France has now performed better so far in this World Cup in the qualifying rounds than they did in the group stage. They have scored twice the number of goals in the two elimination round games than they did in the three group stage matches, having scored six total goals against Argentina and Uruguay, while having scored only three in the group stage level.
Belgium, meanwhile, continues to look enormously impressive. Despite a considerable advantage that Brazil had in time of possession and shots on goal, the Belgians managed to hang onto an early lead to preserve the win.
France is one of only two nations left that has won a World Cup championship before, along with England. Neither team has won more than one World Cup to this point, however, and all of the remaining nations have never even been to the World Cup final before, with the exception of Sweden who made it once in 1958 when they hosted the tournament, but ultimately lost to Brazil. None of the remaining teams had won a major tournament in recent years, either at the World Cup or at a Euro. France came close in 2016, but lost to Portugal in the Euro final match. The last time that any of these sides won a championship was when France captured the 2000 Euro.
This means that it is a wonderful opportunity for all sides that have managed to survive to this point. Also, it adds quite a bit of intrigue, as well as unpredictability, a trait that has defined this World Cup so far to this point.
Now, France and Belgium will meet in the semifinal round. Let's take a look at how the two quarterfinal games yesterday came out:
France 2, Uruguay 0 - Uruguay entered this game with a perfect record so far in this World Cup, having shown an older, grittier style of football that had proven solid enough for them to win their group convincingly, and reach the quarterfinal round after beating the Portuguese side. France also managed to win their group, albeit not quite as convincingly as Uruguay had, although France's win over Argentina had offered a glimpse of some of their offensive capabilities. It would be a contrast in style, and the question was which side would impose their will on the other, and come away with the victory yesterday.
The game remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie, which seemed to favor Uruguay, a side that usually thrives in such situation. Historically, Uruguay seemed to enjoy success defensively against France, and it had been many years since France had even managed to score a goal against them. Meetings between the two sides included two scoreless draws in both the 2010 and 2002 World Cup tournaments, and France had been highly regarded in 2002 in particular.
But France's Raphaël Varane broke through with a goal in the 40th minute, France's first against Uruguay since a game in August of 1985, giving France a 1-0 lead that they would take into the lockers with them for halftime.
In the 61st minute, Antione Griezmann rocketed a shot directly to Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera, who seemed to be trying to block it while simultaneously directing it over to the side. Perhaps he should simply have caught it, or focused more on merely blocking it better. One way or the other, however, it should have been stopped, but was not.
From that point on, it felt like Uruguay was a beaten team. I cannot say for sure that the mistake took all of the air out of them, and indeed, they had some good looks and opportunities after that. Yet, there was never a sense that suspense was building, that they were or would be able to get back in this one. France held them off, and preserved the lead to earn the victory.
French goalkeeper Huge Lloris managed to keep a clean sheet. About the worst thing that happened to him on this day was when a dragonfly flew into and back out of his mouth. The cameras caught that, and video of it has since gone viral.
With the victory, France qualified for the semifinal round for the first time since 2006, when they made it all the way to the final, which they lost to Italy.
Historical stats between Uruguay and France were taken from the following article:
From stylistic perfection to mutiny: the history of France v Uruguay by Paul Doyle of The Guardian, July 6, 2018:
Belgium 2, Brazil 1 - This game had some trademarks that have defined this particular World Cup. In particular, it featured an upset, and a result that some might view as stunning, as favorites Brazil fell.
The Brazilians had desperately wanted to win this World Cup, so as to put the memories of the humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany right in a game where Brazil enjoyed home field advantage behind them. Now, they will have to wait at least another four years, until the next World Cup in 2022 in Qatar in order to do so.
Another aspect, other than major surprises, that has defined this World Cup has been the incredibly high number of own goals scored, and it happened in this game, too. Brazil's Fernandinho scored an own goal in the 13th minute, and Belgium celebrated an early 1-0 lead.
Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was able to notch a goal in the 31st minute, as Belgium capitalized on the earlier goal, to take a commanding 2-0 lead. They were able to hang onto that throughout the first half, to preserve the 2-0 lead into halftime.
Brazil actually significantly outshot the Belgians, but they were unable to convert enough opportunities. Renato Augusto managed to break through with a goal in the 76th minute to draw Brazil closer, and make it a tight game. But every other shot fell just short. There was one right at the end that came very close, but which goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois impressively managed to save, effectively preserving Belgium's win.
Belgium, meanwhile, continues to look enormously impressive. Despite a considerable advantage that Brazil had in time of possession and shots on goal, the Belgians managed to hang onto an early lead to preserve the win.
France is one of only two nations left that has won a World Cup championship before, along with England. Neither team has won more than one World Cup to this point, however, and all of the remaining nations have never even been to the World Cup final before, with the exception of Sweden who made it once in 1958 when they hosted the tournament, but ultimately lost to Brazil. None of the remaining teams had won a major tournament in recent years, either at the World Cup or at a Euro. France came close in 2016, but lost to Portugal in the Euro final match. The last time that any of these sides won a championship was when France captured the 2000 Euro.
This means that it is a wonderful opportunity for all sides that have managed to survive to this point. Also, it adds quite a bit of intrigue, as well as unpredictability, a trait that has defined this World Cup so far to this point.
Now, France and Belgium will meet in the semifinal round. Let's take a look at how the two quarterfinal games yesterday came out:
France 2, Uruguay 0 - Uruguay entered this game with a perfect record so far in this World Cup, having shown an older, grittier style of football that had proven solid enough for them to win their group convincingly, and reach the quarterfinal round after beating the Portuguese side. France also managed to win their group, albeit not quite as convincingly as Uruguay had, although France's win over Argentina had offered a glimpse of some of their offensive capabilities. It would be a contrast in style, and the question was which side would impose their will on the other, and come away with the victory yesterday.
The game remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie, which seemed to favor Uruguay, a side that usually thrives in such situation. Historically, Uruguay seemed to enjoy success defensively against France, and it had been many years since France had even managed to score a goal against them. Meetings between the two sides included two scoreless draws in both the 2010 and 2002 World Cup tournaments, and France had been highly regarded in 2002 in particular.
But France's Raphaël Varane broke through with a goal in the 40th minute, France's first against Uruguay since a game in August of 1985, giving France a 1-0 lead that they would take into the lockers with them for halftime.
In the 61st minute, Antione Griezmann rocketed a shot directly to Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera, who seemed to be trying to block it while simultaneously directing it over to the side. Perhaps he should simply have caught it, or focused more on merely blocking it better. One way or the other, however, it should have been stopped, but was not.
From that point on, it felt like Uruguay was a beaten team. I cannot say for sure that the mistake took all of the air out of them, and indeed, they had some good looks and opportunities after that. Yet, there was never a sense that suspense was building, that they were or would be able to get back in this one. France held them off, and preserved the lead to earn the victory.
French goalkeeper Huge Lloris managed to keep a clean sheet. About the worst thing that happened to him on this day was when a dragonfly flew into and back out of his mouth. The cameras caught that, and video of it has since gone viral.
With the victory, France qualified for the semifinal round for the first time since 2006, when they made it all the way to the final, which they lost to Italy.
Historical stats between Uruguay and France were taken from the following article:
From stylistic perfection to mutiny: the history of France v Uruguay by Paul Doyle of The Guardian, July 6, 2018:
Belgium 2, Brazil 1 - This game had some trademarks that have defined this particular World Cup. In particular, it featured an upset, and a result that some might view as stunning, as favorites Brazil fell.
The Brazilians had desperately wanted to win this World Cup, so as to put the memories of the humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany right in a game where Brazil enjoyed home field advantage behind them. Now, they will have to wait at least another four years, until the next World Cup in 2022 in Qatar in order to do so.
Another aspect, other than major surprises, that has defined this World Cup has been the incredibly high number of own goals scored, and it happened in this game, too. Brazil's Fernandinho scored an own goal in the 13th minute, and Belgium celebrated an early 1-0 lead.
Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was able to notch a goal in the 31st minute, as Belgium capitalized on the earlier goal, to take a commanding 2-0 lead. They were able to hang onto that throughout the first half, to preserve the 2-0 lead into halftime.
Brazil actually significantly outshot the Belgians, but they were unable to convert enough opportunities. Renato Augusto managed to break through with a goal in the 76th minute to draw Brazil closer, and make it a tight game. But every other shot fell just short. There was one right at the end that came very close, but which goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois impressively managed to save, effectively preserving Belgium's win.
The stellar performances of both Les Bleus and Les Diables Rouges actually remind me of something related to the NFL back in the mid to late eighties and early nineties. Remember when the NFC seemed to be so much better than the AFC that the NFC championship game was often considered to the "real" final? Although they're obviously very different sports, I kind of feel that way about the Belgium-France game: I don't think the finalist from the other side of the bracket will be good enough to beat whoever wins this clash. I still think that France make it to and win the final, but should they lose to their northern neighbors I think Belgium would then go on to win the final in their place. Not that I'm making any guarantees - this World Cup has had its share of upsets as you well know. But with all due respect to Croatia and England - both of which are tough teams on the rise - I think whoever wins that semi will have to settle for second place. So with that in mind, here are my predictions for the four remaining matches:
ReplyDeleteFrance 3, Belgium 2: France has enough firepower between Mbappé, Griezmann, Giroud and Pogba to cash in on at least one or two scoring opportunities, and as guys like Varane and Pavard have shown, they also have lesser-known players who can potentially find the back of the net. That should hopefully be enough to overcome a highly talented Belgian team led by Romelu Lukaku, who at 6'3" and 207 pounds almost has the physique of someone playing in the aforementioned NFL.
England 1, Croatia 1: I see this game going to penalty kicks, which of course are wildly unpredictable. That being said, since I'm visualizing a France-England final at this point, I'll give the Three Lions the benefit of the doubt.
In the match for 3rd place, I see Belgium defeating Croatia 3 to 1. This is the "golden generation" for both of these teams, but I predict Les Diables Rouges will want it more, and overpower their opponents from the Adriatic.
In the final, I see Les Bleus defeating the Three Lions 3 to 2, with the usual suspects (Griezmann, Mbappé, Pogba and company) leading the way. We shall see - although I was wrong about the scores, I successfully picked 3 of the 4 quarterfinal winners, with both of us underestimating Belgium's chances against the Seleçao. Stay tuned!
I'd be happy with that.
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