The soccer World Cup in Qatar promises great emotions this Sunday with two other round of 16 games: France-Poland and England-Senegal.
The temptation to reduce France-Poland to a clash between Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé is understandable given the influence both have on their national teams.
But things are more complex. Poland has seen how the Braugrana has only managed one goal, while his goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, accumulates 90% saves, two penalties saved, a large percentage of the responsibility for his team getting past the group stage 36 years later.
And the French machinery, which faces a knockout duel for the first time in a World Cup as world champion, has Mbappé as its main star, but fuels it with the gasoline that Antoine Griezmann, the man who has scored the most scoring chances, is giving him. created so far in the World Cup.
Mbappé is launched to become the protagonist of the competition, determined to lead his nation to be the first to renew the title since Brazil did it in 1962 and thus place himself, at the age of 23, in the path of his admired Pelé.
Esperando a Lewandowski
The Polish coach Czesław Michniewicz is being massacred by criticism in his country and in that rage he seeks to spur a team that has only managed five shots so far in the World Cup, three of them by Lewandowski, the majority during the match once morest Saudi Arabia in which they cemented their pass to the second round.
Waiting for the star to break the spell he has in the World Cups, where he has only scored one goal in six games, unworthy of his statistics, crouching in a team forced to defend.
Therein lies its strength. An iron defense launched by the coach, who took care of the team last January following the scare of the Portuguese Paulo Sosa, and a blind faith in the aim of his star, who so far has not found his reputed efficiency.
The infiltrators of Senegal
Senegal knows English football very well. Ten of the footballers of the African team play in England, an experience that may be key for them to have a chance in this Sunday’s round of 16 match (2:00 pm) once morest the ‘Three Lions’.
Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City) and Ismaila Sarr (Watford), are some of the examples of the Senegalese who are triumphing on the islands, while Idrissa Gueye (Everton) will miss the game due to accumulation of cards and Cheikhou Kouyaté (Nottingham Forest) is touched and will be a doubt.
In the last decade, the transfer of players from Senegal to England has been common, with the figure of Sadio Mané and his stay at Liverpool the most famous, but also remembering those of the late Papa Bouba Diop (Fulham) and the now coach of the Senegalese, Aliou Cissé, who spent two seasons at Birmingham City and another two at Portsmouth.
This previous experience is invaluable for a group that aspires to equal their best World Cup, that of 2002, when they reached the quarterfinals following eliminating France in the group stage and Sweden in the round of 16, with the second golden goal for World Cup history.
The problem for Senegal is that it will face one of the teams that best competes in short tournaments.
It is not the most attractive, but it is the most effective, and the one that has passed the group stage with the most solvency, with seven points, the same as Morocco and the Netherlands.
After the semifinals of Russia 2018 and the Eurocup final, it is hard to imagine Gareth Southgate’s solid team falling before the final rounds and especially with an a priori inferior selection like Senegal’s.
The English, following the break once morest the United States, which was able to dry out the midfield, took flight once morest Wales, more due to the weakness of the Welsh than English merit.
But the meeting served to rescue the figures of Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford, starters this Sunday, through whose creativity the options for the attack to flow once more and not get stuck pass. In it, Harry Kane hopes to be the protagonist
The Soccer World Cup in Qatar promises great emotions this Sunday with two other round of 16 games: France-Poland (10:00 am, by Directv, RCN and Caracol) and England-Senegal (2:00 p.m., Directv).
The temptation to reduce France-Poland to a clash between Robert Lewandowski y Kylian Mbappe it is understandable given the influence that both have in their selections.
But things are more complex. Poland has seen how the Braugrana has only managed one target, while his goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesnyaccumulates 90% of saves, two penalties stopped, a large percentage of the responsibility for his team surpassing the group stage 36 years later.
And the French machinery, which faces a knockout duel for the first time in a World Cup as world champion, has Mbappé as its main star, but fuels it with the gasoline that Antoine Griezmann, the man who has scored the most scoring chances, is giving him. created so far in the World Cup.
Mbappé is launched to become the protagonist of the competition, determined to lead his nation to be the first to renew the title since Brazil did it in 1962 and thus place himself, at the age of 23, in the path of his admired Pelé.
Esperando a Lewandowski
The Polish coach Czeslaw Michniewicz He is being massacred by criticism in his country and in that rage he seeks to spur a team that has only managed five shots so far in the World Cup, three of them by Lewandowski, most of them during the match once morest Saudi Arabia in which they cemented their pass to eighth
Waiting for the star to break the spell he has in the World Cups, where he has only scored one goal in six games, unworthy of his statistics, crouching in a team forced to defend.
Therein lies its strength. An iron defense launched by the coach, who took care of the team last January following the scare of the Portuguese Paulo Sosa, and a blind faith in the aim of his star, who so far has not found his reputed efficiency.
The infiltrators of Senegal
Senegal knows English football very well. Ten of the footballers of the African team play in England, an experience that may be key for them to have a chance in this Sunday’s round of 16 match (2:00 pm) once morest the ‘Three Lions’.
Edouard Mendy y Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City) e Ismaila Sarr (Watford), are some of the examples of the Senegalese who are succeeding on the islands, while Idrissa Gueye (Everton) will miss the match due to card accumulation and Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest) It is touched and it will be doubt.
In the last decade, the transfer of players from Senegal to England has been common, with the figure of Sadio Mané and his stay at Liverpool the most talked regarding, but also remembering those of the late Papa Bouba Diop (Fulham) and the now coach of the Senegalese, Aliou Cissewho played two seasons in the Birmingham City and two others in the Portsmouth.
This previous experience is invaluable for a group that aspires to equal their best World Cup, that of 2002, when they reached the quarterfinals following eliminating France in the group stage and Sweden in the round of 16, with the second golden goal for World Cup history.
The problem for Senegal is that it will face one of the teams that best competes in short tournaments.
It is not the most attractive, but it is the most effective, and the one that has passed the group stage with the most solvency, with seven points, the same as Morocco and the Netherlands.
After the semifinals of Russia 2018 and the Eurocup final, it is hard to imagine Gareth Southgate’s solid team falling before the final rounds and especially with an a priori inferior selection like Senegal’s.
The English, following the break once morest the United States, which was able to dry out the midfield, took flight once morest Wales, more due to the weakness of the Welsh than English merit.
But the meeting served to rescue the figures of Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford, starters this Sunday, through whose creativity the options for the attack to flow once more and not get stuck pass. In it, Harry Kane hopes to be the protagonist.
