France begin their final push towards a third World Cup crown on Thursday when they take on Morocco in a blockbuster showdown as a star-studded quarterfinal line-up kicks off.
After a month of scintillating action that has dispelled pre-tournament anxieties over sky-high ticket prices and geopolitics, the biggest, boldest and most logistically complex World Cup ever staged has been whittled down to eight teams.
France, who have emerged as the outstanding team of the tournament after a series of dazzling attacking displays, face arguably their toughest test so far in the shape of African champions Morocco at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston.
Les Bleus have surged into the last eight in style, scoring 14 goals in five games — seven of them from in-form captain Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is one of four star strikers who are leading the chase for the World Cup’s Golden Boot as the tournament enters the home stretch.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi tops the scoring chart with eight, Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland have seven each and England’s Harry Kane has six.
Thursday’s opening quarterfinal is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar, won 2-0 by France, who would go on to lose in the final against Argentina.
Tactical nous
Morocco meanwhile have looked impressive en route to the last eight, easing through the group phase before battling past the Netherlands in the last 32 and swatting aside Canada in the round of 16 last weekend.
The Atlas Lions will threaten France with a mix of technical quality, physicality and tactical nous under the guidance of coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who masterminded Morocco’s shock victory in the under-20 World Cup last year.
The winner will advance to a semifinal showdown against the victor of Friday’s tie in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.
The Spaniards eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the last 16 on Monday to advance with a clinical 1-0 victory.
While La Roja haven’t hit the dizzying attacking heights of France, they will fancy their chances of navigating a Belgium side who have slowly built momentum over the course of the tournament.
Belgium struggled through the group phase with lacklustre draws in their first two matches before routing New Zealand 5-1 to secure their place in the knockout rounds.
They came back from the dead in the last 32 to beat Senegal 3-2, when they had trailed 2-0 with four minutes to go, before dismantling the United States 4-1 with arguably their best display of the tournament in Seattle on Monday.
Houdini act
On the other side of the draw, holders Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday after staggering into the quarterfinals.
The South Americans, aiming to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962, were given an almighty scare by Cape Verde in the last 32 before winning 3-2 in extra-time.
On Tuesday, Messi inspired an incredible Houdini act in a jaw-dropping 3-2 defeat of Egypt in Atlanta, when the reigning champions recovered from 2-0 down with 11 minutes of normal time remaining to snatch victory.
Messi was reduced to tears of relief after that roller coaster victory.
“We wanted to stay in the tournament,” the Argentina captain said afterwards.
“We didn’t want today to be the end, we didn’t want to go home.”
The winner of Argentina-Switzerland will face either Norway or England in the semifinals in Atlanta next week.
England advanced to the last eight on Sunday with a pulsating 3-2 defeat of Mexico in the Azteca Stadium, winning an extraordinary, drama-filled contest which has given the Three Lions renewed belief in their bid to win a first major title since 1966.
England’s talismanic midfield star Jude Bellingham says the victory reinforced his belief that the Three Lions can claim the ultimate prize — and wants his team-mates to feel the same.
“I’m convinced of it and I hope that a win like this can give them that same conviction that they’re top players and we shouldn’t fear anyone,” Bellingham said.
Blocking England’s path is a formidable Norway side spearheaded by the irrepressible Haaland, who scored both goals in Sunday’s last 16 win over Brazil.
“We have to study England but obviously we have seen them in their previous games in the tournament and they will be a very strong opponent, but hopefully it will be a very even and tight game,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken said.
Quarterfinals (UAE Time)
Friday (12 am)
France vs Morocco
Boston Stadium
Spain vs Belgium (11 pm)
Los Angeles Stadium
Sunday
Norway vs England (1 am)
Miami Stadium
Argentina vs Switzerland (5 am)
Kansas City Stadium
First quarterfinal
France vs Morocco
The Kylian Mbappe-led France will meet the dark horses of the tournament, Morocco, who made history in the 2022 edition by becoming the first-ever African nation to reach the semis. The Achraf Hakimi-led Morocco could cause an upset, while Mbappe, currently at 19 World Cup goals, will be aiming to chase Lionel Messi’s newly established record of 21 goals, the highest by any player in tournament history.
Prediction: France 2 Morocco 1
Morocco is a very talented team and they played a fantastic match against the Netherlands. But France have superior players, one of them will make the difference.
Second quarterfinal
Spain vs Belgium
The 2010 champions struggled after securing their first title ever, getting knocked out in the group stage while defending the title back in 2014 and failing to make much impact in the 2018 and 2022 seasons either. But a side powered by its set of young attackers, Lamine Yamal and Pedri will be aiming to make a deep run in the tournament, while Belgium stalwarts Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne are set to play a huge role leadership-wise as Belgium aim to get the gold for the first time ever. Unai Simon, who has kept clean sheets in all five matches so far, will make sure it is not easy for Belgium to overcome La Roja.
Prediction: Spain 1 Belgium 0
Spain have recovered from a slow start against Cape Verde to play like genuine contenders. Yet to concede a goal, Spain have more quality than Belgium in the midfield to decide a game.
Third quarterfinal
Norway vs England
Perhaps the most anticipated clash of all four. Erling Haaland, in contention for the Golden Boot with seven goals, meets England’s talismanic skipper Harry Kane, who has scored six goals so far. Fans will either get the iconic ‘Viking Row’ celebration or another Kane masterclass under pressure, with young superstar Jude Bellingham also backing his skipper, coming into his own on the grandest stage with four goals so far.
Prediction: Norway 1 England 1
This is a mouthwatering contest. The talented Norwegians are expected to give the formidable England team a run for the money. But it’s anybody’s game in the penalty shootout.
Fourth quarterfinal
As the early exits of Germany and the Netherlands at the hands of Paraguay and Morocco have shown, the World Cup can spring a few surprises. The Lionel Messi-led side, who were taken to the extra time by debutants Cabo Verde and had to fire 13 goals in three minutes to escape a 2-0 deficit against Egypt to book a spot in the quarterfinals, will need Messi at the centre of all action and hopefully, extending his World Cup scoring run to ten successive matches.
Prediction: Argentina 1 Switzerland 1
Argentina were pushed to the limit by Cape Verde and Egypt. Switzerland is a well-organised team, it will be very difficult challenge for the defending champions. Anybody’s game in the penalty shootout.
Source: Khaleej Times