Yesterday South Korea pulled off a late win against Czechia, coming back to win 2-1. Earlier today Canada also came back to draw 1-1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. This evening, the USA made a statement, defeating Paraguay 4-1.
Although a close and late win, South Korea showed that it has just as good a chance if not better at winning Group A as Mexico does. Czechia scored first and it did take 67 minutes for South Korea to score their first goal, however they were dominating possession for the entirety of the game, 62% – 38%, and had nearly twice as many scoring chances.
They scored the winning goal in the 80th minute when winger Hwang In-beom, having already scored the tying goal, whipped in a cross where all Oh Hyeon-gyu had to do was redirect the ball off the keeper’s arm and into the left side netting of the goal. South Korea may have had a close win in score, but it could have easily been more convincing win had they had better luck with their chances.
Canada got off to a rough start as a couple of early chances from inside of the box were either whiffed or passed straight to the goalie. Bosnia, on the other hand, just needed 20 minutes to find the back of the net off a header from the 6-foot-4 striker Jovo Lukić.
Canada found the equalizing goal in the 78th minute thanks to striker Cyle Larin. Both teams fought hard but neither could find a winning goal. I think Canada potentially having Alphonso Davies back for their next match will help improve their offensive potential.
The USA dominated their 4-1 match against Paraguay with the first goal being an own goal by Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla, two from striker Folarin Balogun, one from a coolly taken trivela by striker Giovanni Reyna, who only played nine minutes.
Although it was a dominant performance, there is still room for improvement from the American side. I think Christian Pulisic was taken off a bit too early as you could see the USA’s intensity dropped the moment he came off. The defense, which played well out of the back, broke down in communication during Paraguay’s goal in which the play took place right down the middle of the field. Lastly, it seemed as though several players appeared reluctant to shoot when the opportunities arose.
After seeing these matches, I think South Korea has earned the right to argue that they have a real shot at topping Group A. Canada will need to improve if they wish to win Group B, and the USA showed that Turkey will need to be on their A game if they wish to compete for first place in Group D.
As always, stay tuned to Futbolhijo.com for in-depth coverage of the biggest World Cup yet. Check back for my next article, where I will be covering matches and news that occur throughout the tournament. You can also read my previous recap of the World Cup opening match.
Cover Photo: Folarin Balogun. Taken by Bryan Berlin. Wikipedia. Creative Commons.
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