With all due respect to Rush, he is way off base on this one. The group stage at the WC is analogous to the regular season in American football. Is it not possible for a team to lose its last regular season game and advance to the playoffs despite losing? Do we criticize football for that?
The US did not win the World Cup by losing. They merely advanced to the playoffs, ie the knockout round. At this point, the games are more or less analogous to the playoff games in football. You lose and you’re out. No more celebrating after a loss now. To win the WC, you have to keep winning.
What I don't like is the first tie-breaker is not head-to-head results.