¡Viva México! What an incredible opening round of matches at the FIFA World Cup. Several favorites underperformed–looking at you France, Argentina, Germany, and Brazil–while others finally lived up to expectations. The result of the tournament so far is easily Mexico’s 1-0 win over the reigning world champions. The goal sent a country into a frenzy and literally caused a seismic event.
On the latest episode of our Cup Talk series is Marc Damon and he is joined by El Tri supporter and PSG Talk contributor Eduardo Razo–who spoke about the team’s chances prior to the tournament starting. The shock win over Germany puts Mexico in the driver’s seat in Group F and Die Mannschaft have no margin for error now as they attempt to qualify for the knockout stage.
Brazil’s 1-1 draw against Switzerland was another surprise result. Led by Neymar Jr., Brazil were far from their best and their midfield seemed to struggle to move the ball at times. The main talking point from this match was the treatment of Paris Saint-Germain’s highest paid player. The Swiss players targeted Neymar and fouled him more than any other player in World Cup history. They pulled on his shirt, crashed into him, and kicked out his legs whenever he touched the ball. Surprisingly, not a single Swiss player was sent off.
Neymar is the first player to win 10+ fouls in a single game at the 2018 #WorldCup
Special treatment from the Swiss. pic.twitter.com/oBrkLPTr1i
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 17, 2018
Argentina was another team with plenty of talking points. A day after Cristiano Ronaldo recorded a hat trick against Spain in a thrilling 3-3 draw, Lionel Messi led his Argentina side to a 1-1 result against Iceland–who are participating in their first World Cup. Late in the game, Messi had a chance to put his team up a goal from the penalty spot but was unable to convert. Is this the same old Messi we’re used to in this tournament or can they turn it around in time?
Damon and Razo discuss all this, plus France’s 2-1 win over Australia that was greatly influenced by technology, and more on the latest Cup Talk podcast. Thanks for listening!
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