OdishaLIVE Bureau
Football’s grandest stage similarly had 8 teams left who were looking to book their place in the semi finals.
- France ease past Uruguay by beating them 2-0 in the first quarter final
- Belgium beat favourites Brazil 2-1 at the Kazan Arena in the second match
All the teams dare to dream and give in everything in order to reach the final and lay their hands on the trophy. Whether you are favourites or underdogs, it does not matter anymore at this point of time. France played Uruguay in the first quarter final while Belgium played Brazil in the final match of the day.
FRANCE vs. URUGUAY
First Half
France had an uphill task against Uruguay at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium. They faced a strong defence line of Uruguay which was difficult to penetrate through. France had most of the possession in the first half, while Uruguay were happy to give them the ball and hit them on the counter. Uruguay pressed highly with great passion and energy and France were finding it difficult to get into their box, spending most of their time in their half. The most exciting chance of the game came in the 15th minute when Oliver Giroud headed the ball into the path of KylianMbappe who had all the time in the world to bring it down and take a shot but instead chose to head the ball over the post.
The game was crying out for some creativity and Raphael Varane changed the context of the match when he scored a brilliant header in the 40th minute. Antoine Griezmann stuttered in his run up to the free kick which probably disorganised Uruguay’s defence and Varane took advantage of that and scored a brilliant gliding header to give his country the lead. Four minutes after France went ahead, Uruguay thought they had levelled it up through a Martin Caceres header but Hugo Lloris produced a brilliant save to deny glory to the ex-Southampton defender.
Griezmann Scores
The second half began withFrance on the front foot. Uruguay waited for a break on the counter but failed to create any clear cut chance. As Uruguay were looking to be back in the game, their hopes were crushed in the 61st minute. Antoinne Griezmann found space outside the box and released a dipping and curling shot which would have been a routine save for Fernando Muslera but he positioned himself wrong and the ball bobbled past his grasp and went into the goal. It was a mistake that will remain forever in his life and he will surely have nightmares of that. Substitute Christian Rodriguez looked to get his country back in the game but his shot just went wide of the post and Uruguay were struggling to create anything.
Probably the thought of getting out of the tournament got them and they became frustrated. Tempers boiled on the pitch when KylianMbappe went down way too easily after Chrisitan Rodriguez brushed past him. Paul Pogba and Diego Godin were also involved in a spat and the referee dissolved the situation by giving yellow cards to both Mbappe and Rodriguez. France had chances to make it 3-0 late into the half when CorentinTolissocurled an effort past the post and Antoine Greizmann sent the ball over the bar from a free kick.
The full-time whistle blew and France were into the semis. Uruguay were distraught and emotions ran through as Jose Maria Gimenez broke down on the pitch and cried. It was a match of great intensity and France deserved to win on the balance of play.
BELGIUM vs. BRAZIL
Belgium played Brazil in the Kazan Arena at 11:30 IST which was tipped by many to be the match of the tournament and the match exactly panned out as the pundits expected. The first ten minutes were tenacious with both the teams creating chances and the match being end to end.
Belgium take Lead
But Belgium took the lead in the 13th minute when Vincent Kompany headed the ball from the corner and the ball hit Fernandinho’s arm and went into the goal. Belgium looked better, attacking wise with sharper touches and passes than Brazil. Kevin De Bruyne was at the heart of every Belgium move with the Man City midfield maestro using his vison, dribbling and accuracy to the highest. In the 31st minute, RomeluLukaku burst past everyone in midfield like a tank and passed the ball to De Bruyne who fizzed past in the Brazil goal with a thunderous effort and Belgium were 2-0 up.
Failure to Capitalize
Brazil probably felt the need to score a goal before the first half ended and started to get at Belgium right after they scored. Gabriel Jesus tried to get one back with a header but Thibaut Courtois produced a tremendous save to deny the youngster. Philipe Coutinho also tried to score when he shot the ball outside the box but his curling effort was yet again saved by Courtois who was in inspiring form. Brazil had more of the ball in the second half and Belgium were happy to sit back and hit them on the counter. Brazil made several penalty shouts and the referee consulted VAR when Jesus was tripped by Kompany and after reviewing it decided against of giving a penalty.
Heartbreak for Brazil
Brazil were looking to get back in the game and their hopes went up when substitute Renato Augosto glanced a header past Courtois from a Coutinho lob pass to get one back for Brazil in the 76th minute. Brazil had several chances to make it level with Coutinho’s shot going over the bar and Augusto firing the ball just wide from outside the box.
But, the full-time whistle blew and Belgium were into their 2ndsemi final at a World Cup and Brazil experienced heart break after getting knocked out in the knockout stages for the 3rd time in the last 4 World Cups.
(Story: Raunaq Dash, edit: Sriram Singh Rattan)
