2018 World Cup Day 7 match thread and discussion

The first week of World Cup Group Stage play comes to a close Wednesday featuring the second round of games for Group B participants, including Spain and Portugal who played to a beautiful draw in their first game and look like the clear favorites to advance out of the group.

The first game of the day features Portugal and hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo facing off against Morocco who lost their opener to Iran on a stoppage-time own goal. The defeat likely sealed Morocco’s fate and it would be surprising to see them walk away from the group stage with a single point given that they still face Portugal and Spain. Portugal will of course be looking for a win as they are tied with Spain for points and goal differential and will be looking to pour in as many goals as possible as it seems likely that the group will be decided on goal differential with Spain and Portugal tied after their opening match draw.

Wednesday’s second game will see Uruguay facing Saudi Arabia. Technically Saudi Arabia can stay in the hunt with a tie or win but it would seem anything is gravy for them at this point, having first suffered a 5-0 loss to host Russia in the tournament opener and then going through a scare as their plane caught fire mid-air on their way to Rostov.

Uruguay come in to the game knowing that they will need just a tie to advance to the knockout stages thanks to Russia’s dominant performance through the first two games. However, if they’re hoping to have a chance at catching the Russians for first place in the group they’re going to have to hang a number on Saudi Arabia that will help close Russia’s current six goal differential. Whether finishing first or second in the group matters significantly is probably debatable as the result is likely facing Spain or Portugal regardless.

The third game of the day features current Group B leaders Iran taking on Spain. Iran cling to a glimmer of hope having defeated Morocco in their opening game. If they can somehow manage a result against Spain things would suddenly be looking much more optimistic for them than anyone ever expected. Spain will come in to the match with a slight advantage, knowing Portugal’s result from earlier in the day and what they will need to do to keep pace or overtake them. Again, expect Spain to keep pressing for goals throughout the game regardless of scoreline as they look to build a goal differential advantage.

How to Watch

Group B - Portugal vs. Morocco

Location: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

Kick-off time: 8:00am Eastern, 5:00am Pacific

Location: Mordovia Arena, Saransk

Kick-off time: 8:00am Eastern, 5:00am Pacific

Available TV: FS1 (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports Go (App/Website), Telemundo (Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

Group A - Uruguay vs. Saudia Arabia

Location: Rostov Arena, Rostov-On-Don

Kick-off time: 11:00am Eastern, 8:00am Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports Go (App/Website), Telemundo (Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

Group B - Iran vs. Spain

Location: Kazan Arena, Kazan

Kick-off time: 2:00pm Eastern, 11:00am Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports Go (App/Website), Telemundo (Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

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