FIFA FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - NEWS BLOG - UPDATE 42

 CLASH OF THE SUPER EIGHT - 

FIFA WORLD CUP QUARTER FINALS

Soccer World Cup – Eight teams to clash in last – Brazil is a strong contender - European showdown

The soccer World Cup Qatar will be held on 9 and 10 Decemember (10 and 11 Japan time) with the quarter-finals. Teams from Europe, South America 2 and Africa 1 will advance to the last eight and the tournament will reach its climax.

Brazil is showing the power of the favourites. In the final match of the first round, Cameroon lost their minds while dropping their squad, but the attacking power of Richarlison and Vinicius was powerful enough to score goals from quick transitions between attack and defence. The return of ace Neymar, who was injured in the first match of the first round, is also significant. If they can pry open the tenacious defence of Croatia, who were runners-up in the previous edition and "leading" them on the pitch, they will be in the hunt for a sixth title in their history.

The "crushing battle" between the favourites will be a European showdown between England, who are aiming for the top spot for the first time in 56 years, and France, who are aiming for back-to-back titles. England have been excellent in attack, scoring 12 goals in four games. Forwards Rashford and Saka have scored three goals, and the youngsters around the age of 20 have made a difference, but there are signs of further energization after captain and defending top scorer Kane scored his first goal of the tournament in the first round of the playoffs.

France have Mbappe, who leads the race for top scorer with five goals, showing strong individual power, while the 36-year-old Giroud is also alive and well, scoring three. Will England keep possession of the ball while France aim for counter-attacks?

Argentina, with Messi in their last World Cup, have also been in good form. They suffered a disappointing defeat to Saudi Arabia in the first match, but after that, their links up front became smoother. On the other hand, the Netherlands won the match in a dangerous way. The recovery of ace Depay after injury is encouraging for his long-awaited first victory.

Portugal's attacking line-up has grown deeper, with Ronald scoring five consecutive goals for the first time in Portugal's history, and Ramos and other young attackers have scored 12 goals, the most of any other team in England. On the other hand, the five goals conceded are the most in the top eight, leaving us worried about our defence. Morocco will reach the last eight for the first time and become the first African team to reach the last four. They have conceded just one goal so far and their defence shines. With the loud cheers of compatriots filling the stadium as the only Arab countries to win, can the "whirlwind" continue?

FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - QUARTER FINALS FIXTURS AND
ROAD MAP TO THE FINAL

The key to reaching the last eight of the World Cup is to break away from the "tactics of the weak" Japan national football team

There is data that symbolizes the performance of the Japan national team, which reached the last 16 for the fourth time in the soccer World Cup Qatar.

In the first match against Germany, which scored a historic victory over a country that has won the World Cup, the possession rate of the ball was Japan 24% compared to Germany's 65%. In the third match against Spain, which was also a come-from-behind win, the Japan was 74% and 17% less than one-quarter of the opponents. Even if the opponent has the ball, he defends without panicking, and when he gets the ball, he approaches the goal without any effort. The thorough "tactics of the weak" were successful.

This was their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance. The composition of the Japan squad has changed significantly since the 1998 World Cup in France, when they made their first appearance. At that time, all 22 players were from Japan, but this year's tournament had a record 19 of the 26 players, the largest number ever, and the percentage was about 73%, the largest ever.

The experience of playing against overseas teams on a daily basis has had an immeasurable effect on the national team. As ENDO Wataru (Stuttgart) said before the start of the season, "I have always played one-on-one with the Germans, and everyone has that kind of confidence." The fact that the players shared their experiences playing against each other at their clubs also helped them in the matches.

A sense of the arrival of a new era gleaming young star candidates One after another - Soccer World Cup

The top eight teams competed in the World Cup Qatar. While attention is focused on the every move of superstars such as Messi (Argentina) and Ronald (Portugal), which are considered to be the "last World Cup", we must also keep an eye on the activities of young star candidates who foreshadow the arrival of a new era.

The rising stars of the "Kingdom" with explosive speed are shining. This is Brazil's 22-year-old forward Vinicius.

In the first round match against Korea Republic, he showed his cool touch in front of goal to open the scoring. He made his presence felt by scoring his first World Cup goal, but his sharp dribbling made him feel more starry than his work in front of goal.

From the initial speed, he smashed through the left side with overwhelming speed. Can the number 20 attacker, who earned his place at Spain's first division club Real Madrid last season, make the title of "Next Neymar" a reality at the World Cup?

England, the home of football, has a young attacking line-up such as 22-year-old Foden and 21-year-old Saka, and 19-year-old midfielder Bellingham is dynamic in attack and defence, not only creating chances but also making decisions.

His opening goal against Iran in the first round was the second youngest goal in England's World Cup history, behind Michael Owen, who scored at the age of 18 in France 1998. As a mainstay, he supports the team's breakthrough.

Argentina have 22-year-old forward Alvarez in good form. He runs around the front line to support Messi, who is a mainstay who concentrates on attacking. In the first round of the playoffs against Australia, he scored his second consecutive goal after pressing the goalkeeper. At Manchester City, he is content to reserve Norwegian forward Haaland, but if he continues to play as Messi's sidekick, the future is likely to change.

The 23-year-old from the Netherlands made his name known to the world at this tournament.

Surprisingly popular in Doha, the city enters the "endgame" Soccer World Cup

The World Cup in Qatar, which kicked off on 20 November, has reached the final stage of the final on 18 December (Japan time 19). The heated matches, which continued for consecutive days, had two days of rest in between, and the quarterfinals started on the 9th (10th). During that time, reporters who were going back and forth between their accommodation and the stadium went out into the city for the first time in a long time, and this was also the final "battle".

FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - QUARTER FINALS -
TEAMS AND SCHEDULES

Official merchandise starts to go on sale at a discount

Doha's largest market, Souk Waqif. The shops are crowded with related goods such as uniforms, national flags, and scarves for each participating team.

"Which team is popular?"

When I asked the male manager (44), the answer he got was surprisingly "Morocco".

Morocco in northwestern Africa has 65% Arab population, according to the Japan Foreign Ministry. They were the only Arab countries to reach the top eight. In the first round of the final tournament against Spain on the 6th, the back of the goal was dyed red, just like the team colors, and most of the approximately 44,000 spectators were cheering for Morocco. Morocco won the match 0-0 on penalties against a strong team.

Due to the Moroccan whirlwind, merchandise sales soared, and it is said that it overtook Argentina with Messi, who had been a strong favorite since the opening of the season. The male manager worried, "I want Morocco to win as much as possible, but next time they will be a strong team in Portugal."