Argentina scrape through to the second round as Croatia prosper
When the World Cup draw was first released, the final game of Group G between England and Belgium looked like a tantalising prospect – two European superpowers facing off in a match that would likely decide the group winners.
The scenario remains as many had predicted, but when the two sides meet at Kaliningrad Stadium tomorrow morning, the world will be watching for a different reason.
With the benefit of being the last teams to play in the group stage, both teams will have full knowledge of the knockout bracket by the time they kickoff at 6am – which may lead to the strange situation of both teams attempting to lose the match.
As it stands – thanks to a few quirky results – one side of the draw appears considerably more difficult.
The Group G winners will be on the side of the draw that includes big names Argentina, France, Portugal and Brazil, while the only pre-tournament favourite on the runner-up's side is Spain.
So it would be beneficial for both teams to avoid winning the group to end up in the easier side of the draw.
What makes the matchup particularly intriguing is the fact that both England and Belgium head into the game tied on points and with identical goal differences, having each scored eight goals and conceded two.
England head coach Gareth Southgate. Photo / AP Photo
This means that if both teams draw tomorrow, the tiebreaker of who wins the group will be determined by "fair play points" which essentially means the team who has fewer cards. If that is tied, then the winner will be decided by a coin toss.
So basically, if the teams play tomorrow's game to benefit their own interests, we could be in for a game of anti-football, with both England and Belgium looking to lose – in other words, avoid scoring – while attempting to end up with more cards than the other team. (Belgium currently have one more yellow card than England.)
Leading up to the game, Belgium's manager Roberto Martinez said beating England is not a priority.
"We have qualified and that was the priority," Martínez told the media. "Now we need to look at our individual players. We want to perform well but the priority is not to win. That is the reality, we have put ourselves in this situation, we wanted to qualify and we have done that.
"There are players on yellow cards. I don't think it would be professional of us to put those players at a risk of missing the knockout phase. Players have been in very demanding games. It is very important to protect and give every player the best possible programme to be in the best condition in the knockout game."
On the other hand, England's manager Gareth Southgate said his side will be playing to win.
"We want to win the game," said Southgate. "That would mean we top the group and we would go into whatever game we go into moving forward.
"If I go and headbutt Roberto in the last five minutes, then you'll know that maybe we're taking a different approach to getting through!"
Whether Southgate's comments are just lip service or a statement of intent remains to be seen.
But it does lead to the next thing up for grabs tomorrow:
Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. Photo / AP Photo
Pride
Something else on the line tomorrow will be pride, or perhaps the moral high ground.
Does the concept of "winning the right way" even matter in this amoral era of capitalism – when the line between right and wrong is usually determined by the bottom line?
Southgate appears to be gesturing towards saying yes. The Belgians, though, are known for their pragmatism and may not be as worried about this perception of right and wrong, if the pre-game chatter is to be believed.
The fans certainly won't care, especially these set of fans – the Belgians who have seen their golden generation consistently underachieve, and the English who are perhaps the most tortured group of fans in world football.
How both sides approach the match will be a good indicator of their respective philosophies and team culture.
Regardless, it's ironic that fair play points – the signifier of the team who, in theory, has played the most within the "spirit of the game" – could be the thing that separates the two sides and lead to an easier run at winning the World Cup.
Tournament records
Football can also be an individual sport, and one of the most prestigious individual honours in world football is the World Cup golden boot (the player with the most goals at the end of the tournament).
Both England's Harry Kane and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku are both leading the goal tally at the moment, with five and four respectively. And both players will be keen to increase their tally tomorrow.
However, Lukaku does look likely to be rested after picking up a minor injury niggle, while Kane may also be rested to give either Jamie Vardy or Marcus Rashford an opportunity to make their impression on the cup.
The players' performance will also be a factor in who wins the golden ball (the tournament's best player).
This added individual wrinkle – along with the players' natural competitiveness – will certainly effect how both sides approach tomorrow's match.
