Who Will Win the World Cup Golden Boot? Everything Will Be Decided This Weekend
This summer's World Cup is drawing to a close. Only two of the tournament's 104 matches remain, and the most recent fixtures were, of course, the semi-finals. We were treated to two exciting encounters, even if they did not quite produce the flowing football many had hoped for.
Anthony Gordon scored his first-ever World Cup goal, but it was not enough for England.
Spain to Face Argentina in the Final
In the first semi-final, Spain produced a hugely convincing 2-0 victory over France. France had looked unstoppable throughout the tournament and had become bigger and bigger favourites to lift the World Cup with every match they played, which was easy to understand given the formidable attack they had displayed.In the semi-final, however, they came up against the team with the tournament's strongest defence, and it proved to be something France simply could not overcome. Spain prevented France's star players from creating anything of note and deservedly secured a highly convincing victory to book their place in the final.
Few international fixtures stir emotions quite like England against Argentina, so expectations were naturally sky-high for what promised to be, if not a beautiful match, then at least an exciting and dramatic one. That is exactly what we got. The opening half was a physical battle, particularly from Argentina's side, and to be honest there was very little flowing football, with the game dominated instead by fierce contests all over the pitch. England improved significantly after the break and gradually found ways to cope with Argentina's disruptive tactics. Their improvement was rewarded when Anthony Gordon scored the opening goal in the 55th minute.
England were in complete control until they took the lead, but with almost an entire half still to play, they gradually retreated into a defensive shell. Argentina were allowed to circulate the ball around England's penalty area and repeatedly deliver crosses into the box. Their pressure finally paid off in the 86th minute when Enzo Fernández fired home the equaliser from just outside the area. England looked completely paralysed after that and continued to invite Argentine pressure. In the second minute of stoppage time, Lautaro Martínez headed home the winner to make it 2-1, ending England's hopes. Argentina advanced to the final against Spain, while England must now settle for the third-place play-off against France on Saturday.
Lionel Messi failed to score for the second consecutive match, but his two assists mean he currently holds the advantage in the Golden Boot race.
No Goals From the Leading Goalscorers
Heading into the semi-finals, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi shared the lead in the Golden Boot standings with eight goals each. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were the closest challengers, both on six goals and still with a realistic chance of catching the leading pair.However, none of those four players found the net in the semi-finals, meaning the very top of the scoring chart remains unchanged. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain from the penalty spot against France, taking his tally to five goals. He has moved a little closer to the leaders, but catching Mbappé and Messi still looks highly unlikely.
Spain's second goal was scored by Pedro Porro, marking the right-back's second goal of the tournament.
We have already mentioned all of the goalscorers in the England-Argentina match, but it is worth adding that Anthony Gordon's strike was his first-ever World Cup goal. Enzo Fernández scored his second goal of the tournament, having also netted the winner in the quarter-final against Switzerland, while Lautaro Martínez recorded his third goal of this World Cup.
It should also be noted that although Messi failed to score for the second consecutive match, he assisted both of Argentina's goals. That leaves him on eight goals and four assists, while Mbappé has eight goals and "only" three assists. As assists are used as the first tiebreaker when players finish level on goals, Messi currently holds the advantage in the race for the Golden Boot.
We believe Mbappé will finish as the outright Golden Boot winner.
Who Will Finish as the Golden Boot Winner?
At the World Cup in Qatar four years ago, Mbappé won the Golden Boot with eight goals, while Messi finished second with seven. Going into the tournament's final two matches, the third-place play-off and the final, the battle once again appears to be mainly between these two superstars.We are fairly convinced that Mbappé will claim his second World Cup Golden Boot. Should he do so, he would become the first player in history to win the tournament's Golden Boot at two consecutive World Cups.
The main reason we believe Mbappé will finish as the outright winner is that the third-place play-off is often an open match with plenty of scoring opportunities. It simply does not carry the same prestige as the final, and many players are not fully focused after the disappointment of missing out on the showpiece occasion. Physical and mental fatigue can also play a major role. Mbappé, however, is likely to be highly motivated. Becoming the first player ever to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice in a row is a remarkable achievement, and the game's biggest stars relish the opportunity to write their names into the history books.
For Messi, winning the Golden Boot is unlikely to be the main priority this weekend. His focus will surely be on defending Argentina's World Cup title and securing back-to-back triumphs. On top of that, Argentina will face the tournament's strongest defensive side, who are unlikely to give Messi many chances to add to his goal tally.
Third-Place Play-Off and World Cup Final Schedule
There are now two days without World Cup football before the tournament concludes this weekend with the following matches:- Third-place play-off: France vs England - Saturday 18 July, 23:00 CEST (17:00 local time) at Miami Stadium
- Final: Spain vs Argentina - Sunday 19 July, 21:00 CEST (15:00 local time) at New York New Jersey Stadium