Virgil van Dijk might have to get a tear drop tattoo after he obliterated Argentina’s Leandro Paredes on Friday during the Netherlands 4-3 penalty defeat against the South American giants.
Friday’s quarterfinal was an intense and feisty affair as there were several skirmishes and shoving matches throughout the night.
When the Netherlands ceded possession to the United States in the World Cup Round of 16, it was a departure from football history but a masterstroke from the Dutch: they knew the U.S. wouldn't have the quality to find that final pass in the attacking third and that they'd slice the Americans apart going the other direction.
A similar approach could be seen by the Netherlands at the start of its quarterfinal match against Argentina. Playing in a 3-4-1-2, the Dutch packed the middle of the park and said there's no way you're finding joy centrally.
Brazil’s loss is a reminder that life is not fair.
Making the right decisions does not guarantee success. Like some sort of natural disaster, Croatia has taken that which is entirely good and reduced it to rubble. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Despite their best effort and the world’s wishes, Brazil has been sent home prematurely from Qatar after losing on penalties.
El camino de Brasil en la Copa del Mundo se acabó en cuartos de final.
La verdeamarelha puso en la cancha todo su arsenal ofensivo para avanzar a semifinalesl, pero acabó desmoronándose mentalmente ante una Croacia que volvió a mostrarle al planeta que tiene una sapiencia defensiva inigualable y que las piernas de sus jugadores pueden correr en loop hasta que nuestro sol se convierta en una enana blanca.
With less than five minutes to play in extra time and Croatia trailing Brazil 1-0 in Friday's World Cup quarterfinal, it looked like Luka Modrić's 160th appearance in that famous checkered shirt would be the captain's last after an inspirational 17-year international career.
But only Modrić gets to decide when he's finished.
Neymar Jr. tied Pelé’s record for the most goals scored for Brazil’s national team on Friday during his side’s 4-2 defeat on penalties vs. Croatia. Neymar’s go-ahead goal in the 106th minute was a classic display of his silky footwork and his 77th for Brazil.
Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic put in a nearly flawless shift denying and frustrating the Brazilians all game. It was going to take something truly special to put the ball in Croatia’s net, and Neymar was just the man to do it.
Soccer fans have a different circadian rhythm than others. They're up early to see what's going on in Europe, they're in bed late to follow along with MLS and Liga MX, they reach an emotional peak on Wednesday afternoons and frequently block off entire month-long periods in the summer for international festivals of footie. It's a delicate balance, but the 2023 soccer tournaments calendar is packed with both a Women's World Cup and Concacaf Gold Cup to look forward to.
Eight years later, Copa América might return to the U.S.
After much skepticism over what the 2026 World Cup hosts – USA, Mexico and Canada – would do to prepare for the tournament (considering they will not partake in the Concacaf qualifiers), news surrounding a possible return to the South American tournament has begun to emerge, with even the U.S. hosting the tournament to be held in 2024 being very likely.
It was a long shot when the tournament began, but the answer to "can Messi face Ronaldo in World Cup 2022 final" is suddenly somewhat plausible with both Argentina and Portugal reaching the quarterfinals on opposite sides of the bracket.
That means Messi and Ronaldo both need to win just two more games to reach the final at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18. Here's how it's to be done.
Argentina's route to the final
"Baila Brasil, Baila"
Brazil got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over South Korea, but the Seleção, and especially manager Tite, stole the headlines for what they did after each of their four goals.