World Cup Daily: Mexico has a new curse
After every matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily weblog will recap the day’s occasions and stay up for the subsequent day’s slate of video games.
Here’s what occurred on Wednesday in Qatar, in case you missed it…
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THE RESULTS
France 0, Tunisia 1 in Al Rayyan: Match report || Match stats
Australia 1, Denmark 0 in Al Wakrah: Match report || Match stats
Poland 0, Argentina 2 in Doha: Match report || Match stats
Saudi Arabia 1, Mexico 2 in Lusail: Match report || Match stats
Teams shifting on: France and Australia (Group D), Argentina and Poland (Group C)
Eliminated groups: Tunisia and Denmark (Group D), Mexico and Saudi Arabia (Group C)
Round of 16 matches: France vs. Poland and Argentina vs. Australia
MAIN TALKING POINT
Mexico stricken by a brand new World Cup curse
It’s often known as the “quinto partido” — or fifth sport — curse. You’ve probably by no means heard of it, however the Mexican nationwide crew is all too aware of it.
At each World Cup relationship again to the 1994 event, Mexico has bowed out within the spherical of 16, unable to recover from the hump of the fourth match to maneuver on to the quarter-finals.
Seven World Cup {qualifications} in a row for El Tri. Seven consecutive eliminations within the spherical of 16. You may set your watch by Mexico’s World Cup exits. Only twice have the Mexicans made it to the quarter-finals: in 1970 and 1986 once they hosted the competitors.
Every World Cup, Mexico hopes to interrupt the five-game curse. But the curse lives on — it simply goes by one other identify after the Mexicans noticed their marketing campaign in Qatar come to a dramatic finish on Wednesday, regardless of incomes a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Group C.
That remaining rating, coupled with Poland’s 2–0 loss to Argentina within the different group video games, meant the Mexicans and Polish completed tied on 4 factors, however Poland had the sting in aim distinction: 0 vs. minus-1. As a end result, Mexico was eradicated within the group stage for the primary time since 1978.
Mexico goes residence after three video games, and its popularity because the World Cup’s best under-achievers stays firmly intact. On the floor, Mexico’s journey residence happened because of the slimmest of margins. But in actuality, they acquired precisely what they deserved — an early journey residence.
The Mexicans didn’t impress of their opening 0-0 draw in opposition to Poland and had been then completely outclassed in a 2-0 setback in opposition to Argentina. That it took till the third sport in opposition to a modest Saudi Arabia facet for the Concacaf giants to place their finest foot ahead — and eventually rating a aim — tells you all you have to learn about this Mexican facet that’s large on star energy however stays considerably brief on real high quality.
Mexico solely has itself in charge after its tepid starting to the group stage, and one wonders what’s in retailer for supervisor Tata Martino, seeing because the Argentine is the primary supervisor to not lead El Tri out of the group stage on the World Cup in 44 years.
Changing coaches may not be the worst plan of action for the Mexicans. But there should even be a realization that regardless of its standing as one of many high groups in Concacaf, Mexico is just not among the many actually elite nations on the planet. Figuring out a method to break by means of that barrier needs to be the nation’s high precedence because it prepares to co-host the World Cup in 4 years’ time with Canada and the United States.
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GOAL OF THE DAY
In the sixtieth minute, Australia gained the ball inside its penalty space and shortly launched a counterattack. Mathew Leckie took a cross from Riley McGree close to the centre circle after which went on an ideal run earlier than sidestepping a Danish defender contained in the field and scoring on a left-footed shot contained in the far publish previous goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Two legends shake palms earlier than going through off in opposition to one another:
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It will be a good lesson for them. Now they know what the highest level is all about, against a Tunisia team that was supercharged. But we were too timid, late in the tackle and made technical errors.” – France supervisor Didier Deschamps, after the reigning World Cup champions had been upset by Tunisia.
FIVE PACK OF STATS
• Denmark failed to attain within the first half in every of its three group-stage matches on the World Cup for the primary time in historical past.
• Enzo Fernández (21 years and 317 days) is the youngest participant to begin a World Cup sport for Argentina’s males’s crew since Lionel Messi vs. the Netherlands in 2006 (18 years and 362 days).
• Lionel Messi is now Argentina’s all-time look chief (22) on the World Cup, surpassing Diego Maradona (21).
• Luis Chaves’s strike was the primary aim from a direct free kick for the Mexican males’s crew on the World Cup since 1966.
• The Mexican males’s crew has solely scored greater than three objectives in a World Cup sport in one among its final 18 matches.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1) Enzo Fernández (Argentina): He arrange Argentina’s profitable aim and was merely chic within the coronary heart of midfield, finishing 91.7 per cent of his passes and making two tackles.
2) Luis Chaves (Mexico): He was his crew’s finest attacking menace on the day and scored on a superb free kick.
3) Mathew Leckie (Australia): The veteran attacker scored a superb profitable aim to ship his crew by means of to the spherical of 16 for less than the second time.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY
Four extra video games on faucet for tomorrow, highlighted by Canada taking up Morocco and Croatia going through Belgium (each at 10 a.m. ET) in Group F motion. Having scored its first aim on the World Cup, the Canadian males will attempt to earn their first-ever level on the competitors, whereas a victory by both Croatia or Belgium would guarantee them of a spot within the spherical of 16.
In Group E, Japan takes on Spain and Germany goes up in opposition to Costa Rica (each at 2 p.m. ET). While Spain appears to be like poised to maneuver on, Germany is getting ready to an early exit – a loss or draw would lead to its elimination on the group stage for a second straight time.
John Molinaro is without doubt one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 20 years for a number of media shops, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is at present the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a web site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic will be discovered right here.
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