World Cup 2018 Group G Final Games: Belgium 1-0 England; Panama 1-2 Tunisia

A couple of stats here. Panama’s goal means all teams in World Cup 2018 scored at least twice. And Belgium beat England for the first time. The Armchair predicted Belgium to win this group, and so they did. But the game against England was no classic. With both sides already qualified they chose to rest players and the quality suffered but Belgium showed they have greater strength in depth. England won’t even mind losing as, on paper, it makes their route to the final seem easier. In the other game, Panama took a surprise lead, but Tunisia eventually turned things round to deliver the expected result.

THEY FINISHED 26TH: PANAMA

It was always going to be tough, and you sense that just being in a World Cup was enough, and scoring against England the highlight. Forget the six they shipped in the other end. They scored at the World Cup, their fans got to forget their worries or the length of their journey home for a few minutes and just let it all go. And even though they’re out, the Tunisia game still gives them another chance to seal more glory, and who knows even a win.

World Cup 2018: England 6-1 Panama

It’s the kind of result where one of the scores needs to be spelled out or repeated, just to clarify. Six, yes six one. Five of which were scored in the first half. All of which added up to England’s biggest win in a World Cup tournament. In that first half, every attach threatened goal.

A pair of pens from Kane were dispatched with very non-English aplomb. Hard, fast and humanly unreachable. Lingard had the pick of the goals, Kane’s third an exercise in good fortune. Stones weighed in with his first goal for England, and then his second soon after.

Quite an amazing result. There was even something for the Panama (and Russian) fans to cheer. England make the Round of 16 as the armchair expected. But, on this form, they look capable of going further than the Armchair has predicted…

The Armchair Predicted:

England 2-0 Panama

20 and 10

World Cup 2018: Belgium 3-0 Panama

And so, the team The Armchair has predicted to win this darn thing has kicked off. And at half-time, things were looking decidedly dodgy. 0-0 against perhaps the tournament’s weakest team. But an early 2nd half goal (another cracker) settled the Belgian nerves and they dominated in precisely the way The Armchair predicted.

The Armchair Predicted:

Belgium 3-0 Panama

7 and 6

Who Will Win World Cup 2018 Group G

World Cup Group G Teams

BELGIUM

ENGLAND

PANAMA

TUNISIA

And so to your blogger's home nation, and surely one of the easiest groups in which to predict the two qualifiers.

It will be disastrous if Belgium and England don’t both beat the other two teams and then decide the group winners in their final game.

It would be better for neutrals if Belgium played England first, putting more pressure on the loser in their following two games.

Belgium’s squad is one of the best. Has been for a few years now, but it meant nothing in Euro 2016. Could mean more here with more experience, and better coaching.

England are young and, for once, England Expects Nothing from its World Cup squad, apart from Group qualification.

Hats off to Panama for qualifying for their first World Cup. But let’s not write them off with words like plucky first timers. They have zero pressure on them. Who knows?

And Tunisia. They’ve qualified for World Cups before, but you get the feeling their big game will be against Panama to see who can wrap up 3rd Place.

World Cup Group G Betting

World Cup GROUP G Predictions:

1: BELGIUM

2: ENGLAND

3: Tunisia

4: Panama