Five days in and the 2018 World Cup has lived up to expectations, even delivering a few surprises.
David has not quite slain Goliath here in the 2018 World Cup. The giants have taken their licks, some have been brought to one knee, but for the most part they're still standing.
The underdogs are certainly closing the gap, though.
Soccer is normally a sport in which we see a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 results. It's part of the beauty of the game, in which a single goal by a team can propel them to an upset.
Fourteen matches have been played through five days, with eight of those decided by one goal.
A few countries predicted to win the World Cup stumbled while managing to still pick up a victory. Belgium, on the other hand, struggled for a half and were locked horns at 0 with Panama before bursting out of the locker room with a barrage of goals, starting with this excellent volley by Dries Mertens:
PICK THAT ONE OUT!— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2018
Dries Mertens hits the volley perfectly to put Belgium up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/Pkvv28VCYk
Belgium would go on to win 3-0. As an outside favorite, theirs was one of the most convincing wins of the tourney thus far.
Close wins were also on tap for many of the favorites. France knocked off Australia 2-1, a game that featured the first use of the V.A.R. system. The video-replay-assistant is being used for the first time in World Cup play.
England also had their fair share of struggles in a 2-1 victory over Tunisia. Despite an edge in shots, 17 (7 on goal), and possession (60-40), it took a stoppage-time goal by Harry Kane -- his second of the game -- for England to pull out the victory.
Then there's the story of three favorites, including defending champion Germany. The Germans became the third-straight winner of the previous Cup to lose their first match. Now the upset isn't one of epic proportions -- they lost 1-0 to Mexico -- but the result caught many by surprise.
Mexico, meanwhile, got the start to the Cup they were looking for. El Tri picked their spots to sprint with Germany and used multiple missed opportunities by the Germans (25 total shots) and excellent game by goalie Guillermo Ochoa (9 saves) to pick up the victory.
A bigger shock was Brazil playing to a 1-1 draw against Switzerland. Also owners of a 1-1 draw was Argentina, who failed to defeat first-time participant Iceland.
Iceland fights on
The dance of the underdog is oft-told tale. A person, a team, a country who isn't supposed to even be in contention rises above the rest. In the process, they win the hearts of not only their fans, but of so many more.
It's only one game, but it's safe to say Iceland has done exactly that.
Iceland fans during their match against Argentina today...#VikingClap #ISL #ARGISL #WorldCup 👏🏼🇮🇸 pic.twitter.com/TLQ4QEDoQu— TheRealCasuals (@Real_Casuals_66) June 16, 2018
Population of close to 335,000 and coached by a dentist, Iceland is the little soccer nation that could. What other team's coach meets with fans to discuss tactics before the game? Could you imagine if Nick Saban did that with Alabama fans before a game?
Iceland will not play the most exciting game (think of college basketball fans complaining about the zone defense of Syracuse). In fact, against Argentina they possessed the ball for only 27% of the time while primarily sitting back and packing their third of the field with defenders.
They only took three shots on goal, but they connected on one of them, providing the country with the one goal they needed to secured a point. (And it helped that Lionel Messi of Argentina missed a penalty kick.)
Teams like Iceland and Switzerland are reasons I enjoy the World Cup, even if the United States Men's National Team is missing. To me, the tourney rivals March Madness in excitement levels. In back-to-back years, between the women and the men, the months of June and July are dedicated to soccer. Most of the best players in the world take to the pitch, providing entertainment for the worldwide masses.
And every once in awhile, we'll get to witness a team not expected to get out of group play make a run, like Cameroon in 1990 or South Korea in 2002. Much like a great Cinderella story in the NCAA, an underdog reaching the round of 16 in the World Cup adds to the excitement and compelling nature of soccer.
Two games in group play remain for each team -- plus a few who still get to play all three -- so it's safe to say the juggernauts won't continue to struggle. Once the dust settles in group play, we may find all the Goliaths standing tall.
But if we're lucky, a plucky David in Iceland will still be standing, making the World Cup all the more intriguing.
To keep up with all things World Cup, plus sports, wrestling, movies, pop culture and more, be sure to follow Jason on Twitter @jasonrh_78
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