Wednesday Cannon Fodder: World Cup Day 4

As the World Cup does, the matches roll on. Today, we had Morocco-Croatia for the early game. Germany and Japan are kicking off as I write this. Spain and Costa Rice face off at 11 am, and Belgium take on Canada at 2 pm.

Argentina 1 - Saudi Arabia 2: the shock result of the World Cup. One of the most shocking scorelines ever in football. I think Argentina will be fine - the Mexico-Poland draw means they still control their own fate to advance from the group. The Albiceleste outplayed Saudi Arabia, winning the xG battle 2.3 to .12. Credit to the Saudis where it’s due — they played their risky offside line extremely well, and scored a worldie of a goal.

Denmark 0 - Tunisia 0: one of the more enjoyable nil-nils I can remember watching. It was an even match, both sides had decent chances, but nobody could find the back of the net. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tunisia’s #14 Aïssa Laïdouni - that man is an absolute unit, and he can ball.

Mexico 0 - Poland 0: a pretty dull nil-nil. Neither side really established a rhythm to their play, and the match felt choppy. Robert Lewandowski had a second-half penalty saved by Memo Ochoa. As good as Lewandowski has been for his club teams, he has really struggled to find that form for his country. Ochoa is the opposite — he’s fine for club and turns into Superman for his country.

France 4 - Australia 1: like fellow favorite England, France showed everyone why they have among the shortest odds to win the tournament. Australia struck first inside 10 minutes, but after that, it was all France. Olivier Giroud netted a brace, tying Thierry Henry for the most goals all-time for France. Pretty good career for a guy who was playing in the 3rd division at 21 years old. Also, Kylian Mbappe is that guy. He’s the best player in the world right now.

And because it’s Wednesday, you’re getting a Sporcle quiz, too. World Cup Goal Scorers. How many of the top scorers can you name?