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2018 World Cup Group Stage Rundown: Group F

A Brief Overview of Group F

By Alberto HuichapaPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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The Swedes celebrate after their 3-0 win against Mexico.(Image via The Indian Express) 

Without a doubt, this was the craziest and most dramatic group of this World Cup. The group was destined to be a good one prior to the initial kick off but football fans around the world who were given a lot more than they anticipated within Group F.

Sweden, who went their entire 2018 World Cup campaign without the most successful Swedish player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, have proved they can be just as effective without him. They finished in first place of Group F after their 3-0 victory against Mexico. Mexico, thanks to South Korea’s shock victory against Germany, sit in second place and advance to the Round of 16 for 7th consecutive time. The Asian team’s dramatic display of heart and will saw them finish in third based on goal difference whilst reigning champions Germany embarrassingly finished in last place, suffering the “Champion’s Curse.”

Without Ibrahimovic up front on the attack, many were in doubt of the chances the Swedish had on advancing out of the group.

They may have lacked the fiery attitude and ego of their biggest star but they made it up with a strong defensive team with a passion just as fiery as Ibrahimovic himself.

Their opening match against South Korea gave fans a glimpse of just how strong the Swedish defense and counter-attack really is. Though the game was decided on an overturned VAR penalty scored by Andreas Granqvist, the Swedes had total domination of the game. They only allowed the South Koreans to register five shots, none on target. On the contrary, the Swedes took 15 shots with five on target.

Their following game was just as impressive defensive wise. Sweden hardly maintained possession of the ball but Germany were narrowly able to pull off a 2-1 result thanks to a last minute free kick.

Their final game against Mexico was where the Swedes controlled the game the way they wanted to. The first half may have been split between the two teams but the second half was all Sweden. A goal from Ludwig Augustinsson, a penalty from Granqvist, and an own goal from the young Edson Alvarez not only saw the Swedish pull out an impressive display, but also put them at the top of the group.

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano celebrates his goal that stunned Germany in their 1-0 loss to Mexico. (Image via Sports Illustrated)

El Tri are always a favorite to advance out of a group stage and always come to a World Cup with some intimidating players. This year, the squad was one that Mexico fans had high hopes for to break their Round of 16 curse.

Veterans like Guillermo Ochoa, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Andres Guardado, and Rafael Marquez returned to the World Cup squad while new faces like Hirving Lozano, Edson Alvarez, and Jesus Gallardo hope to represent the future generation of international Mexican soccer.

There was doubt prior to the World Cup concerning the squad’s performances in international friendlies, lack of focus, and the ever changing lineups used by head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

A result against Germany was critical if Mexico wanted to cement a spot in the knockout stages.

Germany were the reigning champs but Mexico did not care, with Lozano scoring the goal that would stun the champs in their 1-0 loss in the opening match.

It was said that the mass celebration of fans in Mexico was picked up on a seismic reader, though reports later proved that the celebration was picked up on very small readers that can pick up activity in the house of one family.

That’s beside the point. Point is, Mexico gained a surge of confidence following their victory against the Germans.

Their tactical and behavioral unpredictability on the pitch make them tricky opponents. Some games they’ll play a more attack oriented game, pressing high and sending balls through the wide areas. Other games, they play defensively, holding back a high line and counter-attacking.

South Korea fell victim and were eliminated by the unpredictable Mexican side, final score being a 2-1 win in favor of the North American side. Chicharito scored the second goal for Mexico, which increased his lead as Mexico’s highest international goalscorer with 50 goals.

Osorio repeated a lineup for the first time as the Mexican head coach against Sweden. Maybe he should have switched up as usual. Mexico lost 3-0 but the South Korean victory over the Germans was enough to put Mexico into second place.

The Mexicans have lots of heart and passion but they will need to improve defensively if they plan to break the Round of 16 curse. Their loss to the Swedes was a glimpse of what happens when El Tri loses focus in the back.

South Korean’s celebrate Son Hueng-min’s goal in ther 2-0 surprise victory against reigning champs, Germany. (Image via FourFourTwo)

South Korea might have been eliminated but they did not go easy.

An overturned VAR penalty was the deciding factor in the South Koreans loss in their opening match to Sweden.

They were down 2-0 but that didn’t stop them to keep fighting until the final whistle. Tottenham winger Son Heung-min curled the ball to the far post from outside the box, denying Ochoa a clean sheet. Yet, as spectacular as the goal was, the Asian team were eliminated and the pain of Son, who would now have to serve two years of military service after not following through with the promise of qualifying, was evident on the field and felt by fans worldwide.

In their final match, the odds were massively stacked them again. Yet, if Mexico could, why couldn’t they? And they did.

Undoubtedly, Germany dominated the match but the 2-0 score in favor of South Korea makes it hard to believe that the Germans indeed had control of the game.

The champs registered 26 total shots but only six of them had any real danger of being a goal. South Korea only had 11 shots in the entire game but had better accuracy (five shots were on target).

Though Kim Young-Gwon and Son scored the goals that saw them become the first Asian team ever to defeat Germany, the real hero was goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who blocked all of Germany’s attempts with spectacular saves.

Their win also saved Mexico from group stage elimination. Following the games, crowds of Mexican and South Korean fans could be seen together, happily cheering South Korea's victory whilst social media blew up with memes and “thank you for keeping our dream alive” posts.

South Korea goes home early but they go home with heads held high.

A downcasted Thomas Muller after a 2-0 loss against South Korea, resulting in a shock exit at the group stage. (Image via AS)

What a disappointment this German side was.

They lost to Mexico and South Korea. They narrowly managed a victory over Sweden. These results saw them finish bottom of the group and become the first German team in football history to be eliminated in the group stage.

They were frontrunners to become the first team to win the World Cup on consecutive occasions. Instead, they became the fourth victim of the “Champions Curse”— four teams of the five previous World Cups were eliminated in the group stage.

“We’ll see you at the World Cup.” According to reports, these were the words that Thomas Muller told Marco Fabian after Eintracht Frankfurt’s 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal final back in May.

Karma bit back and it bit back hard.

Sweden will face off against Switzerland on Tuesday, July 3 at 11 AM and hope to get past the Round of 16, something they have not done since 1994 when they finished in third place at the tournament.

Mexico face off against Brazil, on Monday, July 2 at 11 AM. They will hope to get their first World Cup win over Brazil and more importantly, advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 by breaking their Round of 16 curse.

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