Now that the dust has settled and the group stage has completed, we now have a clearer picture of what the knockout round of this World Cup will look like. Between lots of upsets and highly favored teams standing tall, the group stages provided games that spectators will never forget.

Here is the Day by Day Review…

Day 1: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador

First we must start with the opening ceremony. I watched it and it looked visually stunning, and each performance had me wanting more. A beautifully put together opening ceremony got the crowd, and viewers like me extra pumped for this match. Unfortunately, this was not exactly the best game in terms of quality. Enner Valencia was the star of the match with two goals and Ecuador played extremely well, especially for a team that many had doubted. Qatar on the other hand… yikes. If you had any hopes for this Qatari team, be prepared for your next two matches because they won’t get any easier. For a team that played together for months to build chemistry, there was… a huge lack of team chemistry. 

Day 2: England 6-2 Iran, Senegal 0-2 Netherlands, USA 1-1 Wales

As day two was underway, previous doubts about England were pushed aside as their offense racked a huge six goals against Iran. Iran looked defeated the moment they walked onto the pitch. Between them silencing themselves during the national anthem and Iranian fans booing their own national anthem, it’s safe to say that they had other things on their minds. Netherlands and Senegal put on a good match, but even with their two goals, it was evident that Netherlands lacked goal scorers. However they still they still put up three points. USA had three points locked in the bag against Wales, until they didn’t. A reckless foul in the 82nd minute allowed for star Wales striker, Gareth Bale, to bury the penalty. A nervous looking second half for the Americans will need to be fixed.

Day 3: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia, Denmark 0-0 Tunisia, Mexico 0-0 Poland, France 4-1 Australia 

When you think of the great World Cup upsets many can come to mind. Push all those aside because the Saudis taking down Argentina might be the stunner of the tournament. Two beautiful goals and an amazing show on defense stumped Argentina and allowed the Saudi’s to get those valuable three points. If you have ever seen a 0-0 scoreline and thought, “How could this game be interesting?” Look no further than Denmark and Tunisia because this game was exciting from start to finish, a fantastic showing for Tunisia. The winner of the Mexico-Poland game easily goes to the World Cup GOAT himself, Guillermo Ochoa. The goalie, famous for producing his best saves, showed again as he stopped a Poland penalty in the second half. Lastly, if there were any doubts about France in the first 15 minutes, the rest of the game put those aside. The defending champs were dominant in their win over Australia and looked very dangerous. 

Day 4: Morocco 0-0 Croatia, Japan 2-1 Germany, Costa Rica 0-7 Spain, Belgium 1-0 Canada

Another strong showing by the teams from North Africa and Morocco as they were able to earn a valuable point, but not much else happened in this match. Japan and Germany, all I will say is that I predicted this all along. Watching Japan save goals and also scoring them made MANY people see how legitimate of a threat that they can be. Disappointing result for Germany as they now face a familiar foe in Spain. Speaking of Spain, they looked dangerously good, like… really good. A humiliating loss for Costa Rica was to be expected but the ease that helped Spain score, was very eye opening. O Canada, how close you came. A saved penalty and 21 shots but no goals was crushing for them. This team is good, we can all see that, but their inability to finish will be watched heavily over their next few matches. Belgium on the other hand, looked fairly normal, yet they have much to improve on.

Day 5: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon, South Korea 0-0 Uruguay, Portugal 3-2 Ghana, Brazil 2-0 Serbia

In what was a calmer first two games, Switzerland was able to snag a 1-0 win over Cameroon, and they were able to really hunker down on defense to close the game out. The lone goal scored by Breel Embolo gave fans an awkward moment when he did not celebrate his goal as he is originally from Cameroon. The second match of the day showcased a talented South Korean squad shutting down the Uruguayan offense. Late chances from both sides still wouldn’t prove to be enough for either side and they had to settle for a draw. Portugal beating Ghana was by far the craziest game of the day. With all five goals happening within the span of 24 minutes, it was safe to say that the second half was a little chaotic. Between flopping for penalties and sneaking up behind goalkeepers, this game had it all. In the final game of the day Brazil showcased their young talent, and though it took a while, were finally able to power through the Serbian defense. Richarlison’s second goal in the match might go down as the goal of the tournament. 

Day 6: Wales 0-2 Iran, Qatar 1-3 Senegal, Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador, England 0-0 USA

Iran’s late game magic might have saved their tournament as it took them 99 minutes to finally crack down the poor Wales defense. An extremely poor game from Wales means that they are on the cusp of being eliminated. Oh Qatar… where did it all go wrong? Nothing seemed to have gone well for the hosts this tournament. As they scored one goal to finally get back in the game against Senegal, they immediately gave up a goal and Qatar is officially the first team eliminated. The next game saw underdog Ecuador completely overpower Netherlands. Netherlands were expected to easily win this match but were outplayed on both sides of the ball. They were quite lucky to get a point out of this match. Lastly, the United States, I have to say that the U.S. midfield was quite impressive and were able to stop the English attack. It also created many chances to score. What hurts the United States is their lack of goal scoring. It’s simple for the U.S. to move on, win and you’re in.

Day 7: Tunisia 0-1 Australia, Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia, France 2-1 Denmark, Argentina 2-0 Mexico

This was the day for redemption. Starting the day saw Australia fend off Tunisia in a very close match, which earned Australia a crucial three points. The next match was highly anticipated as many wanted to know if Saudi Arabia could produce the same kind of magic…they couldn’t. A penalty kick save and Rober Lewandowski finally getting his World Cup goal gave the Polish a comfortable two goal win. Later on, France were able to defeat a tough Danish side. Kyllian Mbappé once again proved why he is one of the best players in the world, scoring two goals to give Les Bleus the win. Lastly, Argentina arrived… like actually showed up. Lionel Messi gave the Argentines a huge moment in the 64th minute with a stunning goal from distance and Enzo Fernandez added an insurance goal in the 87th minute. Argentina now sits much more comfortably with Mexico on the cusp of being eliminated. 

Day 8: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica, Belgium 0-2 Morocco, Croatia 4-1 Canada, Spain 1-1 Germany

What. A. Victory. For. Costa. Rica. A true underdog story took place as Costa Rica were able to upset Japan by one goal and put themselves back in the conversation after previously being humiliated by Spain. The next match saw another underdog victory take place as Morocco defeated Belgium by two goals in a stunning upset. However, was it really stunning? I had predicted that Morocco could cause some mayhem in this group and with the way that Belgium has been playing, it would not surprise me if they are eliminated in the group stage. Morocco looked extremely dangerous and will look to continue that form. Perhaps Canada was set to cause an upset of their own scoring in the 2nd minute against Croatia, but the Croatians shut it down quickly scoring four unanswered goals, absolutely humiliating Canada’s defense. In the last match of the day, Germany desperately needed at least a draw to stay alive, and with a late goal from Niclas Füllkrug gave the Germans the tying goal they needed. 

Day 9: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia, South Korea 2-3 Ghana, Brazil 1-0 Switzerland, Portugal 2-0 Uruguay

What a morning two games there was. An absolute stunner in the first match of the day seeing Cameroon come back from 3-1 down in a mere three minutes might have changed the direction of this tournament for both of those teams. Cameroon showed their heart and will hopefully be able to show it again against Brazil. The next match was also just as fun to watch. South Korea and Ghana put on an absolute show and Ghana received a two goal lead in the first half before Cho Gue-sung from Korea scored twice in three minutes to even the game up. Just ten minutes later, Mohammed Kudus from Ghana scored again to give the Ghanaians a massive three points. Next up I saw Neymar-less Brazil take on the Swiss, and it was an impressive defensive show from the Swiss side before Brazil eventually broke through and earned themselves a comfortable win. Lastly, Portugal was able to survive the challenging 30 minute wave that Uruguay attacked them with and behind two goals from Bruno Fernandes gave Portugal the win and sent them onto the knockout stage. 

Day 10: Netherlands 2-0 Qatar, Ecuador 1-2 Senegal, Wales 0-3 England, Iran 0-1 USA

As the third match day of the group stage arrived, Group A and Group B concluded with exciting finishes as four teams booked their place in the knockout stage. Netherlands were able to get a very comfortable win to close out their group stage with a two goal win over Qatar. The Dutch squad look ahead to the knockout round, already having two wins under their belt. Ecuador were looking like they were going to be one of the top teams to come out of this group, they couldn’t get past the crafty defense of Senegal. As soon as they got their equalizer, Senegal got the leading goal right back to stamp their place in the knockout round. In Group B, England had their second very comfortable win in the group with a landslide three goal win over their rivals from Wales. Wales disappointed this tournament earning at best a draw with the United States, which they were fairly lucky to get anyway. In the most exciting match of the day, the United States got a clutch one goal victory in a tight win over Iran. A high tensioned match saw the U.S. come out on the attack early, putting lots of pressure on the Iranian defense. A goal from Christian Pulisic gave the U.S. the goal they needed and put the United States into the next round. Iran had the U.S. on their heels the majority of the second half, but were unable to convert any of their chances. 

Day 11: France 0-1 Tunisia, Denmark 1-0 Australia, Mexico 2-1 Saudi Arabia, Argentina 2-0 Poland

With what appeared to be their “B-Team”, France was unable to defeat a motivated Tunisian side who played their hearts out to earn an important three points. While they got that win, the other simultaneous game saw the Australians earning an upset win over a lackluster Danish side. This win pushed Australia to the knockout round and a huge favorite, Denmark, will go home much earlier than expected. Many, including myself, were quite disappointed in the Danish performance this World Cup as expectations were high. Meanwhile, Group C saw a hectic ending when Argentina defeated Poland, and Poland had to wait for the final score of the Mexico- Saudi Arabia game to see if they would advance. Argentina showed that they had finally found their groove and were able to win this group. A disappointing Mexican side were a goal away from moving on over Poland, but an offside goal proved to be the closest that they would get. 

Day 12: Belgium 0-0 Croatia, Morocco 2-1 Canada, Japan  –  Spain, Germany  –  Costa Rica

In a wild ending to this group, Morocco snatched a surprise group win with their victory over the awful Canadian side. Canada unfortunately was very disappointing this tournament and will go back home and see what they can fix with their defense. Belgium came oh so close to getting an elusive goal that would have sent them on, but they will be exiting this tournament much earlier than expected. For Morocco and Croatia, they will look ahead positively into the knockout stage. For now, the results of the Group E matchup are unknown, but it is a must win type of day for Germany, Costa Rica, and Japan. Spain will go into their game against Japan with less pressure, but they will still need a good result to win the group.

Day 13: Ghana  –  Uruguay, South Korea  –  Portugal, Brazil  –  Cameroon, Switzerland  –  Serbia

While we do not know the results of these matches right now, what you can expect from these games is a very tense matchup between Ghana and Uruguay. Memories from their 2010 quarterfinal will loom large over this game and Luis Suarez might want to watch out whenever he has the ball. While South Korea will put up a good fight, expect Portugal to get another comfortable win and head into the next round with three wins under their belt. In the later games, Brazil most likely will secure a win over Cameroon even though Brazil is already comfortably through. Switzerland and Serbia will be another feisty matchup as memories from their 2018 game will also loom large over this game. With what has happened so far, anticipate a draw which will send Switzerland though. 

With all the groups completed, it has been a wild group stage with teams like Morocco, Australia, and Senegal all doing so well, this World Cup has been anything but predictable with powerful teams such as Belgium and Denmark already on their way home. But now let’s look ahead to the Round of 16 matchups that we know of so far.

England vs Senegal: This game should be a good test for England to see where they are at with their team and see how ready they are for the important games. Senegal should put up a valiant effort but the English should come out on top. 

Netherlands vs USA: Well it certainly feels good to be back into the knockout stage as an American fan. However, a very tall task faces the U.S. squad as they look to take down the Dutch. Granted, the Netherlands has not looked as well as I thought they would, but they have still gotten the results they needed. I believe that if the U.S. is able to take this game to at least extra time, then we have a much higher shot at winning. If not, then expect the Netherlands to prevail. 

France vs Poland: Very similar to the U.S, Poland has looked very good this tournament with their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczęsny, being an absolute brick wall. I believe that if Poland is able to get the game to a penalty shootout then they will win. If not, France will out play them the entire game with Poland on their heels. Not an impossible task, but a very unlikely one for this Polish side. 

Australia vs Argentina: While both sides got off to a rocky start, Argentina has clearly shown that they are favorites for this title again, and unfortunately, the Australian dream will be crushed as Argentina simply look too dominant for this Aussie side. Expect a comfortable Argentina win. 

Morocco vs Runner Up of Group E: While this Moroccan side has looked incredible all tournament long, their opponent in the round of 16 match could very well be a blessing or a disaster. If they face Japan or Costa Rica, I give them the easy win, however, if they face Germany, then I still believe that they could win, I would just be less confident. If it ends up being Spain then Morocco will likely be headed home. 

Croatia vs Winner of Group E: Croatia has looked either average or world class, there is no inbetween. We’ve seen glimpses of what they can do and whoever wins Group E needs to be extremely careful in that game. While the group winner appears to be headed towards Spain, a Croatia – Spain match would be the toughest match of the round of 16. 

Winner of Group G (Likely Brazil) vs Runner Up of Group H: While Group G appears to be won or close to won by Brazil, whoever they face in the knockout round will be the underdogs against this talented Brazilian side. Brazil will be the favorite no matter who they face whether it is Uruguay, Ghana, or South Korea. Don’t expect a close match in this one.

Winner of Group H (Almost Certainly Portugal) vs Runner Up of Group G: While Portugal hasn’t officially won the group, it would take an absolute meltdown not to. Meanwhile in Group G, Switzerland is oh so close to having second place wrapped up, needing only a draw (realistically). This match would be closer than the Brazilian match, yet Portugal should comfortably win this match no matter who they face whether it’s Serbia, Switzerland, or Cameroon. 

The Round of 16 will have some pivotal matchups that will further shape this already crazy World Cup. Be sure to check CrusaderNationNews in the following days to see our recap on the round of 16 and previews for the quarterfinals. Check the FIFA World Cup tag to see more articles about the FIFA World Cup.