Losing its last game in Group G against Belgium might have been better for England than expected as they ready to take on Colombia in the last game of the Round of 16 on Tuesday. A couple of objectives were achieved in the Thursday defeat that may help the team […]
Soccer
Switzerland, Sweden Prepare for Defensive Battle in World Cup Round of 16
An increasingly confident Sweden will face off against Switzerland’s golden generation at the World Cup on Tuesday, with the winner moving on to the quarterfinals. Both sides fared well in the group stages, with Sweden topping their group ahead of Mexico and Switzerland finishing behind Brazil with a win and […]
Wayne Rooney Completes Transfer from Everton to DC United in MLS
Former England superstar Wayne Rooney will be taking his talents to the United States, as he has completed a move from English Premier League club Everton to DC United of Major League Soccer. Both clubs confirmed that a transfer agreement had been reached on Thursday, with the Washington Post reporting […]
Brazil Goalie Alisson Becker Leads Contenders Grasping for Golden Glove
Behind two shutouts, Brazil’s Alisson Becker has shot up as the favorite to win the World Cup’s Golden Glove, awarded to the best goalie by the FIFA Technical Study Group. Known simply as Alisson, he opened as a 5/1 pick behind Spain’s David De Gea at 4/1 and Germany’s Manuel […]
World Cup Round of 16 Provides Five Value Bets Mostly on Favorites
Now that the World Cup Round of 16 gets underway on Saturday, teams will begin to show more of their true form, and finding value bets will be much more difficult. Teams that shocked the soccer world by advancing will have a much harder time surprising opponents and will probably […]
Halftime Report: Where We Stand After Placing All of OG’s Five Bets for the World Cup
Four minutes, four lousy minutes. That’s all it took to turn a happy watcher of the World Cup into someone who was bitter as an imaginary sports bettor can be. As part of OG’s coverage for Russia 2018, we’ve introduced a column tentatively called “Five Bets.” In it, as […]
World Cup: Late Goal Sends Colombia Through to Knockout Round, Fair Play Favors Japan
Yerry Mina scored on a header in the 74th minute to give Colombia a 1-0 win over Senegal at the World Cup on Thursday, sending his team through to the Round of 16. The win also eliminated Senegal, who suffered their first group stage loss in the country’s history. Japan […]
Germany Eliminated from 2018 World Cup after Shocking Loss to South Korea
Germany was seen as one of the favorites to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But the defending champions won’t be celebrating this year, as a shocking 2-0 loss to South Korea has sent Germany out of the tournament in the group stage. Germany had never failed to advance out […]
World Cup Dilemma: Is Second Place Better Than First in Some Groups?
There’s a simple formula for the group stage at the World Cup: survive and advance. But when teams already know they’re through to the knockout stage, they might have to ask a strange question: do we really want to win the group? It sounds strange to think that a team […]
Argentina Reaches World Cup Knockout Stage After Dramatic 2-1 Win Over Nigeria
A frantic finish in Group D saw Argentina go through to the knockout round after a 2-1 victory over Nigeria at the World Cup on Tuesday. The result wasn’t certain until the final moments, and for a few minutes, it seemed as though a single goal might result in Argentina, […]
Harry Kane Out-Kicking Golden Boot Competition at World Cup 2018
England’s Harry Kane has managed to get his foot in the door for the World Cup’s Golden Boot, the award given to the player who scores throughout the month-long tournament. As of Tuesday, Kane was in the lead with five goals after only two games. Romelu Lukaku of Belgium, and […]
VAR Catches Record Number of Penalties at 2018 World Cup
Early in the second half of Monday’s World Cup match between Iran and Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo went down inside the box. After the referee waved off Ronaldo’s call for a penalty, the VAR – or video assistant referee – recommended a review, and a penalty was awarded. Ronaldo would fail […]
Ease or Angst: Five World Cup Bets Fitting for Group Finales
Some teams know their fate, others need to win this week, but both scenarios present five World Cup bets that gamblers can take advantage of as Russia 2018 wraps up the group phase. Teams like England and Belgium can relax, while Australia and Argentina will have to win and get help […]
Hard-Fought Draws Send Spain, Portugal Through to Knockout Round at World Cup
It may not have been pretty, but both Spain and Portugal did just enough to see themselves through to the knockout round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Both teams faced surprisingly robust opposition from opponents they were heavily favored to defeat, with the final results remaining uncertain until the […]
Must-Win Group Matches Create Five World Cup Must Bets
Germany, Poland, and Colombia lost in upsets in the first round and now find themselves in a position of facing must-win games to have any chance of moving on to the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup. The teams that upset them, Mexico, Senegal, and Japan, can punch their tickets […]
Brazil Returns to Winning Ways Against Costa Rica and Other Round 2 Results
After some upsets in the first round of group play at the World Cup, order was restored a bit in the second round. Brazil, who was stunned with a draw against Switzerland on Sunday, rebounded with a 2-0 victory against Costa Rica on Friday. Iceland, who tied heavy favorite Argentina […]
Argentina on Verge of World Cup Elimination After Embarrassing 3-0 Loss to Croatia
Argentina suffered a disastrous 3-0 loss to Croatia on Thursday, leaving the South American side in serious danger of missing out on the knockout stage of the World Cup. Croatia is guaranteed to advance to the Round of 16 after having won its first two matches, while Argentina will likely […]
World Cup: Uruguay and Russia Qualify for Knockout Round, Spain and Portugal Book First Wins
The first two teams qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup on Wednesday, as Uruguay defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0. The win sent both Uruguay and Russia through to the knockout round, while eliminating Saudi Arabia and Egypt from contention in Group A. Uruguay Doesn’t Impress, But Gets Job […]
Goal-Oriented: Five Good Bets for World Cup Gamblers
Goals have been stingy so far in the 2018 World Cup, making betting on the world’s favorite soccer tournament a little tricky. But specific picks about who will score, and where on the field they’ll score from have been posting some attractive odds. . Knowing this, OG took a deeper look […]
Neymar Leaves World Cup Practice with Ankle Pain, Spurring Injury Fears (Video)
Brazilian superstar Neymar left a training session on Tuesday after just 15 minutes with an ankle injury, sparking concerns about the striker’s health going forward in the World Cup. According to team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, Neymar left practice after first feeling soreness while he was jogging. Injury Follows Foot Surgery […]