Because of a missed penalty kick, the Saudi team missed the Asian miracle of qualifying one round ahead of schedule. Previously, Asian teams had never prepared for one round earlier in the World Cup group stage. Although the Saudi team had the upper hand, the team made a significant mistake on the defensive end due to the absence of captain Faraj and full-back Shahrani due to injuries. S. Dow Sarri missed another critical penalty kick, so he can only pin his hope of qualifying in the final round with Mexico.
After defeating Argentina 2-1 in the first game, the Saudi team initially had a bright prospect of qualifying. Still, unfortunately, they failed to seize the opportunity in the second round against Poland. The Saudi team’s performance against European teams has always been poor. They only won one in the last 10 World Cups against European teams. To end the undefeated and qualify early, the Saudi coach Heinakh made three adjustments in the starting lineup, except for replacing the two wounded vacancies, and Amri replaced Tambakti. I did not expect this to be a turning point in the game.
Compared with Mexico’s dull draw in the first round, the Polish team changed decisively, from a conservative 451 to 442. Milik partnered with Lewandowski on the front line to increase the sense of presence in the penalty area. The Polish team learned the lessons of the first game against Mexico, and the defensive end was exceptionally tenacious. The Saudi squad attacked rapidly in the first half, and the Polish team was slightly overwhelmed. However, the Saudi team could not finish in front of the goal, and Polish goalkeeper Szczesny resolved several good shots. After withstanding the Saudi team’s first offensive, Poland’s counterattack quickly tore through the Saudi team’s defense. After Lewandowski received his teammate’s cross from the right and the shot was blocked, he turned around and passed it back to the goal. Saudi central defender Amri lost his position, causing Zelinski to score unattended in the small penalty area easily.
The Saudi team missed a penalty kick that could change the trend of the game in the first half. Belik tripped Shehri in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty kick after watching VAR, but S. Dawsari’s shot angle was too optimistic and was saved by Szczesny, and Szczesny blocked Blake’s close shot from the crossbar. Although the Saudi team did their best, the Polish team’s counterattack was sharp. If it weren’t for the help of the goalpost, Lewandowski would not have had to wait until the 82nd minute to rely on the low-level error of the Saudi midfielder Malki to stop the ball and seal the victory single-handedly after stealing the ball. This is Lewandowski’s first World Cup goal and brings his national team’s goals to 77.
After the defeat, the Saudi team ruined all the advantages accumulated by defeating Argentina in the first game. They must defeat Mexico in the final match to ensure their qualification. However, as the World Cup group stage enters the second round, the overall trend of Asian teams continues to rise.
After Saudi Arabia and Japan upset Argentina and Germany in the first round, and South Korea drew with Uruguay, the three world champions, Iran, which suffered a 2-6 defeat in the first round, beat Wales 2-0 in stoppage time, ending Iran’s World Cup match against Europe. The team is undefeated in history. It also made the battle between Iran and the United States in the final round of the group stage a highly anticipated final match. Iran coach Queiroz said bluntly after the game that this would be the most crucial game of his coaching career. This game will carry too much meaning, like the US-Iran war in the 1998 World Cup.
The Australian team also lost 1-4 in the first round. In the second round, relying on Duke’s goal, they beat Tunisia 1-0 and won the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. The last time Australia won a World Cup was in 2010, when they beat Serbia 2-1. At the same time, this is the third victory in the World Cup history of the Australian team. During this period, Australia’s record in the World Cup was only seven matches, one draw, and six losses. Australia once again kept a clean sheet in 48 years. It had only one clean sheet in 17 games in the previous 6 World Cups, which was a 0-0 draw with Chile in 1974. After defeating Tunisia, Australia saw the hope of qualifying again. At the end of the group stage against Denmark, the initiative is still in the hands of the Kangaroos.
Except for the host Qatar, which was eliminated early in the two games, the remaining five Asian teams have won four, tying all the victories of the Asian teams four years ago. Besides that, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Iran, and Australia will keep their hopes of qualifying until the final round of the group stage. Asian football is expected to surpass 2002 and 2010, with more than two teams entering the top 16 of the World Cup. The Qatar World Cup is in stark contrast to four years ago. At that time, Saudi Arabia and South Korea lost the first two games and were eliminated early. Japan and Iran had 4 points, but the former entered the round of 16 with fair play points, while the latter was eliminated with regret.
Halfway through the group stage, the 6 Asian teams have ten matches, four wins, one draw, and five losses. The winning rate is as high as 40%, second only to Europe, far surpassing the African team with only one win. Whether a miracle can be created in the end depends on the performance of the five Asian teams in the final round of the group stage.