As the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup comes to a close, things are just as exciting as we'd all hoped they'd be. None of the teams that are favorites to win the tournament have looked very convincing, and many of the smaller teams that nobody expected to accomplish anything have made life very difficult for the bigger teams.
At the beginning of the tournament, most teams that were expected to make it out of the group stage had done so, but not a single one had gotten through without doubts as to whether they would do so. Argentina, for example, a team that is rich in talented players and a country that has soccer deep in its blood, has struggled so much that up until 10 minutes remained in the final game they were destined to make a very early World Cup exit. Out of context, the scenes from after their win could have been mistaken for them winning the whole tournament.
Of course, Argentina isn't the only ones who have struggled, and they certainly aren't the only ones who have celebrated a victory in the group stages so much. Brazil's second match ended with a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica, a team that is widely regarded to be strong, but no match for Brazil. After the final whistle in a tense match, Brazil's headlining talent, Neymar was seen in tears from the relief of the victory. With their comfortable victory over Serbia, Brazil would have been many viewers' favorite to win it all if it wasn't for their loss in the quarterfinals to the up and coming, exciting Belgian national team.
Perhaps the most shocking outcome of the group stages is Germany's early exit. With just a single win out of the three games, a hapless German squad lost to the Korean Republic 2-0 as they find themselves booking an early flight home to try to work out what went so wrong in their approach to the tournament. Germany is a team that is known for its grit and consistent dominance on the international stage. An exit like this is sure to raise questions about the team's management personnel.
At the time of writing, just three matches remain in the World Cup. The young and exciting England team will play in their first semifinal in 28 years against Croatia who will be playing in their second ever semifinal since becoming an independent nation. The second semifinal will feature Belgium playing the powerhouse French national team. The overall favorite to win at the moment is the winner of the France Belgium matchup, but with the way this tournament has gone, I wouldn't count anyone out.
For those of you who haven't started watching yet and fear that it is too late to start, I'm here to alleviate those fears. Even if you don't know anything about soccer, make your way to a sports bar or a soccer-fanatic friend's house to watch rest of the games in the tournament because, given all of the drama that has already occurred, this World Cup is shaping up to be one of the best. For the biggest sporting event in the world, it would be a shame if you missed out on that.
