Five things we learned from matchday 3 in Group A

Group A came to a conclusion on Monday, and two teams will battle for their spot in the quarter-finals, whilst two will be on the early flight home. There weren’t that many surprises in terms of how things turned out, as Uruguay, as expected, topped the quartet, but there were some interesting results from matchday three.

Here are five notable observations from the final group stage games in Group A, which featured hosts Russia taking on Uruguay, and Egypt facing Saudi Arabia in the consolation tie.

1. Russia should enjoy their run as it’s going to end in the round of 16

Although La Furia Roja haven’t been at their best this tournament, no one can dispute that Spain is a much better team than Russia. The hosts may have started this tournament off well, but they were pitted against a Saudi Arabia side who were largely out of their depth, and an Egypt side led by a star player who isn’t even 100 percent fit.

Scoring five in the opener put a big smile on President Vladimir Putin’s face – and a sense of relief for the players – and it was a great way to kick off the 2018 World Cup as hosts. Their 3-1 win over Egypt was another major confidence-booster and helped them seal their spot in the round of 16 for the first time in the team’s history, so Russia should be very proud of themselves for putting on a solid showing on home turf.

However, their deficiencies were brutally exposed as Uruguay strolled to a 3-0 win without much trouble, and barring a surprise collapse from the 2010 World Cup winners, Spain will also see them off and move onto the quarter-finals. Still, Russia shouldn’t be disappointed, as many didn’t even expect them to get out of their group, so making it to the round of 16 in itself is a big achievement.

2. One can only wonder what could have been had Mohamed Salah been fit

June 15th was Mohamed Salah’s 26th birthday, and the Liverpool star would have loved to celebrate it with a goal. Unfortunately, he spent the entire game against Uruguay on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury. Egypt fans certainly will still be cursing Spain’s Sergio Ramos, the culprit during Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League final last month as they know had Salah been fit, things could have turned out differently.

For starters, Egypt put in a great shift against Uruguay and was only undone near the end. Against Russia, Salah featured, but it was clear he was nowhere near fully fit as they slumped to a 3-1 loss. And in their consolation tie against Saudi Arabia, the already deflated Pharaohs put up little resistance as the Green Falcons edged them out to win 2-1.

Salah netted both of Egypt’s two goals at the tournament, and the fact that he managed that leads all to wonder what could have been had he not been injured by Ramos last month. Save for Uruguay, who were widely expected to qualify and win Group A, the battle for second was expected to be an interesting one between Egypt and Russia, and certainly, had Salah been at full fitness, he could have tipped the scales in Egypt’s favor. What a shame, then, that fans won’t get to see what magic the speedy Reds star could work this summer in Russia.

3. Uruguay boasts a fearsome attack, but their defense deserves plaudits

Uruguay may not have crushed Egypt and Saudi Arabia the way that Russia did, but then again, they weren’t looking to show off or make a major statement. Oscar Tabarez’s side was simply looking to pick up three points and move on to the next game in a comfortable Group A, and more important, to do so without giving anything up.

The South Americans have top strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in their ranks, and the duo will certainly strike fear into any opposing team’s defense. But with the likes of Atletico Madrid’s defensive stalwart Diego Godin in their ranks, they also shut out all of their opponents, including hosts Russia who were thrashed 3-0 on the final matchday. In doing so, Uruguay is the first team to pick up a perfect nine points out of nine sans conceding a goal since Argentina did so at the 1998 World Cup.

Next up for them is a clash with Portugal, which will surely give their defense the true test they’ve been waiting for, and it’s certain to be a very interesting showdown between skipper Godin and Cristiano Ronaldo – two players familiar with each other from playing against each other in La Liga with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

4. As for Uruguay’s attack, they are hitting form at the right moment

Both Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani were on the score-sheet for Uruguay against Russia, which bodes well for them and the team as Tabarez’s side look to make a deep run in this competition. Their upcoming opponents, Portugal, do have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, but defensively, they have their share of issues as well, and it will be an interesting showdown coming up in the round of 16 as Uruguay’s star duo will be shouldering the goal-scoring responsibilities against a Portuguese side who were nearly surprisingly eliminated by Iran on Monday.

5. Saudi Arabia may have been down, but they weren’t out

Although their game against Egypt didn’t count for anything but pride, the Green Falcons were keen on not going down without a fight. Having suffered a humiliating 5-0 drubbing by Russia, one couldn’t blame them if they wanted to throw in the towel as a loss to Uruguay meant they were heading home.

Juan Antonio Pizzi’s men had other ideas, however, and played like they were battling for a spot in the round of 16 as opposed to merely trying to avoid finishing bottom of Group A. That being said, they did benefit from some questionable VAR decisions which gave them not one, but two penalties, but that shouldn’t take away from how they managed to rally themselves and give their fans something to cheer about at least.