World Cup Friday quarter final showdown

And then there were eight.

Having started the competition with 32 countries in contention, the number was whittled down to 16 for the exciting knockout section, and now we are into the quarter finals.

Uruguay vs France

Today sees Uruguay take on France in the 4pm game.

There was little to glean from Uruguay’s group win over Saudi Arabia but their 1-0 beating of Egypt and the 3-0 thumping of Russia, where Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani – one of the finds of the tournament – showed just what they are capable of.

They took it a step further by sending Portugal packing, with Cavani, Maximiliano Gomez and Luis Suarez stealing the show.

France beat Australia and Peru, and drew with Denmark to easily get through the group stages, then stuck four goals past Argentina in the knockouts to show they are a force to be reckoned with.

All eyes had been on France’s renowned sharpshooter Antoine Griezmann but it was lightning-quick Kylian Mbappe who set the World Cup on fire in an as-good-as-it-gets performance.

It’s a tough one to call and I think this one might well go into extra time, but I tip France to just edge home victorious.

Brazil vs Belgium

It’s the big battle of the B’s as Brazil and Belgium clash at 8pm in what should have been the final had it not been for the unfortunate draw.

Brazil took some time to get into the tournament but seem to have peaked at the sharp end, where it really matters.

A draw with Switzerland and wins over Costa Rica and Serbia put them unconvincingly through the groups and then they excelled in eliminating Mexico with a decisive performance in the knockouts.

While Neymar remains their biggest threat, the man the rest of the world loves to hate is by no means the sole weapon of the Brazilians.

Theirs is a well-balanced side and probably the best of all the countries in terms of inter-passing movements.

But they come up against a Belgian side that does not seem to have any weaknesses and also has a multi-pronged attack that can strike at any time.

The Red Devils thrashed Panama and Tunisia before beating England by a solitary goal and then had that spectacular come from behind 3-2 win over Japan in the round of 16.

This showed just how badly they want this one and with the likes of De Bruyne, Hazard,  Lukaku, Carrasco and Chadli in their line-up, I think they will eliminate Brazil – but it won’t be easy.

Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter

For news straight to your phone invite us:

WhatsApp – 072 069 4169

Instagram – zululand_observer