FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Portugal 6 Switzerland 1

Gonçalo Ramos (17'minutes, 51'minutes, 67'minutes),
Pepe (33'minutes),
Guerreiro (55'minutes),
Rafael Leão (90'+2minutes)

Akanji (58'minutes)

Portugal coach Fernando Santos dropped Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for the last-16 meeting with Switzerland and was rewarded with a hat-trick from replacement Goncalo Ramos and a stunning team display.



Santos expressed his displeasure at gestures made by Ronaldo when he was substituted in the last group game against South Korea and it was the first time in 31 games stretching back to 2008 that he has not started in a major tournament.

Portugal made light of the 37-year-old's absence to put it mildly as 21-year-old Benfica striker Ramos hit a treble on his first international start to help set up a quarter-final against surprise package Morocco after their win against Spain on penalties.

Ramos started the rout after 17 minutes when he drilled a finish past Swiss keeper Jan Sommer at the near post before veteran 39-year-old defender Pepe doubled Portugal's lead when he headed home Bruno Fernandes' corner in the 33rd minute.

The dream full debut continued when Ramos effectively ended the contest with a near post swoop on Diogo Dalot's cross six minutes after the break, the striker turning provider to set up Raphael Guerriero to round off a sweeping move with a powerful strike four minutes later.

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji pulled one back for Switzerland but Ramos swiftly got his third with a clever chip, which was the signal for the crowd at Lusail Stadium to noisily demand Ronaldo's introduction.

Portugal coach Ramos obliged with the game won, Ronaldo entering to rapturous applause, but his team-mates deserve all the acclaim for a high-class performance.

Ronaldo had the ball in the net but was ruled offside so it was another young pretender to his crown, 23-year-old Rafael Leao, who crowned a dazzling display when he curled in the sixth.

Friday's Quater-Finals are (15:00 GMT) Croatia v Brazil and (19:00 GMT) Netherlands v Argentina
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Croatia go up against Brazil in a meeting between two teams that delivered contrasting displays to make it into the World Cup quarter-finals.


Croatia laboured through 120 minutes and penalties to squeak past Japan

Croatia were missing two options at fullback against Japan. Josip Stanisic is yet to make an appearance in Qatar but didn't make the bench for the round of 16 tie while nursing a muscular issue. Borna Sosa was a more notable absentee. The illness suffered by the marauding left-back robbed Croatia of a key attacking influence and he is a doubt going forward


Brazil's second-round match against South Korea was over as a contest after 12 minutes, eventually rattling in four audacious first-half goals.

Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles have already been ruled out for the rest of the competition. It's understands that the Arsenal striker could be sidelined with a knee injury for several months. Alex Sandro has been struggling with a hip problem since the narrow victory over Switzerland but his club-mate Danilo is an able deputy.



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The Netherlands meet last year's Copa America winners Argentina in their World Cup quarter-finals.


Netherlands have already beaten the reigning champions of Africa (Senegal), and Asia (Qatar) in the group stage before navigating their way past CONCACAF's victors (USA) in the round of 16.

Van Gaal is expected to have a fully fit roster at his disposal for his second World Cup quarter-final as a manager. Steven Bergwijn replaced Davy Klaassen at half-time of the second-round victory over the US, giving the Netherlands a fleet-footed front three. However, that was only once the Dutch were already 2-0 up and could exclusively play on the counter.


Argentina began the competition by losing to the second-lowest ranked nation at the World Cup (Saudi Arabia) but have improved with each outing since, showing bursts of the swagger that carried them on a 36-game unbeaten run into the competition against Australia in the round of 16.

Alejandro Gomez was forced off within five minutes of the second half of Argentina's victory over Australia last weekend with an ankle injury. Angel Di Maria missed the tie completely while nursing a thigh problem and is building his way back to fitness. Lionel Scaloni replaced Gomez with Lisandro Martinez to form a back-three for the final 40 minutes against Australia and may be tempted to turn to a system he scarcely uses because of the Dutch preference for a 3-4-1-2.

Croatia 1 Brazil 1

Petkovic (117'minutes)

Neymar (105'+1minutes)

Croatia win 4-2 on penalties

Tournament favourites Brazil were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties as Croatia kept their nerve to edge through to the semi-finals.



After an engrossing 90 minutes, Tite's men thought they have won it in extra time when Neymar scored a thumping effort to equal Brazil's 'official' men's goalscoring record.

But substitute Bruno Petkovic had other ideas, stroking in a 116th-minute equaliser with Croatia's first shot on target in the match to take the game to the nerve-shredding shootout.

Croatia, beaten finalists four years ago, scored with all four of their spot-kicks as Rodrygo - taking his team's first kick - was denied by the brilliant Dominik Livakovic and Marquinhos' crucial fourth effort struck the post.

As the ball hit the foot of the woodwork and bounced away, Croatia's players sprinted to celebrate with their goalkeeper, while the Brazil team hit the turf, knowing their dream of a sixth crown had come to an end.

Netherlands 2 Argentina 2

Weghorst (83'minutes, 90'+11minutes)

Molina (35'minutes),
Messi (73'minutes pen)

Argentina win 4-3 on penalties

Lionel Messi's World Cup dream lives on after Argentina edged out the Netherlands on penalties after a hugely dramatic quarter-final at Lusail Stadium.



Messi looked to have inspired Argentina into a last-four meeting with Brazil's conquerors Croatia when he set up Nahuel Molina's opener 10 minutes before the break and then added the second from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute after Denzel Dumfries fouled Marcos Acuna.

Louis van Gaal, in his final game as Dutch coach, went for broke and it paid off as substitute Wout Weghorst led a sensational comeback by scoring twice, the second following an audacious free-kick routine 11 minutes into stoppage time.

A game of many flashpoints and more than a dozen yellow cards went to penalties, during which Aston Villa's Argentina keeper Emi Martinez emerged as the hero, saving from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis.

Messi scored his penalty and even though pressure mounted on Argentina when Enzo Fernandez dragged his spot-kick wide, Lautaro Martinez made the decisive contribution to spark wild scenes of celebration.

Saturday's Quater-Finals are (15:00 GMT) Morocco v Portugal and (19:00 GMT) England v France
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Morocco line up against Portugal for their first-ever World Cup quarter-final.


Morocco refused to be hypnotised by Spain's thousand passes, denying La Roja a goal in normal time, extra time or even the penalty shootout. If they can pull off an equal performance, and beat Portugal, they would be the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. And should have a good level of support from the local Qatari fans, being the only majority Islamic country left in the tournament

Over the course of two hours of energy-sapping football against Spain, Morocco's historic victory may have come at a price. Nayef Aguerd was forced off with a muscular complaint in the final exchanges of normal time. His centre-back partner, Romain Saiss, didn't leave the pitch but required lengthy treatment to his thigh. Both fullbacks - Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui - have been carrying knocks through the tournament before recovering to feature while Sofyan Amrabat shook off a back problem to star against Spain.


Portugal laid waste to Switzerland with a newfound attacking fluency discovered in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Coach Fernando Santos said he had a "frank conversation" with Ronaldo to explain why he was dropped for his side's last match, but insisted the forward did not threaten to leave the World Cup and is available on Saturday. Though this decision could be made harder by the player who was brought on as a replacement, Goncalo Ramos, who became the first player to score a hat-trick on his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose in 2002.

Danilo Pereira has been stuck on the sidelines with his PSG teammate Nuno Mendes since damaging his ribs in training. Mendes was ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring injury last month and Pereira is continuing his recovery.
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England are up against familiar European rivals France in their World Cup quarter-final.


These specific iterations of England and France share a number of similarities. Both have been blessed with an array of talented young forwards that are watched over by managers who have a reputation for constantly hovering over the handbrake.

Despite this standing, England are the tournament's joint-top scorers, with 12 goals, and France boast the most prolific player in the competition, Mbappe with five goals.


Ben White left the England squad due to personal reasons last week. Raheem Sterling took a plane out of Qatar after his home was burgled but may still have a role to play. Declan Rice has started every match at the World Cup but missed a training session in the buildup to the knockout tie with illness. Fellow ever-present John Stones came off against Senegal feeling his hamstring and Callum Wilson is nursing a muscular strain.


There was a flutter of hope from all those of a Three Lions persuasion when Kylian Mbappe missed a French training session ahead of the tie. However, the team's leading scorer is expected to be front and centre this Saturday.

Morocco 1 Portugal 0

En-Nesyri (42'minutes),
Cheddira (Dismissed at 90'+3minutes)

Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final and ended the hopes of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.



Striker Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the first half, leaping highest to beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa to the ball and heading in to spark pandemonium at Al Thumama Stadium.

The north African side's supporters populated most of the venue and joyously celebrated their breakthrough moment for their continent on the global stage.

Ronaldo came off the bench in the 50th minute to equal the men's all-time appearance record of 196 in international matches, but he could not drag his side back into the contest.

Morocco were happy to play on the counter and grabbed the opener just before the break when En-Nesyri headed in from Yahya Attiyat-Allah's cross.

Portugal skipper Bruno Fernandes came agonisingly close to levelling just minutes later but a brilliant individual effort struck the crossbar.

Decimated by injuries, Morocco sat back for the majority of the second half and Yassine Bounou brilliantly tipped over Joao Felix's drive - the closest they came to an equaliser.

Morocco striker Walid Cheddira was sent off for a second yellow card in eight minutes of additional time but Portugal could not find the equaliser as their last-four hopes were dashed.

England 1 France 2

Kane (54'minutes pen)

Tchouaméni (17'minutes),
Giroud (78'minutes)

England's World Cup campaign ended in disappointment as they went out despite a fine performance in the quarter-final against France at Al Bayt Stadium.



France took a 17th-minute lead when Aurelien Tchouameni's 25-yard drive beat Jordan Pickford low to his right.

England were the better team for long spells and created chances, deservedly pulling level nine minutes after the break when Kane beat Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris in convincing fashion with his penalty after Tchouameni fouled Bukayo Saka. The penalty means Kane equalled Wayne Rooney's England record of 53 goals.

France regained the lead 12 minutes from time when Olivier Giroud headed in Antoine Griezmann's perfect cross but England had a swift chance to draw level when Theo Hernandez fouled substitute Mason Mount in the box.

Kane had the opportunity make history but uncharacteristically blazed his penalty wildly over the top and England's World Cup dream was over.

Tuesday's Semi-Final is (19:00 GMT) Argentina v Croatia, between the competition's last two silver-medallists.

Both nations endured physically and emotionally draining quarter-finals which were sent to penalties by a late equaliser. Argentina managed to recover from the shock of a quick-fire Dutch double to win on spot-kicks - unlike their South American rivals Brazil. Croatia extended their 100% record to five successive shootouts at the expense of the Selecao.

This is a meeting between two camps which have expertly harnessed any whisper of a negative comment - however seemingly harmless it may sound to a neutral - to galvanise the team this tournament.

Argentina team news

There were fears that Rodrigo De Paul would miss the quarter-final with the Netherlands through injury which both the manager, Lionel Scaloni, and the player himself vehemently dismissed. De Paul lasted for 66 minutes before he was replaced by Leandro Paredes.

A record-breaking 18 cards were dished out in Argentina's full-blooded final-eight encounter. Given that tally, it's impressive that only two of Scaloni's players are suspended. Fullbacks Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel will sit out the meeting with Croatia.

Croatia team news

Four players went into Croatia's quarter-final one caution away from a suspension - including the instrumental midfielders Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic - but managed to walk the disciplinary tightrope. Zlatko Dalic is expected to have a fully fit and available squad to select from.

Argentina 3 Croatia 0

Messi (34'minutes pen),
Álvarez (39'minutes, 69'minutes)

Argentina's master and pupil Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez combined to deadly effect as they reached their sixth World Cup final with victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium.



Messi looked to be struggling with a hamstring problem early on but recovered enough to break the deadlock from the penalty spot after 34 minutes following Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic's foul on the marauding Alvarez.

Alvarez doubled Argentina's lead five minutes later when he took Messi's header just inside Croatian territory and embarked on a slaloming run, aided by fortunate bounces off Josip Juranovic and Borna Sosa, before beating Livakovic.

There was no fortune involved in a brilliant third after the break as Messi mesmerised Croatia's excellent defender Josko Gvardiol on the byeline before playing in Alvarez for the finish.

Wednesday's Semi-Final is (19:00 GMT) France v Morocco. Another match with historic relevance to Morocco, as France, as well as previous opponents Spain and Portugal, have all had a big part in the history of the country

France has defied whispers of disharmony, a glut of injuries and the curse of reigning champions to reach the final four, surviving an almighty scare from a spirited England in the quarter-finals.

Morocco - "the team that everyone loves in this World Cup" according to manager Walid Regragui - added Portugal to the list of European scalps they have claimed in Qatar with a marvellously marshalled 1-0 quarter-final triumph.

France team news

Deschamps only made one substitution during France's narrow triumph against England at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday. It's unlikely the World Cup-winning manager and player will make any changes from his starting XI which has escaped injury and suspension.

Morocco team news

Morocco are walking wounded going into this historic semi-final. Noussair Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd both missed out on the quarter-final while Romain Saiss somehow managed to soldier through 50 minutes before he was stretchered off.

A combination of illness and a discomfort with his hip sidelined Mazraoui but the Bayern Munich fullback could recover by Wednesday night - although, Yahya Attiyat Allah shone as his replacement.

Aguerd is also gunning for a return from a groin problem. The West Ham centre-back reportedly wanted to feature against Portugal but wasn't deemed fit enough - a diagnosis which may change with another four days of rest under his belt.

Walid Cheddira will not feature after collecting a pair of yellow cards in stoppage time.

France 2 Morocco 0

Hernández (5'minutes),
Kolo Muani (79'minutes)

France were pushed all the way by World Cup wild cards Morocco before the holders sealed a place in Sunday's final against Argentina.



The first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final refused to buckle despite suffering the early blows of losing key defender Nayef Aguerd to injury after he was named in the starting line-up, and then going behind to Theo Hernandez's scrambled fifth minute goal.

France, for all Morocco's endeavour and spirit, were more clinical and substitute Kolo Muani ensured they will defend their crown against Argentina and Lionel Messi at Lusail Stadium on Sunday when he turned in Kylian Mbappe's deflected shot 11 minutes from time.

Morocco also lost the clearly unfit Romain Saiss to injury before half-time but, roared on by their fanatical support, they came close to drawing level, especially when Jawad El Yamiq's overhead kick was kept out by a combination of the post and France keeper Hugo Lloris.

France, with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate outstanding, kept their composure in the hothouse atmosphere of Al Bayt Stadium and had chances of their own, Olivier Giroud striking the post in the first half.

Didier Deschamps' side always threatened on the break and so it proved as the lurking Muani finally broke Morocco's resistance late on.

Saturday's 3rd/4th Play-off is (15:00 GMT) Croatia v Morocco.

The 2018 finalists, Croatia, could not return to the showpiece in Qatar, slumping to a 3-0 defeat against Argentina on Tuesday. Morocco showed plenty of fight but struggled to convert their pressure into chances, let alone goals against France.

Croatia team news

Marcelo Brozovic was forced off at the start of the second half against Argentina with a twinge in his thigh muscle - an area which has sidelined the Inter midfielder for much of the Serie A campaign.

Dalic stressed: "We need fit players, we won’t put anyone whose even eyelashes hurt." Which suggests Brozovic may not be risked. Josko Gvardiol played the semi-final with painkilling injections in his foot, putting his involvement in doubt.

Morocco team news

Surely Romain Saiss' powers of recovering have been expended. Morocco's skipper limped towards the centre circle for the opening coin toss of the semi-final against France before giving in to a hamstring injury after 20 minutes. Nayef Aguerd pulled out just before kick-off with a thigh problem and Noussair Mazraoui couldn't make it to the second half after nursing an illness and a hip issue.

After losing to France, Walid Regragui lamented: "We had too many players at 60% or 70%." It will be intriguing to see how many members of the squad that pushed through the pain barrier will do so again on Saturday.

Croatia 2 Morocco1

Gvardiol (7'minutes),
Orsic (42'minutes)

Dari (9'minutes)

Croatia showed their class once more by clinching their third top-three finish at the World Cup with a play-off victory over history-makers Morocco.



Zlatko Dalic's side were runners-up to France four years ago and confirmed their status as one of the elite footballing nations with another third-place finish to go alongside that secured in their competition debut in 1998.

In a frantic opening, Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia the lead on seven minutes with a superb diving header but Achraf Dari levelled just two minutes later by nodding home from close range.

Mislav Orsic curled in a sumptuous second for Croatia via the post three minutes before half-time and struck a thumping, deflected drive into the side-netting after the break.

The second half could not match the energy of a thrilling opening period and Morocco failed to find an equaliser as a fruitful campaign ended in back-to-back defeats.