- World Cup in Qatar | What to watch on 6: Can the last two places in the quarterfinals be announced?
- 2022-12-06 13:32:41.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Authors: Xiao Shiyao, Wang Haoyu, Zhao Jiantong
On the 6th the last two matches of the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar began, with Spain playing against Morocco and Portugal playing against Switzerland. Whether the “Iberian duo” can meet in the quarter-finals is the most important thing to watch.
At 18:00 local time, the match between Spain and Morocco will kick off at the Education City Stadium.
The Spanish team has led high and low in this World Cup. They beat Costa Rica 7-0 in their first group stage match, drew 1:1 with Germany in the second round, and were upset 2:1 by the Japanese team in the final group, to take the top of the group, giving up the place of the famous name. In the group stage, the Spanish team still showed strong passing and control skills, but in the last two matches, the team has highlighted the team’s two weaknesses: the winger’s lack of ability to break through in a situation of stall and the difficulty of the defense to parry the opponent’s high press attack.
As one of the biggest “dark horses” of this World Cup, Morocco’s team went undefeated in the group stage and knocked down the second-largest Belgium team in the world. Their strength should not be underestimated. This young team led by Ziyech, Mazraoui, Ashraf and many other stars have a fast and simple style of play, tenacious defense and impactful attack: no small challenge for the Spanish side.
Although they belong to Europe and Africa, Spain and Morocco only play each other across the Strait of Gibraltar, and there are close personal and cultural exchanges. Many Moroccan players, including Ashraf, have received football training in Spain since when they were young. The team can say they know the backline. There is no doubt that the Spanish team have an advantage in terms of overall strength and competitive experience. But for the Moroccan team, this is the first time the team has advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup since 1986. They have already made history without any psychological burden.
Will the Spanish team rebound strongly and advance to the quarterfinals or will the Moroccan team be upset again?
Then at 10pm, at Lusail Stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo (C Ronaldo) will lead the Portuguese to the final against European powerhouse Switzerland.
In this World Cup, the Portuguese team qualified earlier than expected with two consecutive victories, showing a good competitive state. Bruno Fernandez, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and other young players played well. In his fifth World Cup, the 37-year-old Ronaldo finally introduced more helpers. In the last match of the group stage, even though the Portuguese team, who mainly played as a substitute, was reversed by the South Korean team, the team’s main players rested fully. In Qatar’s busy schedule, this will be a great physical advantage.
The Swiss team still maintains the strength of almost top-tier teams in Europe: except for the small 0:1 defeat against Brazil, they defeated the powerful teams from Serbia and Cameroon in the group stage and successfully broke through. The tenacious and well-organized Swiss team eliminated the mighty French team on penalties in the round of 16 of last year’s European Championship. This is enough to prove that they are capable of defeating any opponent in a knockout match.
In the group stage, Ronaldo was mediocre and only scored one penalty. Going into the round of 16, can the Portuguese superstar find his form again? worth the wait.
