World Cup 2022 takes its first rest day on Wednesday, after 17 days of intense action in the group stages and last 16 of the tournament.
Morocco and Portugal are the final two sides to reach the quarter-finals, knocking out Spain and Switzerland respectively in rather different circumstances. There are plenty of stories to discuss about each game, though, with Cristiano Ronaldo being benched for Portugal and Morocco becoming the first African nation in three tournaments to book their place in the final eight.
So, with that being said, here are the five main takeaways FourFourTwo has learned over the course of another stellar day of World Cup action.
Will Morocco be the first-ever African semi-finalists?
Morocco have undoubtedly been the surprise package of Qatar 2022. The Atlas Lions gave a good glimpse of what they’re all about by picking up seven points en route to winning a group also containing 2018 runners-up Croatia – then cementing their credentials by defeating a slick Spanish side in the last 16. They’re just the fourth African country – and the first North African – to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
But can they succeed where Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) failed and make it into the semi-finals? Portugal – who, having dropped Cristiano Ronaldo from their starting 11, scintillatingly swept aside Switzerland 5-1 in the last 16 – represent a stern test in the last eight, but Walid Regragui’s team – boasting national superstars such as Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech, and the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, who’s really made a name for himself at this tournament – certainly won’t be daunted.
Don’t bet against Morocco taking another Iberian opponent all the way to penalties – and we’ve already seen just what they’re made of when it comes to that ultimate crunch.
Are we any closer to knowing who’ll win the whole thing?
Whatever the reasons, for the first time since the 1994 World Cup, no team won three out of three matches – but the last 16 of Qatar 2022 saw multiple contenders kick things up a gear. The quarter-finals are looking very tasty indeed.
England and, to a greater extent, Brazil both blew away lesser opposition in Senegal and South Korea respectively – but if you can only beat what’s in front of you, you might as well do it comprehensively.
France didn’t look fully convincing in defeating Poland 3-1 – but Kylian Mbappe certainly did, and it goes without saying that stopping him will be one of England’s top priorities when the two former winners face off on Saturday night.
The Netherlands and Argentina have a long history of World Cup clashes, and their latest appears intriguingly poised. Will it be Louis van Gaal’s functional Oranje or – for the romantics – Lionel Scaloni’s Lionel Messi-inspired Alibceleste who go through to the semis?
And then there’s Portugal, who somewhat stumbled through the group stage – then well and truly let the handbrake after dropping Cristiano Ronaldo, demolishing a previously robust-looking Switzerland side 6-1 in the last 16. Ronaldo may not start another game this tournament – but it would be naïve to discount the possibility that he’ll yet have a decisive impact.
Portugal are better without Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal manager Fernando Santos made the brave decision to leave out Cristiano Ronaldo - along with Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves - for the last-16 tie against Switzerland, opting for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos over the established 37-year-old.
It wasn’t clear whether Santos had done this because of Ronaldo’s petulance at being substituted during Portugal’s final group game against South Korea - but what was clear was that Portugal looked an awful lot better without him starting. Ramos, only 21, thoroughly impressed against Switzerland, smashing one past Yann Sommer from a seemingly impossible angle in the early stages of the game.
He bagged a further two in the game, ensuring he got a hat-trick and undoubtedly earn his spot in the team for Portugal’s quarter-final against Morocco.
Ramos offered pace up front, and a certain busyness that allowed the players behind him, such as Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, to flourish. Indeed, that trio ran the game, while Ramos excelled leading the line. All his goals were different, too. His first, the aforementioned smash from a tight angle; his second, a poacher’s goal across the front post; the third, a delicate chip while running into the box.
Spain are a team for the future - their penalty loss to Morocco could stand them in good stead
After reaching the semi-final at Euro 2020, and starting World Cup 2022 with a 7-0 win against Costa Rica, Spain looked strong and certainly a contender to go all the way in Qatar.
However, they came unstuck against Morocco, penalties proving their nemesis once again. While a bitterly disappointing way to end their campaign, this could well provide their young players an essential learning experience for the future, when they’ll be even better.
With Pedri, Gavi, Rodri, Ferran Torres, among others, all waiting to reach their primes, Spain have a promising future, regardless of the result. Admittedly, they will likely have to wave goodbye to Sergio Busquets, but this could allow Rodri to move into midfield and dominate games from there.
Should Luis Enrique stick around for another cycle, Spain are in a good position. True, they should have at least reached the quarter-finals, and not topping the group is poor, but there are plenty of positives for Spain to take home with them.
This certainly isn’t the end of this Spain side - there’s plenty of promise still left yet.
Are players trying to be too clever in penalty shootouts?
Out of the seven penalties taken between Spain and Morocco in their shootout, only three were scored - Pablo Sarabia, Sergio Busquets and Carlos Soler all missed for Spain, while Badr Benoun couldn't find the net with his.
Of course, Achraf Hakimi's incredible Panenka showed nerves of steel and was executed to perfection, but the missed penalties all seemed somewhat avoidable. With the new technique of penalty takers focussing on the goalkeeper, perhaps this gives reason as to why more are being missed.
After all, there is a reluctance for an old-fashioned power-drive, which almost seems the better option. Some players have the ability to perform slow run-ups and confidently place the ball in the opposite corner to where the keeper moves - ala Neymar - but others look unsure of themselves when doing so.
