2018 World Cup World Ranking: Brazil reigns as Sweden still outperforms England | Soccer



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1) Brazil (=)

Seems like the Brazil World Cup is losing now. They have reduced Mexico to blow and fluff, defending themselves more cunningly than anyone left the tournament while passing through the attack gears as needed. Willian, Philippe Coutinho and Thiago Silva have all made decisive contributions in different ways and – if we disregard the theatricality – the dime seems to have fallen for Neymar as the effectiveness can also be attractive. Belgium is a big hurdle to cross, but Brazil simply looks at a higher level.

2) France (up to 7)

This breathtaking counter-attack against Argentina has removed some spider webs. suggested France click. At Kylian Mbappé, they have a potential star of the tournament while their midfielder, often a source of frustration, seems largely synchronous. They will miss Blaise Matuidi, suspended in this department when they will face Uruguay, but the confidence should now be very high.

Kylian Mbappé

3) Croatia (1st decline)

It was a bit of Croatia against a limited Denmark and certainly brought a blow of realism after their group stage record caused wild predictions. But they are nevertheless in a fantastic position and it would be a failure if they reproduced the mistakes of Spain and gave Russia a sniff of encouragement to Sochi. They do not look like tournament winners, but the way to the final could hardly be clearer.

4) Uruguay (=)

There was always the feeling that Uruguay, which practically became sleepy when the knockout stages started and that they deserved winners over Portugal. What a wonderful couple of goals Edinson Cavani, perhaps to close a few people in the process, and under the remarkable Oscar Tabarez everything seems possible at this point.

Edinson Cavani

5) Belgium (bottom of 2)

A confrontation with Brazil seems to be a determining test for Belgium, which must start delivering sooner rather than later. No one who has watched the tramp against Japan will be too optimistic, even though, largely by unorthodox means, they have finally pulled out. The winning goal was a thing of beauty; the biggest concern lies in a defense that seemed slow and ponderous when Japan came forward.

6) Sweden (up to 3)

They form a team of a few stars and need a big deviation to beat Switzerland. sort of clumsy side, super-organized person likes to play in a knockout game. It's time to treat them seriously considering how many scalps they've taken; Janne Andersson's team has a habit of getting off the hook and feels too malignant for England to Samara

7) England (top 3)





  The Curse of penalty raised: English players celebrate their victory against Uruguay. 19659017] The penalty curse lifted: England players celebrate after their shootout victory against Uruguay. Photography: Anthony Dibon / Icon Sport via Getty Images
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<p>  This is undeniably a good sign that England has put to bed its barrage hex, but the baby steps approach remains the best way to assess their odds . The tempo shown for much of Colombia's match was exactly what Gareth Southgate would have liked, but the way and timing of Yerry Mina's equalizer is a concern. Greater balance will be needed if Sweden is to be overcome. The euphoria of Tuesday night was understandable, however, and England has its best chance of reaching a semi-final since Italy's 90. </p>
<h2>  8) Russia (up to 19). to 7) </h2>
<p>  While this list ranks Russia among the most competing, the reality is that all bets are now. Stanislav Cherchesov was delighted with the defensive application of his team – and perhaps their ability to stay awake – in the midst of a dismal show of possession of Spain, and Russia showed that She could upset things in a surprising way. The parties that have engulfed Moscow after Sunday's victory will take a few strokes – Croatia will no longer be afraid now. </p>
<h2>  9) Colombia (4th) </h2>
<p>  What a disappointing sight was, for the most part, of Colombia against England. The absence of James Rodríguez seemed to persuade them into a state of nervous, antagonistic mind that does not become the style they are capable of. They were still powerful enough to get out of it, but the way they left should cause some regret. </p>
<h2>  10) Japan (up to 6) </h2>
<p>  Only flint would have been insensitive to the sight of Japanese players, beaten with the last action of the match against Belgium, sunk to the floor in Rostov Monday evening. They were superb and they said a lot – both positively and negatively – for their attitude that, although they saw their two-goal lead cleared, they basically lost because they tried too hard to win the match. At Takashi Inui, they have a wonderful footballer. </p>
<figure class= Takashi Inui

11) Mexico (5th)

The frustration for Mexico was that this 16th outing went exactly like the previous 6: a lot of smart and shiny football, some twinkling to suggest that they might beat a high level opponent, but in the end, no sharp and no truly commanding figure to keep things safe at the back. They were sometimes a pleasure to watch this summer, but something must change for them to realize their potential.

12) Denmark (up to 2)

No one will remember Denmark's campaign, but took Croatia all the way and, another day, the heroism of Kasper Schmeichel would have been enough to win them the shootout. If only they could surround Christian Eriksen with one or two players of similar technical level remotely.

Kasper Schmeichel

13) Portugal (=)

The match against Uruguay always seemed to be tight, but Portugal was rightly beaten and, without much surprise, seemed devoid of ideas without Cristiano Ronaldo. Bernardo Silva, still disappointed at this level, missed a decent chance to equalize but, like many teams that he considered rivals, Portugal has a reconstruction job to do.





  Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick saved Portugal against Spain, but he was powerless to prevent their exit to Uruguay.



Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick saved Portugal in the first match against Spain, but he was powerless to prevent their exit to Uruguay. Photography: Francois Nel / Getty Images

14) Argentina (bottom 2)

When Argentina led 2-1 against France thanks to Gabriel Mercado's lucky goal, it was tempting to think that after all that DIY in the phases of groups, all along. But they were pretty quickly shown for what they are: an aging and lethargic side completely inadequate in defense and midfield; The most damning shame and condemnation was that a team including Lionel Messi will not really be missed.

15) Switzerland (low 4)

After a group phase of promises, it was a dish, an unreasonable dish of Switzerland against Sweden. They woke up too late and missed the fire and the sulfur of victory over Serbia, which now seems to have been an emotional and football spike too far for some of their players. Like everyone else in their tie half, they will have the opportunity to waste their time here.

16) Spain (9th)

The Spanish players and their team are punished by the sabotage of Real Madrid in their own national team on the eve of the tournament. However, this still does not excuse their performance against Russia, when they seemed happy to pass the scoreless ball after taking the lead and had no idea how to react when the plan went wrong. The search for the soul will be hard: whoever is to blame, Spain should simply be better than that.

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