Preview of the World Cup Semifinals

After rounds of competitive battling on fields, four teams that will compete in the semi-final stage has been confirmed. On Tuesday, Argentina will face the 2018 finalist Croatia, and the defending champion France will play against Morocco on Wednesday.

All four teams had a difficult match in their quarterfinals.

Argentina beat the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after losing their 2-1 lead in the second half stoppage time, and France eliminated England in the score of 2-1, thanks to England’s striker Harry Kane missing a crucial penalty kick with less than ten minutes to go for the match.

Croatia also shocked the world after beating Brazil, the number one ranked national football team with five championship titles. Nevertheless, the biggest scene-stealer of the quarterfinals was Morocco, making history to become the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals after beating Portugal 1-0. This also marked the end of Ronaldo’s World Cup journey.

This 2022 World Cup is also quite special as it is likely to be the last chance for Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Luka Modrić (Croatia) to win the World Cup glory. Both these players have had legendary careers, with one commonality in that they have never won the World Cup. The BBC has also selected the clash of these two living legends as one of four biggest points to look out for in the upcoming semifinals.

Kylian Mbappe (France) and Morocco are also expected to “light up” the semifinals according to the BBC, particularly since they are making history as the progress through each game. In 2018, Mbappe has become the youngest player to score in the World Cup Finals since Pele in 1958; this year, he has stepped up as the highest goal scorer in the history of FIFA World Cup below the age of 24 with a total of nine goals.

“I really want Argentina to win as I have always been a die-hard Messi fan since I was young,” said Ayan D., a senior student at AISG. “However, I do have this bad feeling that France will beat Argentina in the finals to become the champion once again.

“I am really excited for this semifinal,” commented Sharon C., another senior student at AISG. “France definitely has the strongest team out of the four teams that remain, so I think France will win Morocco and beat whoever comes up in the finals.”

Winning the World Cup is perhaps every football player’s dream. Let us all enjoy the World Cup together and celebrate the winners of the upcoming games.