Colombia advances firmly in the World Cup with victory against Ghana

On Sunday, Mexico and England face each other at the Azteca Stadium for a ticket to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. For the Tricolor, it is the opportunity to break a four-decade drought without reaching that stage.

The euphoria grows after four consecutive victories without conceding goals. No rival has been able to breach the Mexican defense. But England, runners-up in the last two European Championships, represents the biggest challenge.

Javier Aguirre, Mexican coach, knows it: “You are facing England, number 4 in the world, world champion… We will have to play an almost perfect match.”

The Aztec fortress

The support of the stadium is key. Since 1966, Mexico has only lost two official matches at the Azteca. In their three World Cups at home, they have eight wins and two draws. In this edition, three victories without goals against.

“There are a lot of emotions, stories behind it,” said Aguirre, who was part of the 1986 team. “I think the best is yet to come.”

The weapons of Mexico and the English threat

Aguirre relies on the attack with Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, and on defensive solidity to stop Harry Kane, the tournament’s top scorer with five goals. The plan is to always keep an eye on him.

“Kane is a world figure. We will try to make sure he is not comfortable, that he always has someone on top of him,” Aguirre explained. He also highlighted Jude Bellingham and the English coach Thomas Tuchel.

Midfielder Gilberto Mora, 17, could be a surprise.

What if yes?

Expectations are moderate, but excitement grows. Mexico already broke a 40-year streak without winning in the knockout phase by beating Ecuador. Now, Azteca once again witnesses a match that could change history.

Morocco consolidates itself in the elite

Morocco is back in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. With a double from Azzedine Ounahi and a goal from Soufiane Rahimi, they beat Canada 3-0 in Houston. The Moroccan team is the first African nation to reach this stage on more than one occasion.

“We are no longer a surprise. Now people talk about Morocco as a contender,” said coach Mohamed Ouahbi. “This is just the beginning. We want to keep going.”

Ounahi leads the way to victory

The scoring opened until the 50th minute. Ounahi received a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and shot from outside the area into the lower right corner. In the 82nd minute, he doubled the lead with a shot inside the area after a pass from Brahim Díaz. Rahimi closed the account in added time.

Canada, co-host of the tournament, said goodbye after a historic participation. They achieved their first knockout win by beating South Africa in the previous round. Coach Jesse Marsch highlighted the level of his team: “I told them I was proud of them. We can play like this against the best, but we have to keep it up for 90 minutes.”

Marsch assured that Canada was better in several sections. Ouahbi responded: “In intensity they did well. Were they better? You have to have the nerve to say that when you lose 3-0.”

Road to quarterfinals

Morocco, sixth in the FIFA ranking, eliminated the Netherlands on penalties to reach the round of 16. They will now face France on Thursday in Boston, which hours before defeated Paraguay 1-0 with a goal from Kylian Mbappé.

Canada played without Alphonso Davies, who had a hamstring injury. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, born in Canada to Moroccan parents, made three key saves to keep a clean sheet. Both teams had already met in Qatar 2022, with the Moroccan victory 2-1.

The match was physical, with eight yellow cards. Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari was injured in the 22nd minute.

France suffers but advances

The French team secured its place in the quarterfinals of the World Cup by winning 1-0 against Paraguay, with a penalty from Kylian Mbappé. The match, played in Philadelphia, was much closer than expected for the world runners-up.

Mbappé scored his seventh goal in the tournament, equaling Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring table. The Real Madrid forward has 19 goals in three World Cups, only one less than the Argentine, who is also still in the competition. Messi also scored in his eighth consecutive World Cup match, an absolute record.

A penalty that defined history

The Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev awarded the maximum penalty after reviewing the VAR, for a foul by Diego Gómez on Desiré Doué. Despite Paraguayan protests, Mbappé executed with power to the opposite post of goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

France had won its four previous games comfortably, but this time it encountered stiff resistance from Albirroja, led by Gustavo Alfaro. Paraguay had just eliminated Germany on penalties and was looking to repeat the feat. The South American team returned to a World Cup after a 16-year absence. His performance left a good impression, although he did not achieve historic revenge for that defeat with a golden goal in the round of 16 of the 1998 World Cup.

Now, France will face Morocco on Thursday in Boston. The Atlas Lions come from beating Canada 3-0, although they lost Ismael Saibari, Bayern Munich player and scorer of three goals in the tournament, due to injury. Morocco seeks to equal its historic fourth place in Qatar 2022, where it lost precisely to France in the semifinals.

Paraguay says goodbye with its head held high, after overcoming a complicated group stage and fighting one of the favorites.