Haaland & Kane set for epic battle, Lammens sends Spain through

With the semi-finals within touching distance, the stakes could hardly be higher for the remaining World Cup hopefuls.

France continued their imperious march towards MetLife Stadium with a comfortable 2-0 win over Morocco on the back of another goal from Kylian Mbappe, who became only the second player in World Cup history to reach a 20-goal milestone.

The Real Madrid superstar pulled level with Argentina icon Lionel Messi on eight goals, with the Golden Boot race set to go down to the wire, especially now that Erling Braut Haaland prepares to step onto the pitch.

Haaland has scored an impressive seven goals in his World Cup debut and will be keen to add to that tally when high-flying Norway take on England in another mouth-watering tie.

Three steps from ‘coming home’

Norway could not have asked for a more formidable task in their maiden quarter-final appearance as they face the Three Lions for the first time since a narrow 1-0 friendly loss in 2014.

Haaland was on fire in the round of 16. His second-half brace stunned Brazil as the Vikings eked out a 2-1 victory in Neymar’s farewell World Cup outing to reach the quarter-final of a major tournament for the first time.

Buoyed by that remarkable success, Norway will be out to defy a disappointing run of six consecutive World Cup clashes against UEFA opposition without a win, though it will be a tall order.

Despite facing a man disadvantage and the Azteca’s altitude, England clinched a nerve-wracking 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico in the last knockout round, taking another huge step towards lifting their first World Cup trophy since 1966.

Thomas Tuchel must address England’s defensive woes if he’s to avoid another dramatic affair, and confidence may stem from the fact that the Three Lions have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four meetings with Norway.

Complacency could be England’s worst enemy – apart from Haaland – but they should know better than to underestimate Stale Solbakken’s side, not least because they’ve lost five of their last six World Cup knockout games against European teams.

While Tuchel’s charges must pay close attention to Haaland, the Norwegians have to deal with Harry Kane, who remains in the race for the Golden Boot with six goals, including a decisive penalty against Mexico last time out.

Can Switzerland stop Messi?

Argentina became the first side in World Cup history to overturn a two-goal deficit from as late as the 78th minute to win in regulation time during their stunning 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16.

Unfazed by a squandered first-half penalty, Messi inspired La Albiceleste’s late comeback, setting up Cristian Romero to cut Egypt’s lead in half before levelling the score with a sublime half-volley.

La Pulga has now scored in nine successive World Cup games, with his heroics helping Argentina extend their unbeaten World Cup run to 11 matches, their longest streak in tournament history.

It’s been 12 years since a ‘prime’ Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-1 friendly win over Switzerland. Though it feels like a lifetime ago, even now at 39, he is still a force to be reckoned with.

Stopping Messi would significantly improve Switzerland’s chances of avenging a seven-game winless run against the reigning champions, which features a pair of losses from as many World Cup meetings.

Murat Yakin’s side can perhaps find comfort in the resilience they showed against Colombia in the last 16. After grinding out a goalless draw, the Nati held their nerve to prevail on penalties.

Another strong defensive performance will be required if they’re to hold Argentina at bay and progress from their first quarter-final tie since 1954.

Courtois injury sends his country home

Belgium fought tooth and nail to take their blockbuster quarter-final showdown against Spain to extra time, and they were doing well until Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens made an epic blunder in the 88th minute.

There was nothing to separate the sides at half-time as Charles De Ketelaere cancelled out Fabian Ruiz’s opening goal late in the first half with his third goal of the tournament.

However, Rudi Garcia’s men completely relinquished possession in the second half, allowing La Furia Roja to dictate the tempo and keep them camped inside their own penalty box.

Despite Spain’s dominance, they couldn’t find a way past Thibaut Courtois, but the veteran keeper picked up an injury midway through the second half, forcing Garcia to introduce Lammens.

Courtois’ withdrawal came back to haunt the Red Devils late on as Lammens spilled Pau Cubarsi’s long-range strike straight into the path of Mikel Merino, who, after deciding a last-16 tie against Portugal, settled another close contest.

It was nothing less than Luis de la Fuente’s side deserved for everything they had invested after the break.

Yet, it’s also worth noting that Lamine Yamal produced another underwhelming performance, and he’ll have to do much better if Spain are to overcome France in the semi-finals.

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What to watch

Haaland’s international form has been nothing short of mind-blowing.

The Yorkshire-born striker has netted in his last 14 competitive appearances for Norway, racking up an intimidating 27 goals in the process as he now bids to become the first European to score in his first five World Cup games since Gerd Muller in 1970.

It’ll be exciting to see how England’s porous defence fares against one of the most prolific centre-forwards in world football, especially after conceding three goals in the first two knockout rounds.

Of course, Norway have a world-class marksman of their own to worry about in the form of Kane, who has been firing on all cylinders in North America. Encouragingly for England, he is not alone.

Jude Bellingham’s quick-fire brace against Mexico made him the first England midfielder ever to score 4+ goals at a World Cup, which is a promising sign for Tuchel’s team heading into this fixture.