Day 7 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 brought happy news for Argentina fans as Lionel Messi scored a stunning goal in his team's 2-0 win over Mexico to keep their hopes of making the knockout stage alive and avoid the embarrassment of an early exit at the Lusail Stadium on Saturday, November 26.
Kylian Mbappe scored a brace as France beat Denmark 2-1 to become the first team to progress to the Round of 16 at Qatar. Robert Lewandowki managed to break his World Cup duck as he scored in Poland's 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia which also sees them to top of the table in Group C.
Australia defeated Tunisia 1-0 to keep their Round of 16 hopes alive. It was a monumental moment for the Socceroos as they bagged a win in the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in 12 years.
The action on Day 8 at the World Cup will begin with a Group E clash between
Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Sunday, November 27. Japan will be brimming with confidence after they shocked four-time champion Germany in their tournament.
The shock value of the result was the same, if not more, as Saudi Arabia's stunning win against Argentina. Japan should have it easy against wretched Costa Rica who were punished by Spain in their previous fixture. A win for Japan will see the Samurai Blue progress to the next stage and early exit for Costa Rica. But as this tournament has shown in its first week, expect the unexpected, so hang on Costa Rica!
But Morocco's display against 2018 finalists Croatia was anything other than listless. In a surprise show, the team from North Africa held Croatia for a nil-nil draw. Although Belgium's talismanic midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has played down his team's chances of winning the World Cup this year we can expect the Red Devils to come out will all fire and fury and punish the Atlas Lions.
The action will continue in Group F after the Belgium-Morocco encounter, with
Croatia and Canada locking horns at the Khalifa International Stadium. Canada are playing in the FIFA World Cup finals after 36 years. Most of the players in Canada's squad were too young or were not even born when Canada had last played in a FIFA World Cup final. Surely, these sets of Canadians are motivated enough not to be tamed easily and make life tough for the 2018 finalists Croatia.
In the day's final piece of the action, football fans will be treated to a titanic clash between
European powerhouses Spain and Germany. Four-time champions Germany need no less than a win against 2010 World Cup winners Spain. Should Germany lose and Japan avoid defeat against Costa Rica, it would be the second time in succession that Die Mannschaft would exit the World Cup at the group stage.
Will the Samurai Blues keep punching above their weight? Will Canada's generational players be left heartbroken? Is there any merit in Kevin De Bruyne's words? Is Die Mannschaft dominance actually a thing of the past? Plenty to ponder on Day 8th of FIFA World Cup 2022.
