Tuesday’s World Cup Fixtures
The FIFA World Cup Round of 32 continues with three significant matches scheduled for Tuesday. These games will determine three more teams advancing to the Round of 16. The day’s action includes Ivory Coast against Norway, France facing Sweden, and co-hosts Mexico playing Ecuador.
The first match sees Ivory Coast take on Norway at Dallas Stadium in Texas. Following this, France and Sweden will compete at New York/New Jersey Stadium. The final game of the day features Mexico against Ecuador at Mexico City Stadium.
Key Match Previews
The encounter between Ivory Coast and Norway marks their first competitive meeting. Historically, Ivory Coast has found European opposition challenging in the World Cup. Conversely, Norway has a strong record against African teams, having lost only two of their 19 matches against CAF nations across all competitions. The Opta supercomputer predicts Norway as the favourites to advance, winning in normal time in 56.1 percent of simulations, compared to 21.6 percent for Ivory Coast.
Norway’s star striker, Erling Haaland, has been a prominent figure in the tournament, scoring four goals in two matches. He is expected to be a key player for Norway, with winger Antonio Nusa also crucial in creating scoring opportunities. Ivory Coast, making their first appearance in the knockout stage, will likely focus on containing Haaland. Their squad includes talents like Nicolas Pepe, who has scored two goals, and Amad Diallo and Franck Kessie, each with one goal.
In the match between France and Sweden, France holds a historical advantage, with 12 wins in 23 previous meetings across all competitions, compared to Sweden’s six wins. This will be their first-ever meeting in a FIFA World Cup. The Opta supercomputer gives France a significant edge, with a 75.1 percent chance of winning in normal time in pre-match simulations, while Sweden had a 9.5 percent chance.
France enters this stage as one of the tournament favourites, having scored at least three goals in each of their group stage games. Key players for France include Kylian Mbappé, who has four goals and an assist, and Ousmane Dembélé, also with four goals and an assist. Sweden will need an exceptional performance to overcome the French side, despite having strong forwards like Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak.
The match between Mexico and Ecuador is anticipated to be competitive. Their only previous FIFA World Cup encounter saw Mexico secure a 2-1 victory in the group stage of the 2002 tournament. Recent meetings have been closely contested, with their last three encounters ending in draws, suggesting a potential for extra time in this Round of 32 tie.
The Opta supercomputer gives co-hosts Mexico an advantage, with a 47.1 percent chance of winning in normal time, compared to 23.7 percent for Ecuador. The probability of a draw after 90 minutes was 29.2 percent. Mexico has had a strong group stage campaign, winning all their matches and not conceding any goals. Ecuador, despite a strong defence, has faced challenges on the offensive side in earlier games.
Teams Advancing and Eliminated
The Round of 32 has already seen some notable results. Canada advanced after defeating South Africa 1-0. Brazil secured their spot by beating Japan 2-1. Paraguay caused a significant upset by eliminating Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Morocco also progressed after defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
Morocco’s victory over the Netherlands was decided by a 3-2 penalty shootout in Monterrey, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou making a crucial save. Ismael Saibari scored the decisive spot-kick for Morocco. Germany’s early exit came after Paraguay won their penalty shootout 4-3, following a 1-1 draw in normal time. Paraguay’s president declared Tuesday a national holiday to celebrate the team’s victory.
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Source: aljazeera.com
