Who's leading the World Cup: The no-penalty match, the $1.7 billion squad and how Haaland surpasses Mbappe
The Athletic's daily guide to the World Cup provides highlights from day five of the tournament, highlighting the four draws, notable performances and the implications for the teams going forward.
Welcome to The Athletic's daily World Cup briefing, your guide to which teams are advancing, which are falling behind — with data analysis to back it up. We'll analyze the highlights from each day of competition and give you the metrics you need to stay informed. If you want to go deeper, don't worry, we'll point you to some of The Athletic's best World Cup coverage.
What was day five of the World Cup like? Four draws in one day. Edit: four exciting draws in one day. We start with one of the shocks of the century, as Cape Verde held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta. Next was a well-matched match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle that ended 1-1, followed immediately by a 1-1 draw between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Miami. The day ended with an exciting match between Iran and New Zealand in Los Angeles. Twice, the representative from Oceania took the lead through Elijah Just's goal, but twice Iran equalized.
This was only the second day in World Cup history to see four draws in one day, after June 15, 1958. To put this in context, that date was the week after the prince was born, but two weeks before current Austria manager Ralf Rangnick was born.
Now let's check the status of each team that played today.
Cape Verde: What can you say after the most glorious day in a country's sporting history? Actually, there's a lot to talk about. Spain: see above and see the figures below. But at least they have Lamine Yamal back healthy. Belgium: Do they remember how to kick? Since the first match of the 2022 World Cup, their players have taken 46 shots without scoring (the goal in Monday's match was an own goal). Egypt: Played well but still closer to Honduras' record for World Cup games without a win (nine, Egypt now has eight). Saudi Arabia: Extended the Asian Football Confederation's unbeaten streak with three draws and two wins. This is AFC's best unbeaten start in World Cup history. Iran: Honoring Ramin Rezaeian, the first player to score and assist in a World Cup match for Iran. New Zealand: Chris Wood. Kiwi logo. He currently has the same number of assists at the World Cup as Kylian Mbappe.
What does this mean for the tournament? We mentioned this a few days ago, but — Germany 7-1 Curacao next door — this has been a fresh and even World Cup so far. Teams from Europe and South America (the two confederations that have won every World Cup since the tournament began in 1930) are currently averaging fewer points than the rest of the world. Follow the veteran stars shining, arguing about the flag and Messi's last dance | Daily information about the World Cup. Currently, we have three groups (B, G and H) that have opened with two draws, while only two teams (Scotland in Group C and Sweden in Group F) are holding a points advantage at the top of the group.
What to tell a friend or colleague today: France start today against Senegal and their squad is the most valuable in World Cup history. Certainly, there are a number of important factors helping them, including the overall increase in transfer value over the decades and the fact that World Cup squads have become larger over time. Anyhow, Didier Deschamps' squad is an incredible collection of talent. Compared to that, Cape Verde's entire squad is worth less than half Michael Olise.
Stat of the day: Some football matches are memorable for one specific moment, some contain almost everything. And Cape Verde versus Spain is a typical example of that. There was the fact that — somehow — Cape Verde only committed one foul in the entire match. Is this a World Cup record? Have. And what about Mikel Oyarzabal becoming the first player on record since 1966 to play the first 30 minutes of a World Cup match without touching the ball? And if that wasn't worrying enough for Spain fans, their team have now completed 2,500 passes at the World Cup since last scoring. Too many passes and not enough goals is something that has been criticized in Spanish football. Will we face something similar?
Notable match of the day: On Tuesday, two of the leading contenders for the Golden Boot award will take to the field for the first time in this tournament. Kylian Mbappe won the award four years ago with eight goals in Qatar, including a hat-trick in the final, and with France favored to progress into the tournament, he has the chance to become the first player to ever win the award twice. However, there may be a giant rival standing in his way: Erling Haaland. The Norwegian goal machine is making his World Cup debut and his goals-to-match ratio is astonishing. If Norway advances, he will be in the race to win the Golden Shoe.
Who is leading the World Cup? To paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, “Your scientists were so focused on who would come in third, they didn't stop to think about who might come in second.” There's been so much focus on how the eight third-placed teams will jump into the Round of 32 that many have forgotten that there are some places in the group where a top team will simply have to face a runner-up. Just like the World Cup used to operate when there were only 32 teams. Why are we talking about this today? Well, Spain's shock result against Cape Verde, while not really affecting their chances of reaching the knock-out round, has naturally increased the likelihood that Luis de la Fuente's team will finish second in Group H. And whoever does will face the winner in Group J — that is, Argentina's group. And the winner of Group H will face the runner-up in Group J. The pieces of the puzzle have begun to turn. The Athletic's prediction model has reacted accordingly — and shows a 29% chance of a Spain-Argentina clash in the round of 32.
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