China News Service, December 10. After Argentina and Croatia advanced to the semi-finals, from tonight to tomorrow morning Beijing time, two quarter-finals in the second half of the World Cup in Qatar will be held soon: Morocco vs. Portugal, England vs. France.
England vs. France, a star-studded battle of focus, a strong dialogue that has attracted much attention.
The two teams are both traditional European teams and have a lot of history.
However, you may not believe it. According to statistics, this is the first time that the two sides have met in the knockout stage of the World Cup or European Cup.
Therefore, this game is bound to become a battle between Britain and France that is different from the past.
Although it has lost a lot of main players, including the new Ballon d'Or winner Benzema, since the start of the World Cup, France is the only team that has performed comparable to the five-star Brazil.
As the defending champion, the French team has only one goal, and they also have the strength to win again.
Due to the high attention of the Premier League and other reasons, the England team has many fans.
This team has never lacked stars, but its results have always been unsatisfactory. Not only has it been away from major championships for many years, it has even been blocked from the top eight from time to time.
Even if the England team broke into the semi-finals of the last World Cup, there are still many voices who attribute it to good signing luck.
Whether it can change the image in the hearts of the fans depends on how the England team will face the defending champion.
Although Asian and African teams performed well in the group stage, as soon as they entered the knockout stage, European and South American teams became the protagonists on the stage.
In the quarter-finals, seven teams came from Europe or South America, and Morocco became the last "only seedling".
Morocco is dubbed the "dark horse". However, core players such as Ashraf, Ziyech, and Mazraoui all play for top European clubs. This African powerhouse already has considerable strength.
The coaching change before the big game did not affect the team's combat effectiveness, and the head coach Reiglaji contributed a lot.
For Morocco, which has created its best record, every step forward is history.
In the quarter-finals with Switzerland, Portuguese coach Santos made adjustments to the starting lineup, and Ronaldo entered the bench.
For Ronaldo, who has led the Portuguese team forward for more than ten years, this change will definitely bring a sense of gap.
Gonzalo Ramos, who was only 21 years old, made his debut in the game against Switzerland. He not only completed a "hat-trick" but also sent an assist, and finally helped the team advance 6:1.
After a complete victory, if Santos continues to arrange Ronaldo as a substitute, it is also reasonable.
For the 37-year-old Ronaldo, physical fitness is one of the issues that has to be considered.
"Good steel is used wisely", and it is also a favorable choice to appear on the field when the team needs him most.
No matter whether he starts or not, Ronaldo's role in this team cannot be replaced by anyone.
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