tie things up 1-1.
Tunisia would generate very little in the second half, only two additional shots to bring their total up to six. The North Africans were able to fend off the English for the rest of of the match but losing focus in stoppage time would do them in. England had an opportunity off the corner where they found a lonely Harry Kane near the far post. Kane would head the ball in to send England fans into a frenzy.
Analysis: This was an expected win for England but they were made to work for it and almost shot themselves in the foot. The win will bring a sigh of relief and, more importantly, not bring the added pressure of the English media had they walked away with the draw. Tunisia gave a respectable effort but things look tough as they face Belgium next. The match against Panama may be their best chance to leave Russia with a win.
Notable stat: England picked up a win at a World Cup for the first time since 2010, after going winless in the 2014 edition.
Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, June 19
7 a.m. - [Group H] Colombia vs. Japan (FS1, Telemundo)
10 a.m. - [Group H] Poland vs. Senegal (FOX, Telemundo)
1 p.m. - [Group A] Russia vs. Egypt (FOX, Telemundo)
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
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