2018 FIFA World Cup Betting Review: Day 5 (June 18)

On Day Four, we saw the final game in Group F play at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and both Group G games. In Group F, Sweden and South Korea started off the day with a tight game, but the Swedes relied on a penalty to pull out a 1-0 win. They are tied with Mexico atop Group F after Mexico defeated Germany, 1-0, on Sunday. In Group G, the first game pitted Belgium against Panama, and the Red Devils surged to a 3-0 win. In the second game, Tunisia and England played a thriller that looked like it would be another disappoint draw for the Three Lions, but then Harry Kane completed his brace in extra time, scoring the game-winner to give England a 2-1 win. Check out our World Cup betting review from the action.

2018 FIFA World Cup Betting Review: Day 5 (June 18)

@HKane at the double for England Sweden’s Granqvist keeps his cool @dries_mertens14 wonder goal boosts Belgium We round up Day 5 at the #WorldCup https://t.co/kPEjsm1pz0 pic.twitter.com/vz9rGeufHX

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 18, 2018

Group F: Sweden 1, South Korea 0

Sweden had not qualified for a World Cup in 2006, and their nervous energy was on display in their group play opener, as they developed chance after chance against South Korea, only to see shot after shot go wide. South Korea did put up considerable resistance on defense, but this game still should have been less competitive than it turned out to be. South Korea conceded a penalty in the 65th minute, and Andreas Granqvist, the Swedish captain, converted the kick. After that Sweden was able to keep South Korea’s pressure from creating real problems on their back line, and South Korea continues a winless streak in group play dating back to a win over Greece in South Africa, in 2010. The good news for the Swedes is that they were able to create plenty of scoring chances in this match — but they simply failed to put the ball in the back of the net. They will need to sharpen up their finishing with games against the top two teams in the group, Germany and Mexico, still upcoming. I don’t expect South Korea to have much success trying to stop either the Mexico or the Germany offenses, so count on South Korea to finish at the bottom of this group, as Germany will be trying to send a message after falling to Mexico, and Mexico will be riding a wave of confidence as they look to get a second win — and a trip to the round of 16.

Group G: Belgium 3, Panama 0

At halftime, it looked like the Group G opener would go the same way as some of the other matches between a clear favorite and a clear underdog…either a draw or to a late squeaker of a win. Neither happened here, though, as Belgium scored two minutes after the intermission and then got a brace from Romelu Lukaku, his goals coming six minutes apart, and the Red Devils skated to a 3-0 win. Belgium dominated possession, holding the ball 61% of the time, and they had 15 shots to the Panamanians’ 6 (6 on target for Belgium, with just two for Panama). The game was a physical one, with 35 total fouls and eight bookings, three yellow cards for the Belgians and five for the Panamanians, who are known for their rough approach to the sport. Belgium has been viewed by many as a sleeper to win the whole tournament, and the fact that their offense is clicking in ways that Argentina, Brazil and Germany are still waiting to see in their own teams should be encouraging for fans.

Group G, England 2, Tunisia 1

For much of the game, it looked like the English side was going to suffer from another disappointment. They dominated ball possession, holding the ball 59 percent of the time, and they completed 91 percent of their passes. They forced seven corner kicks (to just two for Tunisia), and they sent 17 shots at the Tunisian goal (seven on target), while the only Tunisian shot on target was the penalty they converted to tie the game in the first half. However, the English kept generating chances, and Kane paid off big time. Those three points push England well toward advancing out of the group, as long as they can polish off Panama.