FIFA World Cup 2018 quarterfinals: France, Belgium beat Uruguay, Brazil

July 9, 2018 On Friday, France defeated Uruguay 2–0 in the FIFA football World Cup quarter-finals and Brazil lost 1–2 against Belgium. With this defeat only countries from the Confederation are now remaining in the tournament.

France vs Uruguay
France faced Uruguay at the. The French side had better ball possession. Uruguayan striker was rested for the match and  faced his FC Barcelona teammate  in the quarter-final clash. Both the sides had early attempts to open the scoring. Uruguay blocked 's 12th-minute attempt for a goal. Three minutes later, missed a chance from 's pass to put France in the lead. In the 19th minute, also had an attempt for goal but went wide. France opened the scoring in the 40th minute when scored a header from 's assist. Minutes before the half-time, saved a shot preventing Uruguay from equalising, and  missed a close-range shot. The first half ended with France having a one-goal lead.

In the second half, just after the one-hour mark, Griezmann doubled the lead for France, scoring a goal from outside the penalty area from 's assist. In the final ten minutes of the 90-minute play, French side made two substitutions, as and  replaced Tolisso and Mbappé. The match ended 2–0.

After the match, France's coach said, "We had done something big against Argentina and today we have again raised our level. I have a good team that still has plenty of room for improvement. You can see our lack of experience sometimes, but we have so many qualities too."

Uruguayan coach said, "The boys really gave everything, but France were able to control the match very well. After the second goal, there was a huge gap between the teams."

With this victory, UEFA Euro 2016-finalists France reached the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time.

Brazil vs Belgium
Brazil faced Belgium at the. After Uruguay's defeat against France, Brazil was the only South American nation left in the tournament. The South Americans had better ball possession. In the 8th minute, Brazilian captain missed a chance to open the scoring as his header rebounded from the goalpost. Belgian defender missed a header in the 13th minute from  assist, but Fernandinho scored an own goal, giving Belgium an early lead. A couple of minutes later, had an attempt to equalise, from 's assist, but the shot was blocked. also attempted for a goal in the 26th minute but was saved.

In the 31st minute, scored from outside the penalty area, doubling the lead for Belgium, assisted by. Six minutes later, Belgian goalkeeper saved a long-range shot by. The first half ended and Belgium had a two-goal advantage.

At the start of the second half, Brazil made a substitution as replaced. had an attempt in the 55th minute. Paulinho was substituted off in the 73rd minute for and just three minutes after coming on, Augusto scored the first goal for Brazil in the 76th minute. Chadli was subbed off in the 83rd minute due to injury and was replaced by. Brazil tried to score an equaliser, but the match ended 2–1 as Belgium advanced to the semi-final.

After the match, Belgium's coach said, "Brazil have so much finesse and you know that they can cut you open. But I didn't think for one second that the players would give up. They've done something special and I hope everyone in Belgium is very, very proud. It has created a nice memory and we should treasure it. But now we need more energy for our next game to try to make sure we're just as good in the semi-finals."

Brazil's coach said, ""I thought it was a great match and we had a lot of it, with plenty of possession and a lot of opportunities. But Belgium were more effective in converting their opportunities. They have a lot of top players and finished well. Thibaut Courtois also made a real difference. For all the pain I feel right now, if you like football, you have to watch this game. It's going to give you pleasure."

Belgium is now scheduled to face France in the semi-finals.