Two captains performances see the “Lions of Teranga” and the USA through to the last 16
World Cup Diaries: Day 10
World Cup Diaries: Day 10
As is rightly tradition, all remaining Group games kick-off simultaneously and thus a decision is presented to the watching televisual audience. Today’s choice was simple enough. It was clear to anyone with eyes to see that Netherlands would beat a very poor host nation Qatar (which they duly did, 2–0, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong), thus winning Group A, and that despite the “Battle of Britain” moniker, a tired looking England would easily overcome an equally tired looking Wales. A brace of goals from Marcus Rashford sandwiched another from Phil Foden, ensuring England won Group B at a canter and as expected. With the England and Netherlands games being the very epitome of a sporting “dead rubber”, I turned my attention instead to the other games within Groups A and B.
Both games had that mystical twist that it was a must win game but…….a team in each game could afford a draw and still qualify. I cheered on the two underdogs and the two teams that could afford a draw: “La Tri” of Ecuador and the “Persian Stars” of Iran, but captains performances from Kalidou Koulibaly for those beautifully erratic “Lions of Teranga” from Senegal and Tyler Adams for the “Stars and Stripes” of the USA ensured their respective teams are in the knock-out stages when the World Cup really starts this weekend.
Act One — Koulibaly leads his “Lions of Teranga” into the Last 16
ECUADOR 1 (Caicedo 67)
SENEGAL 2 (Sarr 44, Koulibaly 70)
As well as being the slight underdog, I also cheered for Ecuador because of their goal scoring captain Enner Valencia who, at 33 years of age, is clearly in his final World Cup. Three goals in two games, Valencia has led his team from the front and been incredibly impressive but today wasn’t his or his team’s day and he rather blotted his copybook when right on the cusp of half-time he feigned a silly injury and tried to get an opponent booked. It was cheap. It was in the style of Brazilian playmaker Rivaldo at a previous World Cup long ago. It was all rather tasteless but perfectly in keeping with his team’s lacklustre, empty display easily eclipsed by a Senegal team deservedly on their way to play England on Sunday.
Whereas Ecuador wanted a slow, stop/start and fragmented game, Senegal were far brighter, energetic, progressive and all out attacking. As early as the third minute Everton’s Idrissa Gueye screwed his sprawling shot an inch or two wide of the Ecuador goal, but the Everton midfielder was magnificent all evening and so critical to the destiny of the game’s two final goals much later in the evening. Five minutes later, Boulaye Dia screwed a great goal scoring chance badly wide before Iliman Ndiaye began an impressive evening for Senegal by curling his shot just wide. With nothing of any attacking substance or worry, the Teranga Lions stayed on the front foot, brilliantly typified by Ismaila Sarr who wrestled a loose ball on the touchline before cutting in and curling another shot just wide of the Ecuador goal on 24 minutes.
Although the pressure was building, Ecuador were just a minute from going into half-time level when Sarr again refused to give up on a loose ball and with a burst of pace, forced a clumsy challenge from Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie in the penalty area. It was as definite a penalty as you could wish to see, and the Watford striker dusted himself down before stroking home an impudent “no look” penalty right into the corner of the net.
At 1–0 down Ecuador simply had to break the defensive shackles and come out and play. Substitute Jose Cifuentes had arguably their first goal scoring chance of the game on 49 minutes and a disappointing Gonzalo Plata missed an easy volley with 13 minutes left to play, by which time Ecuador had equalised (and were going through to the knock-out stages) before immediately conceding to trail 2–1 and heading out of the World Cup.
Quixotically, it was all down to the aforementioned Idrissa Gueye as it was his crude challenge that led to a yellow card and a booking (and a suspension from Sunday’s game with England) with the resultant free-kick deflecting for a corner. The corner was flicked on through a crowd of players at the near post leaving Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo all alone at the far post with the easiest of tap-in goals. Two minutes later, Gueye atoned for his personal and team error by curling in the free-kick that his captain, Kalidou Koulibaly, calmly and expertly volleyed into the corner of the Ecuadorian net, sending the dancing, screaming, singing and colourful Senegalese fans into rapturous delight.
Act Two — Adams Americans silence the Iranian airhorns
IRAN 0
USA 1 (Pulisic 38)
This evening’s winners off the pitch were very definitely the hoards of Iranians in the capacity crowd at Al Thumama Stadium. Whenever their incessant din quietened, you could make out the faint, monotonous chant of “U S A”, “U S A”, “U S A” and so cue the resumption, and increased volume, of their memory evoking airhorns of World Cups of the past. As with their Senegalese counterparts a few Qatar miles away, the Iranian fans never stopped cheering on their heroes despite, in all horrible and footballing honesty, they had very little to cheer for this evening. Every player tried to achieve the collective dream they shared with their beautiful supporters roaring and blaring them on, with the triumvirate of Morteza Pouraliganji, Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun exhibiting tireless, stand out performances. Pouraliganji roamed forward trying to link up with strikers Taremi and Azmoun, but zero shots on or off target in the first half and only one shot on the USA goal in the second half tells its own tale, as does the stark fact that they only really looked like a threat for a five or six minute spell late in the game.
It was very definitely a stars and stripes kind of evening and their win was typified by their diminutive captain, Tyler Adams. I’ve noted in previous diary entries that Adams has always failed to impress me when playing for Leeds United in the Premier League, but he’s certainly impressed me in this World Cup and especially so this evening. A nagging first line of defence. A probing nuisance with the ball at his feet in the opposition half of the field. An apocryphal story has it that he was chosen by the players to be their captain and fanciful or not, it was a skippers performance from him this evening. I’ve used the footballing expression of “ratting around” a lot in these diaries, but Adams epitomised that old school phrase this evening.
Adams also had the footballing luxury of leading a team this evening that were also individually excellent. The USA’s attacking intent saw their defensive full-backs Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest constantly roaming forward with Dest in particular sparkling throughout his 80 match playing minutes. Josh Sargent, usually lightweight and underwhelming for his club team Norwich City was superb this evening, and I hope the injury that forced his substitution on 77 minutes is a minor one and doesn’t preclude his involvement against Netherlands on Saturday. The same sentiment is also relayed to Chelsea striker Christian Pulisic who was badly injured as he scrambled the game’s only goal on 38 minutes. He was a constant thorn to Iran with his attacking movement and will be a huge miss if he cannot recover in time for Saturday. Timothy Weah was in and out of the game and although he scored a goal that was immediately disallowed for offside, it was an impish finish with the outside of his boot and from one of many beautifully incisive passes from the game’s real goal scoring creator this evening, Weston McKennie. The man with the red, white and blue stripes through his hair was arguably the best player on the pitch (and creator of the game’s only goal) before he was substituted with 25 minutes remaining.
McKennie’s performance flanked his captain on one side and on the other was a performance as impressive as his midfield counterparts in the guise of Valencia’s Yunus Musah. Ratting around for loose balls, to break up play or start another transitional attack, Musah was outstanding and at only 20 years of age, a star of the near future for sure.
I’ll miss the memory evoking airhorns of the Iranians but I have the singing and dancing men and women of Senegal to look forward to.
As I have tomorrow, and although I have far more important familial matters to attend to and I’ll miss three of tomorrow’s four games, I will be penning a special edition of my diary entries on the day’s crucial late game between Argentina and Poland.
Thanks for reading. In addition to the delights that can be found within the cave of wonders that is my archives, I’m penning a day to day diary of the World Cup, and here are days 7 through 9:
Portugal’s progress is made in Manchester as Uruguay’s demise is a relic to a footballing past
World Cup Diaries: Day 9medium.com
Allez Les Rouge! Viva Espana! And is this Auf Wiedersehen for Die Mannschaft?
World Cup Diaries: Day 8medium.com
Messi to the rescue, Mbappe at the double and Australia threaten to advance at the world’s fair
World Cup Diaries: Day 7medium.com