World Cup Day 2 Recap

Today was the second day of the FIFA 2022 World Cup. There were three games, where the outcomes were on par with what the pundits were predicting.

England vs. Iran

At the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, England was able to take advantage of Iran’s misfortune and won 6-2.

Iran was already off to a shaky start when their starting keeper, Alireza Beiranvand had to leave the game just 20 minutes in due to a head-on collision with his defender when trying to get a hand onto an incoming cross.

Just 15 minutes later, England would capitalize on Iran’s bad luck. Jude Bellingham scored in the 35th minute off of a header thanks to a great cross from Luke Shaw who was on the left side of the box. Bellingham was able to head the ball up and over into the right side of the goal.

Soon after, while Iran was still in shock, Saka got his first goal of the night in the 43^rd minute. After Harry Maguire was able to redirect the incoming cross back to Saka with his head, Saka struck a nice volley from a couple of yards behind the penalty spot. His shot when off the crossbar and into the upper right-hand corner of the goal.

Six minutes later Raheen Sterling scored in the 46^th minute off a cross from Harry Kane. Sterling was able to one-time it from outside the six into the goal.

Halfway through the second half, Saka would get his brace in the 62^nd minute to make it 4-0. He was able to shimmy away from the incoming defender, then from inside the box, he curled into the bottom left corner.

Iran finally responded in the 65th minute when Mehdi Taremi, from inside the box, blasted the ball over the keeper, onto the crossbar, and down into the middle of the goal.

England did not like this as it now ruins their hope of a clean sheet. Less than ten minutes later Rashford makes it 5-1 thanks to a breakaway. He shot from inside the right-hand side of the box and then slotted it past the keeper toward the middle of the goal.

Jack Grealish scored England’s sixth and final goal in the 90^th minute off of another breakaway. He received the pass wide-open and placed it into the middle of the goal.

Iran was able to find one last goal in the 103^rd minute, off of a penalty. Taremi shot the ball down the middle, slightly to the right of the keeper to end the game at 6-2.

Senegal vs. Netherlands

At the Al Thumama Stadium in Al Thumama, Qatar, the Dutch were able to sneak away with a 2-0 win over Senegal thanks to two late goals.

This game was about as even as it could get. Both teams had good chances and equally matched defenders. Senegal actually outshot the Dutch, but unfortunately could not find the back of the net.

It was not until the 84th minute that the Netherlands the first goal of the game. Cody Gakpo, receiving a cross in a one-on-one situation with Senegalese keeper Edouard Mendy, headed it past the out-coming keeper and into the middle of the goal.

In the final minutes of the game, the Dutch would find one last goal to make their win seem a little more convincing. Davy Klaassen scored in the 99^th minute after tapping in a rebounded shot to seal Oranje’s 2-0 win.

USA vs Wales

At the Al-Rayyan Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, the USA and Wales held each other to a 1-1 tie.

In the first half, the USA was clearly the stronger team. They maintained most of the possession and were able to keep the game mostly in the Welsh half.

Tim Weah scored in the 36^th minute off a pass from Christian Pulisic, who was able to pull in defenders and then slotted the ball to Weah, who is able to pass the ball between the outstretched leg of the defender and past the keeper.

It was in the second half that Wales regained their confidence and showed that they had just as much a say in the outcome of the match.

In the 82nd minute, Walker Zimmerman would tackle Gareth Bale from behind, giving the referee no choice but to award Wales the obvious penalty. Bale would blast the ball into the upper right side of the goal to tie the game up 1-1.

Based on the results of today, here are what Groups A and B look like after Matchday 1

Group A

1. Netherlands 3pts
2. Ecuador 3pts
3. Senegal 0pts
4. Qatar 0pts

Group B

1. England 3pts
2. Wales 1pts
3. USA 1pts
4. Iran 0pts

Photo: Bukayo Saka, Shutterstock By: Ettore Griffoni, ID: 2076065863