FIFA 2018: After Brazil’s ouster, all-European clash in today’s Quarter-Finals

Fernandinho will never forget FIFA World Cup 2018 as his own goal gave Belgium the advantage in the Quarter Final tie against the much favoured Brazil. This reinvigorated Belgium who mounted a counterattack with Kevin De Bruyne further fortifying Belgium’s lead. Renato Augusto’s 76th-minute goal narrowed the gap and kept Brazil hopeful as the team continued its relentless attack on the Belgian side till the dying moments of the game. It all ended with the final whistle, with Belgium defeating Brazil 2-1. The team will now face France in the Semi-Finals. 

France’s march to the Semi-Finals was without much drama as the team beat Uruguay 2-0, with Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann scoring the goals. In spite of their best efforts, neither was Uruguay’s defense able to hold back France’s offense and nor were they able to make dangerous plays beyond France’s penalty area. The absence of Edinson Cavani, who suffered a calf injury in the tie against Portugal, was really felt in the match. 

Today’s (July 7, 2018) Quarter Final ties involve:

• Sweden Vs England (7.30 pm IST)
• Russia Vs Croatia (11.30 pm IST)

England is not taking its tie against Sweden lightly, after all the Scandinavian team had defeated Mexico 3-0 to top their Group F. The match is expected to see some contrasting play, with England’s attack against Sweden’s defense. For England, much is at stake as the team looks to take the FIFA World Cup trophy home after 52 years. 

Loudly cheered by their home crowd, Russia is having a dream run in the tournament so far. Russia, which was the lowest-ranked team at the start of the tournament, has never reached the Semi-Final stage as an independent country. On the other hand, the comparatively much smaller country, Croatia, is looking to enter the Semi-Finals once again after 1998. Much is expected from Croatian players Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic. 

Watch all the explosive action Live on SonyLIV, the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup 2018. It is the go-to destination for all football fanatics. 

Check out the Match Centre on SonyLIV, where viewers can see live scores, player positions, team data, match statistics and live commentary. For a more engaging experience, users can set reminders or view the entire schedule, while the points table gives a quick update on the standings, scores, etc. Additionally, SonyLIV has also created a fan-zone on the second screen that users can access on their mobile phones or tablets and experience features like match predictions, emotion meter, polls, and contests, even as they watch the game in real-time. 

Other features include viewing missed games with snippets and clips of key moments from every match along with highlights. To cater to the widest possible range of viewers, SonyLIV will be available in six simultaneous audio feeds - Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English.