Sports Then and Now

Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals in his first action in the 2018 World Cup.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is off to a great start as close decisions are proving to be the norm. Of the first 20 games played, 13 have been decided by one goal and there have been three games finishing in a draw. Included among the decisions have been a number of upsets that could lead to some surprising teams advancing to the next round.

As the most watched global sporting event outside of the Olympics and a favorite for sports betting, the close games and upsets have made it an interesting week for betting sites and world cup predictions.

The hosts from Russia have been statistically the most dominant team so far in the tournament as they have scored eight goals and allowed only one in two wins. However, their two opponents (Saudi Arabia and Egypt) are not considered to be contenders. The fourth team in that bracket, Uruguay is also 2-0, though both wins were 1-0 shutouts. Russia and Uruguay will play on Monday and that game could provide some insight as to whether Russia can be a contender moving forward.

Perhaps the most surprising result of the tournament so far has been the 1-0 victory by Mexico over defending champion Germany. It will be crucial for Germany to bounce back in their next two games against Sweden and South Korea.

One thing that hasn’t been too much of a surprise so far has been the play of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Arguably the best player in the world, Renaldo scored three goals in a 3-3 draw between Portugal and Spain. He then scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Morocco. He will need to continue his magic in the next game against Iran to ensure that Portugal will advance to the next round. Read the rest of this entry →

 As has been the case for every FIFA Men’s Soccer World Cup since the tournament was first held in 1930, the United States will not win the 2018 championship. Of course, the reason we can definitively say that more than two weeks before the start of the tournament is because for the first time since 1986 the USA did not qualify.

Known across the rest of the world as football, even without the United States as a competitor, the 2018 World Cup will captivate audiences across the globe. One of the most popular betting events in the world, millions will be paying attention to football betting options as they look to identify the winner of the 2018 World Cup.

Being held in Russia for the first time ever, the FIFA World’s Cup will surely be the center of interest in the sports world from the first match on June 14^th through the championship on July 15^th.

For many years, the World Cup was dominated by South American countries, with a total of nine titles between 1930 and 2002 (five by Brazil and two each by Uruguay and Argentina). However, the last three titles have been claimed by European countries to push the total number for Europe to 11 (four by Germany and Italy with one each by England, France and Spain).

After claiming the 2014 title, their first since 1990, Germany will look to match Brazil for the most World Cup championships in 2018. They are considered one of the tournament favorites, but given that no country has repeated as World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, it will certainly be a tough task. Read the rest of this entry →