World Cup Results 2018: Scores, Updated Quarter-Finals Bracket After Friday
France and Belgium set up the first semi-final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Friday with wins over Uruguay and Brazil, respectively.
Les Bleus beat La Celeste 2-0, while the Red Devils held on for a 2-1 win against the Selecao.
On the other side of the bracket, England will face Sweden and Croatia take on Russia, with both matches to be played on Saturday.
Here's a look at the bracket:
The first semi-final is one that will have many layers and should please neutral fans of the sport no end. The neighbouring countries have a minor rivalry, and in their most recent meeting, they combined for no fewer than seven goals in a Belgium win in Paris.
Here are the highlights of that match, courtesy of the French Football Federation's YouTube channel:
The Red Devils added two goals to their World Cup tally on Friday, which leads the entire tournament:
The first came off a Brazilian head, with Fernandinho sending the ball past Alisson Becker. Kevin De Bruyne doubled Belgium's lead, and Renato Augusto scored Brazil's lone goal.
In the other quarter-final, Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann took care of France's scoring, with the latter benefitting from Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's blunder.
Several members of Belgium's national team spent at least a part of their careers in France, including star forward Eden Hazard, who became the player he is today at Lille. Just about every member of the side speaks French, one of Belgium's official languages.
Les Bleus will also see a familiar face among Belgium's training staff:
Thomas Meunier won't feature on Tuesday. The Paris Saint-Germain full-back was booked against Brazil and is consequently suspended. Nacer Chadli had to leave the pitch with a minor knock, and if he is also unavailable, the Red Devils face some tough choices at the wing-back positions.
Belgium had to dig a lot deeper than their neighbours on Friday, and they have less quality on their bench. But after such an emotional and historic win, the Red Devils will believe they have a chance on Tuesday, especially considering they were easily the better side the last time they faced France.
