How did Group B play out?

Wales proved to be the worst team among the four, while England were the best

As many as 32 teams participated in the FIFA World Cup 2022, which recently concluded in Qatar. Those sides were divided into eight groups.

Group B comprised England, Wales, Iran and the United States of America (USA).

England were the clear favourites to top the group, while the other three had to battle hard for the second spot.

Let’s see how the teams performed in the campaign.

England

The semi-finalist of the last edition of the World Cup in Russia, England headed into the global event with almost all the boxes ticked under their successful manager Gareth Southgate.

They had a fit and firing Harry Kane as captain, experienced players Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, and Raheem Sterling and promising youngsters like Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham.

As the Three Lions entered the tournament, they hardly disappointed their fans.

They started off the campaign with a scintillating against Iran, beating them 6-2. They completely dominated the opponents with Saka scoring twice and Bellingham, Sterling, Rashford and Grealish scoring once in the game.

Next up, they faced a stern challenge in the shape of the USA. Surprising to many, England were completely dominated by the American side but they were lucky to end the contest in a draw.

The Southgate’s men then faced Wales. It was supposed to be a challenging game for them but Gareth Bale’s side could not put much of a challenge and they ended up on the winning end.

The first half of the game remained goalless, while Rashford scored two and Foden scored one in the second half.

In the Round of 16, they were up against the African champions Senegal, who had a promising run in Group A. The former 1966 Champions faced little difficulty in getting past their African counterparts. They won the encounter convincingly 3-0 to confirm their place in the quarter-finals.

In the last-eight game, they had to tame the defending champions and the eventual runner-ups France.

The English side played commendable football in the game but were unlucky to lose the game 2-1.

Overall, England’s journey in the World Cup was impressive and their fans had a lot of moments to be proud of. The side had shaped up well with both experienced and young talented players in the side, it looked like they will be a force to reckon with in the next World Cup.

Iran

Grade: B

Iran were the lowest-ranked team in the group. They were likely to be the side going out in the earliest phases of the tournament.

Moreover, they had come to play in a lot of crises. They were protesting about what was happening back home. There were suggestions coming in for replacing them with Ukraine in the World Cup. They have been under pressure and probably not entirely focused on the game.

They had a few competent players in the lineup, on which the manager Carlos Queiroz, serving his second term, was banking. Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh were their premier attackers.

However, contrary to expectations, Iran put up a decent show. They suffered a heavy defeat against England from where their comeback looked nearly impossible but they were able to do so.

The Asian side had a wonderful outing in the next game, scoring two goals in 90+8 and 90+11 minutes, to win the game 2-0.

Other results in the group made Iran against USA contest, a highly politically charged rivalry, a knockout.

The USA did not give anything away to Iran and they eventually won 1-0 to end Iran’s campaign.

In a nutshell, Iran played decent football and was a major contender from Group B to book a place in the Round of 16.

Wales

Grade: C

Gareth Bale and his men qualified for the World Cup 2022 after winning playoff games against Austria and Ukraine as they had finished second in the qualification group. It was their first World Cup since 1958 and they surely wanted to make it special.

Their opening game was against a well-equipped USA team. The Welsh team looked undercooked as compared to their opponents and did not seem much threatening.

The USA attained an early lead in the game in the 36th minute, courtesy of Timothy Weah’s goal. It looked like the game will end 1-0 before, in the 82nd minute, Wales were awarded a penalty which was converted into a goal by Bale. The game ended in a draw.

They had the next challenge in the form of Iran. The Asian team was a more attacking side in the match, having six shots on target as compared to Wales’ three.

Both teams could not net the ball for 90 minutes. When it gave an impression that the game will end as a draw, Iran suddenly scored twice to hand Wales a heart-shattering loss.

Their final outing of the tournament was against England. It must have been an emotional game for the Welsh team given the political background of the two countries.

England were clearly a more decorated side and it was evident during the contest. Rashford scored twice and Foden scored once to give Wales another heartbreak.

Wales’ performance was underwhelming, to say the least, in the World Cup.

USA

Grade: A-

The USA have never been synonymous with football, or as they call it soccer. Their best run was back in 1930 when they were invited to play in the tournament and qualified for the semi-finals.

From the 1950 edition of the World Cup till 1986, they did not qualify for the global event.

This year, after a long time, they looked like a competitive team. They previously looked to defend big and then counterattack where they could.

In the recently concluded tournament, they had a different approach with young and talented players who were positive and attacking. Berhalter trusted his players and it proved fruitful for them.

They kicked off their World Cup campaign by locking horns with Wales. It was a closely fought battle, which eventually ended in a draw 1-1. The Welsh team was trailing 1-0 from the 36th minute to the 82nd minute till Bale converted a penalty into a goal.

In their next encounter, The Stars and Stripes remained unlucky to not win the game against a much-celebrated side England. The Berhalter’s men were immensely impressive against the Three Lions but they could not get a favourable result.

Their last game was against Iran, which was a do-or-die affair for both teams. The USA proved to be a much superior side that did not allow the Iranian team to play freely.

Eventually, they won the game to qualify for the next round by 1-0.

Next up, they had to face the Netherlands in the Round of 16. The Dutchmen were not in prime form in the tournament, but they had the experience and skill to get past any team in the world.

The USA gave them a run for their money during that clash, but it was the Men-in-Orange who stood victorious 3-1.

The Netherlands had scored 2 goals in the first half, while the USA managed to score once in the 76th minute. Five minutes later, Dutch scored another goal to seal the win 3-1.

Overall, the USA had a pretty impressive run in the tournament and it looked like they have grown in the world of football as a nation. It will be interesting to see how they fare as hosts in the next World Cup.