By Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
And then there were eight.
Paul Pogba of France, left, scores his team’s first goal on a header during the World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Nigeria on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
That’s all that’s left of the 64 teams that entered the World Cup competition, and Friday marks the first day of the quarterfinal round. The early game will make an all-European match, with France taking on Germany. To reach the quarterfinals, France eliminated Nigeria 2-0, and Germany beat Algeria in extra time, 2-1. The winner of this match will meet the winner of the all-South American quarterfinal, which features Brazil and Colombia.
Kickoff: 9 a.m. PDT, ESPN 2
Players to watch
FRANCE: Paul Pogba is the man to watch out for in the box. Pogba netted the game winner for France with a header off of a corner kick; his height advantage gave him the header chance. Pogba should be able to pull off the same move over the much shorter German defenders.
GERMANY: Thomas Muller can do it all for Germany with his passes and strikes. Muller tallied an assist in a late goal in extra time to give Germany an edge that eventually moved The Germans to the quarterfinal round. Muller usually is the striker for the German offense, but recently he has shown he also can be a playmaker. Look for him to do the same thing when the offense sets up. He will either quarterback the offense or get into position to strike for a goal.
Keys to victory
FRANCE: France needs to block the Germans from entering the box, forcing them to set up outside of the box and take the long shots. On offense, France must look to get more scoring chances in the box and position more forwards up front. They didn’t get many scoring chances in the box but luckily had enough to beat Nigeria.
GERMANY: The Germans can’t let the French get clear looks at the net from either up close or long range as they can strike from anywhere on the field. Germany needs to set up its offense to strike in the box. If the Germans can execute scoring chances in there, they will wear down the defense ― and more importantly, the goalkeeper ― to win the game.
Prediction: Germany will again storm to the front of the net as it did against the Algerians, forcing the French to fall back and play mostly in the attacking zone. The French offense will do the same, but the German wall of defenders will make scoring tough. The French will not quit and will find a little crack in the wall to pull off a narrow win.
Final score: France 1, Germany 0 in extra time
Do you agree or disagree with this prediction and analysis? Share your comments below.
WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
(All times Pacific)
Quarterfinals
Friday, July 4
9 a.m.: France vs. Germany at Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro (ESPN2)
1 p.m.: Brazil vs. Colombia at Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza (ESPN)
Saturday, July 5
9 a.m.: Argentina-Switzerland winner vs. Belgium-United States winner at Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, Brasilia (ABC)
1 p.m. Netherlands vs. Costa Rica at Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador (ESPN)
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 8
1 p.m.: Quarterfinal winners at Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte (ESPN)
Wednesday, July 9
1 p.m.: Quarterfinal winners at Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo (ESPN)
Third-Place Game
Saturday, July 12
1 p.m.: Semifinal losers at Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, Brasilia (ESPN)
Final
Sunday, July 13
1 p.m.: Semifinal winners at Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro (ABC)
