A Fernandinho own goal and a brilliant Kevin De Bruyne strike gave Belgium a spot in the last four for the second time after 1986 and sent Brazil home at the quarter-final stage for the third time in the last four World Cups. How the game unfolded Brazil dominated possession and carved out chance after chance but could not score until substitute Renato Augusto headed home Philippe Coutinho’s cross 14 minutes from time. Roared on by the vast majority of the crowd at the Kazan Arena, the Brazilians poured forward to try and save the game but Roberto Firmino, Augusto and Coutinho spurned gilt-edged opportunities to level the scores. If Belgium’s first goal in the 13th minute had an element of luck, the ball going into the net off Fernandinho’s shoulder from a corner, the second in the 31st minute was a shining example of counter-attacking football. Romelu Lukaku took the ball with his back to goal, turned into space and stormed past Fernandinho up the pitch before releasing De Bruyne on his right for the playmaker to rifle the ball into the net from the edge of the box. Brilliant De Bruyne, Courtois De Bruyne, playing in a more advanced role than he had in Belgium’s previous four matches, was at the heart of his team’s best work, managing the transition from rearguard defence to attack with vision, pace and accuracy.
This was no repeat of Belo Horizonte four years ago, when Brazil were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals on home soil, and Tite’s side kept their shape and composure. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, though, made a fine saves from Coutinho and Serbian referee Milorad Mazic waved away penalty appeals from Neymar and Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilians finally got some reward for their efforts with Augusto’s header and Belgium needed a brilliant fingertip Courtois save from Neymar in the last seconds to secure a date with neighbours France in St Petersburg on Tuesday.
And on the evidence of what we saw at the Emirates Stadium in our opening game of the new campaign, the players are ready to deliver. Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva scored the goals as City beat a new-look Arsenal side 2-0, producing a hugely impressive performance containing both style and substance. What happened? City started brightly and deservedly went ahead when Sterling brilliantly skipped past two Arsenal challenges on the edge of the box before unleashing a right-footed effort from 20 yards that flew past Cech. Given the truncated preseason he’s had after heavy World Cup involvement, his energy and enthusiasm were impressive. What a start to his and City’s season. Ederson denied Hector Bellerin with a smart stop to keep City in front, before a swift City break ended with Aguero hitting the side netting when perhaps he should have made Cech work. City were playing with the same vibrancy we showed in last weekend’s win over Chelsea and were almost 2-0 up when Aguero brought down just outside box by Sokratis. Riyad Mahrez took the resulting free-kick and forced a save from Cech low down to his right, before the Arsenal stopper reacted quickly to deny Aymeric Laporte’s close-range follow up with an instinctive stop. Mahrez was inches away from opening his account three minutes before half time when he curled a left-footed effort just past Cech’s far post as City continued to dominate, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s effort almost brought Arsenal level moments later but his long-distance strike sailed just wide.
Arsenal brought on Alexandre Lacazette ten minutes after the interval as they went in search of an equaliser. He almost delivered with his first touch, but his volley flashed wide of the upright. Aguero should have doubled City’s lead when he was clean through – but Cech made a crucial intervention after coming off his line to deny the Argentine. Seconds later, City had scored again, Bernardo producing a spectacular first-time left-footed finish that flew into the top corner in emphatic fashion. That Arsenal’s performance was somewhat disjointed shouldn’t detract from City’s display. This was where we left off last season: electric going forward, but capable of slowing the game down and dominating the ball when necessary. This is a side full of talent, but also one with outstanding tactical acumen and game-management abilities. There's plenty more to come, but this was a pleasing start. Man of the Match: Bernardo Silva In truth, there were several candidates - but Bernardo once again produced a high-octane performance that dazzled. His goal was topped off a superb performance. Next up City host Huddersfield next Sunday in this season’s first game at the Etihad, with kick-off at 1.30pm.
With three wins and two losses into this 2018 Barclays Premier League season, Tottenham Hotspur’s season can go up or down from here. Tottenham’s early 3-0 win against Manchester United showed early potential in the teams seriousness this year, and would be followed by two more wins the following weeks against Fulham and Newcastle. This stretch of wins would be halted by a 2-1 loss against Liverpool, and another loss the next week against Watford, a game in which Tottenham was seen as the heavy favorite. Tottenham midfielder “Dele” Alli, a fan favorite and strong player on the team, was missing for the losses due to injury. His return will show a return to form hopefully for the club. Tottenham’s star player striker Harry Kane has been reportedly on strain due to fatigue, and reporters from The Guardian are suggesting the striker needs a week to rest to return to best form. Kane has been the superstar for Tottenham as well as England’s national team. This past World Cup in Russia showed Kane’s skill with the team, as the England striker scored six goals, more than any other player in the 2018 World Cup. Between the Premier League games and Tottenham’s games in the UEFA Champions League, it’s possible that Kane needs a game off. Time will tell how Tottenham’s manager Mauricio Pochettino handles the rest of the season, as his leadership with the football club achieved the team second place in the 2017 Premier League with eighty-six points. Their performance in last year’s Premier League might explain why Tottenham made no changes to their roster during the trade time.
Midfielder “Dele” Alli (left) being congratulated by striker Harry Kane (right) after a goal.
The 2018 World Cup was full of surprises. From unexpected participants, to unexpected qualifying teams to the next round, this World Cup was filled with various emotions. The World Cup is one of the most watched programs on television when it’s on and everyone had their eye on the favorites to win, France. France has been known to always be in the top teams to finish the World Cup and this one they were expected to win. They were a young up and coming team filled with many stars that will have an amazing career in their future. France came in to the World Cup as one of the favorites to win alongside the likes of Belgium, Brazil, and even the defending champions Germany, but who eventually would not pass the group stage. Kylian Mbappe, perhaps the brightest young star of today, was accompanied by Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann as well as other notable players to lead France to win their 2nd World Cup. It’s been a while since France won its first cup and it is 12 years since their loss in the final to Italy. Pressure was nothing new, and as they started the World Cup they provided a dynamic attack against their opponents defeating Australia and Peru, then drawing with Denmark. Onto the next round they went to face another contender, Argentina, in one of the most exciting and awaited matches of the World Cup. The French came out on top defeating Lionel Messi’s Argentina with a score of 4-3 in an entertaining game. In the quarter-finals they portrayed dominance as they beat an Uruguayan team with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, with a score of 2-0. The semi-final game with Belgium was another long-awaited game, as two of the best teams in the World Cup would face of for a spot in the final. Both teams demonstrated their style of play and their team skills to battle it off throughout the game. With one goal from Samuel Umtiti, in the 51st minute, was enough to secure their spot in the final against rivals Croatia, who would end up winning their game against Croatia. The final was a spectacular game with the first half being exciting as both teams would go to half time in a draw,1-1. When second half started things would start to fall apart for Croatia as they took 3 more goals, to make it a total of four. They would try to bounce back with another goal they scored, but it was not enough to defeat the French. France won their second World Cup, with a bright young team with promising futures. In The NY Times article “How France Won Its Second World Cup Title” by Andrew Das,
he states, “His 2018 team will not be remembered as the most elegant champions, or the most creative. Instead, it will be remembered for what it was: a team of exceptional talent and ruthless efficiency, a group in which every player knew his job and performed it flawlessly.� France has many young stars with their name cemented in history winning a world cup. These players have a bright future ahead of them and with guidance, perseverance, and dedication can go on to become one of the best teams to ever be formed.
Paul Pogba being congratulated from his teammates after scoring a goal in the second half.