Might we have seen the most dramatic end to a group at this year’s World Cup?Going into the final round of games in Group G, any team could still have qualified, and three could have topped the group.This was the group containing Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, in the order it eventually finished, but it wasn’t without drama and constant change in standings during the final half an hour.Bear with me here, as things got complicated, but let’s take a look at how the group table changed several times, why an Iran player was wearing sunglasses, and what the final results mean for each team.Before New Zealand vs Belgium and Egypt vs Iran had kicked off, this is how things looked.
Group G standings after two games PWDLGDGoalsPtsEgypt211024:24Iran202002:22Belgium202001:12New Zealand2011-23:51
New Zealand may have trailed behind on one point and minus-two goal difference (GD), but still could have qualified over Belgium with a win.If Egypt won, they would have topped the group. If they drew, Belgium had the chance to overtake them if they beat New Zealand by three goals or more (with goals scored also a factor, more on this later), but Egypt would still qualify in second place. Iran and New Zealand were searching for wins in the hope of confirming qualification to the knockouts.By half-time in the games, Belgium were 1-0 up after Leandro Trossard’s first goal, and Egypt had scored in the fifth minute before Iran equalised less than 10 minutes later. With Belgium winning by one and Egypt drawing, this meant Egypt remained top on GD.
