Five things we learned from matchday 3 in Group H

Group H was rated as the most “balanced” one at this World Cup and was truly a multi-national and cultural affair. Four different confederations – Africa (Senegal), South America (Colombia), Asia (Japan), and Europe (Poland) were represented – and it turned out to be a very interesting round of group games, despite not having the star sides like other quartets.

Here are the five things observed from matchday three, which ultimately turned out to be the deciding factor in a closely contested Group H.

1. Poland truly exposed as pretenders, not contenders

Perhaps it was their high ranking. Or perhaps it was because they have Robert Lewandowski, widely viewed as one of the top strikers in the world, in their ranks. Or perhaps it was their solid showing at EURO 2016. Whatever the case, there were quite a few people thinking that Poland would not only top Group H but also make a serious run at this summer’s World Cup.

After all, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the protagonist for Portugal, scoring four out of his team’s five goals for them to successfully navigate through their group stage campaign. Lewandowski, the player with the most goals in European qualifying failed to score a single goal over the three games and will leave bitterly disappointed as this could have potentially been his only chance to score at a World Cup. By the next time the next edition rolls around, he will be 34 years old – and that’s even guaranteeing Poland are able to qualify.

2. Whoever said nice guys finish last?

FIFA has a series of tie-breakers to decide who finishes where at these tournaments, but whilst we have seen goal differential be enough to decide, this time around, it got down to “fair play points”. That means that whichever side finishes with fewer yellow cards can progress at the expense of the team who more aggressive in their approach.

Well, Japan were the beneficiaries of this rule. The Samurai Blue beat Colombia 2-1, drew Senegal 2-2, but lost to Poland 1-0 on the final matchday. Meanwhile, the team they were joint tied on points with, Senegal, beat Poland 2-1, recorded a two-all stalemate with Japan and ended up losing 1-0 to Colombia.

The total number of goals for each side: 4. The total number of goals conceded: also four. The total number of points earned: four. With Colombia sealing top spot, it was then down to who has picked up fewer yellow cards. And because the Lions of Teranga earned more cautions than the Asian side, they, unfortunately, aren’t going to be Africa’s sole rep in the round of 16.

It’s a pity as they played really well, but such is life in football. Japan’s progression, though, does show that it benefits to be the “nice guy” and play more “polite football” – although their performance against Poland left something to be desired.

3. However, the fair play rule does raise some eyebrows

Japan is through, and it’s great to see that at least Asia will get a representative in a largely Euro-centric and South American dominated group. However, the concept of fair play is subjective in itself. One referee would give a yellow card for something another wouldn’t, and thus that makes Senegal’s exit that much more unfortunate. There were three good teams in Group H, and Colombia, Japan, and Senegal definitely deserved to progress to the round of 16 based on their solid showings. Colombia roared to life against Poland, whilst Japan put in a great shift to see off Colombia and rally back from 2-0 down to earn a draw with Senegal.

This tournament was historic making in itself due to the presence of VAR, and now we’ve seen one of FIFA’s rarely-used tiebreakers being deployed on the biggest stage. It’s sure to be a major talking point, but it was bound to happen at some point, regardless.

4. A long-awaited dream finally achieved

Radamel Falcao, unfortunately, missed out on the 2014 World Cup due to injury – quite like Germany’s Marco Reus. And just like the Borussia Dortmund star, the Monaco skipper finally achieved his dream of scoring at a World Cup when he netted the second of Los Ticos’ goals against Poland on matchday two. Now that they’re through to the round of 16, he certainly will be looking forward to taking on the Three Lions – as it was in England where he endured frustrating spells with Manchester United and Chelsea before returning to Monaco.

5. Senegal was Africa’s last hope…but they can go home with their heads held high

It’s really unfortunate that the Teranga Lions are out because they truly played quite well. A defeat to Colombia on the final matchday normally wouldn’t have been enough to condemn them to defeat, but unfortunately, their yellow card accumulation was. However, defensively, they let themselves down, especially in the 2-2 draw with Japan that gave the Asian side hope at snatching second spot.

Still, it was a great tournament overall for Aliou Cisse’s squad, who were appearing at their second ever World Cup. Along with Nigeria, they put in some great performances against teams ranked higher than them and actually picked up some quality results. Their fans were as enthusiastic as ever, with their colorful displays, music, and celebrations, and indeed they will be sorely missed as Africa won’t have a representative in the round of 16 for the first time since 1982.