Johannesburg – Monday delivered not only one of the most dramatic match-days of the tournament, but perhaps in the history of football as Croatia rallied from 3-1 down to force both extra time and Spain to find another gear, reports Goal.com
France, meanwhile, were not so lucky, slinking out of the tournament to a soundtrack of joyous Swiss shrieks as Kylian Mbappe’s crucial penalty was expertly parried away from goal by a new national hero in Yann Sommer.
As a result of that bonkers day, followers of La Roja are understandably wary heading into Friday’s clash, as highlighted by Goal Spain’s Alex Martín:
“Spain are the favourites but obviously we aren’t taking anything for granted after the France match!
We’re growing into ourselves as the tournament develops and it seems that Luis Enrique protecting his players from criticism has allowed them to grow in confidence and show their quality.
He plays a possession-based game and, after making some changes in the wide areas, we now look dangerous from the wings and that’s causing a lot of problems for defences.
After seeing Luis Enrique’s original squad list, not many people expected much – especially with the absence of Real Madrid players. Now, though, there’s a belief in this Spain side.
It’s all or nothing.”
Another thing that will please Spain fans is that Monday’s man of the match, Granit Xhaka, misses the game through suspension.
From Arsenal villain to Switzerland hero: Reborn Xhaka showing why Mourinho wants him as Roma’s leader.
De Bruyne a doubt for Italy bout
Yep, just as he came back with a bang, KDB took a knock in the Portugal game and joins Eden Hazard on Roberto Martinez’s list of maybes. If either of the pair do make it, they certainly won’t be fully fit.
Still, there’s a reason that Belgium are at the tippy-top of FIFA’s world rankings and De Bruyne has already proved at this tournament that he only needs a few minutes to completely change the face of a game.
Regardless of the ins and outs, these Romelu Lukaku-led Red Devils want a trophy to go with their lofty ranking and they’ll be backing themselves to go all the way.
As for Italy, well, Goal Italy’s Francesco Schirru kindly gave us his take:
“It’s difficult to say who the favourite is between Belgium and Italy, but the good vibes around the Azzurri have only intensified in recent days despite Martinez’s team’s reputation.
With four victories so far and only one goal conceded, hope is increasing – albeit quietly.
Roberto Mancini will likely start Federico Chiesa, who has been superb so far from the bench, in place of Domenico Berardi, while Marco Verratti, Jorginho and Nico Barella will make up the midfield. Captain Giorgio Chiellini is also available for selection again.
As for the competition as a whole, the exits of France and Germany, two of Italy’s greatest rivals, gives us more of a chance and will have increased the confidence of the team.
Put simply, it’s a great opportunity to return to the top of European football after only one previous success in 1968.”
Any other news?
Oh, just that the Sancho saga is finally, finally coming to an end after Manchester United confirmed they have an agreement in place to sign young Jadon.
The £73 million ($101m) deal is still to be formalised and the lad needs to pass a medical, but things are expected to go smoothly.
As the kind of out-and-out winger United have been crying out for, he’ll add a whole new dimension to the right side of their attack, while his versatility across the attacking line gives Ole Gunner Solskjaer extra options in more than one ways than one.
It’s a great signing for United and one that will not only go some way to appeasing disgruntled fans, but also straight-up delight Premier League audiences if he hits the ground running.
Today’s action:
Switzerland vs Spain
Belgium vs Italy
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