Football there were exciting moments at the men’s World Championships, when more playoff spots were decided on the night between Thursday and Friday.
Ecuador unexpectedly beat Germany 2–1 and firmly held on to the next place. Defeated Germany, however, won Group E ahead of Ivory Coast, who toppled Curaçao. Ecuador was third in the group, but will make it to the next round.
In the Germany match, in addition to one referee’s farce, Finnish colors were also seen on the field, when a person of Finnish background Malick Thiaw was replaced on the field for his World Cup debut.
Sweden, who played in a 1-1 draw with Japan in the final round, is in a similar situation to Ecuador. Sweden is third in group F, but at the top of the group three comparisons and thus certainly in the playoffs. The Netherlands beat Tunisia 3–1 and won Group F, Japan finished second.
The lively World Cup night culminated when Turkey rose to a dramatic 3–2 victory over the host country, the United States, in extra time. However, there was no stake in the match, as the victory of the United States in Group D and Turkey’s jumbo place were certain beforehand.
At the same time, Australia secured their place in the next round with a 0-0 draw against Paraguay. Paraguay also still has chances for the playoffs.
HS follows the competition events moment by moment. The tracking opens below.