Football World Cup’s Most Unexpected Semi-Finals, How Did We Get Here?
England’s dream was left unfulfilled by the defeat against France in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Football World Cup in Qatar.
But now four teams have reached the semi-finals: Argentina, Croatia, France and Morocco. Everyone hopes to lift the trophy next week.
These are semi-finals that hardly anyone would have expected but everyone has their own interesting story of reaching the semi-finals.
Will this time Messi be red?
People may not have expected any other team, but Argentina and Lionel Messi reaching the semi-finals would have been expected by many people.
But whether they will be able to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time, we have to wait for a few days to know the answer.
Messi’s illustrious career reflects his hard work. He has won the Spanish league title 10 times, the Champions League four times, the 2021 Copa America and the Ballon d’Or seven times.
But like the greats of his time, such as Pele of Brazil and Diego Maradona of Argentina, he has yet to win the game’s biggest prize.
36 years ago, Argentina won their last World Cup under the leadership of Maradona. But in 2014, Messi’s team lost to Germany in the final.
No matter how many honors Messi has won, but to be included in the list of great footballers, his winning the World Cup is extremely important.
History-making Moroccan team
The Moroccan team has already made history. They are the first African and Muslim-majority Arab team to reach the semi-finals of the Football World Cup.
It is an experienced team, with several high-profile players. Like Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyash and PSJ’s Ashraf Hakimi. But contrary to expectations, the Atlas Lions team surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals.
They topped a group that also included Croatia and Belgium. They beat Spain in the round of 16, then Ronaldo and Portugal in the quarter-finals. Now they hope to go further.
The secret to their success is a defensive strategy and a high work rate (pursuing and getting after the football even when the opposing team has it). No team in Qatar has scored a goal against Morocco so far. He scored a goal against Canada.
Morocco has become a team that has gained the support of millions of new fans during the tournament. Organizers say the World Cup is not just about Qatar, but a symbol of the Middle East and the unity of all Muslims.
But will the Moroccan players celebrate in their unique style again on Tuesday
Defending champions France eyes 60-year-old record
Standing between Morocco and the World Cup final is France, one of the best teams in Europe.
Brazil successfully defended the Men’s Football World Cup for the first time in 1962, and now 60 years later, France is looking to repeat the same.
Although the defending champions have struggled in recent years, past winners Italy, Spain and Germany have been knocked out early. And France has made it to the semi-finals.
France defeated England on Saturday to become the first defending team to reach the semi-finals since Brazil in 1998.
Their manager Didia Dushan is fully focused on planning against Morocco.
When asked if he will reach the final again, he replied that he is going to play the semi-final and that is his focus for now.
No one will take Croatia lightly, especially Argentina
We could see a repeat of the 2018 final if France beat Morocco and Croatia beat Argentina. 2018 also saw the final between France and Croatia in which France emerged victorious.
This time too, Croatia managed to control their nerves and make it to the last four again.
Four years ago they beat Denmark and Russia on penalties. And this year they have won penalties against Japan and Brazil.
They won their last World Cup 24 years ago when they beat Germany 3-0 in the 1998 quarter-finals.
37-year-old Croatian midfielder Luka Modric has impressed everyone this year. Despite the extra minutes, he has looked fully fit.
In 2018, Argentina lost 3-0 against Croatia during the group stage of the World Cup. He will never underestimate Croatia.
No one will take Croatia lightly, especially Argentina
We could see a repeat of the 2018 final if France beat Morocco and Croatia beat Argentina. 2018 also saw the final between France and Croatia in which France emerged victorious.
This time too, Croatia managed to control their nerves and make it to the last four again.
Four years ago they beat Denmark and Russia on penalties. And this year they have won penalties against Japan and Brazil.
They won their last World Cup 24 years ago when they beat Germany 3-0 in the 1998 quarter-finals.
37-year-old Croatian midfielder Luka Modric has impressed everyone this year. Despite the extra minutes, he has looked fully fit.
In 2018, Argentina lost 3-0 against Croatia during the group stage of the World Cup. He will never underestimate Croatia.
