World Cup quarter-finals loom as Argentina take on Switzerland, France play Morocco

Eight teams have made it to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup and will be fighting to be in the top four as the biggest sporting event heads to its business end. Eight giants will lock horns in the World Cup with four teams left standing in what promises to be high-octane contests. Quarter-finals will see blockbuster clashes as some of the biggest stars in the world including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal are in action.

Fans can watch the matches live on Unite8 Sports channels on TV. The whole tournament is available on ZEE5 for live streaming.

One of the most compelling stories of the round sees France face Morocco in a much-anticipated rematch of their memorable Qatar 2022 clash.Les Bleus were the kings of their group stage, not dropping a single game and putting in some jaw-dropping performances. They began their campaign with a 3-1 rout of Senegal and then fought past an Erling Haaland-less Norway. France then cruised to a 3-0 win over Sweden to open the knockout stage, before . They would be looking to continue the same form in the quarter finals.

Morocco remain one of the toughest teams in the tournament, with a blend of defensive grit and deadly counter-attacks. They drew their opening game with Brazil but won their other two group games and beat the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32. African giants came from behind to beat co-hosts Canada and seal their quarter-final place. Despite good performances, France are ahead of The Atlas Lions.

Cape Verde provided a rare early stalemate, and it was a great warm-up for Spain in negotiating tight fixtures. They defeated Uruguay 1-0, crushed Austria 3-0 in the round of 32 and knocked off Portugal, led by Ronaldo, in the round of 16.

Belgium began their World Cup campaign with two draws in the group stage and finished top of the group on goal difference from second-placed Egypt. The Red Devils were under the pump in the round of 32 against Senegal but produced a sensational comeback, scoring twice in the final five minutes of regulation time to make it to the pre-quarters. They then handed the United States a sound beating in Seattle with a 4-1 win and will have to put their A game against La Roja who look slight favourites on paper.

But perhaps the biggest surprise team of the tournament has been Norway who, along with marquee forward Erling Haaland, inspired fans across the globe. As Landslaget continued to put up stellar performances, the “Viking Row”, which is Norway’s chant in the world cup, swept across American stadiums.

Haaland has been central to the success, scoring a brace in a 2-1 victory over Brazil to lead Norway to an upset and its first ever World Cup quarter-final appearance. Manchester City striker is one of the Golden Boot contenders with seven goals in this competition.

England have also gone through the tournament unbeaten, topping Group L and surviving scares against DR Congo and Mexico in the knockouts. The Three Lions were in deep water in the round of 32 against DR Congo, falling behind 0-1 until Harry Kane’s brace on the 75th minute saved them. They were superb defensively against Mexico in the latter stages of the second half to win the round of 16 clash and now face The Vikings, possibly as slight favourites.

Defending champions Argentina meet Switzerland in the quarter-finals with Lionel Messi continuing to dominate the headlines. He’s on top of the tournament in goals this year with eight and has extended his own all-time World Cup record to 21 goals.

His latest masterclass was a phenomenal comeback from 2-0 down against Egypt to win a thrilling 3-2. They have a very disciplined Switzerland side who have a rigid defensive setup and have only scored nine goals in five matches. Switzerland reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 after beating Colombia on penalty kicks in a goalless match that went to extra time. Argentina are expected to win.