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IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE

FIFA World Cup Day Nine Highlights

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FIFA World Cup Day Nine Highlights
Things are going to get spicy when each team plays their last group game.
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France and Brazil have already qualified for the knockouts and Canada and Qatar are out, while Wales, Mexico, Tunisia, Denmark, Germany, Cameroon, Serbia, Uruguay and South Korea are all holding on to a thread. Not only do each of them desperately need a win, other results in the group need to be in their favor too.

And, in case this gets scrubbed from broadcasts around the world:


What Happened Today

Cameroon 3–3 Serbia

Both teams foiled each others' chances to get a leg up in qualifying for the knockouts, and we ended up with one of the most entertaining games of the tournament. A win would've given either of these teams a fair shout against Switzerland to qualify, but now they're both in a win-or-go-home situation. Serbia raced to a 3–1 lead after 53 minutes of play, and then Cameroonian forward Vincent Aboubakar scored an audacious chip, assisted a quick second and, with nearly 30 minutes of play, turned the game back on. No team got a fourth, so it's back to square one next game.



South Korea 2–3 Ghana

What a game. Ghana got a first-half lead and were looking in control β€” then everything collapsed, albeit momentarily. South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung scored a three-minute brace and leveled the game with half-hour left to play, but somehow Ghana found themselves with a great opportunity on goal that their main man Mohammed Kudus seized, and they scored.

South Korea will face Portugal next, and anything but a win means they're going home. Meanwhile, Ghana needs to avoid defeat against Uruguay to get through to the knockouts.



Brazil 1–0 Switzerland

Brazil will breath a sigh of relief. They lost two players to injury already, defender Danilo and main man Neymar, but have qualified for the knockouts. Switzerland didn't offer much, and Brazil were disciplined enough to wait for their moment to shine. It came in the 83rd minute as Brazil's midfield maestro sliced a half-volley into the Swiss net.

The defeat makes things harder for Switzerland, but they should feel lucky that the other two teams in their group are worse off than them.



Portugal 2–0 Uruguay

Uruguay were the ones who need a win more than Portugal, and it did reflect in the overall game, but the South American nation just couldn't pose a big enough threat to the Portuguese goal. Coming out in the second half, things didn't change, and Portugal got the lead. The goal made Uruguay more desperate, and they managed to hit the post and had a few good looks, but they ultimately turned up short. Things got worse when VAR awarded Portugal a penalty after Uruguay defender JosΓ© MarΓ­a GimΓ©nez handled the ball after a slip in the box, and that pretty much ended their knockout prospects.




What Happens Tomorrow

  • Ecuador vs Senegal: A winner-takes-all game. Ecuador's been fighting hard this tournament, but it remains to be seen whether their talismanic leader Enner Valenica will be fit for the tie after he was stretchered off in the last game. Senegal responded well with a win last time out against Qatar, and anything but a win against Ecuador means they're on the next flight out. I'd expect the African Champions to pull through and get to the knockouts with a win here.

  • Netherlands vs Qatar: This is the last time the home nation gets to play a game in the tournament. A surprise Netherlands defeat could send them out of the cup too, provided Senegal win, but that's a highly unlikely scenario.

  • Iran vs USA: Another winner-takes-all. The US haven't lost a single game this tournament, but they haven't won a single game either. Iran could sit back and absorb the pressure, but they're an exciting team that won't shy away from trying to get the job done quick. Anything but a win means the the US team will be on the next plane out of Qatar.

  • Wales vs England: It's go-big-or-go-home time for Wales. As long as England avoids defeat, they'll go through to the knockouts. For Wales to pull through they need to beat England and hope that Iran doesn't lose to the US β€” not looking good for the Dragons.


What was your favorite moment of the tournament so far? Leave a comment below.


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