After an eventful weekend and the first day of dramatic simultaneous round 3 matches in the books on Monday, the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup are starting to take shape in Russia.
On Monday, Uruguay put an end to host Russia's dream start to the tournament, winning 3-0 to secure the top spot in Group A. Luis Suarez kickstarted the action with a free kick goal in the 10th minute, and an own goal by Russia’s leading scorer Denis Cheryshev less than 15 minutes later followed by an Edinson Cavani shot in the 90th minute sealed the deal for the Uruguayans.
Despite the defeat, Russia continues on to the knockout stage as the runner-up of Group A.
In the other Group A match, Saudi Arabia edged out Egypt 2-1 with a 95th-minute goal. The Pharaohs, who had originally taken the lead in the 22nd minute through a Mo Salah left-footed shot, departs Russia still in search of its first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup finals (0-5-2 all-time).
In Group B, both Spain and Portugal -- who tied with each other 3-3 in their opening match -- narrowly escaped and qualified for the Round of 16. Morocco presented a valiant effort and drew with Spain 2-2, while Iran's stoppage-time penalty secured a 1-1 draw against Portugal.
Spain continues in the tournament as Group B winners as they have scored more goals than the Portuguese side. They will face Russia, while Portugal will be up against Uruguay.
Monday’s games follow an exciting weekend where all countries completed their second match of the tournament.
Some of the outstanding matchups include England’s 6-1 sterling finish over Panama, and defending champions Germany’s gasp of relief after their 2-1 victory. The stoppage-time goal by Germany's Toni Kroos against Sweden kept the team's knockout round hopes alive.
The results of these matches inevitably pleased some Fire players. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had earlier tweeted his best wishes for the German side, celebrated their victory.
Mo Adams -- who started the day with a visit to the set of Fox's "Good Day Chicago" -- also was particularly thrilled with England's 6-1 result. He first tweeted:
Then later retweeted a gif from BBC:
Early on Monday morning, the 21-year-old Englishman headed to downtown Chicago for an interview with Fox 32 News and talked about his Fire season and the World Cup. While it may not be a surprise which team Adams is rooting for, he discussed who he thought was the dark horse of the tournament.
Groups C and D finish up their third and final group matches on Tuesday, June 26. Here are the games:
- 9 AM CT: Australia vs Peru (Group C)
- 9 AM CT: Denmark vs France (Group C)
- 1 PM CT: Nigeria vs Argentina (Group D)
- 1 PM CT: Iceland vs Croatia (Group D)
With less than 30 games to go, follow the Chicago Fire World Cup Central for more news in the upcoming weeks and our Fire social media hub for more player and team updates, also check out Watch Party opportunities across Chicago to join in the action.
