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.