Find the main information of the day on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on the 21st day of the competition.
Will Morocco become the first nation on the African continent to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup? Response from 4 p.m. this Saturday, when the Atlas Lions will release their claws against Portugal for the rest of the quarter-finals. Equally awaited and all electric, the France-England duel will experience its first battles at 8 p.m.
Matches of the day
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Kylian Mbappé and the Blues want to continue to write their history, Moroccans and Portuguese to write one of the most beautiful.
It is one of the most famous historical-sporting rivalries. And this England-France on Saturday is a story in history: it is the first time that the two teams have faced each other in a knockout match. For Mbappé, it is also an opportunity for him to write his own story. It is also D-Day for the Portuguese and Moroccans. The objective of these two collectives who have impressed since the start of the competition: to reach a World Cup semi-final for the first time. The Parisian Hachraf Hakimi would like to be decisive again, as against the Spaniards in the previous round while Portugal learns to live with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and his new generation.
Friday’s results
Croatia 1-1 (4-2 pens) Brazil.
Pays-Bas 2-2 (3-4 t.a.b.) Argentine.
After the defeat, the Brazilians between sadness and nostalgia for the “past splendour”
Beaten on penalties by Croatia, Brazil said goodbye to their dream of a sixth world title. A bitter defeat that arouses anger, sadness and could resurface political tensions. Nostalgia, too, of Pelé – hospitalized –, Garrincha, Gerson or Rivellino. “They were playing for the love of the sport, not for the money, explains an old man met in the streets of Sao Paulo. They were real idols. Today we have mercenaries.” The president-elect made a diplomatic statement to Brazil’s number 10, declared voter of his opponent, Bolsonaro. “Neymar scored a great goal, tweeted Lula. The team applied and deserved better. Moving forward ! In life, you can’t give up.”
In Buenos Aires, we finally take Messi for Argentine cash
The history of national football teams sometimes obeys cycles that defy understanding. Thus, Argentina, finalist of the first World Cup in 1930, had to wait almost half a century to shine again in a planetary tournament. In 1978, the Albiceleste put an end to the scarcity by winning its World Cup at home, remotely controlled by the ignominious junta of Jorge Videla, thanks to Mario Kempès, a lanky tightrope walker touched by grace. Arrived in the national team in 2005, Messi must deal with the absence of titles from the Albiceleste for almost thirty years (1993-2021). In the shadow of the great players of the past, and in particular Maradona, relations between the sevenfold Golden Ball and his country have gone from strained to devout. Devotion that his goal, his assist and his penalty scored against the Dutch on Friday will maintain. They illustrate the irrational attachment that Argentines have with football. Find the analysis of Release ici.
Video of the day: “The Sun” invades and trolls Paris
Rarely has humor been more British than that. The English Tabloid The Sun decided to stick out his tongue at us. On Friday, he dotted Paris with big-screen advertising projections encouraging the England team. Team that the Blues face this Saturday evening in the quarter-finals. On one of them, striker Philip Foden appears with a victorious air accompanied by a “Go Roasts!” sly. In another, defender Kyle Walker poses with his arms crossed and his head crowned. «Le roi Kylian Kyle», is registered. “Kylian» being crossed out, of course. In its article describing the operation, the newspaper taunts: “Napoleon Bonaparte would be turning in his grave given the ease with which we penetrated the defenses of the French capital”. And questions French people who are often amused by the initiative… but also confident. Like a certain Louis, betting on a 3-1 French victory and who replies: “Good luck to the English, they have fantastic fans, but that won’t be enough.” Moral of the story: keep scoring points in humor, we take care of the goals on the ground.
sentence of the day
“If anyone can stop Mbappé, it’s Walker.”
— John Terry, former England international
Tension rises between France and England. While the two teams will face each other on the field from 8 p.m. for the rest of the quarter-finals, John Terry delivers his analysis to AFP. The former England international puts his coin on defender Kyle Walker for “stop Mbappé”. The reason ? The two athletes have already heated the same lawn during a match between Manchester City and PSG. “In pure speed, Kyle Walker is arguably the fastest player in the Premier League. Defensively, he is also very strong., he breathes. However, John Terry shares a fear: that of seeing the duel monopolizing the attention. “Beside you have (Olivier) Giroud, a big threat, (Antoine) Griezmann and the others…”, he says. And to sum up his expectations, the former central defender does not skimp on the formula: “There will be respect, but it will be war”.
He got a luxury workout, Kyle Walker
Speaking of Kyle Walker, we discover in the British daily inews the advanced technological paraphernalia used by the defender to train. And as much to say that it is better equipped than a Totally Spie. Instead of the compoudrier and the laser lipstick, he puts on high-tech glasses, the Smart Goggles, to monitor his heart rate and massage his face. The Theragun, a gun allows him an ultimate massage. Finally, compression boots, the RecoveryAir JetBoots, allow you to knead your legs. It takes at least that to prepare the player for his duel against Kylian Mbappé this Saturday in the quarter-finals. And also to recover from his groin operation, which occurred in early October.
World Cup: Grant Wahl, famous American sports journalist, dies in the middle of a match
Death in the middle of a game. A well-known American sports journalist, who had been talked about recently after his detention in Qatar for wearing a rainbow t-shirt, died on Friday in Doha. Grant Wahl, 48, had worked for the famous magazine Sports Illustrated as a football specialist before joining CBS Sports in 2021. He died covering the quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands .