Day 6 Recap

Sunday capped an exciting first week of games and festivities...so let's get to the games.

YG World vs. YG Brazil- 2-1 Brazil.

YB Scotland vs. YB Germany- 3-1 Germany. Scotland is still the best YB team, with only unbeaten Italy left to play.

Portugal vs. Serbia- 8-2 Portugal. Portugal finally gets their first win against Serbia, and got a lot of goals in the process. Portugal's hopes of making the playoffs have taken a huge hit though, and it will take another team upsetting Poland or Nigeria for them to even have a chance. Certainly possible in this tournament though.

Ireland vs. Botswana- 6-2 Ireland. Botswana was still riding the momentum of their convincing victory over Chile, but then they ran into Ireland, the defending champions for a reason. Ireland dominated Botswana, and only allowed 2 goals in the later stages of the game. However, this shows that Botswana never gives up and will keep fighting, and this could be very important when Botswana takes on Canada for the second spot in the group. If Botswana can keep it close early, they might be able to pull off the upset.

W England vs. W Italy 5-1 England. England dominated Italy in every aspect, and it's become clear that Chile and England will be coming out of this group.

Germany vs. Jamaica- 3-1 Germany.
Jamaica continued its disappointing play against Germany, and now their only hope lies in winning out the tournament, including beating El Salvador. Jamaica has the talent to do it, but they haven't shown any good team play yet. They can get back on track against Afghanistan and Scotland. If El Salvador loses to Norway, this pool will be very interesting coming into the final games. Germany looked very good against Jamaica, but still have a tough road to the playoffs. Every game in this group matters.

W Germany vs. W Ukraine- 3-2 Ukraine.
Ukraine scored twice very quickly off the start to pull out to an early, but Germany shook it off and attempted their comeback. Ukraine's third goal was the clincher, and they managed to hold off a charging Germany team to take control of their group. Ukraine should be able to finish first in this group.

Laos vs. Ukraine- 6-2 Laos.
In a much-anticipated Group D game, Laos played great against Ukraine. Ukraine struck first, but it was all Laos after that. Laos was too quick with their passing for Ukraine to react, and it allowed Laos to run up the score. Ukraine played alright, but lacked speed and offence, and they'll need to come up with something if they want a hope of making it out of the group. In any case, Laos looks like a top contender for the title.

Nigeria vs. Poland- Poland 2-1.
In what could be debated as the most exciting game of the tournament so far, Poland just held off Nigeria. A great game by two great teams, it featured a lot of skillful displays, hustle, and great saves. Both teams deserve to come out of this group, and it's likely they will.

El Salvador vs. Afghanistan- El Salvador 7-3.
Afghanistan kept in close for awhile, but it was only a matter of time until El Salvador exploited their defence. Afghanistan is still playing hard, and they can beat a good team if they put together a complete effort. They've played two of the top teams in the tournament, and could deal a fatal blow to Norway or Jamaica's chances. Stay tuned.

France vs. Austria- France 4-0. In what looked to be the most physical game of the tournament, France outmuscled Austria for the win. France was in control of the game, but had to deal with a tough Austria team. Only winning 1-0 at half, France managed to match Austria's toughness and put in 3 more to seal it. France is looking better with each game, and has very good chance to make it out of their group.