Will Messi stay without the playoffs? The intrigues of the final round of the World Cup group stage

The second round of the group stage at the World Championships has come to an end. Now the teams face decisive matches that will determine their fate in the tournament. Some will make it to the playoffs, while others will leave Qatar. RIA Novosti Sport talks about the setups teams need to reach the 1/8 finals of the World Cup.

In the event of a tie of points based on the results of the three matches, they will first of all look at the difference between goals scored and goals conceded. If this number matches, then priority will be given to teams scoring more goals. If these numbers turn out to be even, they will already look at the results of personal meetings.

Netherlands – 4, Ecuador – 4, Senegal – 3, Qatar – 4.

In the final round, three teams will compete for the playoffs. Qatar has already lost two opening matches of the tournament and lost their chance to reach the 1/8 final. In the third match, they will play against the Netherlands, which has 4 points. Team Ecuador has the same amount and Senegal is one point behind them.

It will be enough for Louis van Gaal’s team not to lose to ensure the transition to the next stage. But even a loss with a small goal difference will allow the Dutch to reach the playoffs.

The second ticket to the playoffs will be played in the match between Senegal and Ecuador. The alignment is simple – Africans need to win to go further. Otherwise, Ecuador will advance to the 1/8 final of the World Cup. A draw might be enough for the Africans to advance, but only if Qatar beats the Dutch team. Therefore, such a fantastic scenario should not be taken into account.

England – 4, Iran – 3, USA – 2, Wales – 1.

Gareth Southgeist’s team is 99% guaranteed to make it to the playoffs. The English may not advance to the next round only if they suffer a devastating defeat from Wales by four or more balls. But even then – if Iran and the US draw – they can hold the ticket.

While the Americans drew twice in two rounds, Iran had one win. Carlos Queiroz’s team needs a win to make it to the playoffs. But a draw could be enough if Wales unexpectedly beat England in the second match. The Americans can only be satisfied with a victory in this match.

Wales need to beat England to solve a great problem. But here a lot will depend on competitors. If there is a tie in a parallel match, Wales will only be helped if the English are defeated by at least four goals.

Poland – 4, Argentina – 3, Saudi Arabia – 3, Mexico – 1.

Lionel Messi led his team to victory in the last match, giving Argentina a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Now, to reach the playoffs, the Argentines need to beat Poland. And in the event of a draw, the Lionel Scaloni team should hope for a similar result in a parallel match or a modest victory for Mexico.

The defeat will definitely leave Messi out of the playoffs. Poland will be out of the group, even if they lose by a narrow margin. Saudi Arabia will need to beat Mexico to reach the 1/8 final. A draw might be enough, but for that Poland would have to beat Argentina in a parallel match.

France – 6, Australia – 3, Denmark – 1, Tunisia – 1.

The French gained access to the play-offs to experiment with their game against Tunisia. Africans will be able to count on reaching the playoffs only by a miracle. To do this, they must defeat the French and hope for a draw between the Danes and the Australians.

But Denmark and Australia, who are likely to play the second ticket to the playoffs in a full-time match. The Australians are two points ahead of the Europeans, so if the French are successful in a parallel meeting, a draw will be enough for them. But the Danes will definitely need to win to advance to the next round.

Spain – 4, Japan – 3, Costa Rica – 3, Germany – 1.

Despite a bad start in Qatar, the Germans can still look forward to reaching the playoffs. For that, they need to beat Costa Rica. A draw or loss in this match would definitely put Hans Dieter-Flick out of the playoffs.

If the Spaniards beat the Japanese in a parallel match, Germany will advance to the playoffs with a win. But if the Asian team beats Spain, then there will be no luck

The most interesting thing will be with the victory of the Germans and the draw between Spain and Japan. Then you have to count the goal difference but when you beat your opponent in Germany the difference will be better.

Croatia – 4, Morocco – 4, Belgium – 3, Canada – 0.

Canada failed to score in the first two rounds and has already lost its playoff chance. In the 1/8 final, two places will be played between Croatia, which has four points each, and Morocco and Belgium one point behind.

Croats feel most comfortable. If they don’t lose to Belgium they will definitely make it to the playoffs. They might even settle for a draw if Morocco loses to Canada with a higher score in another match.

If Morocco does not lose to the Canadians, it will move to the next stage. But if they are defeated, Croatia can save them in case of a win against Belgium. The hardest will be Roberto Martinez’s team. The only way to qualify for the playoffs is to win. And a draw only suits them if Morocco loses to Canada.

Brazil – 6, Switzerland – 3, Cameroon – 1, Serbia – 1.

The Brazilians managed to squeeze Switzerland in the second round and secured an early departure from the group. But Switzerland remains favorites for second place in the playoffs. They will play the Serbs in the last round and a win guarantees them to move on to the next round. If Cameroon can’t beat Brazil in a scoring match in a parallel match, a draw would suit Murat Yakin’s team as well.

In order for the Serbians to advance to the 1/8 final of the World Cup, they must beat Switzerland and hope for the Brazilian victory in a parallel match.

Portugal – 6, Ghana – 3, South Korea – 1, Uruguay – 1.

The Portuguese became the third team to secure the 1/8 finals of the World Cup after two rounds. The second ticket to the next round will be played in the match between Ghana and Uruguay. If the Africans beat their opponent, they will be guaranteed to leave the group. A draw may be enough for them if South Korea can’t beat Portugal in a parallel match.

If a miracle happens, the Koreans will have to rely on Uruguay to win by a smaller goal difference in the match against Ghana.