Slick and quick France undo Uruguay

France are through as the first semi-final team with a decisive 2-0 triumph over Uruguay.
And they did it at a canter in what was basically a one horse race.
Goals from Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann did the damage, with France dictating matters from start to finish…or should that be finesse?
The first half idled and misfired for 40 minutes, with loads of loose passing and neither keeper really troubled, but then ignited in the next five.
Varane broke the deadlock when he rose high to meet a Griezmann free kick and headed it downwards into the far corner with goalie Fernando Muslera nowhere in the frame (1-0).
Uruguay were stung into action and hardly had the game restarted when Hugo Lloris was forced into a spectacular save from a powerful Martin Caceres header, with Diego
Godin on the far post almost tapping in the rebound.
This was to be almost their only shot of note in the entire game.
Uruguay could have done with Edinson Cavani, a non-starter owing to injury, and especially missed by his strike partner Luis Suarez.
Both sides came out for the second period showing more purpose: Uruguay wanting to equalise and France looking for the safety net of a second goal.
Paul Pogba almost got on end of an aerial free kick, but Fernando Muslera in the Uruguayn goals punched the ball clear, but only just.
He would not repeat that feat – quite the opposite in fact – when in the 60th minute Griezmann hammered a speculative shot from distance.
Muslera attempted to catch it but instead parried it into his own net.
Commentators were scathing about the huge blunder, but perhaps the ball had more swerve on than was apparent (2-0).
France were now totally in control, gobbling up all the loose stuff, slick and silky-like, while the Uruguayans became more frustrated, culminating in some ill-tempered action and reaction that saw Kylian Mbappe and Cristian Rodriguez booked.
Griezmann was running the show – the difference between the two sides – and in the 72nd minute fed Corentin Tolisso, who had enough time and space to take aim but shot high and wide.
At the other end, Luis Suarez was the invisible man.
The final action saw a Griezmann free kick sails harmlessly over.
He was substituted as the hourglass was running – a well-deserved rest for the match winner and dare we say it, the form team looking at the road ahead.

Belgium ‘break’ Brazilian hearts

Brazil did the samba and Belgium did the quickstep. And the attractive swaying was no match for the speedy attacking steps of the Red Devils.

The’ ball’room judges held up the final score: Belgium 2 Brazil 1. There was little in it, in terms of the chances they created: in fact, Brazil had far more shots.

The difference was in the directness of the Belgian attacks, no messing around and great vision of where the spaces were.

Belgium won it in the first half after a master stroke of setting up the team by Roberto Martinez, putting Kevin de Bruyne up front with Romelo Lukaku to feed him, not the other way round.

Belgium simply found spaces all over the place and clobbered Brazil on the break, time after time.

Spain learned it wasn’t about the number of passes; Brazil learned it’s not about the number of shots.

It would take reams to describe the game’s many moves, chances, shots and misses – primarily from Brazil but also plenty from Belgium.

In the final analysis it was not about Neymar, or Hazard, or Lukaku or Coutinho; it was about Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian goals.

The Chelsea keeper pulled off more than a dozen point black saves.

He was beaten once, midway through the second half when Philippe Coutinho’s cute chip over the back line of defenders was perfectly headed home by substitute Renato Augusto, who had barely been on the field for a minute.

But by then the reds were already two goals up and deservedly so.

They had exploited a bewildered Brazilian defence through their speedy counters.

As early as the 12^th minute they were on the board when a deflection of Marouane Fellaini’s shot led to a corner which was flicked on by Vincent Kompany and onto two defenders before settling into the net.

They would double their tally in the 30^th minute when Lukaku’s superb run – and he had many of them during the night – ended at De Bruyne’s feet and he thundered one home from the edge of the box: unstoppable, hard and low and beyond the reach of Alisson.

The final, fatal 15 minutes were marked by two excellent football demonstrations.

The first was the attacking prowess of the Brazilians, who set up chance after chance – but all to no avail.

The second was the way Belgium ran the clock down.

They were in danger, but the ‘Hazard’ lights were on and he and De Bruyne held onto the ball like a Scotsman on a ten pound note.

They had done enough, only just, but it got them through and they will meet France in the semis.

As for me, it’s two out of two correct predictions on the night.