Summary
Ben Fisher has filed his match report from Lumen Field, which is my cue to grab a drink and have a lie down. That was quite the climax. Egypt march on, Iran are in squeaky bum time, and I will see you back here for more soon. Cheerio!
Of the teams that are guaranteed to be eliminated at this stage only Turkey and Uruguay could be considered major shocks. Turkey bowed out with a morale boosting win over the USA, Uruguay were dragged out kicking and screaming in disgrace against Spain, leaving Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy in question.
“I have not left anything to Uruguayan football,” Bielsa said afterwards. “A coach who has been in a country for three years and not got results cannot say he has made a contribution. Fourth place in the qualifiers has no value and nor does third at the Copa América and there is no need to even define this performance [at the World Cup]. My time doesn’t say anything.”
“We could have seven points but we have two,” Bielsa added. “This is the result of my management. It was my job to manage a group of players that I did not manage to turn into a force. If you want explanations – which I don’t think you want – I would say that of the seven points we deserved, we got two.
Here’s confirmation of Belgium’s rout of New Zealand.
All of the following have to occur for Iran to be knocked out:
Group J – Algeria and Austria must draw.
Group K – DR Congo must beat Uzbekistan.
Group L – Croatia must earn at least a point against Ghana.
Back to Iran…
As Daragh Thomas points out, there are three matches tomorrow that have an impact on their progress and all three need to go against Team Melli to deny them progress. On the prediction markets they are being given an 80% chance to still go through.
What do we know for certain?
Belgium are through to the round of 32, where they will face a third-place team in Seattle. The Belgians are odds on to face the USA in the round of 16 with Spain looming as the big hitters in that quarter of the bracket.
Egypt are also through to the round of 32, where they will face Australia in Dallas. The winner of that clash are likely to face Argentina in the next round.
Considering everything that Iran’s players have been through already this World Cup, it is a heartbreaking end to the group phase and they are set for a nerve-wracking 24 hours as they are no longer in control of their destiny.
Tom Bolger with the email shot on 90 minutes: “The atmosphere has been much better than the players, especially the second half. Crowd would love to explode for a winner but the teams aren’t interested.”
And now with the email chaser on 90+3: “The crowd exploded. VAR is the worst.”
“Exhibit A in showing how VAR has changed what is called offside for the worse,” bemoans Adam Blakeley. “I don’t mind the end result personally but it doesn’t feel right.” I think it would have felt a lot less right to Egypt had the goal have stood, but it is an enormous detriment to the spectacle that a team is no longer able to celebrate such a momentous event without fear of that joy being overturned.
Amir Ghalenoei is STILL in his chair in the dugout with a thousand yard stare.
Algeria v Austria in Group J, DR Congo v Uzbekistan in Group K, and Croatia v Ghana in Group L are the three matches that will decide Iran’s fate tomorrow.
Iran are currently the sixth best of the third-placed teams as things stand. Senegal are now confirmed in the round of 32 in fifth place.
Amir Ghalenoei remains impassive in the dugout despite the extraordinary conclusion to a match that looked as though it had ended with his time snatching victory at the death, only for their joy to be erased by a VAR offside call of the narrowest of margins.
Full-time: Egypt 1-1 Iran
Egypt are through to the round of 32 in second place. Iran have an agonising wait to see if they are one of the eight best third-placed teams.
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90+8 mins: Now Iran hit the bar! A cross from the right, headed firmly, and Shobeir didn’t get a touch to it. What a climax!
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90+7 mins: Iran come again and Egypt are forced to throw bodies into the way of two goalbound shots!
90+6 mins: What drama late on in Seattle. Iran thought they’d sealed progress only to be denied by VAR. Also, Khalilzadeh is booked for taking off his shirt during his goal celebration (not to mention wearing some meme sunglasses).
NO GOAL! Egypt 1-1 Iran
VAR has curtailed Iran’s delight with an offside call that must be by the narrowest of margins.
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VAR is checking. This is going to be a tight decision.
… but was he offside?
From the free-kick on the left Iran chuck the ball into the box, Shobeir makes a mess of it in the air and as the ball hits the deck there’s a snapshot blocked but the rebound comes out to Khalilzadeh who lashes home! Absolute delirium in the Iran dugout.
GOAL! Egypt 1-2 Iran (Khalilzadeh, 90+2)
IRAN LEAD!
90+2 mins: Egypt give the ball away cheaply in midfield and Lasheen is the latest into the referee’s book for an obvious professional foul to halt Iran’s counter.
90 mins: Six minutes of stoppage time to be played as Jahanbakhsh waits to come on for Iran. Mohebi is the man to make way.
89 mins: Almost! The corner is wicked, right on the goalkeeper’s head, who is swallowed by a crashing wave of white jerseys, one of which belongs to Taremi who flicks a header onto the bar. The whistle went for a foul on the keeper (which wasn’t there) so the goal wouldn’t have counted anyway.
88 mins: Iran decide to attack eventually and win their first corner of the night on the left.
87 mins: This is defence v defence with Egypt bringing 11 men behind the ball and Iran tapping passes to one another in front of them.
86 mins: Meanwhile in Seattle, both teams seem to have accepted their fate. Egypt will definitely qualify in second place, Iran seem happy to try their luck with what might happen tomorrow.
Ha! Now it’s 4-1 Belgium! For a minute Egypt were back on top of the group but Romelu Lukaku has returned the Red Devils to first place almost immediately.
New Zealand have scored against Belgium, narrowing the margin there to 3-1.
83 mins: Iran have been poor this half and again concede possession cheaply in midfield. Egypt try to go direct but are repelled initially then Marmoush finds room on a counter press, cuts inside and floats over an inviting cross that the tall Abdelkarim almost gets his head onto.
81 mins: Iran don’t know whether to stick or twist. Egypt invite the Iranian defence to stride forward but they suspect it’s a trap and delay anything purposeful. On the touchline Amir Ghalenoei is relatively passive but Hossam Hassan is a ball of nervous energy,
79 mins: Mohebi wins the ball in midfield but Taremi’s pass into the right channel is too fierce and the counter evaporates. As Egypt head back the other way Ezatolahi is drawn into a professional foul on the advancing Marmoush and he accepts the inevitable yellow card.
77 mins: Rangy teenager Abdelkarim replaces Ziko for Egypt.
76 mins: There is a lack of rhythm to this match which is reflective of the confusion over the group table. Iran seize on some broken play to curl over a decent cross from the left that Shobeir tries and fails to claim at the second attempt. A series of Iranians then try pot shots but all of them are charged down off the boot.
75 mins: Iran win the turnover in defence and build through the lines for the first time in an age. The eventual cross is headed clear.
73 mins: Iran go long, of course, and Mohebi has an opportunity to do something creative but merely gives away possession with a weak flick. This has been a weird second half from Team Melli.
72 mins: Trezeguet shows off his footwork on the left but he can’t find a teammate with his cross.
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70 mins: Play resumes with an Egypt corner that Iran deal with in the air.
69 mins: Time for a hydration break and a chance for both coaches to crunch the numbers and pass on final instructions to their teams. As things stand Egypt will finish in second place (and take on Australia in Dallas in the round of 32), Iran will finish third, which should still be enough to see them into the knockouts, but only by the skin of their teeth.
68 mins: Brilliant form Marmoush to wriggle out of a tight spot on the left but his shot from the edge of the box hits an Iranian back and deflects well wide.
It is now Belgium 3-0 New Zealand, which means the Europeans replace Egypt on top of the group!
66 mins: Moghanloo comes on for Ghoddos.
64 mins: Egypt probe again down the left and Attia dinks over a lovely ball to the far post that Lasheen hooks back towards the penalty spot but Iran clear. Taremi is then unfortunate to concede a free-kick when he looked like the one being fouled, but the Iranian captain is increasingly isolated up front. It’s hard to figure out what Team Melli are doing here. Are they digging deep into the numbers and presuming three points will see them into the round of 32?
62 mins: That is especially the case while Egypt are happy to retain possession and work their attacks subtly. The latest is down the left and creeps into the box where Zizo has an effort deflected wide. The corner is claimed well by the decisive Beiranvand who then launches a massive punt downfield that Egypt accept with relish.
61 mins: Now Taremi is crowded out chasing a long ball. Iran are increasingly stretched, looking to extend the playing area, but that tactic is a low percentage one with Taremi so isolated.
60 mins: Taremi wins the ball with his physicality but Ezatolahi and Ghoddos in support can’t pick up the pieces.
58 mins: Iran work the ball out nicely from their own penalty area showing great composure, only to then hump a long ball that’s easily dealt with by the Egyptian defence. Meanwhile, Salah is shown receiving ice to his left hamstring in the dugout.
56 mins: Another change for Egypt and it’s Salah who makes way for Zizo. Does that mean the living legend is carrying an injury?
55 mins: When Iran take possession Egypt are dropping right off but Team Melli still go long from the keeper looking for crumbs from Taremi’s physicality in the air.
54 mins: Egypt are controlling possession. Iran are defending in a mid block, looking to press on halfway, but the ball isn’t breaking for them at the moment.
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52 mins: Trezequet thinks he has a clear sight of goal from Salah’s cutback but an Iranian defender slides in to deflect the ball behind. Salah’s corner from the left is then whipped over dangerously first time and Ibrahim and Lasheen both rise to claim it in the six yard box but get in each other’s way!
It is 2-0 now to Belgium in Vancouver. The Europeans are now one goal away from topping the group.
51 mins: Taremi does well to win possession on halfway and set his side in motion but Mohebi is crowded out on the left.
49 mins: Trezeguet and Marmoush link well to drive Egypt between the lines but the cross at the end of the move is poor. Salah keeps the attack alive and his fierce ball towards Trezeguet is turned into a snapshot on the half-turn but Beiranvand is down low to meet it.
47 mins: Iran show intent from the off. Ghoddos whips in a superb cross from the right that Ezatolahi doesn’t gamble for at the far post. Play is recycled and a dart into the box is offloaded back to Ezatolahi who smashes a shot too hard and over the bar. Long distance shooting this tournament has been mostly rubbish.
46 mins: Egypt’s changes means they now have all four of their most attacking weapons on the field simultaneously. No resting on their laurels.
Both teams have made changes at the break.
For Egypt: Marmoush and Attia for Saber and Ashour
For Iran: Hardani for Kanani
While I put the various tables down and shelve the permutations for a while, enjoy this from Jonathan Wilson as the fallout from Uruguay’s disastrous ill-tempered campaign begins.
It ended disgracefully with a terrible foul by Agustín Canobbio for which he was rightly sent off. Even his wild-eyed fury, though, signalled in two altercations with the referee in the minutes immediately before his inexcusable lunge on Pau Cubarsí, could not displace Fernando Muslera’s despairing glance behind him as the ball dribbled inside his right-hand post as the image of Uruguay’s World Cup.
Christopher Hoffman has some more analysis of Iran’s third-place predicament.
From my reading of the table if Iran gets a draw then at worst they will be the 9th best 3rd place team.
If Austria-Algeria is not a draw (and Jordan don’t win by two) then Iran will be up to at least 8th
There are plenty of other ways for them to make the top 8 with a draw.
“Iran and Egypt taking a leaf out of the Australia v Paraguay mates rates playbook?” asks Chris Paraskevas. Absolutely not. This is full blooded attack v counterattack with four yellow cards (two for each team) and a couple more players fortunate to also not be in the referee’s notebook.
With Belgium leading New Zealand 1-0 in the other match, Group G currently looks like this:
Egypt 5 (top on goal difference)
Belgium 5
Iran 3
NZ 1
Iran’s three points and goal difference of zero ranks them sixth of the eight best third-placed teams as things stand.
Half-time: Egypt 1-1 Iran
Honours even at the end of an eventful half featuring two goals, one penalty, one penalty save, and four yellow cards.
45+4 mins: Egypt enjoy some concerted pressure but can’t fashion a clear opportunity. Hany has a good cross cleared then Saber lashes a long range effort miles over.
45+2 mins: Close! Five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half, and it almost begins with an Iran goal. Ali crosses brilliantly from the left, the ball arcing away from the goalkeeper in the corridor of uncertainty as he comes out and fails to connect with a fist. In the scrum of bodies leaping for the resulting header Khalilzadeh gets a nut to it but not with the requisite power or direction.
45 mins: Trezequet goes down on the edge of the box under pressure from Rezaeian and the Iranian is a little fortunate not to concede a free-kick in a very dangerous position.
44 mins: Egypt attempt the cute free-kick with the pass into the box and the offload around the corner but Iran defend it smartly. Egypt clearly don’t fancy themselves to win anything in the air so they’re going through their repertoire of training ground routines from set pieces.
43 mins: Now Ali is in the book for Iran. Textbook Salah spin in behind and his marker could do nothing but grasp for the red shirt before it disappeared into the distance.
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41 mins: Ibrahim picks up a yellow card after following through into Ezatolahi after miscontrolling the ball coming out of defence. Hossam Hassam is furious on the touchline, smashing his dugout in frustration.
39 mins: The corner is headed firmly clear, as is the second ball, then the third effort is fired wide by Saber from outside the box.
38 mins: Trezeguet, who has been a constant threat down the left, wins a corner driving into the box.
37 mins: Saber does well in midfield in transition. Trezequet carries gamely on the left wing. Ziko accepts possession on the edge of the box – but he’s too slow and robbed before he can shape to shoot.
35 mins: Egypt have the numbers in defence but they don’t seem especially assured of their positioning. A few Iranian long balls have turned the back three around and allowed Taremi space to drop and accept the first pass or pick up the second ball.
33 mins: However, Iran remain dangerous on the counter. Ghoddos wins the ball in midfield, Taremi executes a canny stepover, but Mohebi can’t complete the Yorke-Cole one-two combination. Iran press strongly though and the ball breaks nicely in the box for Ezatolahi but he can’t keep his left-footed snapshot down.
32 mins: Egypt are starting to dictate terms. They are more comfortable in possession than Iran but just struggling to find space in the final third.
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Belgium have taken the lead against New Zealand! As things stand, Egypt will top the group from Belgium with Iran relying on a miracle to qualify in third place.
30 mins: Trezeguet tries to discredit that assessment single-handedly, carrying the ball down the left wing, cutting inside, and curling a decent effort but it’s straight at Beirenvand.
28 mins: Now Iran try some slow buildup play after failing with a couple of hopeful punts forward. The hydration break has taken the sting out of proceedings.
26 mins: Egypt get back on the ball after the break, passing conservatively around their back four, taking no risks with the occasional pass into midfield, where the recipient returns the ball back from whence it came. Eventually the group leaders try a raid down the right but Trezeguet lacks the physicality to turn it into an opening.
24 mins: It remains 0-0 in Vancouver.
23 mins: This match has been too frantic to establish anything resembling a pattern as the two teams take a hydration break. Egypt are the keener to get on the ball and dictate tempo, while Iran are happy to counter directly and at speed. The two goalkeepers have been the decisive actors so far, Beiranvand with a clanger for Iran, Shobeir with a penalty save for Egypt.
22 mins: Much better delivery from Salah this time. Iran need a few bites of the cherry to get it clear, including some unconvincing flapping by Beiranvand.
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20 mins: Egypt earn another corner, this time on the left. The training ground routine doesn’t come off but they recycle the ball nicely and earn another corner when Hany’s fierce drive from range is deflected wide.
18 mins: Salah shows skill on the ball to wriggle his way into the box from that inside-right position. He then demonstrates great strength to not go to ground under pressure, but also the departure of that explosive pace to burst free and fashion a shot.
Saber now goes into the referee’s book for leaving his foot in on a 50:50 in midfield.
17 mins: Yellow card to Kanani for sliding in studs up.
16 mins: Egypt make nothing of their first corner of the evening on the right.
15 mins: Abdelmonem cannot continue. He sits disconsolately against an advertising hoarding after being replaced by Ibrahim.
The ball is worked to the top left of the box then inside to Ezatolahi who has time and space to pick his spot. His shot is saved magnificently by Shobeir but the rebound falls to Rezaeian who smashes into the roof of the net brilliantly from the narrowest of angles.
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GOAL! Egypt 1-1 Iran (Rezaeian, 14)
This game is going off! Iran are level!
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12 mins: Abdelmonem, who conceded the penalty by kicking Taremi’s boot after the Iran striker had just toe-poked the ball away from the attempted clearance, is now down and doesn’t look fully fit. He continues for now.
10 mins: It’s all happening in Seattle.
Penalty Saved!
Taremi sidefooted his spot kick at a nice height to the keeper’s left and Shobeir dives across to make a comfortable save! That’s three penalties in a row saved at this World Cup.
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PENALTY IRAN!
Taremi picks Abdelmonem’s pocket as he tries to clear his lines and the Egyptian defender clips the Iran striker, not the ball. Superb decision from the referee.
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7 mins: That was a horror show from Beiranvand who has excelled at this World Cup and throughout his long and decorated international career.
Lovely interplay in the final third between Ziko and Salah. The veteran attempts a trademark left-footed curler from just inside the box that’s saved, but the ball bounces out to Saber who shoots tamely but somehow it trickles through a forest of legs and the grasp of the hapless goalkeeper, and dribbles over the line! Nightmare defending from Iran.
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GOAL! Egypt 1-0 Iran (Saber, 5)
Early goal for Egypt!
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4 mins: Egypt are happy to slow things down and invite Iran to come onto them. Salah is operating in an inside-right channel rather than on the wing. He made that switch in the second half against New Zealand after an unproductive game and half in the tournament to that point.
2 mins: The onus will be on Iran under the Friday night lights and they start purposefully but twice fail to win free-kicks in Egypt’s half with ball carriers going down too easily under pressure. Taremi will be vital for Team Melli, he is a powerful focal point up front and a terrific finisher.
Kick-off!
The final round of a wide open Group G is under way…
Seattle has generated some of the best atmospheres of the World Cup so far and Lumen Field looks a picture once again as the two sides stand for their national anthems. There’s no shortage of Egyptian red and Iranian white shirts in the stands.
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The two sides are in the tunnel ready to take the field. Egypt are wearing red shirts, black shorts and socks. Iran are top to toe in white.
Need any last minute information on either team? Find it here.
Today’s officials are from Poland, led by referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, and the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
He is a celebrity in Poland, appearing as a contestant on the Polish version of Hell’s Kitchen, and featuring in the documentary series Sędziowie, a behind the scenes look at the life of a referee.
Conditions in the Pacific Northwest are cool, overcast, and blustery. Great for football, and exactly the kind of midsummer conditions that led to the birth of the defining alternative music scene of the early 90s.
This evening’s fixture is in Seattle, a hotbed of football in North America.
The Major League Soccer team, the Sounders, have won the MLS Cup twice in the past decade, and their matches often top the charts for the most well-attended in the competition.
The NWSL side, the Reign, have won three Shields, and in 2023 set a new attendance record for a standalone fixture in the competition when they farwelled the retiring Megan Rapinoe.
During the World Cup, Seattle’s major sporting arena will seat around 69,000 spectators and will be called Seattle Stadium, but for the rest of the year it is known as Lumen Field.
Construction was completed in 2002, a process overseen by the city’s NFL franchise, the Seahawks.
Seahawks fans have twice claimed the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, first at 136.6 decibels in 2013, followed by 137.6 decibels in 2014.
A contributing factor is how compact the venue is relative to its capacity. The upper levels are cantilevered over the lower sections and the lower sections are closer to the field than typical North American arenas. A roof covers the majority of spectators but leaves the playing surface open to the elements.
The stadium is a distinctive U-shape with an open north end that provides spectacular views of downtown Seattle while the partially open south end exposes Mount Rainier.
Who are through to the last 32?
Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Morocco, USA, Australia, Paraguay, Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Egypt, Spain, Cape Verde, France, Norway, Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, England and Ghana.
Who have been eliminated?
Czechia, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curaçao, Tunisia, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Panama.
Iran’s preparations for this tournament have been hampered at every turn, but they received some minor respite ahead of today’s crucial fixture.
“I don’t think that Ronaldo’s form against Uzbekistan was all that remarkable,” replies Michael Byers to my early callout for opinions. “In fact the opportunities he missed before he scored, and to complete his hat trick, demonstrated just how much he has lost. Both were crosses that he could not move his feet fast enough to finish.”
I agree with all of that, and he would not be in my Portugal XI – but he is going to be whether we like it or not. I’ve long been persuaded by the Alex Ferguson way of thinking that strikers missing opportunities is nothing to worry about, the concern comes when they’re not getting into the positions to score.
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Today’s fixture has been overshadowed somewhat by the discomfort of both participating nations in what local organisers had long planned as a Pride Match in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Seattle.
Egypt’s football association appealed to Fifa, saying it “categorically rejects any activities promoting LGBTQ during the match,” warning the events could “provoke cultural and religious sensitivities among fans”. Iran’s football federation was quoted suggesting the Pride designation was an “irrational move that supports a certain group”.
In Iran, LGBTQ+ relationships are illegal, and Egypt has a history of prosecuting queer and trans people.
Iran XI
Two changes for Team Melli from the side that held Belgium to a goalless draw.
In: Mohammadi, Ghorbani
Out: Hardani, Hajisafi
Iran (5-4-1): 1 Beiranvand; 5 Mohammadi, 13 Kanani, 4 Khalilzadeh, 19 Nemati 23 Rezaeian; 14 Ghoddos, 21 Ghorbani, 6 Ezatolahi, 8 Mohebi; 9 Taremi (c).
Egypt XI
Four changes for the Pharaohs, including a new central defensive pairing and Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush missing out through injury.
In: 6 Abdelmonem, 5 Rabia, 21 Saber, 7 Trezeguet
Out: 14 Fathy, 2 Ibrahim, 19 Attia, 22 Marmoush
Egypt (4-2-3-1): 23 Shobeir (gk); 3 Hany, 6 Abdelmonem, 5 Rabia, 13 Fatouh; 17 Lasheen, 21 Saber; 8 Ashour, 11 Ziko, 10 Salah (c); 7 Trezeguet.
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So that means Cape Verde are through to face Argentina in the round of 32, in what is shaping as a kind bracket for the defending champions.
Tiny Cape Verde are into the round of 32!
Uruguay are out of the World Cup!
Meanwhile, Norway B were no match for a France team boasting a quite preposterous array of attacking talent.
Earlier today Senegal demolished Iraq to give themselves a strong chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams.
This is the best example so far of how the “group of death” concept has been significantly undermined by the expanded format.
There’s still plenty of time to catch up with Max and the gang.
Feel free to keep me company by emailing your thoughts about today’s match, and anything related to the World Cup to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
Some possible topics:
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Adidas kits are way better than those of all other manufactures.
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Before the group stage I only fancied one of France, Spain, or Argentina to win the World Cup. I would now be comfortable adding Portugal to that list if Ronaldo wasn’t a guaranteed starter / or maintains the form he showed against Uzbekistan.
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This World Cup feels like a reckoning for South American football. Bolivia lost to Iraq in the pre-tournament playoff, Uruguay and Paraguay have been bad, Ecuador got lucky, Colombia are dull, and Brazil are reliant on an Italian conjurer. Argentina are the outlier and it is no surprise to see how much they dominated CONMEBOL qualification.
If my explanation of the permutations facing the Group G protagonists was insufficient, here’s a more fulsome description with tables.
This is going to be a multiscreen/multitab experience. I recommend opening up another window and inviting Sam Lewis to keep you informed on all things New Zealand v Belgium.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Egypt v Iran as Group G reaches its conclusion in Seattle. Kick-off at Lumen Field is 8pm local time (11pm EDT / 4am BST / 1pm AEST).
Welcome to what promises to be the most gloriously chaotic group stage denouement of this World Cup. Practically every combination of outcomes is possible as Egypt, Iran, Belgium and New Zealand battle to make it to the round of 32.
Egypt, on top of the group with four points, are the only team guaranteed to qualify, it just depends whether that’s in first, second, or third place.
Iran, second on two points, will qualify with a win, but may still sneak through with a draw if there is no winner in the Belgium v New Zealand clash.
New Zealand must win to progress. Belgium need a win to guarantee safe passage but may get away with a draw if other results fall their way.
With both matches kicking off simultaneously expect plenty of fluctuations in tempo and atmosphere as the four teams compute in real-time what they must do to stay alive.
Got it? Good. That’s NumberWang!
I’ll be back with a news roundup and team news shortly but in the meantime you can follow the closing stages of Group H where Cape Verde are destined for the round of 32 and Uruguay are on their way home.
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