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2018 FIFA World Cup Group D Match 2 Recap

By Alex Zatarain
AFP DIMITAR DILKOFF

Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup featured two lopsided matches. Argentina, one of the most disappointing teams in the tournament, fell in embarrassing fashion to Croatia. Nigeria put themselves back into contention with a victory against Iceland.

Argentina  v Croatia 

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After a disappointing start to the World Cup Argentina looked to get into a groove against a Croatia team that won their game prior.

First Half

Croatia got things off on the right foot as Ivan Rakitic sent a pass to Ivan Perisic, who then forced Argentina keeper Willy Caballero to make a save in the 5th minute.

La Albiceleste responded later with a shot from Maximiliano Meza from the middle of the box, resulting in a block from a defender.

The final opportunity of the half came minutes before the whistle. Luka Modric got a through ball to Ante Rebic, who could not get a first touch and sent the ball high and wide.

At this point, Lionel Messi had been relatively quiet, leaving Argentina with little to show.

Second Half

Argentina got off to a good start in the second half, with shots by Marcos Acuna in the 49th and Sergio Aguero in the 53rd forcing great defensive plays by Croatia.

Things took a turn shortly after. Gabriel Mercado passed the ball back to Caballero, who attempted to lob the ball over Rebic. Instead, the ball was scooped up, allowing Rebic to strike the ball with a clinical finish.

Jorge Sampaoli knew the implications at this point, so he brought in Gonzalo Higuaín to replace Sergio Aguero. A risk proving to be costly.

The substitution helped the Argentine attack but left them vulnerable on the defensive end.

In the 80th minute, Modric looked for an open shot 10 yards outside of the box. A right footed curler came back just inside to give Croatia a 2-0 lead.

The dagger came in the 91st. Rakitic took the initial shot at goal, which was then saved by Caballero. The rebound fell to Mateo Kovacic, leading to Argentina defenders pleading for offside call. It never came. Kovacic passed the ball to Rakitic to seal the deal.

 

Nigeria  v Iceland 

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Nigeria came into this match knowing a loss would eliminate them from moving forward. Iceland, with an inspiring draw against Argentina in their World Cup opener, looked to put themselves in position to put themselves in position for a knockout round berth.

First Half

Iceland got off to a fast start behind Gylfi Sigurdsson, who forced Francis Uzoho to make two saves in the opening minutes.

Sigurdsson’s impact was felt early, as he was fouled to create yet another opportunity in form of a free kick. The kick, taken by Birkir Bjarnason, forces Uzoho to make yet another save in the 21st minute.

Iceland would take five shots in the first half, coming up short in all of them. Nigeria, on the other hand, lacked in offense. No shots in the first half brought into question whether they had enough to break down the Icelandic defense.

Second Half

The question above would be answered quickly.

Victor Moses started a counter for Nigeria, taking the ball down the right flank. He found Ahmed Musa, who put a good first touch to stop the ball and volleyed it in.

Wilfred Ndidi put another great shot on goal for Nigeria in the 57th minute, forcing Hannes Halldórsson to make a save to avoid going down 2-0.

Iceland were failing to generate the opportunities they made in the first half, as Nigeria began to take full control.

The 75th minute would completely deflate Iceland’s hopes. Musa dribbled down the right side, going around the defense and around the keeper. Two defenders attempted to block the shot but Musa’s great individual effort would not be denied.

However, Iceland were given a new chance at life, or at least get one back for goal differential.

Alfred Finnbogason was tripped in the box and was initially ignored. After some help from VAR, Iceland were awarded the penalty. Gylfi Sigurdsson beat the keeper but sent the ball sailing over the crossbar.

 

With both matches done, Croatia have locked up their spot in the knockout rounds with six points. Nigeria are second with three points, followed by Iceland and Argentina with one.

Croatia will play Iceland and Nigeria against Argentina. Iceland and Argentina would see themselves out of the World Cup if they finish their third matches with draws or losses. Nigeria needs a draw or win over Argentina to move on.

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