Belgium achieves the feat: eliminates Brazil, the favorite team of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and returns to the top four in a World Cup 32 years after Mexico '86, where they finished fourth, losing the final against France, who will meet again next Tuesday in the first semi-final. From tonight the World Cup becomes a mini-European: with the exit of Brazil and Uruguay, eliminated by France in the first quarter-final, there are no more non-European teams in the running for the final victory. In fact, Croatia, Russia, Sweden and England will see it on the other side of the scoreboard: one of them will be the second finalist, who will emerge from Wednesday's semifinal and will reach one between France and Belgium.
The Belgians finally legitimize their Fifa ranking (they are currently second, just behind Brazil, but in recent years they have also occupied the first position), which many critics have always considered overrated, for a team that seemed eternally incomplete. This time the national team led by the Spanish Martinez, who keeps Mertens on the bench, makes no mistake: Hazard, De Bruyne (his goal is 2-0) and Lukaku are in the evening of grace, as well as the midfield dam made up of Witsel and Fellaini. Nothing to do for Neymar and his companions: Brazil has now been missing the World Cup final (and title) since 2002, it was still the era of the various Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos. This time, after failing at their home World Cup four years ago, they have to settle for yet another quarter-final: the seventh in a row, you have to go back to Italia '90 to find an elimination in the round of XNUMX. Disastrous Fagner and Fernandinho (his own goal that opens the scoring), by Renato Augusto the point of the flag.
In the afternoon France he had passed the willing Uruguay without too many worries of the moving Tabarez, who however paid for the heavy absence of the Cavani striker as predictable. Suarez alone could not bear the weight of the attack, against a highly organized and lucid team like the one led by Deschamps. The Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane and the usual Griezmann scored, however thanks to a duck from the former Lazio player Muslera.
