You’ve already seen how the groups will shape up, and if not, take a look here.
Round of 16:
Uruguay (3)1-1(5) Portugal: The intensity will ramp up for these teams after playing in softer groups. After a few minutes of somewhat tepid play, these two nations, who have traditionally been in the second tier, will begin to put on a show. Uruguay will look for Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani to provide special moments, while the Portuguese will likely see Cristiano Ronaldo doing everything for his team in what is his last major tournament close to the peak of his powers. Ultimately, the two teams will find themselves in a penalty shootout, where after a Rui Patricio save, Ronaldo will step up to slot the glory penalty home and send Portugal to the quarters.
France 2-0 Nigeria: A rematch of the 2014 round of 16, Nigeria will again be powerless against the attacking weapons from the French. Expect Les Bleus to cruise to victory over the Super Eagles, who once more will look a class below the top teams in the world.
Spain 4-1 Egypt: The Spaniards are too good for the Egyptians, and Mohamed Salah’s tournament will come to an end with Spain knocking the ball around with their eyes practically closed, tormenting Egypt and scoring a couple of wonderful goals in the process.
Argentina 2-0 Denmark: Lionel Messi will be enough to win this game. It’s easy to forget how vital he is when his Barcelona teammates are also on song, but when he ends up with his country and the top class players on the field with him, for whatever reason, don’t perform, Messi can still elevate Argentina to be among the world’s elite. Denmark simply can’t cope with that. Argentina’s number 10 will score one and go on a nearly impossible run to put a goal on a plate for Aguero.
Brazil 5-2 Mexico: These are two teams that love to entertain, and they won’t disappoint in their round of 16 matchup. Despite the look of the scoreline, this won’t be the same limp performance that Mexico provided in its 7-0 loss to Chile two summers ago. Instead it will be a vibrant effort that threatens to push Brazil to the brink and takes a few vital saves from Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson to keep the Mexicans at bay.
Belgium 1-2 Senegal AET: People forget that Belgium nearly lost to the USA at this stage in Brazil and flopped in similarly embarrassing fashion at the Euros, losing to Wales in the quarterfinals. Senegal is better than both of those teams in the back and boast Sadio Mane up front, and early complacency from Kevin De Bruyne and Co. will cost them a win after a Kalidou Koulibaly header in extra time. Mane will, of course, be vital to the goal, winning the corner after picking up the ball deep in his own half.
Germany 3-1 Switzerland: This is routine work for the defending champions as they dispatch of a Switzerland side that simply can’t keep up with the quality the Germans bring. The air will be out of this game by the 70th minute and whoever the German goalkeeper is (either Manuel Neuer or Marc Andre ter Stegen) will be livid when the Germans concede a sloppy goal in stoppage time.
Colombia (4)2-2(1) England: This is the best English side we’ve seen since 2006, and they’ll be determined to retain some pride after losing to Iceland in the Euros. In a thrilling end-to-end match, chalk full of goalkeeper mistakes from David Ospina, clinical Harry Kane finishing, and James Rodriguez magic, the two teams will find themselves in penalties after a desperate final five minutes from the Three Lions. For those who don’t know the unwritten rules of the World Cup, here’s Unwritten Rule Number 1: England always loses on penalties.
Quarterfinals:
Portugal 1-2 France AET: A rematch of the Euro 2016 final, the French will have revenge on their minds. They’ll get it with an early goal in extra time after a cagey 90 minutes of regulation, but in their bid to protect their lead once Portugal throws everyone forward, N’Golo Kante will pick up a costly yellow card that rules him out of the semifinal.
Brazil 3-1 Senegal: Senegal’s magical run ends as Neymar terrorizes the Senegalese right back and Philippe Coutinho scores a brace. The Brazilians cruise back to the semifinals, and Senegal leaves with their heads held high after taking a couple of scalps with them like they did in 2002.
Spain 2-0 Argentina: Messi is brilliant, but the Spaniards are used to pressing as soon as they lose the ball to win it back. Many of them play for Barcelona and Real Madrid as well and know Messi’s style of play front and back. As soon as they lose the ball, Spain will make sure that someone is touch tight with Messi, and when Messi has the ball, they’ll make sure there are two defenders there. When Messi finally wriggles free, and a man of his quality always will, David de Gea will be there to make the saves. Messi will need the help of his teammates, and for the past few years, none have been able to do that for him.
Germany 2-0 Colombia: With James Rodriguez now playing for Bayern Munich in Germany, his German club teammates know all about his style of play and how to stop it. Add that to the fact that the Germans will likely have most of the ball, and it should be a fifth straight semifinal for them, though they’ll have been made to sweat for it by a passionate Colombian side.
Semifinals:
France 2-3 Brazil AET: Without Kante, the French will be much more vulnerable than they were earlier in the tournament. Against the Brazilians, Neymar and Coutinho will have a field day running at the exposed back four with Paul Pogba caught too far forward. The replacement for Kante won’t replicate the one-of-a-kind exploits of the diminutive midfielder. A Neymar free kick after a cynical Laurent Koscielny challenge will seal the win for the Brazilians, who fell 7-1 at this stage four years ago.
Spain 2-1 Germany: Spain is back. The defending champions have no answer to the intricacies and combinations that the Spanish front six produce, and Germany’s lack of a proven striker at the highest level proves their downfall as de Gea produces a big save from a one-on-one late in the match to keep the scoreline at 2-1 and once again eliminate the Germans at the penultimate stage.
Third Place:
France 3-2 Germany: Third place games are about entertainment, and with France and Germany having, in essence, nothing to play for, they put on a show. Pogba, pulls out all the fancy flicks and tricks, Kylian Mbappe exposes the German back line for pace, and Leroy Sane shows why he’s a mainstay in Pep Guardiola’s imperious Manchester City lineup. Ultimately, Anthony Martial will score a brilliant solo goal to earn the French a first World Cup “podium” finish since reaching the final in 2006. The European powers provide breathtaking match for the neutral fans, the only reason for this game to continue to exist.
Final:
Brazil (5)2-2(4) Spain: In what is the most exciting final for a long time, both teams fly in for crunching tackles. The attacking brilliance of both sides is on display while the midfields get stretched because of the pace of the final. A 1-1 scoreline after 90 minutes leads to an even more thrilling extra time, with Brazil scoring through Gabriel Jesus before Spain equalizes with a Sergio Ramos header. Ramos is then sent off for a poor challenge on substitute Willian, only for de Gea to save the ensuing free kick from the top corner. In the shootout, Ederson saves from Gerard Pique, who takes a penalty because Ramos couldn’t, and starts conspiracy theories that Pique missed on purpose because he’s a supporter of Catalan independence after Neymar scores the winning penalty for Brazil just like he did in the Olympics. Brazil wins its sixth World Cup.
The excitement of the knockout stages saves the tournament from what will be a drab group stage, and the Brazilians shed the trauma of the 7-1 loss to Germany on home soil.
