Czechia: 1, South Africa: 1
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second game for teams now, and a great game to start the day. South Africa played poorly against Mexico in their first game, but were a lot better throughout against Czechia.
It was Czechia who scored the first goal of the game, an early opener from central midfielder Michal Sadilek, and it was looking like they were going to cruise to a victory, especially considering what South Africa did in their first game.
The score held for a while, 76 minutes to be exact, when Bofana Bofana won a penalty on a handball. South Africa were better since the Czechia goal, and their penalty was earned after playing much better than their first match.
Central midfielder Teboho Mokoena comfortably scored his attempt, and leveled the score. The 1-1 scoreline was what showed when the full time whistle blew.
Player of the Match: Teboho Mokeona (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Switzerland: 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter drawing with Qatar in their first game, Switzerland needed to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to stay in the race to win Group B. It didn’t look promising to start, and the game remained goalless into the second half.
In the 74th minute, substitute Johan Manzambi scored the opening goal for the Swiss, and the rout was on from there. Ten minutes later, Ruben Vargas made it 2-0, and Manzambi scored his second of the game in the 90th minute.
Despite a goal in second half stoppage time, it was not a good game for the Bosnians, with centre back Tarik Muharemovic receiving a red card, suspending him for the final game of the group stage.
Defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka scored a penalty before the match ended, making it a 4-1 final score, a much better result for the Swiss.
Player of the Match: Johan Manzambi (Freiburg)
Canada: 6, Qatar: 0
Embed from Getty ImagesStatistically, the most lopsided game in North American World Cup history. The first Vancouver World Cup game for Canada, and they destroyed their competition.
It started in the 16th minute, when striker Cyle Larin scored his second of the tournament by tapping in a rebound. Shortly after, striker Jonathan David scored his first of the tournament, rocketing a volley past the Qatari goalkeeper.
David scored his second of the match in first half stoppage time, and a Qatar red card brought them down to 10 men.
Disaster struck for Canada early in the second half, when central midfielder Ismael Kone, who won the player of the match award against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was tackled down from behind, breaking his leg. Kone had to be carried off the pitch, and central midfielder Assim Madibo received a red card, putting Qatar with 9 players.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe player who was subbed on for Kone, Nathan Saliba, scored on a direct free kick in the 64th minute. An own goal for Qatar made it 5-0 in the 75th minute, and David finished off the scoring in stoppage time to complete his hat trick, putting him level with Lionel Messi for the most in the tournament.
It is the most goals scored in a World Cup game for any North American team ever, and the largest margin of victory for a host nation.
Player of the Match: Jonathan David (Juventus)
Mexico: 1, South Korea: 0
Embed from Getty ImagesMexico is the first team to officially qualify for the knockout phase after their win against South Korea.
Nothing special happened in the first half, and it took until the 50th minute for either team to get on the board when Mexican attacking midfielder Luis Romo capitalized on an error made by South Korean goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim.
South Korea fought for an equalizer, but the Mexican crowd in Guadalajara, as well as El Tri’s defense may have been too much for them to handle, as the full time whistle blew with Mexico winning 1-0.
Mexico finished first in Group A with the win, and South Korea will just need a point against South Africa to finish second. Winning Group A will give El Tri multiple knockout round games in Mexico City, a huge advantage.
Player of the Match: Raul Rangel (Chivas)