It’s the final day of the Round of 32 fixtures at the FIFA World Cup. Nine out of the world’s Top 10-ranked teams have confirmed their berths in the Round of 16, as have all three co-hosts, Canada, Mexico and the USA. Germany, Croatia and the Netherlands are the biggest names to have been eliminated thus far. HT Sports previews the last three Ro32 ties…
Argentina v Cape Verde
Prediction: Argentina to win 2-0
The ultimate David v Goliath clash. The World Champions against the World Cup debutants. Cape Verde are enjoying a dream run in this summer’s tournament, and have captured the hearts and adoration of neutrals all over the globe. Their 0-0 shutout of giants Spain was a masterclass in defensive organisation and resilience, and transformed their goalkeeper Vozinha into a star overnight, while their two goals against Uruguay showed they have the threat on the counter-attack to punish their opponents for any mistakes. But this is likely to be the end of their fairy tale. Argentina’s elite play is technically adept and positionally fluid, like Spain’s, and hard-tackling like Uruguay’s, but crucially, they have the cutting edge in attack to score goals even in tight games. They are on a seven-match hot winning streak and have coasted through the group stage with three comfortable wins. In their 42 matches since lifting the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, they have scored in 41 and won 36 of those ties, losing only four. This is a team of hardened warriors and champions. Oh, and they are led by Lionel Messi, the top scorer of this World Cup. The GOAT will be sure to deliver a moment of magic or two to unlock the Cape Verdean defence.
Colombia v Ghana
Prediction: Colombia to win 2-1
A true match-up of attack vs defence. Colombia scored the second-most goals in their CONMEBOL qualification campaign for the World Cup, and despite only scoring four goals in their three group stage matches, they rank 9th for shots taken. Ghana, meanwhile, are one of the most defensive teams this tournament. They have only conceded two goals in their three matches, including a 0-0 draw with England. They rank 4th-lowest for passes and 5th-lowest for possession among the 48 teams this summer, and 3rd-lowest for expected goals created out of the 32 knockout participants. Expect a one-sided game of Colombian possession, led by Captain and virtuoso James Rodriguez, and Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz, who is enjoying a devastating campaign for club and country, against a deep-lying Ghana block. The Africans will defend with their lives and try their luck on the counter-attack through Antoine Semenyo, or hope to take the game to penalties. But it will likely be the South Americans who will seal the win through their typical grit and star quality.
Australia v Egypt
Prediction: Egypt to win 2-0
Australia, who pulled off a positive opening-day surprise win over Turkey, are defensively strong and well-organised, but toiled with the ball in all three group stage fixtures. They are unlikely to pose a major threat to Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. The Africans went toe-to-toe with heavyweights Belgium in their group and had five different goalscorers across those three games. Salah has moved into a creative role as a central #10, and a speedy and tricky frontline will be the strongest test yet for the Australian defence. A tight and cagey game is likely, with both teams likely to circle each other rather than go for a knockout punch. The World Cup has thrown up many an upset already, but it has also proved that moments of quality from star players are all that a team needs to seal a win. Egypt and Salah fit that brief perfectly.
Potential RO16 ties
The winners of Egypt v Australia and Argentina v Cape Verde will face each other in the Round of 16. That could set up a blockbuster battle between Mohamed Salah and Lionel Messi. Delectable by all means. Meanwhile, the winners of Colombia v Ghana will face Switzerland in the next round.
