Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review

Let me just start off by saying that I’m probably quite biased here. I adore the Harry Potter books and have always enjoyed the movies, so you might want to take this review with a pinch of salt. The second instalment of the Fantastic Beasts series, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald kept me interested throughout. This is the ninth chapter of the newly named ‘Wizarding World’ of J.K. Rowling and continues the story of the magi-zoologist Newt Scamander, and the people in and around his world.

At the end of the last movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, we saw Grindelwald being exposed by Newt, and as a result being captured by the American Magical law enforcement (Macusa). We also saw the obscurial, Credence Barebone, being destroyed by the aurors, but just a fleeting glimpse at the end showed a tiny part of him slipping away. This movie starts off six months after the events of the last movie. As you can already see from my introduction, it is recommended that you watch the first movie before watching this one, or you will be completely lost.

The plot of this movie revolves around Credence, and his quest to find out who he really is. Everyone else in the movie is in some way or the other linked to Credence’s fortunes. Grindelwald’s power is made obviously evident in opening minutes of the movie, by showing how easily he escapes the Ministry’s clutches. The fact that he would escape was shown in the trailer itself, but there is a twist included which you wouldn’t know from the trailer. Even from prison, Grindelwald has been drawing in supporters. He is still trying to bring Credence over to his side, having discovered the power of the latter’s obscurial. Grindelwald realizes that Credence and his obscurial can become his most powerful weapon against Dumbledore.

Newt is back and tasked with foiling Grindelwald in his plans by none other than Albus Dumbledore. The latter cannot move against Grindelwald, for reasons that will be explained in the movie, and puts his trust in Newt. All of our favourite characters from the first movie, Tina, Queeny, and the indomitable Jacob Kowalski are back. Whoever has seen the previous edition would know that Jacob’s memories were wiped out at the end, because he was non-magic (No-maj) and him remembering would risk the exposure of the magical world. Whether Jacob remembers or not, and why is explained in the first scene featuring him (but we already know the answer to that, right? At least the first part!)

This movie introduces us to some new characters including Newt’s older brother, Theseus, who is the Head of the Aurors for the British Ministry of Magic. Played by Callum Turner, Theseus has some awkward moments with Newt early on, with the latter not very fond of his brother. We got an insight into this in the trailer itself when Tina tied up Theseus and Newt thoroughly enjoyed it. The two do work together later on in the movie, and it is evident that they care about each other as brothers, but there is a tension between not helped by the presence of Leta Lestrange in their lives. With how the movie turned out, Theseus is sure to play a much bigger role in the next movie. Leta Lestrange, played excellently by Zoe Kravitz, is Newt’s former classmate and close friend from Hogwarts and is now engaged to Theseus. We did see her character as a picture in the first movie. Claudia Kim as Nagini is a role which was being looked forward to by fans since the trailers were released. If you’ve followed Harry Potter, you’ll know Nagini goes on to become Lord Voldemort’s snake and is also one of his Horcruxes, and is ultimately killed by Neville Longbottom in the Deathly Hallows. Our favourite alchemist (and hence immortal!) Nicolas Flamel makes an appearance, and a badass cameo at the end. We also see a glimpse of something that was quite the rage at the start of the Harry Potter franchise! Finally, there’s Yusuf Kama, from another famous pure-blood family, who too is searching for Credence, but for very different reasons. His role is not fleshed out enough in this movie but he could be another important character in the next installment.

Coming to the story and performances, there is a lot going on in this movie. However, I didn’t find it hard to follow. Newt eventually finds himself in Paris, both to do Dumbledore’s bidding and to find Tina again. Eddie Redmayne as the eccentric Newt is a treat to watch. His interactions with the creatures are a visual delight, and he makes a Zouwu look like a harmless puppy (it’s anything but) with his skills. Not to mention his love and devotion to the Nifflers, one of whom pays back mightily at the end. Tina has her job back as an auror and is currently in Paris looking to find and protect Credence. She has read news of a Scamander engagement, which she hasn’t taken well. Catherine Waterston is enjoyable as Tina, and her chemistry with Redmayne remains as fresh as in the first movie. Queeny and Jacob are still in love and still adorable on screen together. They drop in on Newt in the opening scenes, but we see quite soon that all is not well in the mind of the legilimens (Queeny). Alison Sudol tries her best to make Queeny believable but is mostly overshadowed by the excellent Dan Fogler as Jacob. We find her desperate to be able to make her life with Jacob, but wizarding law forbids this. This has major implications for their love story. Jacob Kowalski is still the lovable baker of the previous film, and is still ever-ready to head off on adventures Newt, often by stifling his own desires. Jude Law adds just the right amount of sass and wit to the role of Dumbledore, but in reality there isn’t a lot of him. But I love that casting. He has a scene with Leta, which for me, was the scene of the movie. He tries to mirror their lives in this scene, in order to reach out and reason with Leta, all the while never giving away how he really felt about her when she was a student. Leta’s role in this movie is interesting. While I found both the role and the casting excellent, there could be reasons to think it redundant. Her major scene comes towards the end where she debunks the rumours about one of the characters and lets us know why she always carried a guilty conscience. Her fate is also a cruel twist, and goes to show how not everything is obvious in Rowling’s Wizarding World. I want to write more about her character but I think I’ll be giving away too much if I do. Meanwhile, Credence, played by Ezra Miller, starts working in Circus Arcanis in Paris after fleeing New York, where he meets and befriends Nagini. He is trying to find who his real family is, and Nagini helps him after they escape. Miller doesn’t really get a lot of scope to delve into acting, with Credence either always angry or despondent in the movie. Nagini’s role in the movie is not a significant one, but I’m looking forward to how the character evolves in the next installment, especially after how the climax turned out. Together, Credence and Nagini reach dead-ends in their quest to discover the former’s past but they are nudged in the right direction by a convincing Grindelwald. Coming to the evil wizard, how I wish Johnny Depp would not be having the controversies in his real life! Because then maybe he would get the good reviews that he deserves for this portrayal. Grindelwald is not Voldemort, that part is clear. He is a more cerebral villain. He prefers winning people over to his side with the gift of the gab rather than forcing his will from the onset. His speech at the climax leaves you with chills, and there is a time he even gets his message across to the most unlikely onlooker! I think the character development done for Grindelwald is appreciable, in both the way he (outwardly) lives up to his motto, ‘For the Greater Good’, and the way he has been differentiated from the other famous Wizarding World super-villain, Voldemort. Everyone knows the super-villain that Grindelwald is, but it is quite a task to challenge his logic and his vision. He wants to bring the wizards out of hiding. He feels that wizards are a superior breed and thus should not hide from the non-magical folk. One can see how this would appeal to some. He says he doesn’t hate the non-magical, he just has a different use for them. Johnny Depp shows that he can still slip into any aberrant role that he is offered. There is a lot more of him in this movie than the last one. And at no time does he feel out of place. We see a lot more of Grindelwald in this movie than Dumbledore and I certainly left the theatre wanting to see more. Depp as Grindelwald also delivers the biggest plot twist with the last line of the movie, one that is designed to shape the future movies. Personally I think, and hope, that he’s lying. Lies or not, that line is meant to stir the emotions of the listener into a frenzy, and it works! Grindelwald’s right hand (wo)man, Vinda Rosier, is shown to be a smooth talking, cold-hearted sidekick who’s left to perform the evil wizard’s dirty work. She is the one who does the killings when Grindelwald doesn’t want to get his hands dirty!

Despite being named after them, the second edition of fantastic beasts has a much reduced screen-time for the beasts. We are introduced to new creatures in this film though. The maginificent Kelpie gets a cameo at the start, further showing Newt’s mastery in his craft. The scary Zouwu, a Chinese creature that escapes from the circus in Paris, is caught by Newt in a scene reminiscent of the erumpent capture from the previous movie. The Thestrals make an appearance in the opening sequence as the beasts that pull the carriage in which Grindelwald is being transported. The Matagot, or spirit familiars to cats, guard the French Ministry of Magic. Pickett the Bowtruckle is back hanging out in Newt’s pocket and helps him and the hang escape from a sticky situation in Paris. And then there are the Nifflers. The one from the previous movie is joined by about half a dozen baby Nifflers, who are too cute to be real! The older Niffler steals more stuff and this time it helps more than it hurts Newt. Last but not the least, there is another magical creature that makes an appearance which we are familiar with from the Harry Potter series. It comes with Grindelwald’s final reveal, and consequential plot twist. Could this really be the same as the one we are familiar with in the Harry Potter series? We will need to wait to find out. Despite all this, the screen time for the magical creatures in this film is much less than in the previous one, which really is a shame. With so much going on about so many characters in this film, it looks like the creatures have taken a back in the series named after them.

Overall, I see a lot of parallels with this movie and the Prisoner of Azbakan, in the way it builds the Wizarding World of the protagonists, without a real sense of achievement at the end of the book/movie. I thoroughly enjoyed my two hours plus at the theatre. This was a movie I was waiting for with bated breath, and it delivered. Sure I would’ve wanted to see more of Dumbledore and Tina in particular, not to mention the Fantastic Beasts, but I’m sure they’ll play their role in the future. There is so much more I want to write and discuss about, but that would be spoilers galore for anyone who hasn’t yet seen the movie. I hope to write another piece about my feeling about the events of this movie at a later time, and also look at future possibilities of the series from my perspective.

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Final Review

90 minutes have been played. The match has been won. The confetti have flown. The celebrations have happened. The trophy has been lifted. The 2018 FIFA Football World Cup has reached its conclusion and I will review the action of a thrilling finale in this post.

The Final: France vs Croatia

The French came into this game as the favourites. Croatia have shown tremendous team spirit in the tournament and no one can begrudge them their place in the final. This would be a battle between French flair and Croatian graft.

It was the Croats who started off as the better team, attacking the French goal right from the whistle. The French preferred to stay back and soak up the pressure, and their goalkeeper wasn’t really troubled by Croatia in the opening 15 minutes or so, despite the latter having the bulk of the possession. Just after this, France were awarded a free-kick from about 35 yards after Griezman seemed to go down a little easily under a Croatian challenge. The French forward got up and tok the free-kick himself. As luck would have it, the hero of the Semi Final, Mario Mandzukic got a slight touch on the ball which was enough to take it away and above Subasic. France were ahead, mostly against the run of play via the first ever own goal in a World Cup Final! Their lead lasted exactly 10 minutes. Croatia floated in a free-kick from a similar situation as the French had done previously, after three consecutive headers by Croatian attackers and a knockdown from Vida, Perisic took the ball away from Kante, who was closing him down and fired in with a shot across goal from about 15 yards. The teams were level and once again, the Croats had come back from a deficit, just as they have done in every Knockout game so far. Croatia’s joy was short-lived however, as just 5 minutes later, Perisic (football such a cruel game) was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his own box. The referee consulted the replays after being addressed by VAR and awarded the penalty to France. Griezman stepped up and didn’t make any mistake in converting. The French were ahead once again, and again it must be said, against the run of play. Personally, I do believe it was a penalty as Perisic clearly makes a motion of his hand towards the ball, albeit it was more reflex than conscious. However, without VAR, that is penalty decision that would’ve probably never been given. Croatia continued to be the better team for the rest of the half but they couldn’t quite get another breakthrough or trouble the French goalkeeper too much for the rest of it.

The second half too started with Croatia on top. France did start attacking more, exploiting Mbappe’s incredible speed to run behind the Croatian defence. Just before the hour mark, A break down the left by the same Mbappe led to him finding Griezman in the box, who in turn found Pogba on the edge of the area. The midfielder’s shot was blocked on the first attempt. On the second attempt, he curled the ball around Modric, who was trying to close him down, using the Croatian captain as a shield against the goalkeeper, who was blindsided, and was moving the other way, and couldn’t go back to try to save the shot. It was a going to be a huge uphill battle for the underdogs from this point on. Six minutes later, three became four as Mbappe picked up a square ball from Hernandez in the centre of the field. His low bouncing shot beat the goalkeeper and found the bottom corner. France had this won up now and it would take more than a miracle for Croatia to come back. The latter were given a glimmer of hope with 20 minutes to go. Lloris inexplicably spent too much time on a back-pass, allowing Mandzukic to get to close. The Croatian striker got his foot to the ball as Lloris tried to driblle him and the ball rolled into the net to make the scores 4-2! Lloris was lucky this did not happen with the scores level, otherwise the reaction to the incident would’ve been very different. Croatia found some of their deflated spirit returning after this gift and for the next 10 minutes or so looked likely to trouble the French defence again. However, as the game went on, they ran out of ideas and France were able to hold out. As the final whistle, France were confirmed as being the Football World Cup Champions for the second time, 20 years on from their first win.

In the end, the best and most talented team of the tournament won it, with the team living a fairy-tale coming up one step short. Croatia have played the most cohesive and gritty football in the tournament, having earlier put in perhaps the team performance of the tournament in their defeat of Argentina. France go home with the trophy while Croatia go home having won over millions of new fans all over the world. This final truly was a perfect finish to a brilliant tournament, probably the best World Cup in a long time, and definitely the best one I’ve seen, going back to 1998.

Till Qatar in 2022, signing off…

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Final Preview

The big day is here. 63 matches have been played and have led us to this moment. Two teams have made it to the final, one trying to repeat their day of glory from 20 years ago, while the other are here for the first time and are trying to write their name in football history! France and England came through contrasting Semi Final wins against Belgium and England respectively, and will later today go head to head for the Football World Cup crown. Talking about the beaten Semi Finalists, Belgium beat England last night in the 3rd place playoff, which turned out to be a comfortable victory in the end. The English looked out of sorts and Belgium were fully in control from start to finish.

Path to Final

France

Group Match 1: France 2 - 1 Australia

Group Match 2: France 1 - 0 Peru

Group Match 3: France 0 - 0 Denmark

Round of 16: France 4 - 3 Argentina

Quarter Final: France 2 - 0 Uruguay

Semi Final: France 1 - 0 Belgium

France did not need to get to get out of second gear in the Group Stage and topped their group without any difficulty. They do have the distinction of playing out the only 0-0 draw of the entire tournament, in their third group game against Denmark. France came alive when they needed to against Argentina, coming back from 2-1 down to eventually win 4-3. Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the World stage in this game. Their Quarter Final encounter was supposed to be a tricky game, but after a goalkeeping howler saw them go two goals in front early in the second half, Uruguay seemed to lose heart and couldn't assert themselves any further in the game. France started off a litlle shakily against Belgium, especially in defence, and perhaps for the first time in this World Cup. They came into their own as the match went on and for the umpteenth time in the tournament did just enough to win, without really hitting top gear.

Croatia

Group Match 1: Croatia 2 - 0 Nigeria

Group Match 2: Croatia 3 - 0 Argentina

Group Match 4: Croatia 2 - 1 Iceland

Round of 16: Croatia 1 - 1 Denmark (Croatia won 3 - 2 on penalties)

Quarter Final: Croatia 1 - 1 Russia (Croatia won 4 - 3 on penalties)

Semi Final: Croatia 2 - 1 England (after extra time)

Croatia came through their group with a perfect record of three wins including a sensational 3-0 drubbing of the mighty Argentina. They rested eight players for their final group game and still won against Iceland. Their Round of 16 game was fraught with difficulties as Denamrk nearly pulled off a win, and definitely had enough chances to do so. Modric even missed a penalty in extra time but Subasic's heroics saved their day. They had to rely on a penalty shootout once again in the Quarter Final against Russia, after coming back from a goal down in the game. They then led in extra time only to be brought back to parity just five minutes from the end of the game. This time, they had help from a couple of poor penalties from the Russians. Croatia were on the back-foot from early on in their Semi Final against England, going behind after just five minutes. They did not give up however, and dominated the game from the second half onwards, equalizing in the second half and then scoring the winning goal in second half of extra time; Mario Mandzukic writing his name into folklore.

Key Match-ups

Kante and Pogba against Modric and Rakitic

The creator and the destroyer for France against a couple of complete midfielders for Croatia. The Croatian pair have been immense in this tournament, with their form peaking in the annihilation of Argentina. Ever since, they've still kept their game high and one has covered for the other in the rare occasions when one has been down. In their semi-final Modric looked off colour for the first hour of the game and it was Rakitic who took up the mantle of controlling the midfield. Once Modric got going again, Rakitic played the perfect foil, letting his midfield partner run at the English defense and into more attacking positions, marshalling the midfield behind. For France, N'Golo Kante has been supreme in his outings so far. The constant running, the timely interceptions and the runs into the opposition box are all a part of his game par excellence. He has allowed Pogba to play a freer role, and the letter has definitely looked better in the process. Pogba for his own part has looked good in patches, and has contributed both offensively and defensively. His defensive contributions against Belgium were particularly of note, with a lot of clearing headers being made by him. The midfield battle will set the tone of this game, with both teams relying on their respective pairs to feed their forward line.

Griezmann, Mbappe and Giroud against Lovren and Vida

On paper, this looks like a one way contest, with the French line possessing huge potential to unlock the Croatian defence. However, the Croatian central defensive pairing have had an excellent tournament and will not go down without a fight. In the last six weeks, Lovren has faced the like of Ronaldo, Messi, Eriksen and Kane, and kept them all in check. Vida came into the limelight with his brilliant defending against Argentina and has been rock solid at the back even since. While Lovren started a little shakily in the Semi Final, it was Vida who kept a cool head and helped out his defensive partner. As the game went on, the complemented each other perfectly and kept out an ineffective English attack with relative ease. Coming to the French forward line, whenever they've hit full gear, as during the 10 minute spell where they scored three goals against Argentina in the second half, they've been unplayable. Mbappe's speed is out of this world and it is almost impossible for defenders to stop him without fouling him in ful flow. Griezmann has played the role of the more composed centre forward, being assured on the ball and in distribution. The most underrated part of the trio is Olivier Giroud, who looks to be destined to play second fiddle to more flamboyant teammates wherever he plays. He has played as a target man in this team and is a vital cog in the build-up play in and around the opposition penalty box. He was off colour in the Semi Final against England, leading to more criticism, but they were surely unjustified.

Rebic versus Hernandez

Ante Rebic has perhaps been the find of the tournament for the Croatians. He has been in good form and has been involved in multiple goals. Hernandez started off the tournament taking up more advanced positions on the left flank. He has since been more conservative and isn't going up as much but the inclination remains. With Rebic's capabilities and Hernandez's inclination to take, it remains to be seen whether the Croatian right winger can take advantage of the space that the French left back might leave behind.

Perisic versus Pavard

Ivan Perisic was not in very good form in the early matches of the tournament, often proving ineffective on the left wing, with there even being calls to drop him for someone else. However, in the past couple of matches, he has arguably been Croatia's best player on the pitch, and was spectacular in the win against England. He was unlucky in both matches not to have scored more, with two of his shots coming back off the bar with the 'keeper well beaten. Pavard has been another find of the tournament, and his good performances have already earned him a move to Bayern Munich for next seaosn. This could turn into a pivotal battle in this game, with Pavard needing to stop Perisic delivering his incisive crosses and mark his runs infield.

The Verdict

Both teams come into this game with an unbeaten record, albeit by vastly different circumstances. France should have too much firepower in this game to stave off the Croatian challenge and win their second World Cup. The Croatians have played 120+ minutes in all three of their Knockout matches. While they did not look tired against England, fatigue is bound to catch with them eventually. The French have not had to get into top gear yet, except for maybe those 10 minutes against Argentina mentioned before. They have done just enough to get past all their opponents so far, and I do believe they'll do so again. For Croatia, this has been a dream journey, and they have already outdone their heroes from 1998, but just like in that tournament, it looks like France will be their undoing once again.

Prediction: France 2 - 1 Croatia

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Semi Final Review

So it's down to two! We now know which two countries will vie for the World Cup on Sunday. I take a look at who they are and how they got there with a review of the two Semi Final splayed over the last two days.

Semi Final 1:  France vs Belgium

Belgium started the game like a team possessed, powered mainly by Hazard’s darting runs down the left flank, which the French were finding too hot to handle. The same player flashed a shot wide with 15 minutes gone on the clock. Belgium looked menacing every time they attacked and France were reverting to defensive solidity to keep opponents out, barely able to string a move of their own. Varane managed to get his head on another curler to just tip it over the bar with Lloris scrambling behind his defender. Alderweireld swiveled and shot from near the penalty spot from the ensuing corner, but Lloris made a diving finger-tip stop to denying the Belgians. It was only after the half hour mark that the French started getting into the game. Mbappe played in Pavard inside the penalty box in the 39^th minute. The defender had his goal bound shot just deflected by the thighs of Courtois to deny what looked like a sure goal. Just 5 minutes after the restart, France went ahead via a Samuel Umtiti header from a Griezman corner. The French defender got free of his marker and reached the ball before Fellaini who was lining up to clear it. Another five minutes later, Mbappe made probably the pass of the tournament to find Giroud inside the box, but the front-man could not get his shot away quickly enough, was blocked, and Courtois swatted away the rebound. The introduction of Mertens finally saw Belgium getting balls into the opposition box in the second half, via a string of crosses over a five minute period. Fellaini went closest to converting from one such cross, heading slightly wide from 18 yards. Belgium were unlucky not get a free-kick with 10 minutes to go, as Hazard was tackled late on the dge of the penalty area. The referee played advantage, and Witsel’s long range powerful effort saved by Lloris. France did not let Belgium have much of the ball following this, frustrating their opponents with possession, and the latter seemed to capitulate. Tolisso had a chance to put gloss on the result in the final minute of injury time, but his low shot was saved again by Courtois, who barely did anything wrong in the match. That was the last action of the game, and France now make their way to the final. Belgium looked like they could blitz their way through for the first half an hour, but lost momentum and then motivation as the match progressed. They’ve had a good tournament, but this is probably the end of their golden generation. For France, this is the second final in a row in a major tournament, following on from their final appearance at Euro ’16. Their golden generation is flourishing.

Final Score: France 1 – 0 Belgium

Semi Final 2: Croatia vs England

England got off to a dream start, with Kieron Trippier scoring from a free kick just outside the penalty box, leaving Subasic with no chance. England had the better of the play in the opening exchanges, with Croatia only able to get away attempts from distance. Their best chance fell to Rebic, who curled one from just outside the box, after an English defensive clearance, but the shot was straight at the ‘keeper. Kane wasted a golden opportunity to double his country’s lead, when he couldn’t slot into a gaping net, with Subasic on the floor and defenders well beaten. The goalkeeper recovered and got a toe to the English captain’s shot. The ball hit the post following the deflection off Subasic’s toe, and looped out of play. In the second half, England mainly backed and allowed Croatia to take control of the midfield and flanks. The English resorted to long balls and long distance defensive clearances even before an hour was up. Luka Modric, who was nearly invisible for the first hour, sprang into life and started orchestrating the Croatia midfield. In the 68^th minute, Perisic got onto the end of a Vrsaljko cross and touched the ball into the net. The Croatian winger shook off his marker before getting in front of Walker, who was stooping to head the ball away. The English defense had perhaps its first shaky moment of the game and they were punished! Perisic nearly gave Croatia the lead just 4 minutes later, as he ran at Walker and fired a low shot on goal. Pickford was beaten but the ball came back off the post. Rebic tapped the rebound straight to Pickford. Mandzukic had a chance 10 minutes later, but his shot was straight at Pickford as well. England had one last chance from a free-kick in injury but Kane headed well wide. The first half of extra-time was mainly uneventful, except for an injury time chance for Mandzukic. The Croatian forward reached an excellent Perisic cross, which had evaded all defenders, but the striker’s touch was excellently saved by the advancing Pickford. There was a collision between the players, and Mandzukic came off worse, leading to an extended delay. The Croatian dusted himself off and got on with it eventually. And he made the telling impact 3 minutes into second half extra time. Perisic headed a ball over Walker into a dangerous area from the left flank. Mandzukic beat the off side trap and shot past Pickford from six yards. The ensuing Croatian celebrations knocked a cameraman off his seat, but he got a kiss from Vida and a kind word from Mandzukic to make up for it. England huffed and puffed for the rest of the game, but the best chances fell to Croatia to extend their lead. A last minute free-kick came to nothing, as the referee blew the whistle as soon as the clearance was made. Croatia were going to a World Cup final for the first time in their history. Football would be coming home, but to an English home. The English had a much better tournament from their recent outings but the lack of a killer instinct was clear for all to see. If they can build on this performance, and grow in the future, then there is hope for them to keep performing at this level in the near future. Gareth Southgate has to be applauded for building a team and not a collection of individuals. As far as Croatia are concerned, this is the biggest moment of their footballing history.

Final Score: Croatia 2 – 1 England

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Semi Final Preview

And then there were four! The World Cup is down to four teams and you would’ve done very well to have guessed these four teams as the final four in the tournament. All four teams have a common theme, although they have individual stars, they’ve relied more on teamwork than individual brilliance for most of the past month to get this far. In fact, this World Cup has shown how football truly is a team sport.

In this article, I preview the semi-finals and predict what I think will happen. My prediction game hasn’t been strong so far, although I did get three out of four results correct in the Quarter Final, with Brazil the only team that broke my perfect streak. So feel free to pay no heed to them at all!

Semi Final 1: France vs Belgium

France were in control for most of their Quarter Final and always looked like winning the game. Uruguay never quite got going, visibly missing the injured Cavani, and seemed to get deflated once the second French goal went in. Belgium pulled off perhaps the only ‘upset’ of the Quarter Final, riding their luck to some extent in the early exchanges, but then putting on a perfect tactical and attacking display to brush off Brazil’s challenge. This semi-final promises to be an all-out attacking affair, or so it so seems from past displays, and one hopes it lives up to that reputation. Both teams set up with an attacking intent for most of their matches, and have forward lines to envy. On the French side is the trio of Griezman, Giroud and Mbappe, who are a mixture of Poacher, Target Man and a forward who loves to run at the defense. On the Belgian side is another fearsome trio, that of Lukaku, Eden Hazard and De Bruyne, who were in scintillating form against Brazil. France have looked more stable defensively, but Belgium have truckloads of experience on their side. The presence of Kompany throughout the tournament has been a huge plus for them. However, one needs to keep an eye out for how they handle the quickness of the French forward line, especially Mbappe. Matuidi will be back for the French after being suspended for the Quarter Final and should find his way back into the starting line-up. The midfield pairing of Witsel and Fellaini were the perfect destroyers for Belgium in the last game, but one wonders whether both will retain their place for this game, given the difference in setup of their opponents. This game looks like it’ll be a battle of attack versus defense at both ends, with the midfield likely to take a back-seat. Coming to my prediction, it is extremely difficult for me to differentiate between the two teams. My hunch is that Belgium will just sneak through a high scoring affair, with France’s lack of experience proving their downfall in such a high stakes encounter.

Prediction: France 2 – 3 Belgium

Semi Final 2: Croatia vs England

Not many would’ve picked these two nations to contest the second semi-final. Both teams have proved their doubters wrong and had an excellent tournament so far. Croatia haven’t quite reached their level when they beat Argentina in the succeeding matches, needing penalties in both their Knockout games to progress. However, the team spirit and the brilliance of Modric have got them this far and they’ve absolutely deserved it. England have had an easier progress to this stage, but a team can only beat what’s in front of them, and the English have done so with confidence, even laying to rest their penalty shootout voodoo in the Round of 16. They came past Sweden with a comfortable two goal victory in the Quarter Final, but a lot of the credit has to go to their goalkeeper Pickford, who kept his team’s clean sheet intact with spectacular saves on more than one occasion. Harry Kane looks likely to win the Golden Boot now and he will be extra motivated to add to his six goals at the World Cup. He will be up against the Croatian central defensive pairing of Lovren and Vida and that matchup could have a huge impact on the outcome of this game. The English defense has not really been tested by a good attacking unit so far, but handling the likes of Mandzukic, Rebic, Perisic, Kramaric, Modric and Rakitic will be a challenge. If the English are able to control the midfield, with Henderson likely to be key in this aspect, they should get the upper hand in this match. However, the English defenders who are likely to start this game, with the exception of Maguire, have been shaky before, not necessarily in this tournament, and with their first real challenge coming this deep into the tournament, could prove to be the weak link. For this reason in particular, I will pick this Croatian team to go one better than their heroes of 1998 and win this game.

Prediction: Croatia 2 – 1 England

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Quarter Final 3-4 Review

With Brazil having been eliminated in the second Quarter Final, only European teams remained in the World Cup. So which two teams progressed to set up the second all European Semi Final? I reviews the third and fourth Quarter Final matches in this article.

Quarter Final 3: Sweden vs England

England were the favourites coming into this game, but Sweden showed they were capable of imposing themselves, in their second round game against Switzerland. England were expectedly the more offensive team in the opening exchanges, but they failed to have a shot on target in the first half hour, with Kane’s long range effort, which went wide, the closes either team came to troubling the ‘keeper. Just after the half hour mark, England opened the scoring from a powerful header by harry Maguire, which left the Swedish goalkeeper with no chance. The defender has been very impressive all through the tournament and this was just reward for the same. The first shot on target in the game turned into the first goal! At the end of the first half, Sterling found wasted a golden opportunity to put his team two gaols ahead. Running onto Henderson’s wonderful lobbed ball over the defenders, he failed to round the goalkeeper while one on one and then could not get a decent shot away on goal. Sweden nearly made their opponents pay for their wastefulness at the start of the second half, and only a full length diving save from Pickford kept Berg’s header out. Before the hour mark, Dele Alli found himself unmarked at the far post and made no mistake in heading in a Lingard cross. Finally England were in a position of relative security after having threatened to extend their lead for some time. A couple of minutes later, Pickford produced another brilliant diving save to deny Claesson and Henderson blocked the follow up shot from the same player. Less than 10 minutes later, Pickford once again produce a stunner, tipping over Berg’s shot with his fingertips. The English goalkeeper urned in a man of the match performance and ensured his side won by two goals and were moving on. The Swedes have done well in this tournament to reach this far.

Final Score: Sweden 0 – 2 England

Quarter Final 4: Russia vs Croatia

The home crowd were in full voice as the hosts looked to continue their fairy-tale run in this year’s tournament. The game started off somewhat slow, with both teams laboring to take control, while none achieved it. Russia once again were happy to play without much of the ball, with Croatia dominating possession muck like Spain were allowed to against Russia in the Round of 16. After half an hour, and almost out of the blue, Denis Cheryshev lit up the occasion with a stunning strike from distance. The Russian winger started the move, and after exchanging passes with Dzyuba, launched a curling effort which left Subasic rooted to his spot. The noise in the stadium was deafening as an entire believed another miracle was possible now. The goal definitely livened up the game as Croatia started to look for the equalizer. It took the Croats just 8 minutes to get level, Mario Mandzukic broke down the left flank and his delicate cross found Kramaric who headed into the net. The teams came out for the second half and played much in the same way as in the first. Perisic missed a glorious opportunity to give his team the lead. After a goalmouth scramble, where Russia failed to properly clear, Perisic controlled the ball and shot from 8 yards but hit the inside of the bar and the ball rebounded away from goal. It was a let off for the hosts and perhaps the omens were that another upset was on the cards. Croatia did most of the running and attacking for the rest of the game, with Luka Modric in inspired form, but they could not break down the resilient Russian defense. Croatia looked to be in trouble with personnel for a while as Subasic was injured and they had no substitutes remaining. The goalkeeper soldiered on after being treated. Mandzukic too was barely able to run but kept on going. In extra time, Croatia had to use up their extra substitute to replace Vrsaljko, who too got injured. They were literally walking wounded at the moment and any further injuries would see them play with a personnel disadvantage. They received another scare as Subasic aggravated his injury trying to catch a cross, and falling on his injured leg. He was able to continue again. The Russians kept taking shots at goal, trying to catch out the Croatian goalkeeper, but he proved equal to the task despite his troubles. In the 10th minute of extra time, Domagoj Vida rose scored from a header following a corner to give Croatia the lead. However, that was not the end of the excitement. In the 115th minute, Mario Fernandes also scored from a header from a Dzagoev free-kick. This tournament continued giving as moments to savour as the hosts just would not give up. The inevitable penalties followed.  Smolov missed the first penalty but teams converted their next. Kovacic hit a good penalty to the right corner but Akinfeev flung himself and saved. Russia’s extra time hero Fernandes turned zero in the shoout out with a poor penalty that he pulled well wide. Modric got lucky with his kick, as the ‘keeper got a strong hand to it, but the ball hit the post and went in. The score was 2-1 after three kicks for either team. Both teams scored their next two penalties, which meant Croatia winning 4 – 3, Rakitic confidently dispatching the last penalty to confirm his team’s progress. Russia have had an amazing tournament, and bow out with their heads held high. Croatia move on to a Semi Final against and will fancy their chances to reach the Final, something that their legendary team of 1998 could not achieve.

Final Score: Russia 2 – 2 Croatia (Croatia won on penalties)

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Quarter Final 1-2 Review

Halfway through the quarter final, and we have just two World Cup winners and a combined two World Cup wins remaining in the tournament. Last night saw another top favourite bow, and I’ll cover both games played last night in this article.

Quarter Final 1: Uruguay vs France

It was clear from the start what Uruguay’s tactics were going to be in this match, try to put France off their attacking game by some hard tackling and constant needling. France did not look fluent in the opening exchanges themselves, with their vaunted forward line not linking up particularly well yet. Uruguay did have the first shot on goal, but it was meek effort straight at Lloris. It took France 40 minutes to have their first shot on target, but first time itself was the charm. Varane met Griezman’s free-kick with a glancing header that beat Muslera at his far post. France were ahead after a half where they didn’t particularly look convincing. Uruguay nearly equalized instantaneously. Caceres’s powergul header was palmed away by Lloris at full stretch, and Godin could not direct follow-up on target. The second half started off in the same way as the first, with Uruguay doing their best to break up the French attacks and trying to launch counters of their own, which were not successful. Just past the hour mark, Griezman picked up a ball on the left where he was operating and launched a long range drive which was staright at the opposition goalkeeper. Muslera seemed to lose the flight of the ball at the last minute and his parry looped over his head and into this own net. It was a horrible moment for the experienced goalkeeper, who will have to live with this mistake all his life. Uruguay’s heds dropped following this moment, as it became clear that they had a Herculean task ahead of them now. They barely troubled the French defence beyond this, the game fizzling out towards the end. There were tears from the Uruguayans even before the final whistle. The golden generation of Uruguay had probably just played their last World Cup, while the French golden generation were in the peak of their powers.

Final Score: Uruguay 0 – 2 France

Quarter Final 2: Brazil vs Belgium

Belgium changed their line-up and their tactics in this game. Fellaini was starting in midfield alongside Witsel, with the responsibility of breaking up the Brazilian attacks. De Bruyne was pushed further forward, just playing behind Lukaku. Brazil were without the suspended Casemiro with Fernandinho coming into the team. The changes made by Belgium were clearly making a difference as they pushed Brazil onto the back-foot in the opening minutes. Brazil came close to opening the scoring though, with Thiago Silva’s kneed effort off a corner bouncing off the post and was gleefully grabbed by Courtois. For a few minutes after this, the Belgium defence looked visibly shaky, as Brazil made repeated entries into the opposition penalty box. A few minutes later however, Belgium took the lead via a Fernandinho own goal. Kompany’s header from a corner deflected off the unlucky Brazilian midfielder leaving Alisson with no chance. The match settled down a bit following this but Belgium continued to look menacing every time they attacked. This was the first real test the Brazilian defence had faced, and they were not filling everyone with confidence. And that same defence was made to pay on the half hour mark. Lukaku made a bulldozing run into the final third before passing to his right to De Bruyne. The latter ran at the defence, who kept pushing back, allowing him enough time to take a shot which found the far corner, leaving the Brazilian with no chance. Belgium were two goals ahead, and most people in the stadium and watching around the world could not quite believe the score-line. The next ten minutes was the Courtois show as Brazil attacked in waves but the Belgium ‘keeper saved everything they threw at them. The teams went into half-time with the same score. Brazil made a change at half-time bringing on Firmino in place of Willian. The forward livened up the Brazilian attacked immediately, even missing a chance from about 10 yards, but the breakthrough just would not arrive. Finally, in the 75^th minute, a chipped forward pass by Coutinho found Augusto, recently on a substitute himself, unmarked, and he headed the ball past Courtois to halve the deficit. Brazil had two massive chances in injury time, with Neymar missing a header from an acute angle, which did see the Belgium defender impede him, and Coutinho’s curling effort from the edge of the box tipped over the bar by the excellent Courtois. And those were the last chances for Brazil to rescue their campaign, as the final whistle was blown a couple of minutes later. Belgium looks to have finally transformed from a squad of wonderfully talented individuals to an actual team. For Brazil, it was a case of not exorcizing their demons from their home World Cup four years ago, with the presence of Neymar and Thiago Silva still not enough to guarantee success. Questions must be asked of their coach Tite, who stuck with the same starting line-up throughout, despite there clearly being more effective players on the bench. On the other hand, the changes made to the Belgian team played out to perfection, and credit must be given to their manager Roberto Martinez for the same. Up next for Belgium, neighbours France, in what should be an exciting Semi Final.

Prediction: Brazil 1 – 2 Belgium

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Quarter Final Preview

Just eight teams remain and you won’t find many who would’ve predicted this particular Quarter Final line-up! After an exhilarating Round of 16, where there was either an upset or a talking point every day, we head into the next round hoping for more of the same.

In this article, I will preview the four Quarter Final matches.

Quarter Final 1: Uruguay vs France

Both teams played exceedingly well to progress from the Round of 16 against strong opposition. France were powered to a win over Argentina by a rampaging Mbappe and a wonder-strike from Pavard. They ripped Argentina to shreds when attacking but their defense did leave something to be desired, as they conceded three goals. Uruguay where their customary solid self against Portugal in the previous round, with a momentary lapse from a corner meaning they conceded their first goal of 2018. Edinson Cavani was their hero for the day, with a superb support performance from Suarez. Cavani injured himself in that game and is a major doubt for this one. His absence would be a huge blow for the Uruguayans, as their forward duo seem to have an almost telepathic relationship on the pitch. Without Cavani, one can expect Uruguay to sit back further and try to soak up the French attacks, and rely on counter-attacks and set pieces for the breakthrough. France themselves will be without Matuidi, which could see Griezman pushed to the left, with possibly Fekir coming in centrally. With Cavani in the team, I might have leaned towards a Uruguay smash and grab, and will keep to that prediction if the forward does pass fit at the last moment. As things stand, I predict a narrow Frane win by the odd goal but you can be sure Uruguay will not give up without a fight.

Prediction: Uruguay 1 – 2 France

Quarter Final 2: Brazil vs Belgium

This match has the potential to be the match of the round. Brazil have been swatting away opponents without getting into top gear yet. There has been as much discussion about their victories as about Neymar’s antics. The Brazilian forward needs to be careful, otherwise his performances will be lost in a wave of criticism about his play-acting. Belgium came back from the brink of elimination against Japan, recovering from being two goals down in the second to grabbing a last gasp winner to win 3-2! Belgium’s defense was unexpectedly loose in that game and they’ll need to shore themselves up to keep Brazil out. Brazil will be without the suspended Casemiro and also Danilo, who was injured in training and will miss the rest of the tournament. Marcelo will likely come back as a like for like replacement, having sat out the last game. This match is too close to call as a neutral, Belgium have the firepower to trouble Brazil but what they lack is experience at this stage of the tournament, which is often an even bigger influence on how teams perform under duress. I will go for another narrow victory, this time to Brazil, at the end of a highly competitive fixture.

Prediction: Brazil 2 – 1 Belgium

Quarter Final 3: Sweden vs England

Sweden have done extremely well in getting this far in the tournament. They dominated the Swiss in their last game and were unlucky not to have won more comprehensively. England broke their penalty shootout hoodoo in the previous game against Colombia, overcoming them after having given up a late equalizer. The English now believe they have a clear path to the final, and looking at the lower half of the draw, one cannot argue with this fact. However, they need to take things one game at a time, and Sweden will not be pushovers. The Swedes have only lost one game, and that too to a last minute moment of genius against Germany. They dispatched Mexico, and are capable of hurting better sides on their day. England will likely be without Vardy’s services who was injured in the last game. A lot of responsibility will once fall on Kane’s shoulders, who will definitely be pumped up to seal his Golden Boot credentials. This is another game which will be close but England should just have enough quality to see off their opponents.

Prediction: Sweden 0 – 1 England

Quarter Final 4: Russia vs Croatia

The hosts have been exemplary hosts and have defied all expectations on the pitch. They came past Spain in the previous round despite barely having the ball for any extended period. They defended as a solid unit and that was the biggest reason of their success, as Spain’s meticulous passing failed to find a way through them. Croatia were given a scare by Denmark in their last game, but came through on penalties after an excellent showing by their goalkeeper Subasic. They were excellent in the Group stage but lost some of their intensity last time round. Russia will be hoping for more of the same, having a good forward line to cause trouble. Croatia’s trump card will once again have to be the midfield pairing of Modric and Rakitic, who couldn’t really get into top in the last game. If they do, Croatia should get back to their Group stage form in this game, and win easily. If they don’t once again, Russia are quite capable of springing a surprise and keep their fairy tale going. I somehow can’t quite see the latter scenario happening, and predict Croatia to show their class and come through.

Prediction: Russia 0 – 1 Croatia

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Round of 16, Match 7-8 Review

If you thought there would be one day where you could be sure of a result in a match from quite some time before the final whistle, have you even been paying attention in this World Cup?

In this article, I review the matches played last night in the Round of 16, which wraps up this round of the Knockouts.

Match 7: Sweden vs Switzerland

Switzerland started the game in near calamitous fashion, with a clearance from goalkeeper Sommer finding a Swedish player in the Swiss third who passed it forward to Berg. The Swedish forward, was free on goal but had his shot blocked at the last minute by Akanji. Ekdal ran onto a bouncing ball on the follow-up, but could only blast his shot well over. Sweden continued to put pressure on their opponents all through the half and should have taken the lead. Sommer made a good diving save from Berg’s shot to keep the scores level. In the 41^st minute, Ekdal skied another volley into the stands, despite not having any defender near him at the far post while shooting. Sweden continued to have the upper hand in the second half, with Switzerland not able to mount anything significant. In the 66^th minute, after another Sweden attack down the left, Toivonen squared the ball to Forsberg who made space and shot on goal. The ball took a deflection off the unfortunate Akanji and left Sommer with no chance of stopping it. Switzerland finally had an attempt on target in the 79^th minute, with a header from a corner blocked almost on the line by Forsberg and then cleared. Switzerland had Lang sent off in injury time after a push on Olsson, who was through on goal. The referee had no choice but to send the Swiss defender off for a professional foul. The resulting free-kick from the edge off the area was straight at Sommer and thus came to nothing. But that was the last kick of the game and Sweden ran out deserving winners.

Final Score: Sweden 1 – 0 Switzerland

Match 8: Colombia vs England

The game got off to a slow start with both teams taking their time in settling down. England did so earlier and Trippier put in a fine cross for Kane, who strained his neck at the far post but couldn’t hit the target from an acute angle. The first half saw England slightly edging the game but it wasn’t really 45 minutes of football to remember. Colombia were visibly missing a spark in midfield, and Falcao was isolated up front with barely any service. The absence of James Rodriguez was evident for all to see. The second half sprang to life in the 54^th minute after a clumsy challenge on Kane after a corner by Carlos Sanchez brought him down and the referee rightfully awarded a penalty. The Colombians tried every trick in the book to slow the game down, arguing with the referee, scuffing up the penalty spot, etc. to throw the English captain off his game as he stepped up to take the spot-kick. Kane made no mistake with the penalty, hitting it straight down the middle as the ‘keeper dived to his right. The England captain is now almost a sure bet to win the Golden Boot, reaching six goals in the tournament with this strike. As the game went on, Colombia started having more possession as England sat back deeper. Kyle Walker gave away the ball with a weak back-pass which led to a swift counter-attack. The ball made its way to the feet of Cuadrado, who hit a wild drive well over from the edge of the penalty box. This was a golden opportunity wasted. In injury time, after a long clearance from Ospina, Stones won the header but the ball dropped kindly for Uribe, who hit a magnificent shot from 35 yards, which made Pickford scramble and he saved barely with his finger-tips. The ball was going in and this would’ve been a goal of the tournament candidate for sure if it had done so. Cuadrado’s follow-up corner was met by Yerry Mina at the far post, who, for a third game running, scored with a header at a crucial juncture for his team. The Colombians had just drawn level and the English angst at the game not being over yet was clear for all to see. Extra time saw two sets of tired players try their best at getting a goal, but not much materialized in terms of chances. Substitute Danny Rose got closest as he broke through on the left and fired a low drive across the face of goal. No one was present for a tap in and Rose couldn’t keep the ball on target. And so we were heading to penalties, the arch nemesis for England in tournaments past. For Colombia, this would be their first ever shootout at the World Cup. Both teams converted their first two kicks. Henderson stepped up for England on the third shot, and his well-placed shot was brilliantly saved by Ospina. Uribe also hit the bar with his powerful effort and we were still tied. Trippier did score for England next. Carlos Bacca took the fourth kick for Colombia and saw his shot saved by Pickford. Up stepped Dier and by scoring his penalty confirmed his team’s qualification to the Quarter Final. England had finally won a penalty shoot-out in the World Cup, at the fourth time of asking.

Final Score: Colombia 1 – 1 England (England won 4 – 2 on penalties)

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Round of 16, Match 5-6 Review, Match 7-8 Preview

There are times when you watch football and go, ‘Wow! This is why I love this game’. This World Cup is throwing up such moments every day! I review the two matches played yesterday in the Round of 16, including a game for the ages between Belgium and Japan.

I will also preview tonight’s two fixtures in this article.

Reviews

Match 5: Brazil vs Mexico

With how things have been going for favourites, Brazil were next in the firing line to be on the receiving end of an upset. And it was Mexico who started off on the front foot getting into the Brazilian box early in the game. Good defending kept them out. Brazil got into the game more as it went on. Ochoa was once again on top form, pulling off brilliant save from Neymar in the 25^th minute. The Mexico goalkeeper kept a few more shots out in the first half with Brazil very much on top. Mexico, on their part were nit sitting back, but tried to penetrate the Brazilian defense without much result. Hirving Lozano, once again, showed his potential, displaying some impressive skill and intelligence. Early in the second half, Mexico had a good chance as Guardado picked up a ball in his own half, ran at the Brazilian, who kept backing away and took a curling effort which didn’t find the target. Just a few minutes later, Brazil finally got the breakthrough they were threatening. Neymar came in-field form the left and back-heeled a pass to Willian who prodded the ball past his marker, crossed it across goal. The ball evaded a defender, Ochoa’s attempted save and Jesus’s outstretched leg, but Neymar touched it in at the far post. It was a great team move, with Willian exceptionally good with the assist. Mexico came close on the hour mark, with Alisson tipping over a shot on target from distance. It was much of the same following the goal, as Brazil looked more threatening but Mexico were not going down without a fight. The game was sealed in injury time when substitute Firmino tapped in from a couple of yards after more good work from Neymar. The latter’s shot was saved by the ‘keeper’s outstretched leg, but the loose ball found Firmino who wouldn’t score an easier goal in his life. Mexico’s wretched record against Brazil continued, but they were excellent all through the tournament, playing attacking football throughout. This was a step too far for them, while Brazil go through to the Quarter Final.

Final Score: Brazil 2 – 0 Mexico

Match 6: Belgium vs Japan

Japan came out with a game-plan of blocking off the supply to the Belgian forward line and were very successful in doing so. They also kept Kevin de Bruyne quiet in the first half, while outnumbering Lukaku whenever he got a touch in the penalty area. Most of Belgium’s efforts on goal were reduced to efforts from range which did not trouble Kawashima much. Japan had a great chance of when Osako, who was free at the near post, was played in by Kagawa. The Japanese striker failed to control the ball, but Courtois nearly made a mess of it by letting it go through his legs, and only picking it up on the second attempt. Japan came into the game more after this. The next big chance came for Kompany who got onto the end the end of a free-kick at the far post but actually diverted the ball away from goal. Both teams went into the break well matched, with Japan having frustrated the Belgian attackers, allowing them no time or space to express themselves. Belgium had a great chance to go ahead early in the second half, when a quick break saw Hazard hit the post with his first time effort from the edge of the box, and then he fluffed the rebound. Just a minute later, Japan went on a lightning break of their own. Shibasaki found Haraguchi with a through ball which just evaded Vertonghen. The Japanese winger made no mistake in beating Courtois. Japan increased their lead four minutes later, when Inui picked up a pass from Kagawa and fired from about 25 yards out. Courtois had no chance as the ball nestled into the bottom corner. The World Cup of upsets was once again living up to its name, and Belgium were once again falling apart in the Knockout round of an international tournament. Belgium made a couple of substitutions in the 65^th minute which had the viewers baffled. Instead of bringing on attackers being two goals down, Roberto Martinez brought on Fellaini and Chadli to replace Mertens and Carrasco. A few minutes after the substitutions, Verthongen made an innocuous looking header from the left edge of the penalty area. The ball looped over the Japanese goal-keeper and went in. The Belgian defender didn’t look like he meant to shoot on goal, but they all count. Just 5 minutes later, Belgium were level. Hazard delivered a pin-point cross from the left, which was met by the highest jumping Fellaini, and the goal-keeper had no chance to get to that. Belgium remained the more aggressive side for the rest of the game, and had a couple of efforts well saved by the goal-keeper. In the 93^rd minute, Keisuke Honda’s long range free-kick was palmed away by Courtois. It was a good effort but it would take something special to beat the goalkeeper from 40 yards. From the resulting corner, Japan went for goal, but Belgium picked up the ball, and in a lightning counter-attack which covered the distance of the pitch, scored their third. De Bruyne found Meunier on the right wing in the build-up, whose cross was well dummied by Lukaku. Chadli ran onto the ball and scored from about 8 yards. The two substitutes had scored and Belgium had pulled off best comeback in a World Cup game for a long time. In fact, this is the only instance of a team coming back to winning a match in regulation time, having trailed by two goals in the second half in a World Cup! Like I’ve already mentioned, ‘Wow! This is why I love this game’. Japan were incredibly unlucky to end up on the losing team in this match, and paid for their naivety in protecting their lead and closing out the match. They did not lose their class, as both the team and the supporters cleaned up the dressing room and the stands, respectively, before they left, despite suffering heart-break just moments earlier. Belgium’s reward was a Quarter Final against Brazil.

Final Score: Belgium 3 – 2 Japan

Previews

Match 8: Sweden vs Switzerland

Sweden were in red hot form when they beat Mexico in their final group game, thereby winning the group and avoiding Brazil. They will fancy their chances of getting past Switzerland, who found the going tough against Costa Rica in their previous match. Switzerland have the better recent record in these tournaments, and will probably be slight favourites in this match for the same. Sweden won’t be pushovers, and I can see this game being very evenly matched in all departments. Xherdan Shaqiri will be an important factor in this match, and on a good day, he could prove to the difference. I’ll predict a draw in this game, and Switzerland to edge it either in extra time on or on penalties. It’ll be touch and go.

Prediction: Sweden 1 – 1 Switzerland (Switzerland to progress)

Match 9: Colombia vs England

England’s World Cup campaign has been filled with optimism so far. They have overcome some of their previous demons in firstly winning their tricky opening fixture against a stubborn Tunisia and then easily dispatching a weak opponent in Panama. Even the loss against Belgium hasn’t dampened their sails. It wasn’t a fair reflection anyway, with both teams having rested players to be fresh and fit for the Knockouts. They now gear up for their first Knockout game in a World Cup for eight years, having failed to get past the group stages last time around. Colombia did well to come back from a disappointing defeat against Japan in their first game, and won their next two fixtures against Poland, who they ripped apart, and Senegal, which knocked the latter out. Their big headache is the fitness of James Rodriguez who showed glimpses of his brilliance against Poland in the only full game that he has played. The English defense is yet to be fully tested against quality opposition, and this will be a big test for their newly formed backline. If they can absorb this challenge, we can look at this team, devoid of the huge egos which plagued them in the past, going on to perhaps play in the final. This is a huge match for Colombia as well, who know this tournament could become a hugely important landmark in their football history. Both teams know that easier opposition awaits in the next round, and they should be up for the game. I can see the Colombian forward line causing trouble for the English defense and thus am predicting a narrow win for the South Americans.

Prediction: Colombia 2 – 1 England

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Round of 16, Match 3-4 Review, Match 5-6 Preview

A day doesn’t go by in this World Cup where something out of the ordinary does not happen! Yesterday’s matches threw more discussion points, and you guessed, more upsets for us to ponder over.

In this article, I will review Sunday’s Round of 16 matches and look to those to be played today.

Reviews

Match 3: Spain vs Russia

Spain dominated possession from the get-go, keeping the ball to themselves and playing in-front of the Russian rear-guard. They were awarded a free-kick in the 10^th minute when Nacho was brought down by a high challenge from Zhirkov. The Russian defender was lucky not to see a card. Ramos and Ignashevich tangled at the far post from the delivery, with both pulling each other down, while the ball hit the heels of the Russian defender and went in for an own goal. The pattern of play remained much the same, as Russia failed to get hold of the ball for an extended duration. From a rare forward run, they got a corner in the 40^th minute. Gerard Pique inexplicably had his arm up as the ball went past him, and the header from the Russian attacker hit the defender’s outstretched hand. The referee had no doubt awarding the penalty despite Ramos’s remonstrations protesting the same. Dzyuba made no mistake in converting it, as De Gea guessed the wrong way. The Spanish ‘keeper was having an awful tournament, and this was the sixth goal that he had conceded, having just faced seven shots! The whole of the second half was spent with Spain passing the ball around, mostly sideways, and Russia defending tactically and deep and keeping their opponents out. Akinfeev pulled off a double save from first Iniesta and then from Aspas off the rebound and those were the only clear-cut opportunities of the half for either team. The first opportunity in extra-time went to Spain, coming nearly 20 minutes into the extended period. Aspas once again involved, whose shot was blocked by Akinfeev, and Carvajal’s follow-up was blocked by Kutepov, who was Russia’s Man of the Match performer. No goals in extra time meant penalties. Both teams converted their first two kicks. Koke had his shot saved, hitting it too close to the ‘keeper. Russia kept their perfect score till the fourth kick. Aspas needed to score to keep Spain in it. He hit his kick with pace down the middle but Akinfeev’s outstretched leg deflected it away from goal. The hosts had won and another pre-tournament favourite were on their way home! A stunning statistic from the game in Spain’s more than 1100 passes, as compared to less than 300 for Russia. Just goes to show it’s not important how much of the ball a team has, rather what they do with it. The curtains had just come down on Spain’s golden generation.

Final Score: Spain 1 – 1 Russia (Russia won 4 – 3 on penalties)

Match 4: Croatia vs Denmark

Whoever tuned in to this game 5 minutes late missed a lot of action! Denmark took the lead inside the first minute, after a long throw from Knudsen caused havoc in the Croatia penalty area. Jorgensen, a.k.a Zanka, found the ball at his feet at the far post and his shot on goal squirmed under Subasic and into the goal. Croatia were level less than 3 minutes later. A combination of Rebic and Vrsaljko broke into the Danish penalty box from the left wing. Vrsaljko’s cross found a defender whose clearance hit his own player and set up Mandzukic who made no mistake in accepting the gift. Croatia kept coming, and Perisic skied a golden opportunity following two saves from Schmeichel from close quarters just before the half-hour mark. The second half proved to be a game of attrition with neither team able to take the game by the scruff of the neck. The match ended as a tie and we were once again headed to extra time. With 6 minutes left in extra time, Rebic rounded the goalkeeper and was free on goal, when Zanka came in from behind and fouled him to prevent a goal-scoring opportunity. A recent rule change now prevents the referee from sending the defender off in such a situation, so he only received a yellow card. Croatia were awarded a penalty and up stepped Modric to take the spot-kick. As if the drama wasn’t enough already, Schmeichel saved brilliantly to his left to deny the Croatian captain. Once again, the result would be decided by a shootout. Eriksen hit the post while Badelj’s shot was saved. Not the most auspicious start to the shootout! Both teams converted their net two spot-kicks. The next set of penalties were saved in identical fashion by both goalkeepers, with there being suspicions of both having creeped ahead of their line before the kick was taken, which should’ve resulted in retakes. Nicolai Jorgensen had his shot saved by Subasic. Rakitic scored his penalty, sending Schmeichel the wrong way, and sent Croatia through to the Quarter Finals, to face Russia.

Final Score: Croatia 1 – 1 Denmark (Croatia won 3 – 2 on penalties)

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Match 5:  Brazil vs Mexico

Brazil topped their group with ease, but it wasn’t all plain sailing, as they’ve failed to hit full stride in the tournament up until now. Mexico started off like a rocket, blitzing Germany in their first game, and then taking care of business against South Korea, but then lost the plot and slumped to a heavy defeat against Sweden. A lot of the good work in the Brazilian team has come midfield maestro Coutinho, and he will remain an important figure in today’s game as well. While Mexico do possess the skills to cause Brazil some problems, this will probably be a step too far for them to take. The loss against Sweden have also probably put a stop to their momentum. I expect there to be goals in this game, as Brazil will want to wrap things up early. An upset in this game could really open up the tournament for one of the dark horses to capitalize on! But I don’t see that happening and predict Brazil to come out on top in this match.

Prediction: Brazil 3 – 1 Mexico

Match 6: Belgium vs Japan

Belgium should be overwhelming favourites to win this game, especially with the form their forwards have shown in this tournament so far. Provided Lukaku is back, their strike-force is up there with the best in the tournament. They would, however, be foolish to write off Japan, who shown steely resolve to come back and also to hold on in the face of difficulties. Japan would need to display the same pluck that got them points in their first two group games. Belgium have been known to go missing in the Knockout rounds of big tournaments, and Japan can easily harm them on such a day. On the balance of it, I predict Belgium to still have enough to get past Japan, but only just. This should be a competitive fixture.

Prediction: Belgium 2 – 1 Japan

FIFA Football World Cup 2018 - Round of 16, Match 1-2 Review

The Round of 16 has got off to a cracking start, much in tune with the previous stage of the tournament. In this article, I will review the two matches played yesterday.

Match 1: France vs Argentina

Argentina going into a game at this stage of any FIFA tournament as the underdogs is not something we’re accustomed to. Just one change for Argentina from the Nigeria game, with Pavon coming in for Higuain. France reverted to their starting line-up against Peru, having made wholesale changes in their last group game against Denmark. The French had setup to exploit the aging Argentina backline, making runs at them regularly. Griezman hit the bar in the 7^th minute, with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Mbappe’s blistering pace was too much for Rojo to keep up and he brought down the attacker inside the penalty area. Griezman made no mistake with the penalty. The French kept coming, with Argentina looking rattled, unable to handle the pace and movement up front of their opponents. Inexplicably, the French started slowing down the game beyond the half hour mark, and this played into the hands of their opponents. Argentina started getting into the game more, keeping possession for more extended periods. They drew level on 41 minutes with a stunning 30 yard drive from Di Maria, who had been quiet so far. At half-time, it was Argentina who seemed to have the momentum. The Argentines began the second half in confident fashion and took the lead within minutes. Messi picked up a free-kick beyond the far post, turned and shot towards goal. The ball was deflected in by a toe from Mercado which left Lloris completely wrong-footed. The Argentina defender looked to be taking his foot out of the way of the shot, but he would claim the goal. France had no choice but to up the tempo once more. They were rewarded just before the hour mark with another superb strike. Hernandez crossed from the left-wing. The ball evaded everyone in the box, only to reach an advancing Pavard, whose first time shot across goal found the top corner. His first goal for France and what a time to produce it! France took advantage of some sloppy Argentine defending to take the lead 7 minutes later. Mbappe used a neat bit of skill to get away from his marker inside the box and slotted home past the ‘keeper. This match was turning into a classic and there was nearly half an hour still left. Mbappe doubled his side’s lead just 4 minutes later, running onto a Giroud through ball and finding the bottom corner with a first time shot. The teenager became the first such player to score a brace in a World Cup game since Pele did it 1958! Argentina were once again failing to cope with the pace up front for France, and for some time it looked like this could become an embarrassing score-line. Fracne once again took their foot off the gas and decided to coast to the final whistle. Argentina made some openings but the goal remained elusive in normal time. In the third minute of injury time, Ever Banega’s pin-point cross found Aguero at the end of it and the striker header in from close range. Argentina still had a couple of minutes to try to get level. However, that would not be the case as France held on to win this enthralling fixture.

Final Score: France 4 – 3 Argentina

Match 2: Uruguay vs Portugal

Ronaldo had an early shot on goal, but it was straight at Muslera. In the 7^th minute, Cavani pinged a cross-field pass to find Suarez on the left-wing. The forward made some space and delivered a pin-point cross to the far post. Cavani had kept on running and got onto the end of the cross and headed (actually the ball hit face) in past Patricio. It was a stunning example of how well the two forward men link up for Uruguay. Suarez had a free-kick well saved by Paricio in the 22^nd minute, after the wall failed to hold its shape and let the ball through. Portugal failed to muster any clear chances in the first half, and were reduced to mostly attempts from distance or harmless headers. They started the second half brightly, reaching the opposition penalty area on a couple of occasions. In the 54^th minute, Pepe got onto the end of a short corner routine and powered his header past the helpless Muslera. Parity lasted for less than 10 minutes. After a swift counter-attack, Bentancur squared a ball across the 18 yard line to find Cavani who did not break stride to curl his effort around Patrico and into the far corner. It was another superb goal on a day of such goals. Uruguay looked good for their lead, and Cavani was on top form. Uruguay had a heat-in-the-mouth moment a few minutes later as Muslera dropped a cross inside the box. Bernanrdo Silva got the loose ball but could only shoot over the bar with the goal gaping. The Portuguese man looked to have kicked the ball out of the Uruguayan goalkeeper’s hands but the referee had not blown for a foul and the goal would’ve counted. Cavani unfortunately limped off a couple of minutes later, having put in a possible Man of the Match performance. Portugal huffed and puffed in the final 20 minutes but could not produce much in terms of clear-cut chances. Uruguay held on and the Portuguese were going home. People were hoping for a Ronaldo vs Messi encounter in the Quarter Final but neither made it past this round!

Final Score: Uruguay 2 – 1 Portugal