The fifth day of World Cup action arrives on Monday, looking to match the energy and excitement on show throughout Sunday’s four thrillers.
Germany bounced back from a slow start to slice through Curaçao en route to a 7–1 victory that marked the most emphatic performance of the tournament so far, before the Netherlands and Japan played out a thoroughly entertaining 2–2 draw.
Côte d’Ivoire’s late 1–0 win over Ecuador was an excellent watch for neutrals, before Sweden’s display of ruthless finishing led Graham Potter’s side to a 5–1 triumph over Tunisia.
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Tasked with following the goals and drama on Monday is Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites to go all the way in North America. An opening fixture against debutants Cabo Verde could provide the perfect start for Luis de la Fuente’s side.
Belgium takes on Egypt and Saudi Arabia battles Uruguay as the day progresses, before Iran vs. New Zealand rounds out Monday’s action.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to what’s ahead.
Spain will expect to make light work of Cabo Verde in the first of Monday’s four games.
Many are backing La Roja as potential world champions and De la Fuente will demand his side live up to that billing against a Cabo Verde outfit that, with all due respect, should be nowhere near Spain’s level. FIFA’s world rankings separate the two sides by 65 places.
Will we get a repeat of Germany’s thumping of Curaçao? If Spain has its way, it could be even worse.
Belgium may be on the wrong side of a golden generation, but the European outfit will still be confident of a deep run this summer. Much will be learned from Monday’s meeting with a tricky Egypt side.
Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne are the elder statesmen in this Belgium roster, which now appears to be headlined by Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku. Romelu Lukaku, now 33, remains in the squad but appears set to play a reserve role this summer.
On the other side of the pitch, Egypt will lean on departing Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah to try and make a statement at this World Cup. Ranked 29th in the world, the Pharaohs have enough about them to cause problems for Belgium.
Saudi Arabia has attracted plenty of global attention since the 2022 World Cup, having splashed millions and millions to attract some of the world’s elite to its domestic league. At the World Cup, however, it is all about the Saudi nationals.
Just how far has the country’s soccer program has come over the past four years will be the subject of scrutiny as Saudi Arabia kicks off its campaign against a Uruguay outfit always seen as a potential dark horse.
Uruguay is the clear favorite, but Saudi Arabia’s determination to prove a point could lead to a thoroughly entertaining game.
Iran will seek to justify its place as FIFA’s 20th-ranked team in the world when it takes on New Zealand in Monday’s final fixture.
There has been a lot going on off-field for this Iran side, but the players will seek to drown out the noise and let their soccer do the talking, led by 33-year-old Mehdi Taremi in attack.
As for New Zealand, there will be an awareness that this fixture may well be the team’s best bet at getting anything from this group stage. All eyes will be on social media megastar Tim Payne, the 32-year-old right back who has risen from anonymity to become a household name among a certain generation of supporters.
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