A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place from 16 to 26 June 2018.[1] The group consisted of Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria. The top two teams, Croatia and Argentina, advanced to the round of 16.[2]
Teams
| Draw position | Team | Pot | Confederation | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
FIFA Rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2017[nb 1] | June 2018 | |||||||||
| D1 |  Argentina |
1 | CONMEBOL | CONMEBOL Round Robin third place | 10 October 2017 | 17th | 2014 (runners-up) | Winners (1978, 1986) | 4 | 5 |
| D2 |  Iceland |
3 | UEFA | UEFA Group I winners | 9 October 2017 | 1st | – | – | 21 | 22 |
| D3 |  Croatia |
2 | UEFA | UEFA second round winners | 12 November 2017 | 5th | 2014 (group stage) | Third place (1998) | 18 | 20 |
| D4 |  Nigeria |
4 | CAF | CAF third round Group B winners | 7 October 2017 | 6th | 2014 (round of 16) | Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014) | 41 | 48 |
- Notes
- ^ The rankings of October 2017 were used for seeding for the final draw.
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Argentina
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Nigeria
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Iceland
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
In the round of 16:
- The winners of Group D, Croatia, advanced to play the runners-up of Group C, Denmark.
- The runners-up of Group D, Argentina, advanced to play the winners of Group C, France.
Matches
All times listed are local time.[1]
Argentina vs Iceland
The two teams had never met before.[3]
Despite stamping their authority on the game's opening stages, Argentina struggled to find space against the Icelandic defence. Argentina then scored in the 19th minute, Sergio Agüero scoring with a powerful left foot shot to the top left corner of the net giving them a 1–0 lead. Alfreð Finnbogason made history by scoring his country's first World Cup goal just four minutes later when he slotted to the net from six yards out after the ball broke to him from six yards out.[4] Argentina then had the chance to go ahead again when Hörður Björgvin Magnússon pushed Maximiliano Meza inside the box after 64 minutes. Hannes Þór Halldórsson dove to his right to deny Lionel Messi a goal.[5] Although Argentina continued to press for a goal, but they were repeatedly denied by the Nordics' defense.[4]
Argentina failed to win their opening match at a World Cup tournament for the first time since losing to Cameroon in 1990, and it was the first time that they drew their opener in the competition. Argentina have missed their last two penalties taken at a World Cup finals (excluding shootouts), with Ariel Ortega failing to convert against Sweden in 2002 before Messi's effort against Iceland in 2018. The Iceland forward's goal after 23 minutes was the earliest scored for a nation playing in their first World Cup match since Rashidi Yekini netted after 21 minutes for Nigeria against Bulgaria on 21 June 1994.[6]
| Argentina | 1–1 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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          Argentina[8]
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     Iceland[8]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[8]
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Croatia vs Nigeria
The two teams had never met before.[3]
Ivan Perišić went closest to hitting the target with an effort from 20 metres after a quarter of an hour, but in the end it was Nigeria's Oghenekaro Etebo who brought joy to the huge Croatian contingent in Kaliningrad, beating his own goalkeeper with the ball going into the left corner of the net following a Luka Modrić corner from the right which had been deflected off Perišić and Mario Mandžukić.[9] Alex Iwobi, after wriggling into space on the left side of the box, he hit a shot directly into a Croatia defender. Ante Rebić fired over from Perišić's left-wing centre, with Odion Ighalo's header recording the match's first shot on target in the 59th minute. William Troost-Ekong was penalised for holding Mandžukić in the penalty area, and Modrić sent Francis Uzoho the wrong way from 12 yards for his first World Cup goal, shooting low to the left corner.[10]
Croatia have won their opening game of a World Cup for the first time since their debut in the competition in 1998 (3–1 vs Jamaica). Nigeria became the first team in World Cup history to concede two consecutive own goals in the competition, with their last goal shipped in 2014, against France in the last 16, also coming in this manner.[9][10][11]
     Croatia[13]
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     Nigeria[13]
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