In the shadow of Cada's landlord status, the situation in Group A has become increasingly complicated. Despite their home advantage, Cada unexpectedly lost their opening match against Ecuador, seemingly signaling an early farewell to the tournament. Then, they lost to the strong Senegal and the Netherlands with scores of 1-3 and 0-3 respectively, and became the first team out of the tournament. After two rounds of intense competition, Ecuador, the Netherlands and Senegal all have hopes of advancing. The Netherlands won 1 and drew 1 against Senegal and Ecuador, and finally beat Cada 2-0, establishing the top position and successfully advancing. Senegal climbed to second place in Group A with a 2-1 victory in their final head-to-head match against Ecuador.
advancement
Teams: Netherlands, Senegal
The situation in Group B was as expected, with England and the United States advancing to first and second place respectively. Though the tournament was a cold one, the chances of the stronger teams advancing became clearer as the tournament progressed. England, despite fielding a substitute lineup in the final round against Wales, broke the deadlock with a goal from striker Marcus Rashford, eventually finishing second in the group with a 3-0 win. And in the crucial battle between Iran and the United States, the U.S. took the crucial three points for advancement with a 1-0 win over Iran thanks to a goal from Pleszek.
advancement
Teams: England, United States
Group C was extremely competitive, with Argentina and Poland locking up qualification at the last minute. In particular, Saudi Arabia's dramatic come-from-behind victory over Argentina put the country in a difficult position to qualify for a while. Fortunately for Argentina, they were able to overcome Mexico and Poland in their subsequent matches to advance. Poland and Mexico, on the other hand, battled for the second qualifying spot as expected, with Poland eventually eliminating Mexico by a narrow margin. It's worth noting that Saudi Arabia, despite ending up at the bottom of the group, played both losses quite well and earned respect.
advancement
Teams: Argentina, Poland
Group D ended up with France and Australia advancing to the round of sixteen. France played a solid overall game, and despite an unexpected loss to Tunisia in their final game due to substitutions, they still advanced to the top of the group thanks to a big win against Australia in their first game. Australia, on the other hand, emerged from a chaotic situation, losing their first match to France and then winning their subsequent matches to make it to the knockout stage. Denmark and Tunisia unfortunately failed to qualify, with Denmark's midfielder Eriksen suffering from a targeted defense and only scoring one goal in the end. Tunisia came close to beating France in the final round, but failed to qualify.
advancement
Teams: France, Australia
Group E, known as the "Group of Death", saw Japan and Spain advance hand in hand. Although the first two rounds of the tournament exposed the flaws of their respective lineups, Spain's 7-0 victory in the first match once gave people confidence in their advancement. However, Spain's offense was weak against Germany's tight defense. Japan, on the other hand, scored two goals in the second half to win the match and advance to the top of the group. Germany scored three goals in the second half to beat Costa Rica 4-2, but Spain still qualified on goal difference.
advancement
Teams: Japan, Spain
