Two European heavyweights, Spain and France, have booked their places in this World Cup’s semifinals. Spain beat Belgium 2-1 in the second quarterfinal, and Belgium’s veteran goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois already sees the meeting as a ‘final’ before the final – he believes the winner will go on to lift the trophy.
France reached the semifinals by beating Morocco 2-0, while Spain edged Belgium 2-1. The teams meet at the Dallas stadium on Tuesday (1 a.m. Bangladesh time). Courtois was forced off injured late in Belgium’s exit, and Spain scored their winner after his replacement, Senne Lammens, came on. Disappointed at the final whistle, the Real Madrid goalkeeper still praised the opposition.
“I believe the winner of the Spain-France semifinal will be world champions. Spain are the favorites for the title. They’ve already shown they can beat France or anyone else,” Courtois said. He added: “We played a good match against Spain. We were far more competitive than many expected.”
Spain have been in superb form throughout the tournament, establishing themselves as one of the favorites with attacking football, quick passing and consistent performances. France, too, press on toward another World Cup with an experienced, star-studded squad.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report