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Day 14

With the surviving teams through to the Round of Sixteen, it was knockout time. No second chances: matches could not end in draws (extra time/penalties would decide those that did) - victory was the only thing that would keep each of the remaining sixteen teams in contention for the quarter-finals. So there was no more room for clever strategy, biding your time or hoping to make up lost ground. As Pink Floyd once wrote, “one slip, and down the hole we fall”, and this hole had a big fat EXIT sign. Only eight teams could go through to the four quarter-finals matches, so it was every man for himself, and everyone had better bring their A game, because this time, winning was everything.

Netherlands v USA (Result: 3-1; USA go out)

The first to face off, one team well used to these stages, the other carrying high hopes after progressing with victories in every match of the group stages, one carrying the hopes of a country, the other those of a continent. Somehow, though it seems nobody in the US is too bothered about football if it doesn’t have the word American before it, whenever their team is in, and doing well in, the World Cup, they all get invested. So maybe there were more eyes watching this back home than would be interested in the other matches. Either way, it was USA who made the first real move but Pulisic missed - may have been offside anyway but still a good chance for the USA to stamp their intentions on the game. Netherlands were being held back in their own half until almost ten minutes when they pounced and scored.

USA nearly shot themselves in the foot in the 25th, with some surely unnecessary close passing in the goal, almost letting the Dutch steal the ball, and now it was the USA who found it hard to get out of their half, the Dutch defence tight and effective. They did have a great shot in the 41st minute but again straight at the keeper. Piling the pressure on now, it looked like the pendulum was swinging in favour of the USA, but in the last seconds of extra time in the first half the Dutch scored again, and it was looking a real mountain to climb for the USA.

They nearly came back into it as the second half began, keeper beaten but cleared off the line, while Netherlands nearly scored again themselves on 50, and a minute later a long shot went right into the Dutch keeper’s arms, with the game turning into a real one, end to end as the USA tried to force the issue. One goal, while the Netherlands remained at two, might have changed the entire complexion of the game and let USA take control, but the Dutch were determined to put the contest beyond question and get that third goal. Again they went close at 60, and ten minutes later from a corner, but even shooting and missing, they were denying the USA the opportunity to get the ball out of their half and up to threaten the Dutch goal. Two smart saves in succession from the US keeper saved that third goal from being clocked up as the game moved into its last fifteen minutes.

In the 74th the USA pressure told, and the Dutch gave away the ball, but the gilt-edged chance, almost a present, was squandered. Not so the shot on 75, which went in and gave the US hope, just one goal in it now with still fifteen minutes plus extra time to go. Could they do it? The Netherlands seemed a little rattled now, a comfortable lead shrunk to a one-goal advantage, and they knew that if the US scored this would be a harder-fought game than they had anticipated. But on 80 minutes any such fears disappeared as they got their third goal, ending any hope the USA had of progressing.

Australia v Argentina (Result: 1-2; Australia go out)

You can never call any game a foregone conclusion, nor say an underdog is wasting their time, but against the might of Argentina, four-time winners of the tournament, newcomers Australia were really going to have to pull out all the stops and probably benefit from some lucky decisions if they were to make it any further. Messi still had a point to prove; it wouldn’t be fair to say he hadn’t contributed, but the sparkle expected from the world’s greatest player had not quite materialised. He’s still light-years ahead of most players, of course, and we’ve seen some of his magic, but could he work his spell on the Aussies and turn them into plane tickets home? As the man from Carlsberg says, probably.

Still, Australia held on to the 34th minute, when it was that man again putting Argentina ahead with a truly beautiful shot after a free had not quite worked out for his team. The second half saw them boss the midfield again, and Messi had a chance to increase their lead but the ball bounced poorly and the keeper caught it easily. No real power in the shot. A backpass in the 56th minute almost let Australia in. Then the reverse happened, and Australia messed up when their keeper presented the ball to Argentina, and at two ahead, well, there really was no coming back from that was there? Another great run from Messi, didn’t end in a goal but gorgeous to watch the skill of the man.

Australia weren’t going down that easily though, and they scored in the 75th, a shot out of nowhere really, almost adding a second five minutes later, then Argentina had a great chance to put it all to bed in the 88th but ballooned the ball over the net, Messi missing in the 3d minute of 7 in extra time, but Australia were being held back in their own half and it really didn’t look as if they would get a chance to menace the opposition goal before the end. They did, though, and almost forced the game into extra time, but the keeper saved Argentina from 30 extra minutes, giving them the win and sending Australia out, but not without honour.

These results give us one of the quarter final matches, which will be

Argentina v Netherlands

Tomorrow’s matches

France v Poland

England v Senegal

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