In a World Cup that has seen some upsets and stunners, we had our biggest yet! Brazil, led by Neymar and the favorites to win it all in Qatar, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Croatia on penalties. Now, the 2018 World Cup runners-up aim to oust Lionel Messi and Argentina, who fended off the Netherlands (also on penalties) to reach the semifinals.
And the fun won’t stop we expect plenty of fireworks in Saturday’s games on the other side of bracket. Will Morocco continue its dream run and get past Portugal? And will France and Kylian Mbappe keep his Golden Boot campaign and repeat title hopes against England?
Be sure to check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Qatar. Here’s what you might have missed from Friday’s World Cup happenings, and a look ahead to Saturday’s action.
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The first half was a fairly drab affair until Messi opened it up with a ridiculous reverse pass. He drifted along the edge of the Netherlands box, and with one flick, took four Dutch defenders out of the play and found the onrushing Nahuel Molina, who had space to side-foot it past Andries Noppert.
When Messi added a second from the penalty spot, it looked like Argentina were home free. But then came the 15 minutes of Dutch brilliance to close out the 90 minutes. Weghorst’s header was planted brilliantly past Martinez with seven minutes of normal time remaining, and then in the 10th minute of injury time, they conjured one of the best set pieces to grace any World Cup for Weghorst’s second.
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News and notes
England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted Ben White left the team’s camp for personal reasons and played down suggestions of a bust-up between the Arsenal defender and his assistant coach Steve Holland. A report emerged on Friday suggesting White had been involved in a disagreement with Holland at a team meeting over a failure to recall data relating to his personal statistics. The Three Lions take on France on Saturday, with Les Bleus keeper Hugo Lloris saying he thinks it will be an epic game.
Brazil coach Tite hit back at suggestions a lack of organization in the final minutes of extra time contributed to their World Cup exit. Meanwhile, Neymar said he was unsure if he would play again for the national team after their heartbreaking loss. “Honestly, I do not know. I think talking now is bad because of the heat of the moment. Maybe I’m not thinking straight,” he said.
Lionel Messi said he felt “disrespected” by Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal and blasted the referee after Argentina beat the Dutch 4-3 on penalties in a thrilling World Cup quarterfinal at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar on Friday. He was also fiercely critical of the performance from Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
