The second round of the group stage of the World Cup kicks off. On Saturday, several teams that performed brightly in their first matches, including Germany, Sweden, and Japan, will take to the field.
The final stage of the World Cup will continue with four group stage matches that could significantly impact the standings in groups E and F.
The match day will open with the meeting of the Netherlands and Sweden in Houston. The match will start at 20:00 Latvian time.
The Swedish national team approached the second round in good spirits after a confident victory over Tunisia with a score of 5:1. The Netherlands, on the other hand, dropped points in their first match, drawing with Japan — 2:2.
One of the key players for Sweden in the opening match was Alexander Isak, who was involved in three of his team's goals. For the Netherlands, Ryan Gravenberch stood out, providing two assists.
Later, at 23:00, Germany will face Ivory Coast. The Germans started the tournament with one of the loudest results of the first round, crushing Curaçao 7:1.
The Ivory Coast national team also started with a victory, narrowly defeating Ecuador. Therefore, the winner of this match could significantly advance towards the knockout stage after just two rounds.
At night in group E, Ecuador will play against Curaçao. For these teams, the match will be an opportunity to rectify their positions after a disappointing start to the tournament.
What is important to know: with the new format of the World Cup, not only the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, but also the eight best teams that finish in third place. Therefore, even after a defeat in the first round, teams still have a realistic chance to continue their fight.
The match day will conclude with the meeting of Tunisia and Japan in Monterrey.
This match will go down in history as the one-thousandth game of the World Cup. In the entire history of the tournament, there have been 999 matches before it.
Japan already has successful experience in matches against Tunisia at the World Cups. In 2002, the Japanese, who co-hosted the tournament with South Korea, won 2:0.
The second round is gradually beginning to determine the first participants of the knockout stage and the teams that will have to fight for survival. After Saturday's matches, the standings in groups E and F may become significantly clearer.
