As a soccer fan, these quarterfinals were some of the most entertaining games that I have seen in a long time. All four quarter finals had something so special and so unique about them. With two quite unexpected results and two somewhat expected results, the quarterfinal round of the FIFA World Cup was the most exciting round we have seen. 

Let’s break down and review these games…

Croatia 1 (4) – 1 (2) Brazil

Many, including myself, expected a relatively comfortable and easy win for this Brazilian squad. The depth and skill they had seemed unmatchable. With strikers such as Neymar Jr. and Richarlison, no one thought that Croatia stood a chance. As the game got underway, it was evident that this was going to be a cat and mouse game for 90 minutes and eventually one side was going to break down. However, that didn’t happen. After the full 90’, Brazil had dominated the game and Croatia still didn’t have a shot on goal. Yet, the score remained zero to zero. Why? Well even though Brazil was dominating the offensive side, Croatia was completely locked down on defense and was not going to give an inch. As the game progressed into extra time, it was once again a little slow until the 105+1st minute when Neymar showed off his crafty footwork and scored a stunning goal for Brazil. With how the game had gone, almost everyone had assumed that it would be a game winner. Well… as Croatia continued to make a push, Brazil got complacent and allowed one counterattack for the Croatians and in the 117th minute Bruno Petković scored off of a lucky deflection. The game was headed to penalties. Croatia has an extremely good record when it comes to pentlay shootouts so at this point, the whole game was up for grabs and a save from Rodrygo, a miss from Marquinhos, and Brazil was out. A result that close to no one saw coming. While the blame can be put on many different people, it was a heartbreaking scene to watch Neymar exit in tears in what could be his final World Cup.

Netherlands 2 (3) – 2 (4) Argentina

If you thought that first game was exciting, this one will have knocked your socks off. This game had absolutely everything and more. A total of 17 yellow cards were handed out, and yes it would be correct to assume that this game was a fiesty one. Starting off with a beautiful Messi assist and a finish from Nahuel Molina in the 35th minute giving Argentinans the lead heading into halftime. This would prove to be crucial knowing what will happen in the second half. In the 73rd minute, Messi scored a penalty kick to give Argentina a two goal lead, and from there, the game was utter madness. In the 83rd minute, the Dutch caught Argentina’s defense sleeping and they scored. The Dutch squad were coming back, and after a bench clearance from both sides, things were getting heated. To add to the drama, 10 minutes of stoppage time was added, and when the Dutch had a free kick in the very last minute, it was all going to come down to it. In one of the most crafty, gambling plays I have ever seen, a pass to Wout Weghorst and a goal from him in the 90+11’ minute meant that this was headed to extra time. In extra time, the game slowed but Argentina had so many chances, but no goals were scored so penalties again. Early on, two absolute monster saves from Emiliano Martínez meant that Argentina had a massive advantage. Enzo Fernández had the opportunity to score the game winning penalty, but he missed his shot wide and a converted penalty from Luuk de Jong meant that it all rested on Lautaro Martínez to score the final penalty and send Argentina through, and he did exactly that.

Morocco 1 – 0 Portugal

If you thought that Croatia beating Brazil was an upset, wait till you hear about this one. With star forward Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench again, it was up to Portugal’s front line to break down the unbreakable Moroccan defense. Morocco had come into this game only allowing one goal, which was an own goal, and they hadn’t conceded even in a penalty shootout against Spain. It was another defense versus offense matchup with the defensive side reigning supreme again. The lone goal came in the 42nd minute when Youssef En-Nesyri scored a fantastic header, beating Portuguese goalkeeper, Diogo Costa, to the ball. Suddenly, Morocco were one half away from becoming the first African nation to make the semifinals of a World Cup. With what we’ve seen so far this tournament of teams hunkering down on defense, nothing can compare to the way that Morocco hunkered down on defense after they scored. It was practically impossible for Portugal to create any sort of chance, even with Ronaldo coming on in the 50th minute. Nothing they did would prove to be enough and to the surprise of the whole soccer world, Morocco is into the semifinals. This team will be difficult for anyone to beat as their defense is like a brick wall. On the other side, fans once again witnessed the tears of another legend who will go without a World Cup. Ronaldo has done so much for this Portuguese team that his legacy will stand the test of time. While he didn’t win a World Cup, he did help them win a Nations League title, and a Euros win in 2016. The future of Portugal looks bright with all the young talent, but Ronaldo’s impact will be missed and we thank him for his incredible career for Portugal. 

England 1 – 2 France

Listen, I haven’t complained much about the officiating in this tournament, but the officiating in this match was particularly not good. We will get into that in just a bit. However, it was the French who got off to a great start as Aurélien Tchouméni scored in the 17th minute with a beautiful goal. Though the French were up, some aggressive defending from them led to what, in my opinion, should have been a penalty for England. It was not given and they played on. I personally thought that the challenge on Saka was reckless, but the refs did not so no call was given. Fast forward to the second half when in the 54th minute, Harry Kane buried a penalty to level the game at one a piece. For a while, this game was a complete deadlock with extra time being in the near future. That was until the 78th minute when Olivier Grioud scored to give France the lead again. Although, it took not even five minutes for another penalty to be called on a mind bogglingly reckless foul from Theo Hernández. England had another penalty, but this time it was shot miles above the goal by Kane. England missed a golden opportunity then, and in the last kick of the game when Marcus Rashford barely missed a free kick. So, the three lions are out and Les Bleus advance to the semis. 

Before I go on to the previews for the semifinals, I want to express my sincerest thoughts and prayers to the family of U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl. Wahl died on Saturday while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match. It is heartbreaking for the U.S. soccer federation and for journalists everywhere as Wahl was a one of a kind reporter. We send our love to his family and friends, and pray that they are able to get through this challenging time.

As we go back into the semifinal picture, these two games will be the truest testament so far to the offense vs defense matchups that we have seen so far. Will one side win both, or will one win each? For now, let’s preview these two games.

Tuesday 1 PM, Argentina vs Croatia

This match is the bigger tossup of the two when you look at how these teams have performed so far. We have seen the heart and the fight from both sides, and each will have something or someone that they are fighting so hard for. For Argentina, the key to this game is to constantly apply pressure to the Croatian side. As an offense, if you keep applying pressure they are bound to break down. This game will be crucial for Lionel Messi if he wishes to continue his quest for a World Cup. For Croatia, a heartbreak from the final four years ago means that they are ready to fight one more time to get back to the finals. We’ve seen what they can do and who they can beat. The question remains, can they do it again? It will heavily depend on their defense as well as how midfielder Luka Modric is able to press the Argentine defense. For my prediction, I don’t have an exact score prediction, but more of a scenario prediction. If the game goes to extra time or penalties, I pick Croatia. If the game is only in the regular 90 minutes, I pick Argentina. 

Wednesday 1 PM, Morocco vs France

This match will be another cat vs mouse type of game. Morocco are perfectly fine with having less possession, and they will force France to dominate possession, which is something that they have not had to do a ton so far. The key for France will be on whether or not Kylian Mbappé plays better than he did against England. However, this Moroccan defense is by far one of the hardest to get through, so Mbappé will have his work cut out for him. The key for Morocco will be relying on the counterattack. If they are able to work their way up the field and get crafty, they can cause severe damage. We saw that in their game against Portugal where it only took one to win. For my prediction, it is also scenario based. It will all be about whoever gets the lead first. If France gets out into the lead, expect them to continue racking up goals and run away with it. If Morocco are able to get into the lead, they will do what they have been doing, and they will hunker down on defense and not let France in. That is their key to victory. 

While I am sad that there are only four games left in this tournament, I am equally excited for these matchups to come as history will be made no matter what. One of the four biggest questions will be answered by next Sunday: Will Messi finally get the trophy that has eluded him the most? Will Morocco do the unthinkable and become the first ever African nation to win the trophy? Will France do what hasn’t been done in decades and become back-to-back champions? Or will Luka Modric solidify his place in the history books and finally get that big trophy for Croatia? Time will tell for all of these and if you want to read more about the FIFA World Cup, click the tag at the bottom of this page to read more!