Welcome to Tunisia v Japan Live from Estadio Monterrey
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Tunisia v Japan from Estadio Monterrey. Kick-off in this Group F clash is 9pm local time (12am EDT/5am BST/2pm AEST).
Wherever you happen to be in the world, thank you for joining me on what might be considered the graveyard shift of the entire tournament. There isn’t the novelty of the first round of group matches, nor the jeopardy of the third, and our cups already runneth over thanks to three of the matches played so far this matchday.
Moreover, Tunisia were so poor against Sweden the other day that they dismissed their manager immediately, while Japan appeared composed against the Netherlands, suggesting the result might not require the clairvoyance of Paul the octopus.
That is not to say there is nothing at stake. Tunisia must secure a positive result to remain alive in the competition. Japan will aim to confirm their place in the knockout stages before facing a Sweden side that boasts one of the most impressive forward lines in the draw.
Perhaps, despite my pessimism, we will witness an exciting match.
I will return shortly with team news and a summary of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime, you can enjoy the fallout from Curacao’s surprising draw against Ecuador in Group E and email any thoughts about the World Cup to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@the.com.
Netherlands Assert Themselves with a 5-1 Victory Over Sweden
The first result to influence the standings this matchday was the Netherlands announcing themselves as serious contenders with a 5-1 thrashing of Sweden in a highly entertaining encounter. It’s now up to Japan to keep pace in Group F.
"When given oxygen the Netherlands were simply too good, scoring straight after the restart when Summerville twisted Sweden inside out and allowed Dumfries to cross again. Gakpo could not miss from a couple of yards and, enjoying a wildly productive afternoon of his own, proceeded to score another. This time he took a pass from Summerville, who had not been deemed fit to start, and cracked low to Kristoffer Nordfeldt’s right from 20 yards."
Germany Secure Knockout Stage Spot with Late Victory Over Côte d’Ivoire
Germany possess a supremely talented squad and an innovative young coach, but their hopes have often depended on the ability of the unfancied Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav to find the back of the net. So far, so good.
"Some footballing stereotypes just will not fade away. Germany may no longer be the mirthless, methodical winning machine who would slowly maul their opponents until they inevitably engineered victory, but, evidently, they still know how to fashion match-winners from final moments."
Consequently, Germany will participate in the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in 12 years after another victory at the death. Côte d’Ivoire had taken the lead in a lively encounter on Saturday through Franck Kessié’s 30th-minute goal for Les Éléphants. However, it was cancelled out by Deniz Undav’s 68th-minute equaliser and 94th-minute winner for Die Mannschaft.
