The knockout round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup gets underway on Saturday with a pair of matches taking place in Russia.
Action starts in Kazan as France takes on Argentina in a battle of two teams that need to prove more. France won Group C following their 0-0 draw against Denmark on Tuesday, but only scored three goals in the group stage. Youth leads the attacking front for Les Bleus as Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are both expected to start. Argentina used a dramatic winner from Marcos Rojo to finish as runners-up in Group D, behind eventual winners Croatia. Leo Messi only had one goal in the group stage, but overall the Argentinians will need to be better in all aspects to avoid elimination.
The second match of the day sees attacking talent galore as Portgual battles Uruguay in Sochi. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. finished second to Spain in Group B, thanks to a 1-1 draw vs. Iran on Monday. A late equalizer by the Iranians doomed Portugal to second place as now they look to knock out a stubborn Uruguayan side. Luis Suarez led the way for Uruguay in the group stage, scoring two goals in three matches. Defensively, Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin headline a 3backline who have yet to concede in this tournament.
The SBI Editorial Staff will be providing live commentary on Saturday’s matches and would like you to join the fun. Feel free to join us and comment along in the section below.
Enjoy the action.
my two cents: cr7 is obviously a special player BUT in this match, the best part of the portugal attack was portugal, the whole team, not cr7. portugal’s best moments were team plays that did or didn’t involve cr7.
full time in sochi!
goliath slays david! uruguay 1-0 portugal!
uruguay will next face france in the quarterfinal round on july 2.
a final corner kick for portugal, THE KEEPER CAME OUT for it
95th minute shot portugal, saved!
92nd minute craziness! the portugal keeper comes WAY OUT of the box and plays the ball with his HEAD to stop an uruguay breakaway!
89th minute portugal still attacking in waves
shot portugal! saved comfortably
92nd minute craziness! the portugal keeper comes WAY OUT of the box and plays the ball with his HEAD to stop an uruguay breakaway!
the above comment is in the wrong place. it should appear at the top.
84th minute, uruguay holding onto their one goal lead for dear life with wave after wave of portugal attacks coming on
but they occasionaly still look dangerous on the counter
82 minute cr7 dances and prances his way through some defenders and then loses the ball. like freddie adu used to do. very similar.
80th minute portugal’s bermardo nearly causes an uruguay own goal by banging a shot off the defender’s legs right in front of the goal!
76th minute IT’S A MUGGING!
an uruguay takes down a portugal player from behind – i mean it was ALL PLAYER and NO BALL- and no call from the official wth??
74th minute portugal bossing possession since the uruguay goal
this match is turning into a bit of a david versus goliath encounter. with portugal being david and uruguay being goliath. who will win?
ouch! somebody’s gonna need some bengay after this match!
66th minute
uruguay 2-1 portugal, 64th minute, sochi.
goal uruguay!
totally against the run of play, an uruguay breakaway and a curling finish far post have given uruguay back the lead! 61st minute
59th that must have been some half time talk in the locker room! portugal have been totally in control since the second half began.
all tied up uruguay 1-1 portugal in the 57th minute in sochi.
goal portugal!
54th minute
i think it was a short corner kick whipped in and then the headed finish!
50th minute portugal as a team are starting to win the midfield battle with their superior ball skill
uruguay are starting to get that deer caught in the headlights look
the match is starting to get a little chippy now
cr7 is asking for the ball with words and by making deep, penetrating runs
the second half is underway!
the players are coming back onto the field
in sochi
cr7 is floating around from the left side to the right side, trying to find the game. he got involved a few times. he dribbled down the left side at least two or three times. i dunno, i think it’s not enough. if portugal want to win, i think they need him to get more involved than that.
half time in sochi. uruguay 1-0 portugal.
shot uruguay! 46 minute from a difficult angle goes wide
45th minute play continues
a player is down!
44th minute an uruguay screams after a collision and goes to the ground holding his head.
in the reply, nothing seemed to touch the player’s head. not sure what happened there.
replay
41 minute it’s still urugtay 1-0 portugal in sochi
the winner of this watch plays france in the quarterfinal round on July 2.
match
cr7 burns down the left side and is taken down by two uruguay players.
cr7 does some freddie adu stepovers and passes to the wide mid and leaves him on an island, was that wise?
some big uruguay bodies pass through the portugal backline and threaten a lot
35th minute
penalty, portugal!
oh not a penalty, a direct free kick from slightly outside the box. cr7 takes it, i think the wall stopped it harmlessly.
32nd minute
cr7 got another touch