World Cup Daily: Germany avoids elimination with late goal vs. Spain
Germany lives to see another matchday after Niclas Füllkrug's heroic goal against Spain in the 75th minute of Monday's intense matchup. Unfortunately for Canada, it wasn't so lucky.
Here's everything that happened in the World Cup on Sunday and what to watch for on Monday.
It took one goal for Costa Rica to make up for the seven it conceded against Spain in its group stage opener, at least in the win column. Still, its goal differential has the potential to haunt it, even in the event it pulls off a massive upset vs. Germany in its group stage finale on Thursday (2 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
Belgium did nothing to dispel the concerns about the lack of urgency it showed against Canada — the only difference on Sunday was that Morocco actually made Belgium pay for it. Now the Belgians will need all three points in its group stage final against a strong Croatia side on Thursday (10 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) to avoid an unceremonious sendoff for its so-called Golden Generation.
Outside of Alphonso Davies' second-minute stunner, Canada was thoroughly outplayed by Croatia, and as a result, the Canadians were eliminated from the tournament in two games. Canada still has a role to play in all of this, though: A win against Morocco on Thursday (10 a.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app) would make it possible for both Belgium and Croatia to advance. Of course, Belgium has to hold up its end of the deal as well.
There were plenty of chances in Spain's electrifying matchup with Germany but only two goals. For Germany, that was enough to avoid early elimination. For Spain, it barely put a dent in its goal differential.
GOAL OF THE DAY
Abdelhamid Sabiri made a direct free kick from an incredibly difficult angle look like shooting practice.
ASSIST OF THE DAY
Mateo Kovačić beat the swarm of Canadian defenders around him by passing the ball to Marko Livaja through Steven Vitoria's legs.
MUST-SEE MOMENT
Canada waited a long time for its first goal at the men's World Cup (36 years to be exact) but it didn't have to wait very long in Sunday's game — Davies put the Maple Leafs on the board just over the one-minute mark.
Canada didn't get the win and was eliminated from the tournament as a result, but it was still a special moment for Davies and his country.
Cameroon vs. Serbia, 5 a.m. ET on FS1
Serbia and Cameroon both lost their first group stage games. Unless Monday's game ends in a draw, one of them will see its tournament run come to an end.
South Korea vs. Ghana, 8 a.m. ET on FS1
It would be hard for South Korea's second group stage game to be as uneventful as its first against Uruguay. Another scoreless draw would be enough for South Korea to stick around in the tournament, but the same isn't true for Ghana.
Brazil vs. Switzerland, 11 a.m. ET on FOX
The two teams at the top of Group G will go head-to-head for a ticket to the knockout stage; the loser (assuming there is one) will have to wait until Thursday to learn its fate.
Portugal vs. Uruguay, 2 p.m. ET on FOX
Uruguay got a point in its first group stage match despite not scoring a goal. It's hard to imagine it'll be able to accomplish the same against Portugal and its talented forwards.
Read more from the World Cup:
- World Cup 2022 highlights: Spain, Germany battle to 1-1 tie
- World Cup Group Scenarios: What does each team need to advance?
- World Cup Now: Why Germany is real winner of Costa Rica vs. Japan
- 'We're coming out aggressive': USA knows only scoring will get job done vs. Iran
- 2022 World Cup: Social media reaction to scoreless USA-England draw
- USA outplays England, but can't break through: Three takeaways from match
- Neymar's ankle injury: Recovery time, implications for Brazil
- Clint Dempsey advised Christian Pulisic on how to get through tough times
- How to watch every game of the 2022 World Cup
- 101 most memorable World Cup moments
- Stu Holden's top 50 players at the World Cup
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