Matches of the day
And if ?
What if Japan, who beat Spain (2-1) and caused the elimination of the great Germany, invited themselves, for the first time, to the quarter-finals of a World Cup?
The Blue Samurai challenge the Croatian vice-world champions at 4 p.m., at the Al-Janoub stadium located in Al-Wakrah.
Later in the evening, one of the favorites of the tournament, Brazil, will rub shoulders with the tricky South Korea, who overtook Uruguay and Ghana in Group H. Match at 8 p.m. and possibly with its megastar , PSG striker Neymar, according to coach Tite.
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Full World Cup match schedule
Broadcast times and channels
Japan - Croatia (Right of 16): 4 p.m. (beIN Sports 1)
Brazil - South Korea (round of 16): 4 p.m. (TF1, beIN Sports 1)
The news of the Blues
Five days.
The France team will only play again in five days for its quarter-final against England, after having eliminated Poland this Sunday (3-1).
On the program this Monday: training for the substitutes of the 8th final, and scrubbing for the holders.
Players will also be entitled to increased time with their families in Doha.
A deserved reward.
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statement of the day
Tite, coach of Brazil, maintained the vagueness around the presence or not of Neymar against South Korea (8 p.m.).
Will he play the round of 16?
“
Yes
”, Tite first replied at a press conference, before specifying: “
He will train this afternoon (Sunday) and if he trains, yes, he will play the match.
Everything will depend on “
the green light from the medical supervision
” or not, clarified Tite.
Neymar suffered a sprained right ankle on November 24 against Serbia.
Player to watch: Ivan Perisic (Croatia)
In his team, there is a Ballon d'Or, the midfielder and metronome Luka Modric, whom we never tire of admiring.
To the point of obscuring the basic man that is Ivan Perisic in this Croatian selection, vice-world champion in title.
At 33, the Tottenham winger flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee.
From his left side, he delivered two assists with his lethal right foot against Canada in the group stage (4-1 victory).
He still has this skill, this vision of the game and these hooks to create space in one-on-one.
Since Euro 2012, only Cristiano Ronaldo (21) has been involved in more goals than Perisic (16).
An artist to fear for Japan.
Ivan Perisic with Croatia against Belgium on December 1, 2022. JB Autissier / Panoramic
Expression of the day: hat trick
Nothing to do with the “sombrero kick” which is a dribble.
A hat-trick is when a player scores three goals in the same game.
We also speak more simply of a triple.
The expression "hat-trick" is known in football, but it is not exclusive to it.
Moreover, its origin dates back to a time when... football did not exist!
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The expression is taken from cricket, in Great Britain, in the middle of the 19th century.
When a pitcher knocked out three batsmen in three consecutive pitches, it was customary for his club to offer him a hat (“a hat” in English, hence the term “hat trick”).
Geoffrey Hurst's hat-trick with England in the 1966 World Cup final helped popularize the phrase.
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