The final round of matches in World Cup Group E take place on Thursday night when Curacao clash with Ivory Coast and Ecuador take on Germany.
Group E Update
Germany have the maximum 6 points and they are already assured of finishing top of this group. Ivory Coast are second on 3 points and Ecuador and Curacao both have 1 point and can still qualify for the knockout rounds.
A reminder that the final round of matches in each group share the same kick off time. Should two or more teams finish equal on points in their group the first criteria used to determine the final standings is the head to head record. The 8 best third placed finishers from the 12 groups will also qualify for the Round of 32.
Curacao vs Ivory Coast (Philadelphia)
Curacao:
Curacao made history and defied huge odds when they claimed their first ever World Cup Finals point with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador in their second group outing. Goalkeeper Eloy Room was the hero as he made a record-equalling 15 saves. With just over 25% of the ball it was tough work but Dick Advocaat’s bounced back from a heavy defeat in their opening match to remain in contention for the Round of 32 although to get there they will need to win this match.
Curacao came up against Germany in Houston in their first appearance in the World Cup Finals and it ended in a 7-1 defeat. They were 1-0 down in 6 minutes but in the 21st minute Livano Comenencia drove in an equalizer with 1 of their 2 shots on target. It was 3-1 to Germany by half time and Germany scored 4 more in the second 45 minutes.
Ivory Coast:
Despite taking the lead on the half hour mark through skipper Franck Kessie Ivory Coast’s second group match against Germany in Toronto ended in a 2-1 defeat. They held the lead until the 68th minute, even threatening a second goal at times but Germany eventually found the winner in the 94th minute to leave the Ivorians needing something from this game to seal their place in the Round of 32.
Ivory Coast came out on top against Ecuador in their first action of the tournament in Philadelphia by a 1-0 scoreline. The only goal of the game came from Amad Diallo, who came off the bench, on 90 minutes of a match which also saw Ecuador hit the woodwork 3 times and Ivory Coast once.
The Betting:
Curacao are priced at around 16/1 to win the game with the draw available at 6/1 and Ivory Coast can be backed at around 1 / 6
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 9/20 and its 14/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
It would be a big ask for Curacao to repeat their heroics displayed against Ecuador against an impressive Ivory Coast side with some top draw attacking talent. It’s worth mentioning though that a draw would be enough to secure second place for Ivory Coast who cannot catch Germany and for me that complicates things a touch.
I’ll take my chances on Ivory Coast looking to finish the job early by scoring twice in the first half.
Bets: Ivory Coast 1st half total goals over 1.5 at 15/10 with Hollywoodbets
Note, odds are subject to change
Ecuador vs Germany (New Jersey)
Ecuador:
Ecuador had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the groups rank outsiders Curacao in Kansas City which leaves them needing a victory here over the Germans in order to stay in the tournament. They came up against an inspired Curacao goalkeeper but with 75% of the ball, 27 shots (15 on target) and 9 corners it’s hard to fathom how they failed to score for the second game running.
Ecuador went down 1-0 to Ivory Coast in their first action of the tournament in Philadelphia. They hit the woodwork twice in the first half and once in the second and then conceded the only goal of the game in the 90th minute. The defeat ended Ecuador’s 19 game unbeaten run which stretched back the best part of 2 years.
Germany:
Germany’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in Toronto made it 2 wins from 2 matches and whatever the outcome of this match they can look forward to coming up against one of the best third place finishers in the Round of 32 in Boston on Monday 29th June. That victory was achieved the hard way as Ivory Coast took a 30th minute lead and the Germans needed two second half goals from substitute Deniz Undav to claim the points with the winner coming in the 94th minute. Ther was some bad news with centre back Nico Schlotterbeck picking up an injury that ends his tournament.
Germany took on the group’s minnows Curacao in Houston in their opening match and they came through with a 7-1 win. They led 3-1 at half time and Havertz scored twice, one a penalty whilst the other goals came from Nmecha, Schlotterbeck, Musiala, Brown and Undav.
The Betting:
Ecuador are priced at around 2.63/1 to win the game with the draw available at 29/10 and Germany can be backed at around 19/20.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 15/20 and its 7/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
That was a good win for Germany against Ivory Coast but they cut it pretty fine. With top spot secure they may well rotate the starting line up to a large degree and that might just open the door for Ecuador to redeem themselves and get a win that can help them make it to the knockout rounds
Bets: Ecuador to win at 2.63/1 with BetOlimp
Note, odds are subject to change
