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.
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 were curious if there would be a modest dress code for women at the Qatar World Cup. Former Miss Croatia Ivana Knoll has gone on to prove that just about anything flies.
Despite Qatar’s tourism rules stating that visitors need to avoid wearing excessively revealing clothing in public, Knoll has done the exact opposite.
México tiene toneladas de trabajo por delante. Después del fracaso en Catar, el Tri necesita renovarse y refundarse camino al Mundial de 2026, el cual se hará de manera conjunta con Canadá y Estados Unidos.
Con Gerardo Martino en el espejo retrovisor, el primer gran tema que la FMF debe resolver es la búsqueda un técnico idóneo para liderar el proceso. Si bien no se ha hablado públicamente de plazos, la lista de candidatos se alarga día a día.
After two days of really not knowing what to do with ourselves, the World Cup finally returns Friday with the start of the quarterfinals. At this point, the bracket doesn't lie — the eight remaining teams all fully deserve their places, and we've got a nice variety with five European nations, two South American and one African.
Action begins Friday at 10 a.m. ET with Croatia vs. Brazil and continues at 2 p.m. ET with Netherlands vs. Argentina. Saturday features Morocco vs. Portugal at 10 a.m. and England vs. France at 2 p.m.
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.
Running fast is not necessary to be a good player in soccer. If it was, Usain Bolt would have been a phenomenon when he tried to turn pro.
Having said that, we can't deny that speed always captivates the eye. You can see how a sprint perforates a defense or how a player dashing back to stop a counterattack is always an exciting view during a game.