This World Cup has left everyone on the edge of their seats and seen the biggest underdogs take down perennial football superpowers. After an already exciting Round of 16, the Quarterfinals proved to be the most exciting round of the entire tournament. With both of Friday’s matches going into decisive shootouts and Saturday’s matchups full of heartbreak, you couldn’t look away.
Friday – 12/9
If you would have told the team at the Center Circle both match ups would end in seriously nail-biting shootouts we would have believed you, but the way we got there was totally unbelievable.
Starting off with Croatia and Brazil, the Brazilian side looked to be the dominant team throughout the entire match. With serious chances coming from Neymar Jr. and Richarlison, we would have thought this match would have been over in the traditional 90 minutes. However, it wasn’t until the end of the first period of extra time that we would see Neymar’s heroics land him one in the back of the net. Going into the second fifteen minutes we all kind of thought, there is no way that Croatia could come back and get them to penalties. Boy were we wrong. With just three minutes left in extra time Petkovic struck with an emphatic goal to send them into a shootout. For Croatia, this isn’t their first shootout of the tournament, but they sent a nearly brand new line up out to send them into the semifinals. Brazil’s historic run in the tournament came to an end with two missed penalties, leaving Neymar out of a chance to save his home nation.
Want to talk about a game that had us on the edge of our seat? The Netherlands and Argentina gave us a game that will be talked about for several World Cups to come. Argentina would go up in the 35th minute with a huge goal from Molina. They kept this momentum going forward into the second half and in the 73rd minute, Lionel Messi would capitalize on a penalty, putting the Argentinian side up 2-0 late into the match. However, the Dutch triumphantly scored their first of the match in the 83rd minute offering a glimmer of hope for the semifinals. Relentless, Weghorst would return in the waning moments of the match on a set piece to tie the game up. In the 11th minute of added time we saw a match go from pretty much over to extra time in the blink of an eye. Extra time saw a majority of the play in the center of the pitch with players looking worn to the bone, which sent us to penalties after an already emotional 120 minutes of football. Van Dijk would step up first for the Dutch and give Martinez a pretty easy save from the spot. Two missed penalties in a row would prove to be what sent Argentina off to the semifinals, but this matchup proved that the Dutch are back and ready to take on the world’s stage yet again.
Saturday – 12/10
While Saturday’s quarterfinal matchups did not head into as much extra time as we saw just the day prior, these matchups were full of drama and heartbreak. Seeing a Cinderella story continue and arguably what could have been the match up of the final had us sweating and on the edge of our seats.
Saturday’s first match-up saw Morocco’s historic run continue to the semifinals with a massive win over Portugal. Interestingly enough it was Portugal that was definitely the dominant side throughout the entire match, but could never find the perfect ball to put in the back of the net. Ronaldo started off on the bench yet again and had many people questioning if this managerial choice was right for such a huge moment. Morocco did what they have done best throughout the tournament, capitalized on the most optimal opportunity. En-Nesyri towered over the Portuguese defense in the 42nd minute of the match to give Morocco and the match its lone goal. Just moments later Portugal would come close to tying up the match with an effort from Bruno Fernandes, but this would not be enough. Ronaldo made his appearance early in the second half, but his presence did not really feel known throughout his time on the pitch. Late opportunities Joao Felix and Portuguese legend Pepe would never make it in the back of the net.
Perhaps the biggest match of the entire tournament came to us with a match up with the reigning tournament champs and football’s founder. Early into the match Aurelien Tchouameni struck with one of the most gorgeous goals of the tournament to put Les Bleus ahead of the three lions. However, France would not be the dominant side throughout the half with a plethora of chances coming from England early in the match. It wouldn’t be until early in the second half that the three lions put the equalizer in the back of the net. After what should have been their second penalty call of the match, Harry Kane stepped up to the spot and buried one against Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris. However, France did not take their foot off the gas and who else but Olivier Giroud would come back and put the French ahead. Moments later England was awarded their second penalty of the match, but Kane stepped up for the second time and sent this one over the bar. A poor tactical decision? Selfishness? Or England’s historic penalty problems? All of these were brought to the table after the match up and left us wanting more from one of the best english sides in years.
What’s Next?
After a truly history weekend of match ups, the world is ready and locked in for the next round the final four sides have to face. The semi finals are looking to be just as exciting as the quarterfinals starting off with a huge match-up between Modric and Messi on Tuesday. Both legends are looking to cap off their massive careers with a World Cup title and all the glory that comes with it. It hasn’t been an easy road for both sides so this huge match could see the end of one legend’s historic career in an exceptionally dramatic fashion.
One matchup that will definitely keep all eyes on the screen is France and Morocco. Shaping up to be repeat favorites, France will have to overcome the Cinderella story of the tournament. Even the most dominant sides have struggled to keep up with Morocco’s energy and style of play, allowing the african side to capitalize on even the smallest mistakes. However, there is one thing that France is not known for, mistakes. Throughout the tournament the French have played a pretty clean game, with their lone group stage loss to Tunisia with a majority of their superstars on the bench. If France want to end the historic run for Morocco, they need to come out with the same energy they did against England while minimizing their mistakes.
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