Weekly Recap: Germany Beats Title to Win Cup; Mexico Collapses to Portugal

           The third place game (Portugal vs. Mexico) and the final (Chile vs. Germany) occurred Sunday. Mexico scored first in the 54th from a low cross that deflected off Portuguese defender Luis Neto and in, but it was 1-1 in the dying moments when Pepe headed in a cross into the goal. In extra time, things got heated after Adrien Silva converted on a penalty that Mexico was unhappy about. Portugal would go down to 10 when Nelson Semedo got his second yellow in the 106th minute, only for Mexico to lose their man advantage 6 minutes later when Raul Jimenez got his second yellow. Mexico once again showed its inability to close out and win games against top teams.
          Chile and Germany faced off in the final, where Chile outplayed Germany in terms of offense. The lone breakthrough came by Germany in the 20th minute when Timo Werner beat Chile keeper Claudio Bravo and tapped it to Julian Stindl to slot home. Chile lacked a finishing touch and had several shots blocked by German defenders or saved by keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The most impressive was on the last play of the game, when ter Stegen denied a free kick goal from Alexis Sanches, allowing Germany to win its first Confederations Cup.

Germany celebrate after the lone goal of the game.

Predictions: Third-Place Match and Final

Who: Mexico vs. Portugal
When: Sunday, July 2 @ 8 AM EST
Where: Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 1-1 AET (Mexico wins in PKs): Portugal will be without Cristiano Ronaldo, but will still find a way to score. This is a big game for the Mexican team and coach Juan Carlos Osorio, but his team will win by the skin of its teeth, due in part to Portugal's lack of scoring on penalty kicks.

Who: Chile vs. Germany
When: Sunday, July 2 @ 2 PM EST
Where: Krestovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-2 AET (Chile wins in PKs): Chile shows its tournament dominance, by winning in PKs, again. Chile have won both Copa America tournaments in the las two years by winning the final in penalties, and advanced to this final by winning in penalties. Germany and Chile will open up this game with scoring, but after a scoreless extra time, Chile will have the advantage and win its 3rd international tournament in as many years.

Germany's Julian Draxler (left) and Chile's Alexis Sanchez (right)

Germany Handles Mexico Easily, Moves on to Final

            Germany and Mexico faced off for a spot in the final against Chile. Leon Goretzka opened the scoring in the 6th minute when Ben Henrichs moved the ball upfield for Germany, and gave the ball to Goretzka, who was wide open. Goretzka fired it first touch, and it hit the far left post past Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa. Goretzka made it two-nil two minutes later when he beat Ochoa to the ball and scored into the open net. Germany could have made it 3-0 in the 19th when Timo Werner was one-on-one with Ochoa, but Ochoa made the save. Mexico had chances in the 34th minute, when both dos Santos players (Giovani and Jonathan) had chances saved by Marc-Andre tear Stegen, and Javier Hernandez had a header go over the bar in the 36th.
            Germany almost made it 3-0 in the 52th minute when Henrichs sent Werner into the box with a beautiful pass. Werner put it across the face of goal. Germany finally got their 3rd in the 59th when Julian Draxler played the ball, who passed it to Jonas Hector. He found Werner open facing an empty net, and Werner got his goal. Mexico had more chances to score in the final 15 minutes. In the 75th, Hirving Lozano played a cross to Raul Jimenez, and his header to the far post hit the crossbar. In the 82nd, Miguel Layun shot a curving ball that ter Stegen saved. Marco Fabian got Mexico a goal in the 89th with his strike from 30 yards out curling into the far corner past ter Stegen, but Germany kept the deficit 3 two minutes later when Emre Can played a through ball to Amin Younes to slice home. Mexico lost a very important game and will only end up playing for third, while Germany will play for their first Confederations Cup title.

ter Stegen with a fine save on Giovani dos Santos.

Chile Outlasts Portugal in Semifinal

               Chile and Portugal began semifinal play yesterday with an eventful scoreless draw after 120 minutes. Andre Gomes found himself in space in the box and was open, but his shot was saved by Chile keeper Claudio Bravo. In the 6th minute, Alexis Sanchez found Eduardo Vargas in the clear, but Vargas put his shot wide of goal. One minute later, Andre Silva got a great cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, but Silva's shot was right at Bravo. After the first 10 minutes, Portugal slowed the game down with lots of passing and possession.
               Chile should have scored in the 54th when Arturo Vidal connected his head to a Jean Beausejour cross. Vidal was just in front of the goal, but headed it over the bar. In the 57th, Portuguese keeper Rui Patricio stopped Vargas' bicycle kick at the near post off the corner to keep the score level. Ronaldo had some looks for Portugal; in the 59th, his close range shot was saved by Bravo; and in the 72nd, his shot was deflected just over the crossbar. The last chance in the final rest 90 was Ronaldo's header wide of goal in the 85th.
            As the game headed to extra time, chances from both teams still came. Sanches thought he won it for Chile with his header, but the ball spun just wide of goal. Chile had a penalty appeal in the 112th when Francisco Silva got tripped up by Jose Fonte, but there was no whistle. Chile should have scored in the 119th when Vidal's curled away from Patricio and hit the bar, and sub Martin Rodriguez' put-back attempt hit off the crossbar.
           After 120 minutes of end-to-end soccer, penalties came. Claudio Bravo made fine stops on Portugal's first free kicks, stopping Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho, and Nani. For Chile, Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, and Sanches delivered for the win. Chile will be in the final facing the winner of Germany-Mexico, while Portugal will face the loser of that game.


           

Match Preview: Semifinals

The final 4 teams left in the tournament 

Who: Portugal vs. Chile
When: Wednesday, June 28 @ 2 PM EST
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-2 (AET); Chile wins in PK 4-2 - Chile is a more offensive team than Portugal but have missed many opportunities to score and could have more goal in this tournament. Portugal have scored on most of their few, scoring chances, and will do so against Chile. Chile will score 2 goals, but the game will head into extra time and penalties locked at 2. There, Chile's offensive players will convert on their penalties kicks to send Chile to the final.

Who: Germany vs. Mexico
When: Thursday, June 29 @ 2 PM EST
Where: Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Watch: FS2, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 (AET) Mexico - Mexico and Germany will go end-to-end on the pitch with great scoring chances on both sides, but the goals will come in extra time. There, Germany and Mexico would exchange goals, followed by a late winner by Mexico's Chicharito himself to send Mexico to their 2nd Confederations Cup final.

Germany Cruises Past Cameroon; Australia Hangs Tough with Chile

         The last two spots for the semi-finals were on the line yesterday as Cameroon and Australia faced must-win games against Germany and Chile. The first game to recap is Germany-Cameroon. After both teams exchanged possession in the first 20 minutes, Germany slowly created chances. In the 21st minute, Emre Can had a 20-yard shot go just wide of the far post, and Joshua Kimmich had a header in the 24th from 6 yards out go wide of the far post. Cameroon had the best chance of the half on the last play when Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa first-time shot from point blank caused a quick reaction save from German keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
         Kerem Dirembay got his first goal with the German national team in the 48th when he found space just outside the box, and hit it top corner. In the 54th, Cameroon's Fabrice Ondoa made two fine saves on Joshua Kimmich and after Timo Werner's attempt. Soon afterward, Germany would soon dictate possession and control the game, with help of being up a man. In the 64th, Ernest Mabouka kicked Emre Can in the thigh to get a loose ball, and Mabouka got a straight red. Germany would make it 2-nil 2 minutes later when Kimmich sent in a cross that Werner headed into the ground to past Ondoa. Cameroon would get one back in the 78th when Vincent Aboubakar headed a goal from the front post past ter Stegen, but Germany sealed the win in the 81st when Werner shot it home from 6 yards out. Werner would attempt for a hat trick, but Ondoa made a fine save. Germany clinched first in the group and will face Mexico.

         With Cameroon out and Germany in, only one spot was left for Australia and Chile. Australia, needing a two-goal win to advance, relied on keeper Mathew Ryan to make fine saves, and he did in the first half. They got one goal in the 41st when Australia countered Chile and Robbie Kruse's blocked shot found James Troisi, who chipped Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo inside the box. Chile nearly equalized in the 44th when Arturo Vidal's header was deflected just wide of goal, but Australia missed a great chance to make it 2-0 in stoppage time when Troisi put the ball in the Chilean box that found Trent Salinsbury wide open. Chile looked for an offsides flag, but he wasn't, and Salinsbury's attempted shot went way over the bar.
       Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanches continued to spurn good shots on goal, but Ryan held firm and saved all of them. Chile would find their goal in the 67th when Vargas's header found Martin Rodriguez, whose shot got past Ryan. In the end, the 1-1 draw was earned after chances from both teams, and Chile will move on and play Portugal.

Troisi's beautiful chip over Bravo.

Mexico Knocks out Hosts; Portugal Routs New Zealand

        The two final Group A games kicked off simultaneously with spots for the semi-finals on the line. First game to recap: Russia-Mexico. Russia needed a win to move on, Mexico anything but a loss. Russia looked to get a goal by causing a penalty in the 6th minute when Yuri Zhirkov fell in the box and the 17th minute when Fedor Smolov got brought down by Mexican players, but the ref let play continue both times. Russia did find their goal in the 25th after a shot by Smolov hit the post. Alexandr Yerokhin had his shot blocked by Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa, but Russia kept possession and found Aleksandr Samedov in the box to coolly place the ball in the net. Mexico would make it 1-1 when, in the 30th minute, Hector Herrera's cross found Nestor Araujo, and he headed it over Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev and down inside the far post.
         Russia, like the first half, started the second half offensively, and had a goal by Samedov disallowed in the 48th because of offside. Mexico would make it 2-1 in the 52nd minute when Herrera cleared the ball out and Akinfeev got out to attempt to clear. The ball failed to get inside the box, and Hirving Lozano chipped the ball over Akinfeev to score. Yerokhin nearly made it 2-2 in the 58th when his shot curled just wide right of the right post. Mexico nearly made it 3-1 when Hector Moreno scored, but VAR ruled he was fractions offside (correctly). Yuri Zhirkov hurt his team in the 68th when, after elbowing Miguel Layun, got a second yellow and red. Russia struggled to find possession and chances after the red, and lost 2-1 to eliminate themselves. Mexico would then watch the end of the other game to see where they placed in the standings.

        The other game, Portugal-New Zealand, was between a team playing for the Cup and one playing for pride. Portugal didn't rest any players, albeit the easy opponent and only needing a tie, and pressured New Zealand early and often. After New Zealand controlled the first 15 minutes, Portugal dictated the game and broke through in the 33rd via a Cristiano Ronaldo PK. Before then, after a Ronaldo header that hit the crossbar and found the New Zealand keeper, Danilo got shoved in the box by Tom Doyle and Tommy Smith. Ronaldo executed the PK perfectly. Portugal got their second in the 37th when Ricardo Quaresma went down the line to give to Eliseu, who cut it to Bernando Silva to strike home.
       Portugal remained dominant in the last 45 minutes, but New Zealand had a great chance in the 58th when Doyle cut the ball on a counter to Chris Wood, whose shot was saved off the line by Portugal's keeper Rui Patricio. Andre Silva made it 3-0 in the 80th when he blasted his shot past keeper Stefan Marinovic, and the score was made final in the 91st minute when Nani when his shot just outside the box beat Marinovic. Portugal got first in Group A, Mexico second, and New Zealand with 3 L's and back-to-back L's to Russia.

Russian players exhausted and upset after losing their must-win game.

Match Predictions: Group B, Final Round

Who: Germany vs. Cameroon
When: Sunday, June 25 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Watch: FOX, NBC Universo (TV); Fox Sports Go, NBC Sports App (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-0 Germany: Cameroon needs a miracle to advance (winning by 3) and will most likely know that won't happen. Germany will hope to score early and often to win a potential first-place tiebreaker between Chile based off goal difference. Cameroon will create chances, but bad defensive passing will cost them.

Who: Chile vs. Australia
When: Sunday, June 25 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 3-1 Chile: Win by 1, or dictate the game with passing? No. Chile is a scoring team, and with many experienced players, they will play to win and get first in the group. Australia may surprise Chile with a goal as they did against Germany (with 2 goals), but Chile is a more, complete team in this Confederations Cup (compared to Germany's Confed Cup team right now), and will score a lot tomorrow.

Chile's Alexis Sanches will finally get his team's offense running with at least 3 goals in the back of the net.

Match Predictions: Group A, Final Round

Who: Mexico vs. Russia
When: Saturday, June 24 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Watch: FOX, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-0 Mexico: Russia lacked a finishing touch that cost them a point against Portugal and more goals against New Zealand, and will fail to find a great scoring chance. Mexico will play to win, and play to win Group B to face the Group B runner-up, disappointing Russia's fans as they eliminate their country's soccer team.

Who: New Zealand vs. Portugal
When: Saturday, June 24 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Watch: FS1, NBC Universo (TV); Fox Sports Go, NBC Sports App (Streaming)
Prediction: 1-0 Portugal: Still feel that this game might be 2-0, but Portugal is known by winning by the slimmest of margins, no matter the opponent. Portugal beat Russia by 1 goal and let Russia make a fool out of themselves by dictating possession but not shooting on frame. New Zealand will play for pride, and this game will be another Portugal scores early then defends a lot for the rest of the game. Portugal advances with no regard of the Group A standings.

Can Mexico get 3 points and win Group A?

Scenarios for all Teams

7 of the 8 teams in this year's Confederations Cup can advance with a result in their last group stage games. Here are the scenarios that have to work in their favor.

Group A
Mexico: Clinches with win/tie, or Portugal loss; clinches first with win OR tie and Portugal tie/loss; Eliminated with loss and Portugal win/tie
Portugal: Clinches with win OR tie and Mexico win/loss OR New Zealand loss; clinches first with win and Mexico tie/loss
Russia: Clinches with win OR tie and Portugal loss; Clinches first with win and Portugal tie/loss; Eliminated with loss OR tie and Portugal win/tie
New Zealand: Eliminated

Group B
Chile: Clinches with win/tie or loss by 1 goal; Clinches first with win OR tie and Germany loss/tie; Eliminated with loss by 2+ goals AND Germany tie/win
Germany: Clinches with win/tie OR loss by 1 goal and Chile win/tie; Clinches first win AND Chile tie/loss OR tie AND Chile loss; Eliminated with loss AND Australia win vs. Chile
Australia: Clinches with win by 2+ goals OR win and Germany loss; Clinches first with win by 2+ goals AND Germany loses by a lesser margin than Chile; Eliminated with tie/loss
Cameroon: Clinches with win by 3+ goals AND Australia tie/loss/win by 1 goal; Clinches first with win by 3+ goals and Australia win by 1 goal; Eliminated with tie/loss/win by 2 goals OR Australia win by at least 2 goals 

Recaps of Thursday's Matches

        Two teams in desperate need of a win faced off in the late afternoon in Saint Petersburg: Cameroon and Australia. Robbie Kruse almost gave the Socceroos the lead when his shot found the target, but Cameroon keeper Fabrice Ondoa snagged it. Overall, both halves had several defensive miscues, as both defenses gave up the ball in the opponent's attacking area, and failed to build up plays from the back. Cameroon's best chance in the first half came at the last minute of play. Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui hit a nice through-ball to Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Zambo Anguissa caught Australian keeper Mathew Ryan off his line, and Zambo Anguissa chipped it over Ryan for the goal.
         Seconds after the start of the last half, Australia had a great chance to level. Mathew Leckie played a ball to Tomi Juric, just six yards out. Juric shot it well over the ball. Cameroon had their best missed opportunity occur 10 minutes later when Vincent Aboubakar was wide open in the box and shot it just wide. Benjamin Moukandjo could have tapped the ball in but was afraid he was offside, and let the ball roll by him past the goal line. Australia got their goal via a PK. The play that cost it happened in the 59th when Alex Gersbach got brought down by Ernest Mabouka. Mark Milligan delivered for his side, and both teams missed chances to find the winner, leaving both teams disappointed, and on the edge of elimination.

        Later, Chile and Germany, two of the top 4 soccer teams, played for a place in the semis. Chile scored in the 6th minute when Alexis Sanches intercepted a ball from Shkodran Mustafi. Sanches played a give-and go with Arturo Vidal, then slotted it home off the post. Both teams had several chances (and fouls), but most were wide or right at the keepers. Chile nearly made it 2-0 when the ball fell outside of the box to Eduardo Vargas, whose shot hit the crossbar. Germany made it 1-1 on the counter when Jonas Hector crossed it in to Lars Stindl to tap in in the 41st minute. No one from Chile pressured Emre Can who passed it through to Hector.
       In the second half, Chile's best chances came through Sanches. His free kicks were just wide of goal, on top of the goal, or right at keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Germany failed to create any valuable scoring chances, but defended Sanches well on open play chances. In the end, it was a 1-1 tie, meaning that their last group games mean something.

Sanches' goal made him Chile's all-time leading scorer.

  

Recaps of Wednesday's Matches

        Portugal looked to rebound after a disappointing draw to Mexico as they were about to play the host team, Russia. Portugal quickly took the lead in the 8th minute, when Raphael Guerriero played a nice cross into the box to a wide open Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo caught the Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev off his line, and Ronaldo's header beat Akinfeev for the first tally. Ronaldo nearly got a second when he beat defender Viktor Vasin, but Akinfeev blocked Ronaldo's close shot. Russia entered the half still in the game, only down 1-0.
        Portugal had another great oppotunity to make it 2-0 when Andre Silva headed in a cross that Akinfeev parried out with his left hand in the 50th minute. Akinfeev had a total of five saves in the game, keeping his team in it. However, Russia could not find the final touch. Russia had nearly as many shots as Portugal, but lacked that final touch to get it on goal. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Russia's best chance occured. After Portuguese keeper Rui Patricio gifted Russia a corner, the result was a Alexsandr Samedov cross that led to a Georgi Dzhikiya header that just went over the bar. Portugal won the game 1-0 and moved to the top of Group A.

       The later game soon became an elimination game for New Zealand after Portugal's win, as a loss would eliminate them. Mexico's coach Juan Carlos Osorio confused everyone, resting 8 of his starters from the game against Portugal, thinking they would still easily win. It nearly didn't work. Chris Wood had many great chances in the first 50 minutes, including 3 1-on-1 chances with Mexico's keeper Alfredo Talavera, but Talavera saved 2 of them. The other, however, beat Talavera. In the 42nd minute, Mexico gave the ball over, and Clayton Lewis played a great through-ball to Wood. Wood finally beat the keeper, giving New Zealand the lead. As soon as Osorio sent on his first sub at the start of the second half, it was then Mexico's game to lose.
       In the 49th minute, New Zealand's Stefan Marinovic saved Javier Aquino's shot. After Wood squandered his third 1-on-1 chance with Talavera in the 50th minute, Mexico leveled the score 4 minutes later. Raul Jimenez got the ball just inside the box, then quickly turned around and shot the ball into the top corner. Mexico got the game-winner in the 72nd when Aquino crossed it low to Oribe Peralta, who smashed it in from point blank range. New Zealand nearly equalized in the 85th when Ryan Thomas' shot hit the crossbar. Things got real chippy in stoppage time, when Mexico's Diego Reyes brought Michael Boxall to prevent a counter-attack. Reyes got a yellow for the foul, only after Boxall pushed Hector Herrera, and a brawl ensued between both teams. Only Boxall and Herrera were the other two to get booked and no one got sent off. Still, Mexico held on for the win, eliminating New Zealand and moving into a tie for first.

The brawl that ensued at the end of the Mexico-New Zealand game.

Match Previews: Group B, Round 2

Who: Cameroon vs. Australia
When: Thursday, June 22 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Krestovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Cameroon: The two Group B teams that started their Cup campaign with a loss, Cameroon will win the biggest elimination game yet. Cameroon showed hope of tying Chile by frustrating them for 80 minutes, while Australia stayed not far behind Germany in their first game. Overall, Cameroon will win to keep their hopes alive.

Who: Germany vs. Chile
When: Thursday, June 22 @ 2 PM EST
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming) 
Prediction: 3-1 Chile: Germany had troubles against Australia, nearly giving up a two-goal lead. Chile, meanwhile, have more experienced players than Germany's group of youngsters, and will show it tomorrow night in Kazan, Russia. Sanchez will be big for Chile's attack once again.

Match Previews: Group A, Round 2

Who: Russia vs. Portugal
When: June 21 @ 11 AM EST
Where: Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-0 Portugal - Portugal will rebound from their disappointing draw against Mexico and easily beat Russia. They will have trouble scoring to start but will break through in the second half. I believe Andre Gomes and Ronaldo will both work together on the two goals, pushing Russia to an elimination game with Mexico on Saturday.

Who: Mexico vs. New Zealand
When: June 21 @ 2 PM EST
Where: Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 3-0 Mexico - Another lopsided Group A affair will occur in the same day as New Zealand struggled mightily against by far their easily opponent (Russia), and more of the same will again happen tomorrow. Mexico will have tons of great opportunities to score, and will have goals from attacking stars, such as Chicharito, Giovani Dos Santos, Raul Jimenez, and others.

Better defense is needed if New Zealand has any chance of getting a result.

Germany Ousts Australia to End 1st Stage

        The final game of the first round of the group stage occurred yesterday between Germany and Australia. Germany got on the board early in the 5th minute when Julian Brandt ran his own route into the box before crossing the ball in front to Lars Stindl. Stindl was in the clear and blasted his shot from 12 yards out. Germany''s Sandro Wagner had two headed chances gone just wide of the far post in the upcoming 15 minutes before Australian keeper Mathew Ryan stopped two of Brandt's shot, both outside the box. It continued to look one-side until Tom Rogic equalized for the Socceroos in the 41st minute. Rogic interecepted a pass and, after his initial shot was blocked, saw his rebound shot just outside the box manage to go under the diving German keeper Bernd Leno. Germany would quickly make it 2-1 when Leon Goretzka got tripped up by Massimo Luongo in the box, only to see Julian Draxler bury the PK.
        Germany would extend their quickly just 3 minutes after the start of the second half. Goretzka had a nice give-and-go with Joshua Kimmich, before Goretzka scored from a tight angle. Another quick response from a goal came when Australia trimmed the lead to 1 in the 56th. Rogic had a free kick that was blocked, only to have his rebound once again cause Leno to have problems. Leno spilled the ball, and Australia's Tomi Juric. The ref called for VAR review when it looked like Juric may have deflected Rogic's rebound shot with his arm, but the goal stood. In the 71st, Australian sub James Troisi forced a fine save from his curling shot; however, Timo Werner from Germany saw his strike hit the post and nearly go in. In the end, Germany won and got the 3 points needed from their first match.

Stindl and Germany got the result needed.

Recaps of Sunday's Games

        The first game on Sunday was between the two favorites of Group A: Portugal and Mexico. In the first 15 minutes, Mexico was on the front foot, possessing the ball more than Portugal and attempting to create chances. However, Portugal found the back of the net, until, for the first time ever in soccer, technology helped referees disallow the goal. In the 21st minute, after a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick blocked and his second chance effort hit the bar, an Andre Gomes shot deflected in by Pepe after the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) team ruled that Pepe was offside. Portugal would score without debate in the 34th when Ronaldo set up an unmanned Ricardo Quaresma, who juked past Mexico's keeper Guillermo Ochoa and tapped the ball into an open net. Mexico would respond quickly in the 42nd when Carlos Vela hooked a ball from just outside the box to Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez to head in to level the score.
         In the second half, not much offensive occured until the last five minutes. In the 85th minute, Gomes sent a cross in from the far left to Andre Silva, whose headed attempt was saved by a diving Ochoa. Seconds later, it looked like Cedric scored the game winner when his point blanked attempt was deflected by Mexico's Hector Herrera into the far post. However, Mexico would steal a point as Hector Moreno played his headed attempt, off a corner, perfectly, which hit the far post and in. Even with a Portuguese player's hand on his head, Moreno still managed to get the ball on target to get his team a point.

        The later game was the first Group B match-up between Cameroon and Chile. Chile nearly scored in the first minute when Eduardo Vargas' shot hit the post and off Cameroon keeper Fabrice Ondoa. Ondoa made a fine low save in the 3rd minute, stopping Jose Pedro Fuenzalida's shot. In the 11th minute, Vincent Aboubakar had a shot saved by Chile's net-minder, but nearly scored when Gonzalo Jaro accidental attempt went over the bar. It looked like Cameroon scored in the 15th off a Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui header from a free kick, but a foul from Aboubakar on Chile's Arturo Vidal referred the goal. Chile scored in the lone minute of first half injury time, when Vidal played a through ball to Vargas, who easily got it past Ondoa; however, VAR denied another goal. Replays showed Vargas was just fractions offside, causing complaints to the ref from Chilean players.
        Once again, the second half did have any great offensive scoring chances until the final 10 minutes. Sub Alexis Sanchez served up two assists, the first in the 81st being the game-winner. The first goal had Sanchez cross a ball to Vidal, who headed inside the right post. The 2nd came in the first minute of second half injury time, when a through ball reached Sanchez, whose initial shot was blocked. Vargas got the rebound and scored, and with VAR assistance, got the goal, after the sideline ref incorrectly ruled Sanchez offside. Still, both games showed reasons against the use of VARs, causing frustrations to two elite soccer teams.
 

Chile's goal that was disallowed because of the offsides from Vargas.

Match Prediction: Germany-Australia

Who: Germany v. Australia
When: Today @ 11 AM EST
Where: Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 3-0 Germany: Germany, without some of its stars from the last World Cup, are still too powerful against Australia. They have a better offense, better midfield, better defense, better almost-anything. Australia's goal is to keep the goal differential as close to 0 as possible.

Australia may be in for a rough night in Sochi.

Match Predictions: Day 2

Who: Mexico vs. Portugal
When: Today @ 11 AM EST
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Watch: FS1, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-1 Portugal - Mexico has been known in recent years to disappoint their fans when playing top-tier teams, whether being routed 7-0 (to Chile in the Copa America), or giving up leads (2-1 to the Netherlands in 2014 WC), so they will need to play defense with no mistakes. Portugal, I believe will score first and win the game with a Christiano Ronaldo goal. Chicharito will score for Mexico, but will once again lose in heartbreaking fashion.

Who: Cameroon vs. Chile
When: Today @ 2 PM EST
Where: Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Watch: FS2, Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)
Prediction: 2-0 Chile - If Alexis Sanchez does play, this deficit may have been larger, but an ankle injury will most likely sideline him. Chile may be frustrated at first by shooting a lot but not scoring, however, they will break through in the second half. For Cameroon, not the result they want but would like that they will not be routed to possibly save their GD in case of a group stage tiebreaker.

Ronaldo will once again lead his team to victory.

Russia Pleases Audience With 2-0 Win

         Russia and New Zealand kicked off the start of the 2017 Confederations Cup with a nevertheless, ugly performance. Immediately, Russia had two great scoring chances in the first 10 minutes that were both cleared off the line. The first was Viktor Vasin's header off a corner that hit the post and was cleared by New Zealand's defender Michael McGlinchey. Just later, Dmitry Poloz's chip over New Zealand's keeper Stefan Marinovic was kicked away by Tommy Smith. However, the worst part of New Zealand's night came from two key miscues, both involving their defender Michael Boxall. About five minutes after Fedor Smolov's goal was ruled offside, Russia intercepted a New Zealand pass in the final third, and after quick passes from Aleksandr Yerokhin and Dmitry Poloz, Russia's Denis Glushakov faced a 1-1 with the keeper. Glushakov's shot beat Marinovic, hit the post, before being kicked in by accident by Boxall in a collision between him and fellow teammate Andrew Durante.
          Russia would keep pressuring in the second half until they scored their 2nd in the 69th minute, 38 minutes after goal 1. Before then, however, Marinovic made a double save in the 48th minute, stopping Poloz's header and then Yerokhin's response. During the 2nd goal setup, Smolov interecepted the ball played it wide to Aleksandr, who crossed it low in the box. Boxall made a poor clearance, and the ball was easily tapped in by Smolov. New Zealand's best chances came within seconds of each other in the 78th minute, first with Ryan Thomas' shot through traffic being blocked by the Russian keeper, and then Smith's header cleared off the line by Yuri Zhirkov. On the final play, Marinovic made his 6th, final, and most impressive save, blocking Aleksandr Bukharov's shot from 6 yards out with his knee. All in all, though, the result Russia needed.

The first goal was mistakenly tapped in by Boxall (#5)

Match Prediction: Russia-New Zealand

Who: Russia v. New Zealand
When: Today @ 11:00 AM EST
Where: Krestovsky Stadium, St Petersburg (all matches will be in Russia)
Watch: FS1 and Telemundo (TV); Fox Sports Go (Streaming)

Prediction: 1-1 Draw: Although Russia are the clear favaorites to win this game considering this is their first game at home while facing their easiest opponent, I believe New Zealand will surprise. New Zealand will score the first goal in the opening half, with Russia responding early in the second half. Russia will have some great scoring chances later in the half, but can't covert and will have to settle for a draw.

Russia will need a great start to have any chances of moving on to the semifinals.

Group Stage Predictions

Confederations Cup play begins tomorrow, so I have quickly made my predictions for the 4 teams that will advance out of the group stage. Remember: the top two teams advance.

Group A: Portugal and Mexico

Group A	Wins	Draws	Losses	GD	Points
Portugal	2	1	0	5	7
Mexico	2	1	0	4	7
New Zealand	0	1	2	-4	1
Russia	0	1	2	-5	1

 I do not think this group will produce any trouble. If any, maybe New Zealand or host Russia steal a point against the two favorites, Portugal and Mexico, but both Portugal and Mexico are too good for New Zealand and the hosts. The cup will start with a disappointing draw between Russia and New Zealand, followed by Portugal and Mexico also ending up level in their first match. What will followed will be two,three, or possibly even four-goal deficit wins for Mexico and Portugal for them to advance.

Group B: Germany and Chile

Group B	Wins	Draws	Losses	GD	Points
Germany	3	0	0	8	9
Chile	2	0	1	2	6
Cameroon	1	0	2	-3	3
Australia	0	0	3	-7	0

I believe Chile may actually have some trouble finding the net in their opener against Cameroon, but will win 1-0. Australia will, most likely, get beat up by title favorites Germany and Chile, and losing in a close game vs. Cameroon by 1. Chile will lose to Germany in an offensive match with lots of goals, but Chile rebound in an elimination game against Australia, while Germany will silence Cameroon's optimistic fans in the final group stage match.