Final Recap: France Win Their First World Cup in 20 Years Thanks to an Attacking Outburst

The World Cup trophy and first place prize was up for grabs yesterday between France and Croatia. This was Croatia's first appearance at the World Cup final, while France hoped to win its second trophy in two decades. After Croatia dominated the first 15 minutes in terms of shots and possession, France's Antoine Griezmann earned a free kick not far from goal from a questionable foul. This resulted in a curling ball inside the box that was deflected by Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic's head, and into the top left corner of the net, giving France the lead after 18 minutes. Ten minutes, Ivan Perisic leveled the score at 1 all. Perisic got the ball at the top of the 18 yard box, got around N'Golo Kante and hit it perfectly past French keeper Hugo Lloris, into the right side netting. In the 34th minute, a corner from Griezmann led to a ball headed from Blaise Matuidi that was deflected just wide of the near post. However, that deflection was from Perisic's outstretched hand, and after VAR review, France were awarded a penalty, which Griezmann easily converted. Two minutes after halftime, Lloris tipped over Ante Rebic's tight angle shot, and Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic stopped a shot from Kylian Mbappe moments later. France got a two goal lead in the 59th when Paul Pogba set up Kylian Mbappe to put in a cross from the right. Mbappe's cross landed to Griezmann, who passed back to Pogba, and he converted his second shot after his first was blocked. Subasic was wrong-footed and unable to stop Pogba's shot through traffic. It then became 4-1 six minutes later as Mbappe shot from 25 yards out in the center of the area with plenty of space, as Subasic once again did little to attempt a save or block of the shot. With the goal, Mbappe joins Pele as the only teenagers to score in a WC final. Croatia got within two goals four minutes later when Lloris, trying to clear the ball away from a rushing Mandzukic, saw his pass blocked and redirected by the Croatian forward, the ball going into Lloris' net. Unfortunately, Croatia could not find the two goals they needed to send the game to extra time, nor did they find any more shots on target. France managed to win this World Cup with a strong depth, and an attacking style that could not be stopped besides their meaningless 0-0 group stage draw with Denmark.

French players celebrating with keeper Hugo Lloris lifting the coveted trophy

Final Match Preview and Prediction

Who: Croatia v. France
Where: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
When: July 15, 11 AM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 France (AET): Croatia will put up a great fight in their first appearance at a WC finals match, but Les Blues will get the trophy for the second team in 20 years. France have more talent than Croatia, with most of their stars even before their prime, and have fresher legs with an extra day of rest. Croatia have played in extra time in all of their knockout games, nearly playing 400 minutes in a span of 11 days, and essentially playing an extra match than France based off the amount of time they have been on the pitch. The underdogs will be disappointed to lose this close match, but should feel proud that they have made it this far, and that they have defeated former World Cup winning teams in Argentina and England along the way.

Third Place Match Recap: England Falter Against Belgium

England and Belgium, two European teams that have under performed in recent competitions, played for a spot on the podium. Belgium got the first goal early on, in the 4th minute, when Thomas Meunier poked home a long, low cross from Nacer Chadli from the left side of the pitch. Romelu Lukaku spaced out the defense, leaving Meunier with plenty of space to score. In the 23rd minute, leading scorer Harry Kane had his shot wide of Belgium's goal, before Belgium nearly made it 2-0 12 minutes later, when Youri Tielemans' cross to Toby Alderweireld resulted in a volley just over the bar. The Three Lions would keep pressuring to find the equalizer in the second half, especially Eric Dier, whose low driven shot in the 69th minute was stopped by keeper Thibaut Courtois. 80 seconds later, Dier found himself one-on-one with Courtois, and while his chipped shot beat the keeper, Alderweireld cleared the ball off the line. Jesse Lingard set up a cross for Dier in the 73rd, but his header steered left of goal. English keeper Jordan Pickford was called into action in the 80th, diving to his right to get a hand on Meunier' side volley. Belgium would clinch third place in the 82nd when Eden Hazard got past the defense after a through-ball from Kevin De Bruyne, and cooly put it past Pickford for the Red Devils' second tally. For England, 4th place this WC marks their best finish since 1990, while Belgium have successfully achieved their best finish as a team in the World Cup.

Alderweireld (#2) clears Dier's (#4) shot off the line to prevent the potential equalizer

Third Place Match Preview and Prediction

Who: Belgium v. England
Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
When: July 14, 10 AM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Belgium: Belgium win once again by a goal against fellow Group H opponent England. England, a team that heavily relied on set pieces to score goals, will score their lone goal off a corner. Belgium, on the other hand, have more attacking talent than The Three Lions, and will score enough to secure third place for this World Cup, which would be Belgium's best finish in the greatest sports tournament.

Semifinal #2 Recap: Croatia Comeback to Beat England To Play In Their First Ever WC Final

The last spot for the finals match was decided between the winner of Croatia and England. The latter country went up in the 5th minute from a Kieran Trippier free kick from 20 yards out, curling over the bar and into the top right corner. England would not have another shot for the rest of the game though. Minutes later after the goal, England's Harry Maguire had a header go wide of the post. In the 30th minute, Harry Kane, England's leading WC 2018 scorer, was one-on-one with Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic. After Jesse Lingard set him up, Kane's shot from a tight angle was blocked by Subasic, before his rebound hit the post, off Subasic over the crossbar, and then eventually cleared away. The whole sequence was ruled off sides. Croatia could not find an equalizer in the first half, its best chance from Ante Rebic, which was blocked by keeper Jordan Pickford. It would then take another 23 minutes after the second half started for the game to be level at 1. Sime Vrsaljko played a great cross in from the right that was poked in by Ivan Perisic, leaping over a diving Dele Alli to tie the game. Pickford had no chance at stopping Perisic's strike. Perisic would almost get a second goal three minutes later, when a giveaway left him with a shot from the left that hit the far post and out, before England could regroup and clear it out. Pickford soon saved Mario Mandzukic's attempt, but almost gave up a goal when his punch landed to Perisic, whose shot went over an empty net. England had a corner in stoppage time go wide of goal, and the match headed towards extra time. In the first extra half frame, John Stones nearly put England ahead with his header, but Vrsaljko cleared the bar off the line. At the end of the first half of extra time, Perisic set up Mandzukic with a lovely cross, but Pickford came just in time to block the sure tap-in with his legs, sending the ball over the net. Mandzukic would find the winner in the 109th minute, when a miscleared header by England set up Mandzukic one-on-one with Pickford, in which Mandzukic beat the keeper with his low strike. England had no great chances to tie it, ultimately relying on long set pieces, which resulted in nothing. Croatia have moved on to the final, where they will play France. England will play Belgium for third on Saturday.

Mandzukic (in black) runs towards the corner flag after scoring the late winner.

Semifinal #1 Recap: France Hold Out Against Belgium, Await Finals Opponent

The first spot in the World Cup final was decided today between France and Belgium. In the 15th minute, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne intercepted the ball and set it up for Eden Hazard, whose one-timed shot went wide of the far post. Three minutes later, Blaise Matuidi of France had his long range shot saved by Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois. Less than sixty seconds after that, Hazard curled a chance from the left side of the box that was deflected over the bar by French defender Raphael Varane. A corner in the 22nd minute fell to Toby Alderweireld from less than 15 yards out, and his blast forced French keeper Hugo Lloris into a diving stop, denying a goal bound shot aimed at the top left corner. Then, in the 39th, Kylian Mbappe played a great through-ball to Benjamin Pavard, but his shot was denied by Courtois' right knee. In the 51st minute, Antoine Griezmann's corner ball met with Samuel Umtiti's head, and the ball was placed inside the near right post, beating Courtois, and putting France up 1-0. At the 55th minute mark, Mbappe played a great through-ball again by back-heeling it Olivier Giroud, who hesitated on his shot before it was deflected by Mousa Dembele. Ten minutes later, Marouane Fellaini had his header just wide of Lloris and goal. Belgium had another great chance to tie it in the 81st when, after Hazard fell down and lost control of the ball, Axel Witsel's had a rocket of a shot aimed on frame, but Lloris dove to keep the ball out. France would look for an insurance goal in stoppage time, as Courtois would dive twice to stop Griezmann's and Corentin Tolisso's low driven shots. In the end, France prevailed, and will watch tomorrow's game to see who they will be playing for the World Cup trophy on Sunday.

Samuel Umtiti (#5) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal.

Semifinal #2: Croatia-England Preview and Prediction

Who: Croatia v. England
Where: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
When: July 12, 2 PM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 1-1: Croatia Wins on PKs: I believe this game will go to penalties. Croatia has had both of their knockout games head to PKs, and England won in the Round of 16 via penalty kicks. I believe one of England's "Harry's" (Kane or Maguire) will score for England, and Croatia's Ivan Perisic will equalize. In penalties, Croatia's keeper Danijel Subasic will be the team's hero once again, stopping enough shots to send his team through to the final.

Semifinal #1: France-Belgium Preview and Prediction

Who: France v. Belgium
Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
When: July 10, 2 PM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-2: France Wins on PKs: What a game this will be, as these teams are in the top two for most goals scored in the knockout phase (France with 6, Belgium with 5). The game will end tied at 2 after 120 minutes, and France will be more precise on PKs to send themselves into the final match. With tons of attacking players and scorers from each side, such as France's Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, and Marouane Fellaini, it will be very surprising if no more than 2 goals are scored altogether in this highly anticipated match.

Quarterfinal Recaps: England Breeze By Sweden, Croatia Overcome Hosts in PKs

The last two semi-final spots were decided yesterday from the winners of the later two quarterfinal games. First up was the match between England and Sweden. In the 29th minute, an Ashley Young cross into the box led Swedish defender Andreas Granqvist to clear out for a corner. The resulting play led to a Harry Maguire goal, headed in from Young's corner to give England the lead. Raheem Sterling broke through the Swedish defense a number of times in the first half, most notably the 45th, when his shot was blocked by Swedish keeper Robin Olsen, before his next attempt was deflected over the bar. In the 47th, Ludwig Augustinsson crossed for Marcus Berg, whose close range header was stopped by England's keeper Jordan Pickford, whose dive caused the block to prevent the potential equalizer. Jesse Lingard led to England's 2nd goal in the 59th, as Dele Alli nodded the ball to make it 2-0. Sweden almost made it 2-1 in the 62nd, but Pickford dove to make a great stop on Viktor Claesson's attempt before it was cleared away. And 10 minutes later, Pickford was called into action again, tipping over Berg's close volley. England move on to the semis with the result, eliminating Sweden.

Russia played Croatia for the final spot in the semi-finals. In the 31st, Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba played one-two to get past Croatian mid Luka Modric, and Cheryshev curled his long range blast inside the near post to give the hosts the early lead. Eight minutes later, it was 1-1 as Mario Mandzukic crossed in a ball near the goal line for Andrej Kamaric, whose header beat Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev. In the 60th minute, Akinfeev misread a cross, and Ivan Perisic attempt soon after hit the woodwork and back out into play. Entering extra time, Croatia thought they found their winner in the 101st, Domagoj Vida headed in a ball from a Luka Modric corner kick, and the headed ball got past two defenders and into the inside netting on the right, leaving Akinfeev with no chance to stop it. However, Russia leveled in the 115th, an Alan Dzagoev free kick meeting with Mario Fernandes' head, and this ball went far post and top corner to make the score tied again. In penalties, Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic stopped Fyodor Smolov's chip, as Russia went first. Marcelo Brozovic and Dzagoev converted their PKs, before Akinfeev denied Mateo Kovacic's strike. Fernandes had his blast just wide of the right post, and Modric had his attempt hit both post before going in. The next 3 penalties went in without a problem, leading Ivan Ratikic to seal the win, in which he did, fooling Akinfeev and shooting into an empty net. Croatia will play England for a spot in the finals on Wednesday.

The Croatian team celebrates as Akinfeev (left) sits in despair after failing to stop the winning kick.

Quarterfinal Recaps: France Move on, Belgium Withstand Brazilian Attack

Two of the semi-finalists were revealed for this World Cup as two of the quarterfinals were played today. The first game featured France and Uruguay. France had a chance when Kylian Mbappe headed a ball over the crossbar after his teammate Olivier Giroud set it up for him. In the 40th minute, Antoine Griezmann's long free kick was deflected into the back of the net by Raphael Varane, giving France the lead. Five minutes later, Uruguay had a long free kick of their own, in which French keeper Hugo Lloris dove to stop Martin Caceres' header, before Diego Godin blasted the rebound over the bar from just a yard out. France sealed the win in the 61st when Uruguay's keeper Fernando Muslera let the ball in his net. Griezmann's shot went directly to Muslera, but his parried attempt went behind him, falling into the net. Uruguay, without their main forward Edinson Cavani due to injury, were eliminated with 2-0 result.

In the Brazil-Belgium match, multiple close-range opportunities happened early, and frequently as well. In the 8th minute, Thiago Silva of Brazil had his header hit the near post before Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois retrieved it. In the 13th minute, Belgium went up when a corner from Nacer Chadli redirected off Vincent Kompany before hitting Brazil's Fernandinho's arm, landing inside the net for an own goal. Kevin De Bruyne made it 2-0 in the 31st after receiving a pass from Romelu Lukaku. De Bruyne calmly put his strike into the far left post, beating Brazil's keeper Alisson. In the 37th minute, Philippe Coutinho had a curling shot stopped by a diving Courtois, who also stopped Gabriel Jesus' header minutes before that. Brazil also claimed they had two penalty shouts, only to be denied by VAR. In the 76th, substitute Renato Augusto calmly placed his header past Courtois into the net after a cross from Coutinho. Later on, Brazil nearly made it 2-2 when Coutinho, after receiving a nice back pass from Neymar, skied him attempt in the 84th. But the best chance for Brazil to tie it came in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, when Neymar's shot just outside the box was denied by a diving Courtois. Belgium held on to secure their spot in the semis, and will play France next.

Muslera's gaffe ended up with his punch landing the ball into his own net

Quarterfinal Previews and Predictions: Sweden-England and Russia-Croatia

Who: Sweden v. England
Where: Samara Arena, Samara
When: July 7, 10 AM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 1-0 England: England, now the team with the best chance of reaching the final thanks to Spain's loss, will reach the semi-finals with a goal from leading scorer Harry Kane (who else?). The winning goal may come via PK, just like their lone goal against Colombia, but Sweden may force this game to extra time, and possibly penalties, if they can play very well defensively and complicate England's attacking ways.

Who: Russia v. Croatia
Where: Fisht Stadium, Sochi
When: July 7, 2 PM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-2: Croatia win on PKs: The more intriguing match between the two games played tomorrow, this will turn out to be a great match, with tons of goals and a penalty shootout. It will ultimately come down to the goalkeepers; Who will make more stops and saves in the shootout. Alhough Russia keeper Igor Akinfeev made two saves to beat Spain in PKs, Croatia's Danijel Subasic will be the winning goalkeeper to send his team through to the final four.

Quarterfinal Previews/Predictions: Uruguay-France and Brazil-Belgium

We are now reaching the last week of the World Cup, with only 8 matches left and 7/8 of the games done. I was 5/8 on my Round of 16 predictions, wrongly picking Spain, Switzerland, and Portugal. Tomorrow's games begin the quarterfinals. Here are my previews and predictions:

Who: Uruguay v. France
Where: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
When: July 6, 10 AM EST
Watch: Telemundo, FS1 (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 France: France will benefit from their youthful midfielders and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani's injury to move on to the semi-finals. Cavani, who scored both Uruguay goals in their 2-1 Round of 16 win, is doubtful to play, as soon as he found his scoring form. Could Luis Suarez take charge and score/make enough chances to get Uruguay through? France put 4 goals against Argentina to show how good they are in attacking.

Who: Brazil v. Belgium
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
When: July 6, 2 PM EST
Watch: Telemundo, FS1 (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Brazil (AET): This is the toughest match of the 2 to predict, but also in my opinion the more interesting one to watch. Brazil have beaten their last 3 opponents by the same scoreline (2-0), and are a reasonable candidate to win it all. Belgium, on the other hand, beat their 3 group stage opponents handily, only to avoid an embarrassing upset against Japan by scoring 3 goals in the last 25 minutes of that game. I believe Brazil will win a tight affair against Belgium, scoring another 2 goals, but they will concede a goal late.

Round of 16 Recaps: Sweden Get Lucky Against the Swiss, England Prevail in PKs

The final day of Round of 16 matches this World Cup ended with two close games. First up was the Sweden-Switzerland match. Switzerland, with only l loss in their last 25 games, were the slight favorite, and had a great chance in the opening seconds when Xherdan Shaqiri blasted a shot wide. Blerim Dzemaili had a shot that went right at Swedish keeper Robin Olsen in the 7th minute. In the 28th, a loose ball in the Swiss box landed to Marcus Berg, and Swiss keeper Yann Sommer kept out the low, bouncing ball from Berg. Before the half ended, both Switzerland and Sweden had one of their players missed a "sure" tap-in from a clever pass, both missing the frame and going well over the bar. In the 49th, Ola Toivonen of Sweden had a blast well over the bar, but Sweden would get the first goal in the 66th. Emil Forsberg's low driven shot looked to go directly to Sommer, but Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji deflected it with his foot, wrong footing Sommer, with the ball going into the left side of the net. Switzerland, who were missing two of their defenders due to yellow card accumulation, including their captain found themselves behind. Forsberg then blocked Breel Embolo's header, followed by Andreas Granqvist clearing it off the line in the 78th minute. Haris Seferovic had a header that Olsen kept out in the 91st, and soon Switzerland would themselves down a man when Michael Lang brought down Martin Olsson just outside the box on purpose to prevent a goal. On the last play of the game, Sommer blocked the ensuing free kick, and Sweden moved on.

Finally, the last quarterfinal spot came down to the winner between Colombia and England. James Rodriguez, Colombia's star player, was unable to play due to injury and was forced to watch in the front row of select stadium seats. In the 16th, WC 2018 leading scorer Harry Kane had a chance for England, but his header went over the goal. After a lot of physical fouls, especially by Colombia, Juan Quintero had a long shot right at English keeper Jordan Pickford. to end the half. In the 54th, Kane won a PK for England when he got dragged down in the box by Carlos Sanchez when the ball from the corner flag came near him. Kane converted the PK to bring his WC scoring tally to six. Colombia had trouble finding an equalizer, and kept fouling England, including a foul on Jesse Lingard in their box, but there was no penalty for England. In the 87th, Radamel Falcao had a shot from far out stopped by Pickford, and then a corner came for Colombia in the 90+3 minute. There, Yerry Mina got the tying goal, heading the ball down, and while England's Kieran Trippier tried to clear it, it hit the underside of the crossbar and in. This forced extra time, where the first 15 minutes of it led to more physical play between the two teams. Colombia dictated most of these 30 additional minutes, but in the 112th, England's Danny Rose had a shot from a tough angle just go wide of frame. Six minutes later, Colombian keeper David Ospina punched out an English free kick, and the game went to penalties. There, Colombia went first and Falcao put home the initial PK. Kane tied it at 1-1 with his attempt, and Juan Cuadrado, Marcus Rashford, and Luis Muriel converted theirs. Ospina denied Jordan Henderson's shot to make it 3-2, but had a chance to tie it when Mateus Uribe hit his off the bar. Trippier made it 3-3 after 4 rounds. In the fifth round, Carlos Bacca's shot was denied by Pickford, and Eric Dier sealed England's spot in the quarters, placing the ball right under Ospina's left hand.

The English football team reacts to Bacca's missed shot.

Round of 16 Recaps: Brazil Extends Mexico's Misery, Belgium Complete Epic Comeback

Mexico looked to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 when they played Brazil today in the Round of 16. Brazil's Neymar had a shot from far out that was parried away by Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 25th minute, after a stretch of Mexican-dictated play. In the 33rd minute, Ochoa's palms cleared away Gabriel Jesus' low curling strike. Immediately after halftime, Philippe Coutinho had his blast stopped only by Ochoa, moments before Brazil found their goal. In the 51st, a low cross from Willian found Neymar, who tapped it in from 2 yards out. In the 58th, Ochoa prevented Paulinho's attempt from going in, and then Ochoa had to tip Willian's far out strike over the crossbar. Mexico could not find an equalizer, and Brazil sealed their 2-0 win in the 88th when Roberto Firmino tapped in a low cross from Neymar. For the seventh straight World Cup, Mexico has lost in this Round, failing to make the quarterfinals.

Japan and Belgium played the later game today to determine who would play Brazil in the quarterfinals. Japan, huge underdogs, dictated the play within the first 15, creating more chances, before Belgium would do the same for the following 15 minutes. In the 35th, Takashi Inui landed a close range header right at Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois. Inui had another shot that was deflected real close to the net by Yuya Osako, where Courtois got the ball. Japan would get the lead when Genki Haraguchi got past the Belgium defense, and he slotted one past Courtois into the far left post in the 48th. Japan would make it 2-0 when Inui's long range strike beat Courtois, going inside the right post. Two minutes before Japan's 2nd, Eden Hazard of Belgium hammered a shot, only missing the net by hitting the woodwork in the 50th minute. In the 65th, it was almost 3-0 when Haraguchi put a header wide following Hiroki Sakai's cross. Jan Vertonghen cut the deficit in the 68th to 1 when his header from a wide, acute angle on the left side of the penalty box went over Japanese keeper Eiji Kawasima and into the side netting. It would be 2-2 in the 72nd when Marauane Fellaini headed home a ball past Kawashima from a Hazard cross. In the 87th, Kawashima stopped successive headers from Nacer Chadli and Romelu Lukaku, the latter forcing a corner that led to Kawashima stopping Vertonghen's shot. In the 90th, Courtois prevented an own goal after Axel Witsel tipped a pass backwards. Courtois then parried away Keisuke Honda's free kick in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, and Belgium found the winner a minute later. Thomas Meunier played a low cross that Lukaky let through his legs, so Chadli could strike it home. That was the last play of the game, completing an epic Belgium comeback to send them through.

Chadli (red) pokes home the game-winning goal - the last touch of the game.

Round of 16 Previews: Sweden-Switzerland and Colombia-England

Who: Sweden v. Switzerland
Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
When: July 3, 10 AM EST
Watch: Telemundo, FS1 (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Switzerland (AET): This game, just like the two matches played on Sunday, could very likely go to penalties. However, I believe Switzerland have overall played better this World Cup, getting a point against Brazil and beating European rival Serbia 2-1. This match could go either way, but I am more confident that Switzerland will win this one, even after Sweden's 3-0 rout of Mexico last week.

Who: Colombia v. England
Where: Spartak Stadium, Moscow
When: July 3, 2 PM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-2 (AET): England wins in PKs: Colombia, who may or may not have James Rodriguez play even if he is not fully fit, will lose a close match against England in penalties. Harry Kane will lead England and may score another brace tomorrow. However, the game may go in Colombia's favor should they get their star midfielder back in time for tomorrow.

Round of 16 Recaps: Russia Pull off Biggest WC Upset, Croatia Get Through in PKs

Russia pulled off what the FIFA magazine stated as "the biggest upset in World Cup history." In the 12th minute, the hosts found themselves down after an own goal. A Marco Asensio free kick was aimed for Sergio Ramos, but Russian defender Sergei Ignashevich pulled him down, and the ball went off him and in the net. In the 36th, Russian forward Aleksandr Golovin curls his shot just wide, but Russia would level 5 minutes later from a converted Artem Dzyuba PK. A Russian corner was met with Dzyuba's head, and the ball hit Gerald Pique's right hand. The ref pointed to the spot, and the game was tied. In the 45th, Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev stopped Diego Costa's header, jump-starting Akinfeev's career-changing day. Jordi Alba had a deflected shot from an Asensio cross saved by Akinfeev in the second half, before Andres Iniesta beat Akinfeev, but his shot hit the post and out. The game went to extra time, where Akinfeev staued alert, saving Asension's shot in the first 15 minutes of overtime, and then going down low to stop Rodrigo's close range blast before Dani Carvajal's rebounded was blocked. Spain had a penalty shout that ended up to be nothing as Pique fell in the box, and Rodrigo forced a diving save by Akinfeev in the 121st. In penalties, Spain went first, and it was 2-2 in penalties. Then, Akinfeev stopped Koke's shot that went left, before Golovin and Denis Cheryshev made it 4-3. Iago Aspas's shot was stopped by Akinfeev's foot in the 5th round to clinch Russia's spot in the quarterfinals.

The later game featured two European dark horses in Croatia and Denmark. Denmark went up in just 60 seconds when along throw in fell to Mathias Jorgenson, whose close range shot deflected off keeper Danijel Subasic, off the near left post, and in. Croatia equalized 3 minutes later when a awful caused by the entire Danish defense fell to Mario Mandzukic, who did not waste the close range opportunity. In the 27th, Subasic stopped Martin Braithwaite' shot, and Danish keeper Casper Schmeichel returned the favor 2 minutes with a save of his own, preventing Ivan Ratikic's shot from going in. The 72nd minute brought another shot from Denmark shot, this one from Nicolai Jorgensen that was saved. And Ante Rebic forced Schmeichel into a save 6 minutes later, when his strike outside the box reached Denmark's keeper. The game went to extra time, and when it seemed the game would reach penalties, Croatia got a PK in the 116th, a sure-to-be winner should the PK be converted. Ante Rebic got fouled by Zanka in the box after Rebic went past the keeper, but Schmeichel bailed out his teammate by stopping Luka Modric's weak PK. Modric had another shot in the 119th, but the result was insane. In penalties, Christian Eriksen and Denmark went first, and Eriksen's shot was stopped by Subasic, hitting the post as well. Milan Badelj missed him as Schmeichel played her again for Denmark keeping it 0-0 after round 1. The next two rounds had all PKs converted, before the following one had both Subasic and Schmeichel making impressive saves. In the 5th round, Jorgensen had his parried away  by Subasic, and Ivan Rakitic converted the final kick to send Croatia through in this penalty-kick filled match. The two winners will meet this Saturday.

 

Akinfeev with his game-clinching save against Spain (over on the left), and Subasic with his first PK save, against Eriksen (bottom).

Round of 16 Previews: Brazil-Mexico and Belgium-Japan

Who: Brazil v. Mexico
Where: Samara Arena, Samara
When: July 2, 10 AM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Brazil (AET): Mexico, for the seventh straight World Cup, will crash out in the Round of 16, failing once again to make the quarterfinals. Brazil has find its attacking groove with Philippe Coutinho and Neymar combining to score 3 goals so far this tournament. Mexico will keep it close, but will falter in extra time.

Who: Belgium v. Japan
Where: Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
When: July 2, 2 PM EST
Watch: Fox, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 3-0 Belgium: Japan's shocking World Cup (so far), will end tomorrow after their loss to Belgium. Japan beat Group H leaders Colombia, but they were up a man for nearly the entire game. Belgium, on the other hand, has showed that they can be viewed as a potential semi-finalist, beating minnows easily, handing England a 1-0 loss, and being on the easier side of the bracket.