Bellingham turns on hero mode as Messi reaches another milestone
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The road to MetLife Stadium has narrowed to four contenders after Argentina and England completed the World Cup semi-final line-up in contrasting yet equally dramatic fashion.
History beckons for France and La Albiceleste as the 2022 finalists could renew their rivalry in an unprecedented second consecutive World Cup final. However, that’s far from a foregone conclusion.
Stay tuned as we recap the drama from the last two quarter-final ties and look ahead to two blockbuster semi-final showdowns.
Garcia under fire after Belgium’s World Cup exit
Belgium suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Spain in Friday’s mouth-watering quarter-final tie at SoFi Stadium as Mikel Merino scored an 88th-minute winner off the bench.
Another second-half substitute, though from the opposite camp, played a decisive role in the hectic finale.
Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens replaced Thibaut Courtois midway through the second half and made a terrible mistake that helped the Arsenal midfielder propel La Furia Roja into the semi-finals.
Pau Cubarsi unleashed a powerful effort from outside the box straight down the middle of the goal. It should have been a comfortable save for Lammens, yet he fumbled the ball at Merino’s feet, presenting him with the simplest of finishes.
Belgium didn’t have enough time to recover in what could prove to be Rudi Garcia’s last game in charge.
Garcia insisted on taking off Courtois, who felt he could continue despite a twinge in his leg, which forced the Real Madrid veteran to leave the field in favour of Lammens.
As emotions continue to run high, the 62-year-old’s decision to withdraw one of the best shot-stoppers in the world has faced mounting criticism, and the timing couldn’t have been worse for the Frenchman.
With his contract due to expire at the end of the month, the former Roma and Napoli manager can expect his handling of this particular situation to be closely examined during talks over his future.
Drama kings strike again
Argentina’s knockout run has been nothing short of heart-stopping.
After battling past Cape Verde and Egypt in two pulsating encounters, the reigning champions again required extra time to see off a resilient Switzerland side, prevailing 3-1 in Kansas City.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister put La Albiceleste in front in the 10th minute with a delightful header, with Lionel Messi registering a landmark 10th World Cup assist, becoming the first player in history to reach double figures in this category.
Aside from Messi extending his own record, it was an ill-tempered first half. Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro may have shown just one yellow card in the opening 45 minutes, but the two sides combined for 20 fouls in a fiercely contested affair.
Forced to chase the deficit, Switzerland flew out of the traps in the second half, though they had to wait until the 67th minute, when Dan Ndoye beat Emiliano Martinez with a clinical finish, to put things back ot square one.
Only a couple of minutes after Ndoye’s goal, Breel Embolo’s moment of madness cut the Swiss celebrations short. Already on a yellow card, the Rennes striker simulated a foul, prompting a VAR review that resulted in a shock dismissal.
Lionel Scaloni’s side failed to seize the numerical advantage in regulation time.
Switzerland defended with relative ease for over half an hour, but Julian Alvarez demonstrated his class in the 112th minute, scoring a long-range screamer to break their hearts.
Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez put the cherry on top in the 121st minute with his first goal of the tournament to set up a heavyweight semi-final clash against familiar foes England.
Man for the big occasion
England fought back from a goal down to beat Norway after extra time and secure their place in the semi-finals for the second time in the last three World Cup editions on the back of Jude Bellingham’s match-winning performance.
It was never going to be a straightforward task for Thomas Tuchel’s side, considering Norway’s enthusiasm and confidence after a historic victory over Brazil in the previous round.
When Benfica forward Andreas Schjelderup broke the deadlock with a stunning effort in the 36th minute, memories of the Three Lions’ past World Cup failures threatened to resurface.
However, England hit back on the stroke of half-time through Bellingham, who raced onto Anthony Gordon’s perfectly weighted pass, skipped past two Norway defenders and calmly slotted the ball past Orjan Nyland.
Bellingham picked up where he left off against Mexico in the round of 16 to pull Tuchel’s team level, netting his fifth goal of the tournament. Still, the game went to extra time as neither side managed to find the net in the second half.
Despite showing more than their opposition, England couldn’t find a way to break down Stale Solbakken’s stubborn backline until Nyland gave them a decisive nudge in the 93rd minute.
Much like Lammens, the former Sevilla goalkeeper made a costly error, spilling Morgan Rogers’ long-range effort straight into Bellingham’s path, and the skilled midfielder gratefully tapped home the winner.
In doing so, the Los Blancos’ star drew level with Harry Kane on six goals, sneaking his way into the Golden Boot conversation.
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What to watch
Lamine Yamal has been quiet by his standards, but if Spain are to beat France in the first semi-final, they’ll need the Barcelona phenom to remind everyone why he is regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football.
The 18-year-old has just one World Cup goal to his name so far, and despite being named the ‘Man of the Match’ against Belgium, he found it difficult to influence proceedings for long spells.
Luis de la Fuente has Merino to thank for taking Spain this far, yet now is the time for the Blaugrana starlet to seize the spotlight and produce a performance worthy of his immense talent.
In stark contrast, Kylian Mbappe looks unstoppable at the moment.
However, Spain have only conceded once on their way to the semi-finals, highlighting the size of the task awaiting one of the leading Ballon d’Or contenders.