France took on Poland in their final group game with both sides’ fate largely decided. Poland had nothing to play for as they were already out and France were through, though they did need a good result to advance in a strong position. Disappointingly, they failed to get the job done and had to settle […]
In the most interesting match so far, both teams held hopes for a positive result. Both were far from flawless from a tactical point of view, but that may have only added to the excitement level for most viewers. Ultimately, substitute Wout Weghorst pulled a result over the line which roughly respected the flow of […]
France became the first Men’s World Cup defending champions in sixteen years to appear in the knockouts as they took on Poland in the Round of Sixteen. They were the clear favorites for this match, and although they took a while to get going, they brushed their opponents aside once they did. Tactical analysis and […]
Argentina showed some improvement over the structural issues they have faced in possession so far in the tournament as they advanced into the knockout rounds here. Their opponents Poland played an extremely passive game and contributed almost nothing going forward, allowing Argentina to dictate play easily throughout. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. Poland […]
Coming into this game as underdogs, Poland hoped to be a stubborn outfit for their guests to crack once more. But even they ended up getting more out of this duel than they had bargained for. Organizing themselves in a familiar 5-3-2 defensive shape, they secured a result that could make all the difference on […]
After a goalless draw with Sweden, Spain hoped to find the last piece to the jigsaw puzzle against Poland. But the guests had several tricks to call on, and Spain’s finishing worries persisted. Both teams ended up battling to a result that only heightens the stakes of the final round of group games. Tactical analysis […]
Taking an early lead, England hoped to put an understrength Poland to bed. But the guests battled hard in their 5-3-2 shape and took their chances when they came to force a late winner and a narrow result out of their hosts. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Amid all the baggage that […]
Poland tested Italy’s build-up with an interesting starting formation, determined to block off access to the center. Italy soon found a way around this, upon which Poland responded with an efficient formation change. This evened out the game but wasn’t enough to prevent Italy from snatching victory with an injury time winner. With Portugal leading […]