2018 FIFA World Cup Betting Review: Day 7

Fans of defensive football were given a real treat on Day 7 of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as goals were at a real premium. This was the second set of games for all 6 teams involved, and the results from some of these matches decided who would be moving on and who would be going home once the group stage comes to a close next week. The results themselves were not particularly surprising on Day 7, but it was the nature of the wins that were a little bit unexpected. Let’s take a look at the three games that were played, while also seeing how the outcomes affected the 2018 World Cup Betting trends so far.

2018 FIFA World Cup Betting Review: Day 7

Moment of the Day 👀 When @LuisSuarez9 found the net on his 100th appearance for @Uruguay 🙌 🎥 Highlights 👉 https://t.co/LOdKDX2Cwn 📺 TV listings 👉 https://t.co/xliHcxWvEO pic.twitter.com/83lkSQM8MF

— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) 20 de junio de 2018

Portugal 1 – 0 Morocco

Game Stats

• Attempts: Portugal 10 / Morocco 16
• On-Target: Portugal 2 / Morocco 4
• Off-Target: Portugal 4 / Morocco 10
• Blocked: Portugal 4 / Morocco 2
• Woodwork: Portugal 0 / Morocco 0
• Corners: Portugal 5 / Morocco 7
• Off-sides: Portugal 1 / Morocco 1
• Possession: Portugal 47 / Morocco 53

While this win did not clinch a spot for Portugal in the second round, it has put them in a very good spot, with their final game of the round versus Iran still to come. It looked as though the rout may be on early, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting his 4th goal of the tournament inside 5 minutes. If you have money on CR7 winning the Golden Boot at this tournament, it’s fair to say that your wager is starting to look like a good one. Once Portugal got their noses in front, they never really pressed the issue, and it was actually Morocco who had the better of the chances in the second half. It was Portugal who grimly held on for the win, going off at odds of -200. It was the UNDER that hit in this one, while Morocco was able to cover the spread as the underdog.

Next Games (June 25th)

• Portugal vs. Iran
• Morocco vs. Spain

Uruguay 1 – 0 Saudi Arabia

Game Stats

• Attempts: Uruguay 13 / Saudi Arabia 8
• On-Target: Uruguay 4 / Saudi Arabia 3
• Off-Target: Uruguay 6 / Saudi Arabia 3
• Blocked: Uruguay 3 / Saudi Arabia 2
• Woodwork: Uruguay 0 / Saudi Arabia 0
• Corners: Uruguay 3 / Saudi Arabia 4
• Off-sides: Uruguay 1 / Saudi Arabia 2
• Possession: Uruguay 47 / Saudi Arabia 53

Given how soundly Saudi Arabia was thumped in their Group A opener against Russia, the feeling was that they might be on to another beating here. Uruguay seemed content to play a patient style of football, which they essentially had to given that the Saudis were a whole lot more organized than they were in their opener. Uruguay got the only goal of the game during the first half, with their lone goal once again coming via a set piece. The Saudi goalkeeper misjudged the flight of the ball off a corner and Luis Suarez made no mistake when the ball fell to him. The game slowed right down after that and was not particularly fun to watch. Uruguay won as the favorite at odds of -550 but failed to cover. The UNDER was once again the goal total outcome.

Next Games (June 25th)

• Uruguay vs. Russia
• Egypt vs. Saudi Arabia

Spain 1 – 0 Iran

Game Stats

• Attempts: Iran 5 / Spain 17
• On-Target: Iran 0 / Spain 3
• Off-Target: Iran 5 / Spain 6
• Blocked: Iran 0 / Spain 8
• Woodwork: Iran 0 / Spain 0
• Corners: Iran 2 / Spain 6
• Off-sides: Iran 2 / Spain 1
• Possession: Iran 30 / Spain 70

If you had watched the first half of this one, you would have been excused for believing that you were watching a siege take place. Spain spent most of the half camped out in the attacking side of the field, but never really created any clear-cut opportunities to speak of. They eventually got the breakthrough in the second half, with Diego Costa scoring one of the flukier goals of his career, his 3rd of the tournament thus far. Spain seemed content with that result but got a real scare later on when an Iran equalizer was ruled out after a VAR review. Spain now shares the top of the Group B with Portugal, getting the win today at odds of -530. We went 3 for 3 with the UNDER, and it was once again the underdog that covered the spread.

Next Games (June 25th)

• Portugal vs. Iran
• Morocco vs. Spain

Totals for the tournament thus far

• Moneyline: 13-4-3 in favor of the favorites
• Over/Under: 8-11-1
• Spread: 7-11-2 (fav-dog-push)