Five things we learned from matchday 3 in Group F

It goes without saying that Group F didn’t turn out as planned, and from a neutral perspective, that’s fantastic. Matchday three in Group F proved to be just as exciting as the final games were in Group D, and without further ado, here are five key talking points from all the games played in this quartet.

Remember, reigning champions Germany were expected to top the quartet. That didn’t turn out as planned. Here are five notable talking points from matchday three in Group F, which is still causing shockwaves around the world.

1. The “Champions Curse” is very much still a real thing

And then there were four. Germany now joins fellow European sides France, Italy, and Spain to become the fourth reigning champion to crash out at the group stage since 1998. The only one to avoid this fate was Brazil, who made it to the quarter-finals in 2006 after clinching the trophy in 2002.

Die Mannschaft huffed and puffed, but their opening day loss to Mexico ultimately proved to be their undoing. Germany may have edged out Sweden, but it was far from a convincing performance and suffered a humiliating 2-0 loss to an already-eliminated Korea to put them out of their misery and send them packing from Group F.

The last team to successfully defend their title was Brazil, in 1958, and 1962. And by the looks of things, it seems like that long-standing record is set to continue for another few decades at least.

2. Could this be the tournament of the underdogs?

No one gave Sweden much of a chance of getting out of Group F. In fact, many pundits and fans had expected it to be Germany to win without much fuss, leaving Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea to fight for second place – although El Tri was given the slight edge over the Scandanivan and Asian side.

Well, we’re all learning that Sweden deserves their fair share of respect. After all, they managed to finish second in their group, behind France and ahead of a more favored Netherlands side. They also are the team who denied four-time World Cup winners Italy a spot at their first World Cup since 1958. They did beat Korea thanks to a penalty, leaving many to wonder if they would be a 1-0 sort of team. But against Germany, they really stepped up and were unfortunate not to get a penalty call in their favor after Jerome Boateng’s blatant push in the box. Despite that loss, many expected Mexico to come out on top, especially as El Tri had already seen off Germany and Korea.

Well, most were wrong. Sweden came out swinging and recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Mexico, showing that they’re not just a “one goal and done” kind of squad. They now finish as group leaders of a quartet no one figured they’d even get out of. And as for Korea, their performance against Germany deserves well plaudits. The Taegeuk Warriors had nothing to play for but pride, but they made it clear they weren’t going to allow themselves to be humiliated as they stuck the dagger in with a 2-0 win and at least can go home knowing they didn’t finish bottom of Group F.

3. Something’s gone awfully awry for Germany

That’s certainly an understatement, but was the writing already on the wall? Die Mannschaft hardly appeared convincing in their warm-up friendlies, struggling past Saudi Arabia, losing to Austria, and when it came to teams on the same level, such as Spain and Brazil, they again came up short. There will be a major inquest, and Joachim Low is likely to see the door, but certainly, Germany has a lot of soul-searching to do after their horror show in Russia this summer.

4. Mexico and the hoodoo of the fifth game

The elusive fifth game. It’s been a problem for Mexico for the longest time, who have repeatedly been thwarted at the round of 16 in their last six World Cups. The last time El Tri made it to the quarter-finals was back in 1986 when they hosted it.

At the start of matchday three, Mexico was in the top spot, meaning that they would play the group runners-up in Group E. Unfortunately, they lost the plot, allowing Sweden to stroll to a 3-0 win and set up a preferred clash with Switzerland. Mexico, for their part, as Group F runners-up have to play Brazil, which on paper means that the fifth game could elude them yet again.

Or perhaps not. Brazil hasn’t fully taken off, and Mexico has already beaten one World Cup winner: Germany. So, given that this is the tournament full of upsets, El Tri just may finally overcome that hoodoo.

5. Historical records are meant to be broken…both for good and for bad

Prior to this World Cup, Mexico had never beaten Germany at this tournament. El Tri had faced them three times and lost all three. Meanwhile, Germany had not been eliminated from a group stage since 1938. 80 years later and trying to defend their title, they were sent packing by an already-eliminated South Korea. The Taegeuk Warriors, in achieving this feat are now the first Asian side to beat die Mannschaft at a World Cup and are the first Asian team to score against the European powerhouse since the 1994 edition in the United States.

In short, several historical records were broken – many during the Korea vs. Germany tie, and that’s one major talking point fans will be discussing with their children and grandchildren for years to come. The 2018 World Cup has truly exceeded expectations, and with Sweden and Mexico off to the next round – and not Germany – there are certainly more surprises in store for viewers around the world.