2018 World Cup champions France will face African nation Morocco, who have reached the quarterfinals for the second consecutive time. In the match taking place at 12:45 a.m. on Thursday night, Mbappé will be the center of attention for most football fans.
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Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Romelu Lukaku. With the completion of the quarterfinal lineup in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, the moment has arrived for these star players to cement their historical significance. The real competition among these star players from the eight teams that have reached the quarterfinals will now be on display.
Which player will establish himself as a world champion? The clear goal for Argentina, Belgium, England, France, Morocco, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland, who have reached the quarterfinals, will now be to lift the World Cup trophy.
According to Nepali time, the quarterfinals, starting at midnight on Thursday, will feature iconic World Cup matches. 2018 champions France will face Morocco, the African nation that has reached the quarterfinals for the second consecutive time. In the match scheduled for 12:45 am, Mbappé will be the center of attraction for most football fans.
The 27-year-old Mbappé, who is also a Real Madrid star forward, has already scored a record 63 goals in 103 appearances for France. If he reaches the final, he will climb the ranks of the greatest players in history. In the five matches of the ongoing World Cup, he has scored seven goals, provided two assists, and has been named Player of the Match three times. His total World Cup goal tally has reached 19. However, while all eyes are on Mbappé, Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise are also players capable of drawing attention.
On the other hand, Morocco, which made history in 2022 by becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals, now aims to at least reach the final. Morocco secured its quarterfinal berth by defeating the Netherlands in the round of 32 and Canada in the round of 16. In both matches, the Atlas Lions delivered dominant performances. Now, as Morocco faces France again, it will be a repeat of their previous encounter in the 2022 semifinals.
Although Morocco enters the match against France as the 'underdog,' it has enough ability to produce a favorable result. Spain, known for its possession football, will now face Belgium. Both teams have a long list of experienced, professional players. Spain boasts an excellent group of midfielders, while Belgium has the midfield king Kevin De Bruyne.
Spain has not conceded a goal in any of its five World Cup matches so far. Therefore, Spain's strongest aspect in this World Cup has been its defense. Left-back Marc Cucurella, center-backs Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí, right-back Pedro Porro, and goalkeeper Unai Simón have played all 180 minutes of the knockout stages together, and breaking through this defensive wall will require significant effort from their opponents.
Simón has set a new record by going 609 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in the World Cup, the longest such streak to date. However, stopping Belgium's 33-year-old Romelu Lukaku from scoring will be a major challenge for this team. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Kevin De Bruyne is adept at delivering precise passes.
Belgium has scored nine goals in its last two matches against New Zealand and the United States. Thirty-four-year-old Thibaut Courtois is still considered one of the world's best goalkeepers. And 31-year-old winger Leandro Trossard is regarded as one of the tournament's top playmakers. Although Belgium is a team with a new look, its identity is still tied to experienced players. And, a team of forwards with remarkable team spirit.
Viking or alien, call him what you will, but he is the most influential striker on this planet. If there is any player who can come as close as Erling Haaland, it is only Harry Kane, who will face him in the quarterfinals. The match between England and Norway, scheduled for 1:45 am on Sunday, will essentially be a battle of prestige between these two strikers. The competition will be about which of these two players scores more goals.
Haaland will face the challenge of his Manchester City teammate Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa—who kept him goalless in last season's Premier League—and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. However, stopping him will only be possible through a collective effort from the England team. England, which has been limited to the quarterfinals and semifinals in recent World Cups, has once again reached a similar stage—a talented team, good form, and a must-win quarterfinal. The team has not reached the final since 1996. That same year, England also won its first World Cup title. That was also the last time England won a major tournament. This time, coach Thomas Tuchel hopes to make a difference.
In the final World Cup quarterfinal, Lionel Messi's Argentina, the team with the tournament's top scorer, will face Switzerland. Messi is the tournament's top scorer and assist provider. He has already won the 'Golden Ball' twice. His team defeated Kylian Mbappé's France to win the title in 2022. Now, he is aiming for a second and possibly final World Cup title in his career.
Meanwhile, although Switzerland is not a major force in modern football, it has reached the quarterfinals three times. However, it has never progressed beyond the last eight. This time, it reached the round of 16 by defeating dark horse Colombia.
