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The 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage will come to a close on Friday. While select teams had either qualified or been knocked out of the cup before, for most teams, these final matches play a deciding factor in a country’s position within their group with the top two going through to the round of sixteen. So far, four groups have played their final games, deciding these spots.
Group A
The Netherlands defeated Qatar to top the group while Senegal took second spot in a closely contested game. Their opponents, Ecuador, came in with the advantage–they could advance with a draw or a win while Senegal needed the win to advance. The game went back and forth—Senegal struck before halftime, however, Ecuador made up the goal in the 67th minute. Nonetheless, Senegal prevailed with a goal just three minutes later to propel them into the next round.
Group B
England cemented top spot with their convincing 3-0 win against Wales. The US and Iran played in a heated contest for second spot similar to the Group A game. Iran came in with the advantage– a draw or win would secure them the spot in the round of sixteen. However, the US was able take the spot with a 1-0 win through a goal from US star Christian Pulisic.
Group C
The tight contest in the group added further importance to these final matches. Argentina played Poland and Mexico played Saudi Arabia. As three of the teams (with the exception being Mexico) had won one previous game, winning their game would ensure them a spot in the round of sixteen. Argentina was relentless, dominating the game against Poland, but unable to get a goal before halftime. However, in the second half, they converted, ending the game 2-0. In the Saudi Arabia vs Mexico game, Mexico held a 2-0 lead till the 90+5’ minute where Saudi Arabia scored to end the game at 2-1. Unfortunately, even with the win, Mexico did not go through as Poland took second spot on goal difference*.
*Goal difference is the number of goals a team scores minus the number of goals they concede in all matches. The number of points was a deciding factor as each team (Mexico and Poland) was tied at 4.
Group D
France had already qualified through winning their first two games. They also knew that there was a high probability that they would have a better goal difference than Australia due to their 4-1 victory over them. Because of this, France rested their players and played their second team. This was evident as Tunisia beat them 1-0, however, it was not enough for Tunisia to take second spot. Australia, despite having only 30% of the possession, came out top in their game against Denmark with a 1-0 win, claiming second spot.
