Group A – The Netherlands Take the Lead
Group A consists of the Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, and Qatar, and as the first group, they played the first games of the round. Qatar played against Ecuador in the first game of the tournament, and the hosts lost 2-0. Next, the Netherlands played against Senegal, and it was clear that Senegal was missing their main man, Sadio Mane, as the team lost 2-0.
The following matches were Qatar vs Senegal and the Netherlands vs Ecuador. Senegal met Qatar in the second round and beat the hosts 3-1 Ecuador put up a strong display in their match against the Netherlands, and the game finished 1-1.
The Netherlands sits at the top of the table with 4 points, and Ecuador is in second place, also with 4 points. Senegal sits in third place with 3 points, and Qatar has not yet won a single point. This means that Qatar cannot qualify for the round of 16.
Group B – A Mixed Start for England
England, Iran, the US, and Wales all play in Group B. England faced Iran in the first match and won 6-2. Though Iran was hammered, the team showed a lot of resilience and determination against a highly talented English squad. Next, the USA and Wales played against each other. The USA took the lead, but Wales equalised with a late penalty, and the game ended 1-1. In their next game, Iran played against Wales. Neither team scored during regular time, but the Welsh went down to ten men. Iran scored 2 goals during injury time, finishing the match 2-0. England played against the USA and the game ended 0-0.
With these results, England is at the top of the group with 4 points, Iran is in second place with 3 points, the USA is in third place with 2 points, and Wales has only 1 point.
Group C – Surprises for Argentina and Poland
Group C consists of Argentina, Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Argentina had a shocking start to the World Cup, losing 2-1 against Saudi Arabia in the first game. Mexico and Poland drew 0-0 in their first game. Poland played against Saudi Arabia next, and Poland managed to beat the Saudis 2-0. Argentina beat Mexico 2-0, to clinch their first points of the tournament.
Poland is first in the group with 4 points, Argentina and Saudi Arabia both have 3 points, though Argentina has the better goal difference, and Mexico sits in last place with a single point.
Group D – A Strong Start for France
Australia, Denmark, France, and Tunisia play in Group D. Tunisia and Denmark met in the first game of the group, and the match finished 0-0. France played against Australia, and despite conceding an early goal, France then went on to score 4 goals, finishing the match 4-1. Tunisia and Australia met in their second game, and Australia won the game 1-0. France and Denmark played against each other and the game ended 2-1 for France.
France sits first in the group and became the first team to qualify for the round of 16, after securing 6 points. Australia has 3 points and sits in second place, Denmark and Tunisia both have a single point though the Danes make third place on goals scored.
Group E – Impressive Work from Japan
Group E consists of Costa Rica, Germany, Japan, and Spain. Germany and Japan played the first game of the group, and the Germans experienced a 2-1 defeat, which was made all the more shocking after they were in the lead in the first half. Spain started their World Cup campaign with a huge 7-0 win against Costa Rica. In the next game, Costa Rica overcame Japan 1-0, and Germany managed to score a late equaliser to finish the game against Spain 1-1.
Spain has 4 points and sits in the first place, Japan sits in second place with 3 points, Costa Rica also has 3 points but sits in third place because of goal difference, and Germany has 1 point and sits in last place in the group.
Group F – Croatia Show What They’re Made From
Belgium, Canada, Croatia, and Morocco, all play in Group F. Morocco and Croatia played against each other in the first match which finished 0-0. Belgium won 1-0 against Canada, despite the Canadians dominating the match. In the next round, Croatia beat Canada 4-1 and Belgium suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Morocco after the team scored 2 late goals.
Croatia and Morocco both have 4 points, but Croatia has a better goal difference and takes first place. Belgium has 3 points and sits in third, whilst Canada sits in fourth place with no points. This means that Canada cannot qualify for the round of 16.
Group G – A Very Mixed Start
Cameroon, Brazil, Serbia, and Switzerland play in Group G. Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 in the opening match, whilst Brazil beat Serbia 2-0 in the other match of round 1.
Brazil and Cameroon both have 3 points, though Brazil takes the first place on goal difference. Cameroon is third with no points, and Serbia is fourth.
Group H – Ronaldo’s Dream Stays Alive
Group H consists of Ghana, Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay. The first match, played between South Korea and Uruguay, finished 0-0. Portugal and Ghana played each other next, and Portugal managed to hold on to a 3-2 win.
This puts Portugal in first place with 3 points, South Korea in second place with 1 point, Uruguay in third with 1 point, and Ghana last with no points.