As eight delighted teams lay their heads to rest across Russia Tuesday evening, the stage has been set for the quarterfinals at the 2018 World Cup. The final eight kickoff Friday with a matchup of the new odds on favorites, France, against Uruguay. The nightcap on Friday will be contested between two other title hopefuls, Belgium and Brazil. The remaining four qualifying countries will compete Saturday: first Sweden take on England, followed by hosts Russia doing battle with Luka Modric and Croatia. Now, lets take a quick glance at how these eight mighty teams made it this far and see which notables are missing from this exclusive football gathering.
First, lets give credit where it is due and talk about the countries that have actually made it to the quarterfinal round. Russia pulled off the largest Group Stage upset, according to the FIFA tabulations, in World Cup history when they toppled Spain in a penalty shootout. The Russians have drawn a tough matchup against a side that boasts arguably the best group of midfielders brought to this tournament. Croatia put Denmark to the sword in the Round of 16 and surely have every intention of ending Russia’s Cinderella story. As the Russians have stormed into a shock place in the final eight, of equal surprise is the lack of Spain’s presence in this round. There is a theme in this year’s World Cup of ushering out the old powers and welcoming in the new. Spain put on a stale display this summer and plenty of household names- Pique, Ramos, Iniesta- very well may have made their final World Cup appearances.
Brazil are now neck and neck with the French at the head of the pack of the bookmakers title favorites. Regardless of having the betting odds on their side, Brazil have made it where the likes of some highly touted African nations, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, and, not to mention, Germany, have not. In a cruel twist of fate, Brazil are pitted against another country many believe have the firepower to win it all: Belgium. Having extinguished the Blue Samurais of Japan in dramatic fashion the Round of 16, the Belgians are certain to give the Brazilians a run for their money.
Uruguay, the other South American standard bearers, will open up quarterfinal play against the French following a gutsy 2–1 triumph over Cristiano Ronaldo’s bunch. Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez have lived up to the billing as they carry the weight of a nation that boasts just 3.5 million people, while Diego Godin has put on one of the best performances amongst all central defenders in the World Cup. Uruguay are no slouches and the French are sure to take them seriously. The matchup to watch Friday evening will surely be between Suarez and N’golo Kante. The challenge of France to breakdown Uruguay’s low block while protecting against the counter is sure to be a spectacle for all.
England and Sweden will greet football fans across the globe Friday for the first match of the day. Sweden snuck passed Switzerland in the previous round, thanks to a 66th minute winner from Emil Forsberg. Sweden, despite retaining only 32% possession against the Swiss, made the most of their opportunities- and that is what counts at this stage in the tournament. England, in an all too familiar style, nearly blew a 1–0 lead over Colombia Tuesday evening. But Jordan Pickford and Eric Dier sealed the deal in penalties and catapulted the Three Lions into a very winnable matchup in the quarterfinals. Will we see a semi-final that includes the famed footballing nation? Perhaps a title is not so out of reach after all for Gareth Southgate’s men.
As we touched on briefly earlier- Spain is gone- as are the players who starred for them in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Germany, the defending champions, have bowed out as well. If you have been following along with Playrs’ World Cup coverage, you might have read our bit on the decline in value of Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil. Germany’s 2022 World Cup qualifying squad is sure to look drastically different from their 2018 version. And we are not even going to pile on to the Argentina and Portuguese shaming.
There is one more trend that is worth mentioning- the absence of any African nation in the quarterfinals. In case you did not pick up on it earlier- there are two South American countries left and six European countries remaining, as well. If you crunch the numbers, you will soon realize that that is all. The Super Eagles of Nigeria? Surely the side armed with Alex Iwobi, Iheanacho, Musa, Ighalo, Victor Moses, and Wilfred N’didi are still alive. How about the Sadio Mane-lead Senegal? Afraid not. Mohamed Salah, still blowing on the ink of a five-year Liverpool extension, was unable to lead Egypt out of the Group A dungeon. The African nations put on a disappointing showing this summer as a whole. A tough tournament, no doubt, but the world was expecting more.
If the record-breaking three weeks we have seen of World Cup action indicate anything at all, we would recommend you glue your eyes to the television this weekend. And make sure to check back in here, with Playrs, for our exciting Blog coverage!
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