There are just eight teams left in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and they all want the same thing – to lift the trophy on 18 December. After lots of shocks in the group stage, we are now in the business end of the tournament and the quarter-finals are stacked with talent. Will it be France and Mbappe smiling at the end or will Neymar and Brazil have something to say? Messi and Argentina look good too but maybe Morocco can cause another upset? The Gulf News football experts look ahead to the mouth-watering fixtures and pick their winners!
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See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
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00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News kicking back. There are just eight teams left in the FIFA
00:14World Cup and they all have the same dream of lifting the trophy on the 18th of December.
00:20Guys, this has been a tournament of complete shocks. I mean, just going back to the group
00:24stages, Saudi Arabia started it all off by beating Argentina, but then Japan pulled off
00:29two huge surprises, beating Germany and Spain. And then yesterday we saw another huge shock
00:33when Morocco beat Spain in the penalties to get to the quarter-finals. It's been absolutely
00:38incredible and in fact six of the teams, six of the eight teams in fact, in the quarter-finals
00:44are former champions or finalists and they have a combined titles, ten titles between
00:50them. But the only surprise from those eight is Morocco. It's the first time that they've
00:54made it this far and now they're bidding to get to the semi-finals. It'll be an incredible
00:58story if they can do it. I'm joined by Shyam and Shamshir to discuss the quarter-finals.
01:03Shyam, this tournament literally felt like it started a day ago. We had 32 teams and
01:08we're down to eight of them already. What's going on?
01:12It just went in a flash. I mean, it just shows that how the quality of football also simply
01:17because we've been too far too engrossed with it and we didn't know the days go by. Suddenly
01:23the group stages were over. Now we are finished with the quarter-finals and we are on to the
01:27semi-finals. Look at that. It just started off a couple of weeks ago and we are in the
01:34last eight actually.
01:36Shyamshir, they say time flies when you're having fun. That's certainly true with this
01:41World Cup. Like we've just said, we had 32 teams. We're down to eight. This tournament
01:47is flying by. What have you made of it so far?
01:50Man, one hell of a tournament, I think. We had our doubts about this tournament, especially
01:55because it was mid-season. We didn't know how it was going to pan out. But it has been
01:59good. So far, pretty surprises and everything. It has been incredible. It has been a really
02:07good spectacle. Like what you said, the shocks, the surprises. When you look into the final
02:13eight, you can see six of them, people might have predicted them to be over there. Even
02:18seven of them, people had actually already predicted. So, even with all the surprises,
02:23only one major surprise was left in the final eight. That is Morocco. Apart from that, people
02:29actually expected these teams to be there. Obviously, Germany, Spain, Belgium, people
02:33might have expected them to be there. But eventually, the best of the eight is there
02:38and it's going to be fascinating, the quarter-finals.
02:42And Shyam, from those eight teams that are there, there's still a hell of a lot of quality.
02:44We're going to be seeing some of the best talent showing their stuff in the next couple
02:50of days, starting from Friday. There'll be two quarter-finals then and then there'll
02:53be two more on Saturday. Players like Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Neymar, Harry Kane, Gakpo
02:59from Netherlands. I mean, it's got to be, I think, plenty more twists and more surprises
03:04to come. Do you think so?
03:06Absolutely. If you look at it, other than Morocco, all the rest of them are heavyweights.
03:13And also, each of the teams has got some real big names, which means we are in for some
03:18real good quality football and even Morocco for that matter. But from what we have seen
03:23so far, I think they would give the fancy teams a run for their money. They are meeting
03:28Portugal and Portugal has not been so great. But in the last match against Switzerland,
03:33they showed that they can really step up when it really matters, even without Ronaldo. So,
03:41this means with Messi, Neymar, Harry Kane and Mbappe, all these guys clanking up their
03:49game in the semi-finals, I'm sure we're going to see some high-voltage clashes.
03:53Absolutely. Shamsir, just going on to the point that Shama just made there, Ronaldo,
03:59he's like the superstar that nobody wants now. I mean, he was on the bench yesterday
04:02for Portugal, ended up scoring six goals. And for his former club now, Manchester United,
04:07also he was on the bench and we saw an upturn in fortunes from Eric Ten Hag's team. I mean,
04:13where does this guy go now? I mean, he's probably not going to start… Or do you think he's
04:16going to start for Portugal in the quarter-final against Morocco?
04:22After that performance, you know, his replacement scored a hat-trick, which Ronaldo could have…
04:29I think Ronaldo has played so many knock-out games and he has never scored a knock-out
04:33goal for Portugal in the World Cup. And this guy who came in as a replacement for him has
04:38scored a hat-trick in his first World Cup debut. I don't think he can go back to starting
04:4411 in the next match. But you never know, because it's Ronaldo and it's Fernando
04:49Santos who actually likes Ronaldo. I was really surprised when Fernando Santos put Ronaldo
04:54on the bench, because that was really a surprise. Even in the game against South Korea, when
04:59he rested many players, he gave a start to Ronaldo. And I was not expecting this to happen.
05:04See, Ronaldo is a legend of the game. He has done everything that football can offer. And
05:10I don't think he has anything to prove. There is nothing left for him to prove. Yes,
05:14a World Cup glory will be the epitome of everything for his career. But I don't think there is
05:19anything to prove. And age catches up with everyone. You know, the modern football, when
05:24you need the striker, the centre-forward to be the first man to defend, he can't do
05:29that anymore. And even the sharpness is not there. He hasn't played a lot of minutes.
05:35And even though he has missed the pre-season training with Manchester United, all these
05:40things have combined for the loss of sharpness. And Gonzalo Ramos, who came in as a replacement
05:46for him, had a terrific campaign with Benfica in the start of the season. He has scored
05:51like 14 goals for Benfica when Ronaldo was struggling for goals. So, it was a no-brainer
05:57for me to bring Gonzalo Ramos right into the middle of the pitch. But it was really a major
06:03surprise. But like what he said, this guy is a legend of the game. One of the greatest
06:07of all time. There is no doubt about that. But it's time to move on, I believe. And Fernando
06:13Santos has done the right thing. But still, he can make an impact coming from the bench.
06:18When the defence is tired, when the tired legs are there on the pitch, he can come and
06:24make an impact, I believe. So, we'll see what happens with Morocco.
06:28Shaan, big question for you now. And I want to have your opinion on this. Is Ronaldo a
06:34spent force? I mean, if you look at the way he came on yesterday, with about 20 minutes
06:38to go, it looked like he was almost in a bit of a strop. He wasn't, like Shamsir just said,
06:42he wasn't too bothered about closing people down. To be honest, he's never really done
06:46that in his career. He's not been that type of a striker. He's never been pressing. He
06:49doesn't do that. But still, you could just see from his body language yesterday, especially
06:54when he was sitting on the bench, there was a fantastic picture of him going around on
06:56the social media. He had a face like thunder. I mean, he obviously wasn't very pleased to
07:01be sitting there on the bench. But then, his replacements got a hat-trick. He's got to
07:05go and win the Golden Boot, possibly now. He's got those three goals. But even when
07:09he came on, he was looking for those dead ball situations. One of them, he got a free
07:13kick and he immediately grabbed the ball. And then, he looked like he was going to do
07:16something special, but he smashed into the wall. I mean, he really didn't do much.
07:21Shams, what can Ronaldo offer Portugal at this stage of his career now?
07:26Now, to go back to your question about his performance in the World Cup so far,
07:31it's hardly been impressive. We've seen him struggle in one-on-one situations several
07:36times in this World Cup. The Ronaldo of the old would not have. He would have easily taken
07:40down the goalkeeper. But he has struggled. That is clearly a sign he is not at his best.
07:47Whether it is because of his advancing years or the lack of playing time, I'm not too sure.
07:53But I would think it is the age has really slowed him. Also, which means, you cannot
08:01stop for the time. Your reflexes slow down. Your thinking will not be as sharp as that.
08:07And on a football field where you have to think on your feet, I think it matters, really.
08:14So, I think Ronaldo is slowly, the age is catching up with him. Now, at this stage,
08:20what can Ronaldo do for Portugal? I was reading Fernando Santos' interview. In fact, a lot of
08:29what Shams said came there. Because Fernando Santos is a father figure to Ronaldo. So,
08:35you would never expect him to drop him. But Fernando Santos, the coach, decided to drop
08:41him because he was a handicap there. Because in the group stages, we've seen how the frontline
08:48lacked the sharpness. There, Ronaldo missed chances. So, finally, Santos decided to play
08:55his game. For Portugal to play according to his plan, he needed a change. And Ramos was
09:03the perfect answer. And he was proved right. From the first goal, you knew this guy was something
09:11special. The tundering shot to the roof of the net. But I had a look at Ronaldo's reaction.
09:17Ronaldo didn't know how to react. He didn't know whether to applaud. I mean, it is a mixture of
09:23emotions going through them. I mean, you feel sorry for him. But it also showed the ego of the
09:29man. I mean, he didn't like it one bit. And I think part of the reason why he was bent,
09:35Santos showing him his place. Because when he was substituted the previous match,
09:40he made a big fuss of it. He didn't take it easily. He hated to be a sub. So, this is again,
09:48Santos showing that, I call the shots. Now, from the tactical point, I think this could also be
09:54a help. It will also help Portugal. If you look at it, these are knockout games. Actually,
10:02this guy, Ronaldo coming late could help Portugal simply because if the goal, if the game slips into
10:10extra time and tiebreakers, Ronaldo could be an asset. And we know in a dead ball situation,
10:15Ronaldo is still a threat. And penalties, he is one of the best around. So, I think that game plan
10:22could work to Portugal's advantage. Yeah, that's a good point. I mean, we're talking about Ronaldo's
10:27age. He's 37. And the thing is, Shamsiri, players with explosive pace like Ronaldo,
10:33you know, when they get on in their advancing years and when they lose a yard of pace like
10:37that, like he clearly has done, their whole game is different. Because now suddenly,
10:40they can't knock it past the fullback and just charge past because they haven't got that anymore.
10:44So, they've got to rely on other parts of the game to still be relevant. Whereas, for example,
10:49Messi has never had that explosive pace. He's always had great close ball control skills.
10:53And do you think now, we're probably seeing that old age question being answered, who between the
10:59two is obviously having a better tournament? The answer is Messi. Does that answer the
11:04age old question about who's better, Messi or Ronaldo? What do you think?
11:11See, I'm a Messi guy. So, I'm going to say it's Messi, definitely. But you can see from the
11:18scene. Okay, this requires an explanation, basically. Messi is possibly an architect
11:24on the pitch. Ronaldo has always been a goal scorer. Yes, he used to have explosive space
11:29and he was dribbling from the wing and he was making a lot of goals from there. But then,
11:34he has moved to be a striker, made himself as a box player, basically. Like a poacher kind of
11:41a player. And he was scoring tons of goals with the service provided. But Messi, he can create
11:46himself. He can play-make himself. He can score himself. So, that shows the difference of the
11:52class of the guys. And two different types of players, to be honest. One is a proper striker
11:58now. The other one is an architect on the pitch. So, I don't think you can really compare both.
12:03But the way that Messi is making an impact in Argentina, even at this age, he's only 35.
12:08Ronaldo is 37 and a half, going to be 38. So, the age difference is still there. Because
12:14we don't know what Messi is going to do at the age of Ronaldo now. Ronaldo is there in the
12:18Portugal side. Maybe Messi might have already retired. So, we can't really make a comparison.
12:22But at this age, even at 35, Messi is the talisman of the Argentinian side. Whereas,
12:29at the age of 37, Portugal… When you look at the Portugal side, Ronaldo… Without Ronaldo,
12:35they are playing better. With Ronaldo, they are struggling. So, that could answer my question,
12:39to be honest. Messi is still the talisman for Argentina. Ronaldo is not.
12:44You know, I've got to counter that and say, I think Ronaldo… I think this is Messi and this
12:51is Ronaldo. The reason why I say that is simply because, look, Ronaldo has tested himself in
12:56several different leagues across Europe. He's not just a left-footed player like Messi. He can
13:00play with left and right. And he's got the advantage of being tremendous in the air. He's
13:04still so good. The way he hangs up there, climbs up and beats six-foot-five-inch defenders for the
13:10ball with his head. I mean, he's proven… They're both great. I mean, it's very hard to
13:14choose between them. But I would just slightly put Ronaldo slightly ahead of Messi, purely because,
13:20in his career, he's played in Italy. He's played in Spain. He's played in England. He's done
13:25everything. You know, there's only a couple of leagues where he hasn't tested himself. Germany,
13:29it would be great if he had gone to Bayern Munich. But it looks like that's not going to happen.
13:33They're both superb players. And, Sharm, they've probably still both got enough in their tank
13:38to deliver a flash of brilliance, which could be enough to change the game. I mean,
13:43they're both certainly not spent forces. They're certainly not as good as they used to be.
13:48But I think with the sheer quality that they both possess, in any given moment, like you mentioned
13:52before, in a dead ball situation particularly, I mean, you'd look to Messi or Ronaldo to put
13:57that ball down and just arrow it into the top corner like they've done so many times in their
14:01careers. I'm going to digress a bit here. I'll address what you spoke about a little earlier,
14:08that Messi had played only one half in La Liga, whereas Ronaldo has proved himself all over the
14:16European leagues. Fair point. I mean, that actually is a very, very, what do you call it,
14:23a laudable attribute. He's gone all over the place and he's proved himself there.
14:28But at the same token, Pelé has never played outside Brazil. So, will you say that he's not
14:35a good player? I would never say such a thing. But my all-time favourite player is Diego Maradona.
14:43I think he was the best. But no, you're right. Carry on, Sham. Your point was a good one.
14:48So, I'm just trying to dismantle your argument there. So, here, in defence of Messi, I would say
14:56Messi was indebted to Barcelona in many ways. Because as a kid, he was brought to La Masia.
15:01He had medical conditions. So, he owed his allegiance to Barcelona. And he didn't want
15:08to snap ties until he was forced to. So, I think that is a question of loyalty rather than skill
15:14there. I'm pretty sure that Ronaldo, I mean, just like Ronaldo, Messi would have been as successful
15:21as him if he had moved to different clubs. Simply because, like Shamshir said, unlike Ronaldo,
15:29Messi is a creator and a good scorer. Whereas, Ronaldo is out and out a poacher. I mean,
15:35he is a striker. Now, to come back to your original question, can they still contribute? Yes.
15:41In dead-ball situations, both are still deadly. Make no mistake. There are not too many people
15:48who can do that. And they can… Whether it's a free kick or a penalty kick, OK. One of the
15:54penalties of Messi was saved. But again, that is the nature of penalties. But in dead-ball
16:00situations, both of them are equally good. And I think they will serve both the teams well in
16:06the inside situations. All right. Let's start talking about the four-quarter finals, starting
16:11with the first one on Friday. It's going to be Croatia against Brazil, Modric against Neymar.
16:17You can put it how you like. Shamshir, how do you see this game going? Do you think we've seen
16:21anything at all from Croatia to think that Brazil will be a bit worried by them? Or do you think
16:27Brazil will just cruise like they did against South Korea the other day? See, the Croatia-Belgium
16:34game, we can use that as a reference maybe for that. Because Belgium had created a lot of chances
16:39against Croatia in that game. And Croatia were defending very deep. And some of the tackles…
16:46Lukaku missed a lot of sitters in that game. If one would have gone in, we wouldn't have been
16:51talking about Croatia in this situation. So, that was like a Lukaku disaster class in that game.
16:57And Croatia were like desperate in defending. So, Brazil can carve open that Croatian defence,
17:02I guess. Because you talk about the compactness and all over there. But still, the last-ditch
17:07defending, that is what helped Croatia in that game against Belgium. So, Brazil are more creative
17:12than Belgium. And you know the firepower they have. So, I think I can see only one result in
17:19that game. But Croatia with the Dalish, the manager, they will be trying to be compact and
17:24defending. That Josko Guardiola guy, 20-year-old, but he's playing like a 30-year-old. He's a
17:30master defender and he's going to play for some of the big clubs in the near future. And that
17:36midfield of Brozovic, Modric and Kovacic, they have to play their very best. We didn't see Modric
17:43in the best in the last game. He was struggling a lot. Even the ages catching up for him, maybe.
17:49But that was not the scene with Real Madrid when we were seeing him. He was still playing
17:53at the same level, the high-quality level. So, that midfield and defence has to play their A-plus
18:00game. Not even the A game. To get anything out of that game and to get the game into the quarter-finals,
18:05sorry, the extra-time or the penalties. Because that's how Croatian games are usually in the
18:10knockout rounds. I think out of the last eight, six of the Croatian games have gone into the extra-time.
18:15So, they might be thinking about that. Because stop Brazil from scoring and rely on Penisic,
18:21the big game player, to score one goal or the other from a set-piece or from a break or something.
18:27But Brazil's firepower is too strong, man. I can't see anything other than a Brazil result.
18:33Shaan, Croatia were the surprise package in the Russia 2018. They went all the way to the final.
18:39Nobody expected them to get that far. Again, we're not really considering them to go further
18:45than the quarter-finals this time. But how do we know? They could pull off another surprise and
18:50beat Brazil. It's possible. Brazil lost against Cameroon, after all. But obviously, they were
18:53arresting all their players. Like Shamsir says, their strike force, their squad, the depth of
18:58talent that they have, it's just a joke, really. In fact, I remember, I think it was Casimiro
19:04saying, he says he feels sorry for every other team in the World Cup. Because Brazil's squad
19:08depth is just so much better than everybody else's. And it's true. We're seeing it. The way they're
19:12carving teams open. But do you think Croatia could just surprise them and possibly
19:20get to the semi-finals? I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, I can't see a result going that way.
19:26But like Shamsir said, they are very organized defense. They are very structured defense. They
19:30are very disciplined defense. So which means it's not going to be easy. Not just that.
19:37They have still several players from the previous World Cup, which means these guys have been there.
19:42They've done that. So they have been in crunch situations. They know how to handle those
19:46situations. So it's not going to be easy for Brazil. But like you said, the sheer firepower,
19:52like if one is not working, they've got an option. So not just one option, two other options. So
19:57which means they will eventually break down Croatia. But it's going to be a battle of
20:02attrition out there. Yeah, I think we're all in agreement. Brazil should go through. Croatia
20:08have done well to get this far. But it's an aging squad. Bodric, like Shamsir mentioned just now,
20:13he's also 37. It's his last World Cup. And it'll be a huge surprise if they beat Brazil to get to
20:18the semi-finals. But no, I think we can all safely assume Brazil should get through to the semi.
20:23Right, Netherlands against Argentina-Sham. Now, we've mentioned Netherlands several times in
20:28the programme before. We've been saying that they haven't really come to the party, as it were. We
20:33know that there's a lot more to come from this team. They're full of talent. They've got a good
20:37coach. They've got Cody Gapko, who's scoring goals for fun for PSV Eindhoven and for the national
20:42team. But can they surprise Argentina now? Argentina had a strange start by losing to
20:48Sadio Abreu in the group. But then since then, they've turned it around. Messi is really coming
20:52to the fore. He's obviously leading by example, as you'd expect him to. This is also his last
20:56World Cup. He's 35 now. It's going to be a tough game, this one, I think. I can see this one going
21:02to extra time and penalties. Absolutely, yes. I was going to say that it's going to be a very tough
21:07call. Simply because, for exactly the same reasons you said, Argentina are really buzzing. They're
21:13not the Argentina we saw against Saudi Arabia in the first match. No, they've come a long way.
21:20They are really, really buzzing. And Messi has gotten into the game. Not just Messi,
21:25the people around him. Angel Di Maria is setting up goals. Alvarez is scoring goals. So, you have
21:33a complete package now in Argentina. So, it's going to be tough for the Dutch. But the Dutch
21:39also have been improving over the last several games. In fact, in the quarterfinal, it was their
21:44best game with Memphis Depay doing very well. Then you have Demfries. Demfries was very,
21:51very, very attractive in that game. So, they're going to be quite a handful for them. So,
21:57like you said, it could quite well go into the penalties.
22:01Shamsir, look. I mean, the Netherlands have got a very good attack. If you just think about the
22:04players that they have. Demfries, the full-back. Marauding full-back. Gets forward all the time.
22:08Scores goals. Creates chances. Then they've got, as Shams just mentioned, Memphis Depay down there.
22:14They've got Gabco scoring goals. They've got experience there in Daley Blind. I mean,
22:18they're a strong team. But as Shams said, so is Argentina. How do you see this one going?
22:24Yeah, it's about two defences, this game, I think. The Netherlands have been defending well
22:29in this World Cup. And that is not the Netherlands' way. But Louis van Gaal likes it to be
22:34that way. And he's someone who's a manager with a plan. And he's very confident. Whenever you
22:40listen to him, he believes that the Netherlands is going to win the World Cup. And he has a plan
22:46against Argentina also. See, for Argentina, I think that the first game that they lost against
22:51Saudi Arabia was the real kick they actually need. And after that, they just regrouped.
22:57And they were a team, you know, with several unbeaten games. And they were chasing a record.
23:02And they got beaten by Saudi Arabia in the first game. And after that, they realised,
23:07this is the World Cup. You could end up… One game if you lose, just like that, one more time,
23:12you're out of the competition. So, that team spirit came back. And Lionel Scannone got his
23:18tactics again. He went back to the drawing board and he worked on the tactics. And he brought in
23:24Enzo Fernandes and all these players into the side. And that worked well for them. And the
23:29defence, they have been playing really well. They're working for each other. They're sweating
23:35blood. And those things are going to make a huge difference in the knockout rounds. You need to
23:40defend well. So, even Netherlands are going to defend and Argentina are going to defend. So,
23:45who's going to score the goal? That is the question. And so, a little bit of magic is required.
23:50And Memco Dubai can provide that magic on the other side. And certainly Lionel Messi can provide.
23:56So, I think a moment of magic will decide this game. So, it could go to the extra time. But
24:02a moment of magic is what I'm waiting for in this game.
24:06Wow. I think we're going to be seeing just that. Tough game. KG, both defences on top. And yes,
24:11could well be a moment of Messi magic. We'll have to see, right? The other one on Saturday
24:16is Morocco. It's a surprise package against Portugal. Now, Morocco have done so well. In
24:20that group of theirs, they had Croatia, they had Belgium and they had Canada. And I don't think
24:25anybody thought that Morocco would finish top of that group. They were probably thinking they'd be,
24:29you know, third or fourth and there'll be Croatia and Belgium. But they finished top.
24:34And then yesterday, they pulled off a huge surprise by taking Spain all the way to penalties
24:39and then confidently putting those penalties away. I mean, Sham, the two days before that,
24:43we talked about this. We saw Japan in a very similar situation against Croatia, take the game,
24:48play really well, take it all the way to penalties. But then unfortunately,
24:52in the spot kicks, they just messed up really badly. But on the other hand, yesterday,
24:56Morocco looked really confident. They strode up to the penalty spot, put the ball down
25:01and there was absolutely no mistakes. Only one was missed by them. But how do you feel
25:07against Portugal, you know, considering that they've just put six goals past Switzerland on
25:12their way to the quarterfinals? They're a team in form. We've talked about Ronaldo. He's either
25:17going to be starting or probably he's going to be on the bench again, because why would you change
25:21a winning team? I don't think they'd risk that. But is there a surprise in store? This tournament
25:26has been full of surprises. Are we going to see at least one more surprise? And this is the surprise
25:31team. Can Morocco do this tomorrow? Sorry, on Saturday? It is entirely possible. Actually,
25:38when you asked me yesterday about Morocco's future in this tournament, I said they can
25:46quite well make the semis. I still believe they can, but that was before Portugal's six-goal win
25:55against Switzerland. But yesterday, Portugal showed that they can kick up a few more gears
26:03and operate on a different plane. So, I'm really having a second thought about my prediction,
26:10which I made yesterday. But to be fair to Morocco, they have the momentum with them. They
26:16have self-belief in them and they have a solid defence. So, which means they can stop Portugal.
26:24But again, Portugal has got multiple options. They are a very talented side. I mean,
26:31we just got to see Ramos. Before that, we know about Bruno Fernandes. We know about Joao Felix.
26:37We know about Silva, for that matter. So, there are lots of players. In every position, they have
26:45very good, talented players. So, it's not going to be easy like the game against Spain. Spain,
26:52I think they overdid the passing game. And of course, they lacked a proper striker,
26:57which is not the case with Portugal. So, it's going to be a tricky game.
27:04But I mean, I wouldn't call this game in favour of Morocco like I did yesterday. But I think it's
27:10going to be a pretty tight game for both sides. Shamsuri, look, yesterday, Morocco against Spain,
27:17there were two totally different styles of football. You had Spain on one hand,
27:21thinking that they were playing in the possession World Cup. I think they've got their tournaments
27:25wrong because they were just keen on having the ball and just tippy-tappy around the back and
27:29not doing anything with it. More than a thousand passes, whereas Morocco, as soon as they got the
27:34ball, bang, both flanks, they were going. They were going directly for the Spanish defence.
27:39And okay, in the 120 minutes, we didn't see a goal, but the more likely team to score
27:43looked like Morocco. Now, I've got a funny feeling that on Saturday, Portugal are going
27:47to be playing in a similar sort of way. They also like to retain the ball and they also like the
27:51possession. This could suit Morocco very well, who, like Sham has just said, have a very strong
27:56defence. It'll be hard for Portugal to break them down. And I can really see an upset there. I can
28:02see Ziyech, I can see Hakimi, I can see Bouffal on the other flank. These kind of guys getting
28:08on the ball and just bombing at the Spanish full-backs, getting around the back, and just
28:13one good delivery is all it's going to take because Morocco also have a very good defence.
28:16They've only conceded one goal in the tournament and that was an own goal. So, you know, I really
28:21do feel, and it's not just because of the Spain game yesterday, I've been seeing, we've all been
28:25seeing Morocco play throughout the group stage. They've really been impressive. Half the team
28:29plays in Europe, you know, they've got players playing for Bayern Munich, players playing for
28:33Chelsea, players at West Ham, very good leagues, you know, top leagues, top teams, and they're
28:38bringing their A game now into the World Cup. I got a real feeling, okay, Portugal have scored
28:44six goals, but maybe they've scored all their goals too soon. How do you see it going tomorrow
28:48on Saturday, Shamsu? We've got to give credit to Portugal for banging six goals in that
28:55game. But, you know, one thing we need to see is that Switzerland is one of the most organised
28:59defences in the World Cup and they have scored six goals against them. But what the change
29:04the Swiss manager did was that he changed the formation in this game.
29:08He tweaked it. He made it as a three-at-the-back system, which was the first time they have played
29:13in this World Cup. So, they were playing so well at four-at-the-back system and they changed it.
29:17And players were like totally in and out of shape. And there were lots of space behind. And it was
29:22just exploited by the Portuguese players, especially the flair players like Dao Felix, Bernardo Silva,
29:27Bruno Fernandes and Gonzalo Ramos. Ramos was the surprise package. So, Morocco might have seen
29:32that game. But the only thing I want to see is that, like, I want to wait and watch. Does Morocco
29:38have got the same energy left? Because they have given everything against Spain. They have given
29:43literally everything. Because even Aguero is injured. Aguero has been fantastic for them.
29:48Stais is injured. He was playing with literally one leg in that game in the second half.
29:54So, I don't know whether the replacements who are coming in for these guys are going to be
29:59giving the same kind of performance, the level of performance. That is one thing we need to see.
30:04And definitely what you said, Morocco are going to sit back and counter with pace.
30:09But even Fernando Santos' team, usually, they don't like possession either. They are not a
30:15possession-based team. But now we can see that when the tournament progresses, they like to
30:20keep the ball. Otherwise, even them, they don't really like. They just like the vertical passes
30:25and a team in transition they are. So, it's going to be more of a confusion. What are we going to do?
30:32Because they are also sitting back. We don't want to sit back. We have to attack. So, Morocco take
30:37the ball and do the attack. And we can do the transition then. So, it's going to be like that.
30:41So, it's going to be a confusion game. I don't know how to call that game. I just want to see
30:45Morocco. Morocco has really got anything left in them. But definitely, the supporters are going to
30:52give everything to them. And the players will give everything. But Portugal will have the quality,
30:57the flair, like what Shyam mentioned. They have quality all over the pitch. They are playing in
31:02La Liga, Bundesliga, Premier League. They are top-top players. You can pick two guys for each
31:10position for them. Cancelo was on the bench yesterday. And D'Aro was playing in the right
31:14back. Ronaldo is on the bench. Goncalo Ramos is there. Andre Silva is there. Joao Felix,
31:20Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho, Ruben Neves. All these guys. Paulinho is a tackling machine.
31:26And then you have the experience of Pepe at the back. Ruben Dias at the back. The quality is
31:33immense. So, we just want to see… We all love the underdog story. So, we can hope for a Morocco
31:41win. But my head says it's going to be a Portugal victory. I think from all the quarter-final games,
31:48that one is going to be the most exciting. I can see that being both teams playing at 100 miles
31:53an hour, getting at each other. And yeah, you both make very good points. Portugal, obviously,
31:58they've made it this far. We know how strong they are. But a little plucky Morocco. I think
32:03they've got one more punch left in them. Let's see what happens. Right. The last quarter-final
32:07is between the reigning champions France against England. Now, I mean, these two teams… If this
32:15was the final, I think nobody would have complained. They've both been playing really
32:18well. France have been really impressive in this tournament. From the very first game,
32:21when they thrashed Australia by four goals to one. And Bape was immediately in the thick of
32:27the action, scored a goal, got two assists that day. But at the same time, England's first game,
32:31they put six past Iran. And then a nil-nil draw against the USA. And then a three-nil win against
32:37Wales. And then another three-nil win against Senegal. Schalm, that's three clean sheets in a row.
32:41And in total, 12 goals in four games. I mean, this is a team really coming into form at the
32:48right time, isn't it? It is. It is. And they've been very, very impressive. Especially the last
32:54match I saw them play against Senegal. I thought that's going to be a very tight match. But it
33:00turned out to be completely one-sided. Once England got the first goal, I think that took
33:07the wind out of Senegal. And it was England all the way. Now, will that happen with France? No.
33:13France is a different cup of tea. Which is to worry. Because much as we see the creativity of
33:22Bellingham and Foden and the scoring prowess of Harry Kane, France is no less there. You still
33:31have Mbappe to deal with. Kyle Walker must be spending sleepless nights, I'm sure. And I think
33:40Gareth Southgate or somebody went on to say that they have been planning for this two years in the
33:44making. I don't know. But the thing is, Mbappe is a beast on the pitch. I mean, he explodes.
33:51From his side, I have not seen any other player. This is something Ronaldo used to do in his prime.
33:57From a standing position, just explode just like that. And that is something sensational.
34:05You can see the defenders trailing behind him. So, that is a real, real threat. Not just that,
34:11see Giroud is still popping in goals. Mind you that. And Griezmann is still lurking around. He
34:16is still running from box to box there. So, there is a task cut out there for England, really. But
34:23also, one of the things which really worries me about England is their defense has not been fully
34:28tested as yet. And a couple of occasions when they have been under stress, I saw Harry Begler
34:34make two very bad mistakes. That is the kind of mistakes you cannot afford to make in a team
34:43like France. So, which is why I am very worried about tomorrow's game. Tomorrow, I am calling it
34:48France against England. Now, Shamsu, look, there is a bit of worrying news coming from the France
34:55camp. Mbappé missed training yesterday. And we all know that he came into the tournament with a
35:02slightly niggling ankle injury, which so far does not seem to have troubled him at all. He has been
35:07absolutely brilliant. But the fact that he missed training yesterday will be giving England,
35:12me especially, a lot of hope. Because we are all hoping that Mbappé does not play.
35:16If he does not play, that will give England a real huge chance to get through. Because
35:20otherwise, Mbappé on form, running at you, like Shams says, from a stand-start position,
35:25he has absolutely got blistering pace. Karl Walker is quick, but he is not going to be able to catch
35:29up with Mbappé. But if he actually is injured and misses out on this game, that would be a huge
35:36blow for France and a huge plus point for England, wouldn't it, Shamsu? Definitely. If that happens,
35:43I will have to say that Pogba's voodoo is working. And the black magic is working. Otherwise,
35:53I think he will be alright. The news was coming out from the English media. But the French media
35:58has been saying that he is alright. That's what I read lately. But anyway, let's see what happens.
36:03But if he doesn't start, that's going to be really a major boost for England, definitely. Because
36:09you know, the firepower that England has, they can actually beat any team in the world.
36:14It's that kind of talent. And Southgate, the one thing that he has done good in the
36:18middle of the tournament is that the decision that he has made to bring
36:21forward and back into the line-up, because he has been a generational talent and he was
36:26keeping him on the bench. And now he's starting and that could make a lot of difference. And the
36:31France is actually kicking. And that could do well. And Jude Bellingham has been a sensation
36:36in the tournament. We have seen how good he has been already for Dortmund and all.
36:39And when it comes to France, the experience could prove to be vital. Because
36:44England under Southgate, they have reached till that final and they have bottled it.
36:48But France, for instance, they have won the World Cup. They have won the Nations League.
36:54They have the winning mentality in them. So that could prove to be very, very important.
36:59And what you said, Morocco-Portugal is the favourite match for you. But I think this is
37:04going to be a cracker of a match. France versus England is like a final for me. It's going to be
37:10having everything that you actually need in a football game. Because you have proper wingers.
37:14You have proper strikers on each side. You have good defenders. But for England,
37:19I am not really sure about that. Because that defence is not tested that much even in this
37:23tournament. So France are definitely going to test the Maguires and the Stones and the Walkers
37:29and the Lukos. So we'll see what's going to happen. But I think the experience and the
37:34winning mentality is going to be the difference here. And I think France have that in abundance.
37:39And I think they're going to nick it.
37:42Oh, I'm going to say the opposite. I've got a feeling the exact thing is going to happen
37:46and England's going to nick it. I would say that. Anyway, guys, listen, I need a one final
37:51prediction now. We've talked all about the quarterfinals. Obviously, we're going to have
37:54to see who gets to the semi-final and to the final. But from these last eight teams,
37:58who would you say, Shyam, is your winner?
38:04I said at the outset of the tournament that Brazil will win. And I have not changed my mind.
38:10I was disappointed in between because there was a dip in their performance after their
38:15first game. Now with the return of Neymar, they are buzzing in. They are a real threat. And I
38:21think they have the intent to win this tournament.
38:24Wow, Brazil. Good shout. Shyam, who about you?
38:28For me, on the paper, Brazil are the favourites. And obviously, even Portugal, when you look
38:34into the paper, they are the favourites and the reigning champions, France. But I'm going with
38:38Argentina. And I have my reasons for that. That loss against Saudi Arabia was the kick they needed.
38:44And now they're playing as a team. They don't have superstars like Brazil has, or France has,
38:49or even Portugal has. They don't have the squad depth. They just have a few players playing as a
38:56team, playing for Messi, playing for Argentina. They actually have a dream. And it's the last
39:00dance for Messi. And everybody wants to win it for him, win it for Argentina. So I think
39:06they have got that in them. And I think they are going to nick it. It's not going to be
39:11in a blistering style or in a fascinating style or anything. But they are just going to get it.
39:17That's it.
39:18Yeah, good show. I'm hoping that my boys England, they've been like you just alluded to,
39:23I mean, Southgate's got them to the final of the Euros, lost on penalties, got to the
39:29semi-final of the last World Cup, lost against Croatia. They're looking good. In this particular
39:33World Cup, they're looking quite good. So fingers crossed that they at least get to the final. But
39:39at the same time, I'm getting a real soft spot for Morocco. So I've got two teams now.
39:43So let's see how they all do. That's all from us for tonight. We'll be back again to see how
39:48all the quarterfinals go. In the meantime, head to golfsnews.com for all the latest news and reviews
39:53and catch us on our social media channels. Thanks Shams and thanks Shamsir. And we
39:57shall see you all again next time.