SOCCER - WORLD CUP - 2018
RUSSIA
2016
Qualifier - England (1) @ (0) Slovakia - England's new head coach Sam Allardyce marked his debut as England Manager with a win in Trnava. England dominated the game, enjoying more possession (64% to 36%) and shots on goal (20 to 1), but had to wait until the last kick of the game to find the winner. Adam Lallana scored in the 95th minute, his 1st goal for England (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Malta (0) @ (2) England - Gareth Southgate started his reign as England's interim manager with a comfortable win against Malta at Wembley Stadium. 2 goals in the 1st half from Delle Ali and Daniel Sturridge did the damage and despite England dominating the stats (80% possession, 20 shots to 1), Malta held on in the 2nd half without conceding more goals (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (0) @ (0) Slovenia - England continued their unbeaten run in the group, but needed a big defensive performance in Ljubljana. Slovenia dominated offensive possession and had more shots on goal (13 to 12) but England goalkeeper Joe Hart had a big game and made sure that England won a deserved point (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Scotland (0) @ (3) England - In the 1st competitive match-up between the old enemies since 1999, England took the win with a ruthless performance in front of goal. England only had 3 shots on target in the game but scored with all 3 shots. Scotland had their chances to make the game competitive but didn't take their chances when they arrived. The England goals came from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle/Gallacher, PAL)
2017
Qualifier - Lithuania (0) @ (2) England - England remained top of their qualification group with a solid win at Wembley. England controlled possession (72%) and Shots (21 to 4) and won the game with goals from Jermaine Defoe (his 1st since 2013) and Jamie Vardy (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (2) @ (2) Scotland - England maintained top spot in the group with a tight draw against their old enemy at Hampden Park. England dominated the game for long stretches, keeping the Scots at arms length in attack, and held a 1-0 lead going into the 87th minute. But Scotland sensationally scored 2 goals in 3 minutes to turn the game on its head and England suddenly faced defeat. With the crowd baying for the final whistle, England rescued the game with an equaliser in the 3rd minute of injury time to take a share of the points. The England goals came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harry Kane. The Scotland goals came from 2 great free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle/Gallacher, PAL)
Qualifier - England (4) @ (0) Malta - England kept top spot in the qualifying group with a tougher-than-expected win in Valetta. Malta defended in numbers and it wasn't until the 53rd minute that England scored their 1st goal. As the game wore on, England found more space in attack and subsequently scored 3 more goals in the final 6 minutes to secure the win. The England goals came from Harry Kane (2), Ryan Betrand (his 1st for England) and Danny Welbeck (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Slovakia (1) @ (2) England - The top 2 teams in the qualifying group met at Wembley, and it was England that emerged victorious after a tough comeback win. Slovakia opened the game full of attacking intent and scored in the 2nd minute. England grew into the game and equalised in the 37th minute before dominating the rest of the game and scoring the game-winner in the 59th minute. The England goals came from Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford. The Slovakia goal came from Stanislav Lobotka (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (1) @ (0) Slovakia - England's new head coach Sam Allardyce marked his debut as England Manager with a win in Trnava. England dominated the game, enjoying more possession (64% to 36%) and shots on goal (20 to 1), but had to wait until the last kick of the game to find the winner. Adam Lallana scored in the 95th minute, his 1st goal for England (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Malta (0) @ (2) England - Gareth Southgate started his reign as England's interim manager with a comfortable win against Malta at Wembley Stadium. 2 goals in the 1st half from Delle Ali and Daniel Sturridge did the damage and despite England dominating the stats (80% possession, 20 shots to 1), Malta held on in the 2nd half without conceding more goals (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (0) @ (0) Slovenia - England continued their unbeaten run in the group, but needed a big defensive performance in Ljubljana. Slovenia dominated offensive possession and had more shots on goal (13 to 12) but England goalkeeper Joe Hart had a big game and made sure that England won a deserved point (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Scotland (0) @ (3) England - In the 1st competitive match-up between the old enemies since 1999, England took the win with a ruthless performance in front of goal. England only had 3 shots on target in the game but scored with all 3 shots. Scotland had their chances to make the game competitive but didn't take their chances when they arrived. The England goals came from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle/Gallacher, PAL)
2017
Qualifier - Lithuania (0) @ (2) England - England remained top of their qualification group with a solid win at Wembley. England controlled possession (72%) and Shots (21 to 4) and won the game with goals from Jermaine Defoe (his 1st since 2013) and Jamie Vardy (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (2) @ (2) Scotland - England maintained top spot in the group with a tight draw against their old enemy at Hampden Park. England dominated the game for long stretches, keeping the Scots at arms length in attack, and held a 1-0 lead going into the 87th minute. But Scotland sensationally scored 2 goals in 3 minutes to turn the game on its head and England suddenly faced defeat. With the crowd baying for the final whistle, England rescued the game with an equaliser in the 3rd minute of injury time to take a share of the points. The England goals came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harry Kane. The Scotland goals came from 2 great free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle/Gallacher, PAL)
Qualifier - England (4) @ (0) Malta - England kept top spot in the qualifying group with a tougher-than-expected win in Valetta. Malta defended in numbers and it wasn't until the 53rd minute that England scored their 1st goal. As the game wore on, England found more space in attack and subsequently scored 3 more goals in the final 6 minutes to secure the win. The England goals came from Harry Kane (2), Ryan Betrand (his 1st for England) and Danny Welbeck (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Slovakia (1) @ (2) England - The top 2 teams in the qualifying group met at Wembley, and it was England that emerged victorious after a tough comeback win. Slovakia opened the game full of attacking intent and scored in the 2nd minute. England grew into the game and equalised in the 37th minute before dominating the rest of the game and scoring the game-winner in the 59th minute. The England goals came from Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford. The Slovakia goal came from Stanislav Lobotka (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Slovenia (0) @ (1) England - England booked their place at the 2018 World Cup Finals with a tight win at Wembley. England dominated possession (67%) and shots on goal (17 to 5) but couldn't capitalise until 4 minutes into injury time at the end of the game when striker Harry Kane bundled in Kyle Walker's cross to take the win (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (1) @ (0) Lithuania - With a tough win in Vilnius, England finished their qualification group unbeaten. England manager Gareth Southgate made 7 changes from the previous game, giving debuts to Harry Winks (Spurs) and Harry Maguire (Leicester). England won the game with a penalty from Harry Kane after 29 minutes, then defended the lead to the end. England dominated the stats (71% possession + 20 shots on goal) (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
2018
FINALS
Group A - Russia (5) v (0) Saudi Arabia - The opening game of the tournament saw a goals explosion in Moscow. In front of a 78,000 crowd, Russia scored 5 goals on 7 attempts on target with Yuri Gazinsky, Denis Cheryshev (2), Artem Dzyuba and Aleksandr Golovin all scoring. The last 2 Russia goals came in injury time at the end of the game (10, Coverage starts as the teams walk out, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group B - Portugal (3) v (3) Spain - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo finally produced a World Cup performance, scoring all 3 goals for his country to rescue a draw against the Spanish. A back-and-forth game saw Portugal take a 2-1 lead in at the half, only for Spain to score twice in the 2nd half to take a 3-2 lead. But with only 2 minutes left, Ronaldo stunned the Spanish with a trademark free-kick goal to secure an opening-game draw. The Spanish goals came from Diego Costa (2) and Nacho (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Murphy, PAL)
Group C - France (2) v (1) Australia - In an historic game in Kazan, France finally subdued Australia to win their opening game. After a goal-less 1st half, France took the lead in the 58th minute from a penalty. The kick was only given after consultation with VAR that overturned the referee's original decision, the first time that had ever happened in a World Cup. Australia equalised with a penalty of their own 4 minutes later, confirmed by VAR, but France sealed the win with a late own goal. The ball was deemed to have crossed the line by Hawkeye, before bouncing back out into play. The other France goal came from Antoine Griezmann. The Australia goal came from Mile Jedinak (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Bower/Lawrenson, PAL)
Group C - Peru (0) v (1) Denmark - A passionate Peru, playing in their first World Cup match since 1982, failed to take their chances against Denmark, and the Danes made them pay with a 2nd half goal to take the win. Peru had 17 attempts on goal, with 6 on target, but the game turned on a penalty awarded late in the 1st half by VAR. Peru's Christian Cueva stepped up and blasted the ball over the bar. Denmark recovered at the half and scored after 59 minutes with a goal from Yussuf Poulsen that the team defended to the end (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Brotherton/Kilbane, PAL)
Group D - Argentina (0) v (3) Croatia - Argentina suffered their heaviest group stage defeat since 1958 with a disappointing loss to Croatia. After a scoreless 1st half, Croatia dominated the 2nd half and opened the scoring after a goalkeeping error from Argentina's Willy Caballero. Argentina attempted to fight back but Croatia scored 2 more goals in the final 10 minutes to take the win. The Croatia goals came from Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Lawrenson, PAL)
Group D - Nigeria (2) v (0) Iceland - Knowing defeat would see them eliminated, Nigeria put in a great came of attacking football in the 2nd half to beat Iceland and keep their hopes of qualification alive. After a scoreless 1st half, 2 great goals from Ahmed Musa after the break did the damage and Iceland even missed a penalty to compound their misery. With the win, Argentina also had their qualification hopes re-ignited (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Group F - Germany (0) v (1) Mexico - Defending champions Germany made a disastrous start to their bid to win back-to-back World Cups with a shock defeat by Mexico. Hirving Lozano scored in the 1st half, and Mexico defended resolutely in the 2nd half to hold on for the win. Germany dominated possession (66%) and shots on goal (26 to 13) but failed to find the break-through goal (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/P.Neville, PAL)
Group F - Germany (2) v (1) Sweden - Germany rescued their tournament with an injury time goal to beat the Swedes. The Germans knew they needed a win to stand any chance of making it through the group but trailed 1-0 at half-time. In the 2nd half, the Germans took control of the game and scored an early goal, but still needed the winner entering injury time when midfielder Toni Kroos stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the penalty and scored a great goal to sensationally win the game. The other German goal came from Marco Reus. The Sweden goal came from Ola Toivonen (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Group F - South Korea (2) v (0) Germany - In one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, defending champions Germany were eliminated at the group stage for the first time since 1938 following defeat by South Korea in Kazan. Germany knew they had to score to progress as Sweden were beating Mexico in the other group game, but the South Koreans defended well and then stunned the Germans with 2 goals in injury time at the end of the game. The 2nd goal came with German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer playing in the South Korean half as an extra attacker, and South Korea won the ball off him and punted it downfield towards an empty net that Son Heung-min tapped in to secure the win. The other South Korea goal came from Kim Young-gwon and was awarded after a VAR decision ruled him on-side when he scored (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Kilbane, PAL)
Group G - Tunisia (1) v (2) England - England opened their campaign with a dominating win in Volgograd. England came out of the blocks on fire, creating chance after chance, with the breakthrough coming in the 11th minute. Tunisia equalised from the penalty spot on 35 minutes (their only shot on target in the whole game), then played great defensively in the 2nd half to keep England at bay. England didn't give up and sensationally won the game in the 91st minute with a match-winning header. Both England goals came from Harry Kane. The Tunisia goal came from Ferjani Sassi (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Group G - England (6) v (1) Panama - In a goal explosion in Nizhny Novgorod, England recorded their biggest ever World Cup win and booked a place in the Last 16 of the tournament. The hero of the game was England striker Harry Kane who scored a hat-trick. England dominated the 1st half and remarkably led 5-0 at the break. The match petered out in the 2nd half and Panama were rewarded with their first ever World Cup goal in the 78th minute from Felipe Baloy. The other England goals came from John Stones (2), his first for England, and Jesse Lingard (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)
Group G - England (0) v (1) Belgium - The battle for top spot in the group went to Belgium as both teams fielded their reserves in the final group game in Kaliningrad. Both teams had already qualified for the Last 16 so the match gave both managers a chance to field weakened teams. Belgium won the game and the group with a 2nd half goal from Adnan Januzaj. Belgium's reward for winning the group was a place in the strong half of the Last 16 draw (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16 - France (4) v (3) Argentina - In a wild shootout in Kazan, France booked their place in the Quarter Finals with the help of their teenage striker, Kylian Mbappe. He scored 2 goals and earned a penalty for a 3rd goal as the French fought back from a 2-1 deficit in the 2nd half to beat Argentina. Lionel Messi, in probably his final World Cup appearance, set-up 2 goals for Argentina. The other French goals came from Antoine Griezmann and Benjamin Pavard, a great half-volley. The Argentina goals came from Angel di Maria, a great long-range strike, Gabriel Mercado and Sergio Aguero (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)
Last 16 - Uruguay (2) v (1) Portugal - Uruguay's 2 strikers, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, put on a masterclass to end Portugal's World Cup in Sochi. The strikers ran the Portuguese ragged, with Suarez setting up Cavani for both goals. Each finish was world class ; the first from a header and the second a curling shot. Portugal dominated the stats (67% possession, 20 shots to only 5 for Uruguay) but only managed to break down the vaunted Uruguay Defense once when Pepe scored an equaliser in the 55th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo had 6 shots on goal, but only 1 was on target (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16 - Spain (1) v (1) Russia - Hosts Russia pulled off the biggest shock of the 2018 World Cup, beating 2010 winners Spain in the first penalty shootout of the tournament to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 48 years. Spain dominated the stats (1,006 passes, 79% possession, 23 shots on goal) but the Russian Defense was immense and kept the Spanish from making hardly any clear-cut chances. Spain opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an own-goal from Russian Defender Sergei Ignashevich who, while defending a free-kick, was rugby-tackling Sergio Ramos when the ball went in off of his leg. Russia were forced into attacking more and just before half-time were rewarded with a penalty that Artem Dzyuba converted to tie the game up. Neither team could find the breakthrough in the 2nd half or extra-time so the game went to a penalty shootout where Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saved 2 Spanish penalties to sensationally send the home team into the Quarter Finals (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Kilbane, PAL)
Last 16 - Croatia (1) v (1) Denmark - In a nervy game in Nizhny Novgorod, Croatia finally saw off Denmark but needed a penalty shootout to do so. The game started in dramatic fashion with both goals scored in the opening 4 minutes, but both teams then huffed and puffed the rest of the way without finding a winning goal. Croatia could have won the game late in extra-time, but Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty from Luka Modric. In the penalty shootout, Schmeichel again saved 2 more penalties, but unfortunately the Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic went 1 better, saving 3 spot-kicks, and Croatia won the game (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/G.Neville, PAL)
Last 16 - Belgium (3) v (2) Japan - Belgium completed a remarkable comeback against the Japanese, over-turning a 2-0 deficit to book their place in the Quarter Finals. After a scoreless 1st half, Japan came out on fire in the 2nd half, scoring 2 goals in 4 minutes to shock the Belgians. Belgium coach Roberto Martinez made a couple of substitutions, bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli, and they turned the game around. Belgium scored 2 goals in 5 minutes to level the scores and as the game entered injury time, extra-time seemed inevitable. But with the last kick of the game, in the 4th minute of injury time, Belgium broke up-field with a sweeping move and Chadli scored to send Belgium through to the Quarter Finals. The other Belgium goals came from Jan Vertonghen and Fellaini. The Japanese goals came from Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Bower/Keown, PAL)
Last 16 - Colombia (1) v (1) England - On an emotional night at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, England won their first ever World Cup penalty shootout and their first World Cup knock-out round game since 2006. England dominated the game for 90 minutes, holding a very physical Colombian team at arms length, but Colombia capitalised on an injury-time corner to score and send the game into extra-time. Neither team could find the game-winning goal, so the game went to a penalty shootout. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved 1 kick while another Colombian effort hit the bar, leaving Eric Dier to kick the match-winning penalty, which he did to roars of delight around the UK. The England goal was scored by Harry Kane. The Colombian goal was scored by Yerry Mina. Disc 3 includes BBC News coverage + BBC "Match of the Day" High-lights (10, 3 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Quarter Final - Brazil (1) v (2) Belgium - Belgium finally put together a complete game to upset the tournament favourites in Kazan. Belgium dominated the 1st half and led 2-0 at the break with goals from Kevin de Bruyne and an own-goal from Fernandinho. Brazil upped their game in the 2nd half and pulled to within 1 goal with a 76th minute goal to substitute Renato Augusto. Brazil pushed for the equaliser but Belgium hung on and booked a place in the Semi-Final. Brazil had 27 shots on goal, with Neymar contributing 3 of the shots including a fabulous curler in 2nd half injury time that almost forced extra-time before Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spectacularly saved to preserve the win (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Murphy, PAL)
Quarter Final - Sweden (0) v (2) England - England won a World Cup Quarter Final for the first time since 1990 with a comfortable win against Sweden in Samara. England dominated the 1st half and took a 1-0 lead in at the break. A 2nd goal early in the 2nd half gave England breathing room, and despite late pressure from the Swedes, England ran out easy winners. The hero for England was Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who made 3 crucial saves in the 2nd half to thwart a Swedish come back. The England goals came from Harry Maguire (his first for England) and Dele Alli (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Semi-Final - France (1) v (0) Belgium - France booked a place in their 3rd World Cup Final with a hard-fought win over Belgium in St.Petersburg. Unlike their previous games, France relied on a strong defensive performance to subdue the attack-minded Belgians, holding them to only 9 shots on goal. After a scoreless 1st half, France took control of the game with a goal from a corner in the 51st minute from Defender Samuel Umtiti. Belgium pushed for the equaliser but France held firm and saw out the game for the win. The win ended Belgium's 24 match unbeaten run, a national record (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Murphy, PAL)
Semi-Final - Croatia (1) v (1) England - Croatia booked a place in their first ever World Cup Final with a sensational come-back win at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. England started fast, scoring after 5 minutes then created several chances to put the game to bed. But poor finishing and good defending kept Croatia in the game. The 2nd half saw Croatia take control and they equalised in the 68th minute. Neither team could find the winner in normal time so the game went to extra-time where Croatia dominated, scoring the game-winning goal in the 109th minute. England couldn't find a response and Croatia ran out emotional winners. The Croatia goals came from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic. The England goal came from a free-kick from Kieran Trippier, his first goal for England. Disc 3 of the ITV version includes BBC News reports + BBC "Match of the Day" High-lights (2 versions : 10, 3 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL / 10, No Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Group A - Russia (5) v (0) Saudi Arabia - The opening game of the tournament saw a goals explosion in Moscow. In front of a 78,000 crowd, Russia scored 5 goals on 7 attempts on target with Yuri Gazinsky, Denis Cheryshev (2), Artem Dzyuba and Aleksandr Golovin all scoring. The last 2 Russia goals came in injury time at the end of the game (10, Coverage starts as the teams walk out, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group B - Portugal (3) v (3) Spain - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo finally produced a World Cup performance, scoring all 3 goals for his country to rescue a draw against the Spanish. A back-and-forth game saw Portugal take a 2-1 lead in at the half, only for Spain to score twice in the 2nd half to take a 3-2 lead. But with only 2 minutes left, Ronaldo stunned the Spanish with a trademark free-kick goal to secure an opening-game draw. The Spanish goals came from Diego Costa (2) and Nacho (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Murphy, PAL)
Group C - France (2) v (1) Australia - In an historic game in Kazan, France finally subdued Australia to win their opening game. After a goal-less 1st half, France took the lead in the 58th minute from a penalty. The kick was only given after consultation with VAR that overturned the referee's original decision, the first time that had ever happened in a World Cup. Australia equalised with a penalty of their own 4 minutes later, confirmed by VAR, but France sealed the win with a late own goal. The ball was deemed to have crossed the line by Hawkeye, before bouncing back out into play. The other France goal came from Antoine Griezmann. The Australia goal came from Mile Jedinak (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Bower/Lawrenson, PAL)
Group C - Peru (0) v (1) Denmark - A passionate Peru, playing in their first World Cup match since 1982, failed to take their chances against Denmark, and the Danes made them pay with a 2nd half goal to take the win. Peru had 17 attempts on goal, with 6 on target, but the game turned on a penalty awarded late in the 1st half by VAR. Peru's Christian Cueva stepped up and blasted the ball over the bar. Denmark recovered at the half and scored after 59 minutes with a goal from Yussuf Poulsen that the team defended to the end (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Brotherton/Kilbane, PAL)
Group D - Argentina (0) v (3) Croatia - Argentina suffered their heaviest group stage defeat since 1958 with a disappointing loss to Croatia. After a scoreless 1st half, Croatia dominated the 2nd half and opened the scoring after a goalkeeping error from Argentina's Willy Caballero. Argentina attempted to fight back but Croatia scored 2 more goals in the final 10 minutes to take the win. The Croatia goals came from Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Lawrenson, PAL)
Group D - Nigeria (2) v (0) Iceland - Knowing defeat would see them eliminated, Nigeria put in a great came of attacking football in the 2nd half to beat Iceland and keep their hopes of qualification alive. After a scoreless 1st half, 2 great goals from Ahmed Musa after the break did the damage and Iceland even missed a penalty to compound their misery. With the win, Argentina also had their qualification hopes re-ignited (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Group F - Germany (0) v (1) Mexico - Defending champions Germany made a disastrous start to their bid to win back-to-back World Cups with a shock defeat by Mexico. Hirving Lozano scored in the 1st half, and Mexico defended resolutely in the 2nd half to hold on for the win. Germany dominated possession (66%) and shots on goal (26 to 13) but failed to find the break-through goal (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/P.Neville, PAL)
Group F - Germany (2) v (1) Sweden - Germany rescued their tournament with an injury time goal to beat the Swedes. The Germans knew they needed a win to stand any chance of making it through the group but trailed 1-0 at half-time. In the 2nd half, the Germans took control of the game and scored an early goal, but still needed the winner entering injury time when midfielder Toni Kroos stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the penalty and scored a great goal to sensationally win the game. The other German goal came from Marco Reus. The Sweden goal came from Ola Toivonen (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Group F - South Korea (2) v (0) Germany - In one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, defending champions Germany were eliminated at the group stage for the first time since 1938 following defeat by South Korea in Kazan. Germany knew they had to score to progress as Sweden were beating Mexico in the other group game, but the South Koreans defended well and then stunned the Germans with 2 goals in injury time at the end of the game. The 2nd goal came with German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer playing in the South Korean half as an extra attacker, and South Korea won the ball off him and punted it downfield towards an empty net that Son Heung-min tapped in to secure the win. The other South Korea goal came from Kim Young-gwon and was awarded after a VAR decision ruled him on-side when he scored (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Kilbane, PAL)
Group G - Tunisia (1) v (2) England - England opened their campaign with a dominating win in Volgograd. England came out of the blocks on fire, creating chance after chance, with the breakthrough coming in the 11th minute. Tunisia equalised from the penalty spot on 35 minutes (their only shot on target in the whole game), then played great defensively in the 2nd half to keep England at bay. England didn't give up and sensationally won the game in the 91st minute with a match-winning header. Both England goals came from Harry Kane. The Tunisia goal came from Ferjani Sassi (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Group G - England (6) v (1) Panama - In a goal explosion in Nizhny Novgorod, England recorded their biggest ever World Cup win and booked a place in the Last 16 of the tournament. The hero of the game was England striker Harry Kane who scored a hat-trick. England dominated the 1st half and remarkably led 5-0 at the break. The match petered out in the 2nd half and Panama were rewarded with their first ever World Cup goal in the 78th minute from Felipe Baloy. The other England goals came from John Stones (2), his first for England, and Jesse Lingard (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)
Group G - England (0) v (1) Belgium - The battle for top spot in the group went to Belgium as both teams fielded their reserves in the final group game in Kaliningrad. Both teams had already qualified for the Last 16 so the match gave both managers a chance to field weakened teams. Belgium won the game and the group with a 2nd half goal from Adnan Januzaj. Belgium's reward for winning the group was a place in the strong half of the Last 16 draw (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16 - France (4) v (3) Argentina - In a wild shootout in Kazan, France booked their place in the Quarter Finals with the help of their teenage striker, Kylian Mbappe. He scored 2 goals and earned a penalty for a 3rd goal as the French fought back from a 2-1 deficit in the 2nd half to beat Argentina. Lionel Messi, in probably his final World Cup appearance, set-up 2 goals for Argentina. The other French goals came from Antoine Griezmann and Benjamin Pavard, a great half-volley. The Argentina goals came from Angel di Maria, a great long-range strike, Gabriel Mercado and Sergio Aguero (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)
Last 16 - Uruguay (2) v (1) Portugal - Uruguay's 2 strikers, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, put on a masterclass to end Portugal's World Cup in Sochi. The strikers ran the Portuguese ragged, with Suarez setting up Cavani for both goals. Each finish was world class ; the first from a header and the second a curling shot. Portugal dominated the stats (67% possession, 20 shots to only 5 for Uruguay) but only managed to break down the vaunted Uruguay Defense once when Pepe scored an equaliser in the 55th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo had 6 shots on goal, but only 1 was on target (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16 - Spain (1) v (1) Russia - Hosts Russia pulled off the biggest shock of the 2018 World Cup, beating 2010 winners Spain in the first penalty shootout of the tournament to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 48 years. Spain dominated the stats (1,006 passes, 79% possession, 23 shots on goal) but the Russian Defense was immense and kept the Spanish from making hardly any clear-cut chances. Spain opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an own-goal from Russian Defender Sergei Ignashevich who, while defending a free-kick, was rugby-tackling Sergio Ramos when the ball went in off of his leg. Russia were forced into attacking more and just before half-time were rewarded with a penalty that Artem Dzyuba converted to tie the game up. Neither team could find the breakthrough in the 2nd half or extra-time so the game went to a penalty shootout where Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saved 2 Spanish penalties to sensationally send the home team into the Quarter Finals (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Kilbane, PAL)
Last 16 - Croatia (1) v (1) Denmark - In a nervy game in Nizhny Novgorod, Croatia finally saw off Denmark but needed a penalty shootout to do so. The game started in dramatic fashion with both goals scored in the opening 4 minutes, but both teams then huffed and puffed the rest of the way without finding a winning goal. Croatia could have won the game late in extra-time, but Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty from Luka Modric. In the penalty shootout, Schmeichel again saved 2 more penalties, but unfortunately the Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic went 1 better, saving 3 spot-kicks, and Croatia won the game (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/G.Neville, PAL)
Last 16 - Belgium (3) v (2) Japan - Belgium completed a remarkable comeback against the Japanese, over-turning a 2-0 deficit to book their place in the Quarter Finals. After a scoreless 1st half, Japan came out on fire in the 2nd half, scoring 2 goals in 4 minutes to shock the Belgians. Belgium coach Roberto Martinez made a couple of substitutions, bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli, and they turned the game around. Belgium scored 2 goals in 5 minutes to level the scores and as the game entered injury time, extra-time seemed inevitable. But with the last kick of the game, in the 4th minute of injury time, Belgium broke up-field with a sweeping move and Chadli scored to send Belgium through to the Quarter Finals. The other Belgium goals came from Jan Vertonghen and Fellaini. The Japanese goals came from Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Bower/Keown, PAL)
Last 16 - Colombia (1) v (1) England - On an emotional night at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, England won their first ever World Cup penalty shootout and their first World Cup knock-out round game since 2006. England dominated the game for 90 minutes, holding a very physical Colombian team at arms length, but Colombia capitalised on an injury-time corner to score and send the game into extra-time. Neither team could find the game-winning goal, so the game went to a penalty shootout. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved 1 kick while another Colombian effort hit the bar, leaving Eric Dier to kick the match-winning penalty, which he did to roars of delight around the UK. The England goal was scored by Harry Kane. The Colombian goal was scored by Yerry Mina. Disc 3 includes BBC News coverage + BBC "Match of the Day" High-lights (10, 3 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Quarter Final - Brazil (1) v (2) Belgium - Belgium finally put together a complete game to upset the tournament favourites in Kazan. Belgium dominated the 1st half and led 2-0 at the break with goals from Kevin de Bruyne and an own-goal from Fernandinho. Brazil upped their game in the 2nd half and pulled to within 1 goal with a 76th minute goal to substitute Renato Augusto. Brazil pushed for the equaliser but Belgium hung on and booked a place in the Semi-Final. Brazil had 27 shots on goal, with Neymar contributing 3 of the shots including a fabulous curler in 2nd half injury time that almost forced extra-time before Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spectacularly saved to preserve the win (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Murphy, PAL)
Quarter Final - Sweden (0) v (2) England - England won a World Cup Quarter Final for the first time since 1990 with a comfortable win against Sweden in Samara. England dominated the 1st half and took a 1-0 lead in at the break. A 2nd goal early in the 2nd half gave England breathing room, and despite late pressure from the Swedes, England ran out easy winners. The hero for England was Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who made 3 crucial saves in the 2nd half to thwart a Swedish come back. The England goals came from Harry Maguire (his first for England) and Dele Alli (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Semi-Final - France (1) v (0) Belgium - France booked a place in their 3rd World Cup Final with a hard-fought win over Belgium in St.Petersburg. Unlike their previous games, France relied on a strong defensive performance to subdue the attack-minded Belgians, holding them to only 9 shots on goal. After a scoreless 1st half, France took control of the game with a goal from a corner in the 51st minute from Defender Samuel Umtiti. Belgium pushed for the equaliser but France held firm and saw out the game for the win. The win ended Belgium's 24 match unbeaten run, a national record (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Murphy, PAL)
Semi-Final - Croatia (1) v (1) England - Croatia booked a place in their first ever World Cup Final with a sensational come-back win at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. England started fast, scoring after 5 minutes then created several chances to put the game to bed. But poor finishing and good defending kept Croatia in the game. The 2nd half saw Croatia take control and they equalised in the 68th minute. Neither team could find the winner in normal time so the game went to extra-time where Croatia dominated, scoring the game-winning goal in the 109th minute. England couldn't find a response and Croatia ran out emotional winners. The Croatia goals came from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic. The England goal came from a free-kick from Kieran Trippier, his first goal for England. Disc 3 of the ITV version includes BBC News reports + BBC "Match of the Day" High-lights (2 versions : 10, 3 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL / 10, No Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
3rd Place Play-off – England (0) v (2) Belgium - Belgium ended their World Cup with their best ever finish, taking 3rd place with a tight win over England. Both teams were evenly matched, but Belgium created the better chances and scored on 2 of their 4 chances on target. The first goal from Thomas Meunier came after only 4 minutes while the game-clincher came from Eden Hazard in the 82nd minute. With the loss England finished 4th, equalling their 2nd-best ever result (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Hoddle, PAL)
Final - France (4) v (2) Croatia - In the highest scoring final since 1966, France won their 2nd World Cup in a shootout in Moscow. France took an early lead with an own goal but Croatia, in their first final, fought back within 10 minutes to level the score. On the stroke of half-time France re-took the lead with a dubious penalty, confirmed by VAR. The 2nd half saw France start fast and they scored 2 goals in 6 minutes to take an insurmountable lead and even when French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made a huge blunder to gift Croatia a 2nd goal, France never looked in trouble and saw out the game to take the win. The France goals came from Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and an own-goal. The Croatia goals came from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic (2 versions : 10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL / 10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
World Cup - BBC Hi-Lites of every game - As shown on the BBC interactive channel. Approximately 3 minutes per game (10, 4.5 hours on 5 discs, BBC, PAL)
FIFA World Cup : Russia - BBC and ITV reviews of the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia. Also includes a BBC interview with England manager Gareth Southgate as he looks back at the tournament from an England point of view (10, 1 hour 46 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC/ITV, PAL)