FIFA QF Round 2: Hosts face European powerhouse France
Times of Bennett | Updated: Aug 11, 2023 14:14
By Rishi Bhushan
The 2023
Australia vs France
The adrenalin is already juicing up with the prospects of hosts Australia meeting the European powerhouse France in a clash tomorrow which promises to be for the history books. This quarterfinal match is being considered as the highlight of quarterfinals round. The
But that was France’s only defeat in the 18 games they played in 2023 and that was not the World Cup, an event that chistles the players with never before determination. Les Bleus will play their fourth consecutive World Cup quarterfinals. France also has an infamous history of falling one or two games short of glory. They lost the quarters of the 2016 Olympics, lost to the Germans in the semis of the 2022 Euros and had lost three straight quarterfinals at the Euros before then. But that may just trigger the ultimate fight syndrome in a team raring to go the whole way.
Australia, riding on a massive wave of support from the home crowd, enters this quarterfinal as the favourites. Sam Kerr, who had been dealing with a calf injury, is now fully fit. Her starting for the
England V Colombia
The Colombians couldn’t have hoped for a better World Cup than this one. Colombia entered the World Cup as underdogs and now find themselves playing their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal. They are also the lowest-ranked side (25) among all teams in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, England is projected to have the easiest path to the semis, thanks to the Colombian lean presence on the performance charts. The reigning European champions will need to muster all their experience of playing knockout rounds and put on a better display than they did against Nigeria in the Round of 16. Even though the Lionesses will be without Lauren James, they have a host of other players to put pressure on the Colombian net.
Colombia’s World Cup hero, Linda Caicedo will be a beacon of hope for them. The Colombian star recently signed for Real Madrid. But even she will find it difficult to challenge the Lionesses who are unbeaten in 36 of their last 37 games.
