The UEFA European Championships 2024 group stage draw has been conducted, setting the stage for the tournament. The draw took place in Hamburg, and here are the groups:

Group A:
– Germany
– Hungary
– Scotland
– Switzerland

Group B:
– Spain
– Albania
– Croatia
– Italy

Group C:
– England
– Denmark
– Slovenia
– Serbia

Group D:
– France
– Austria
– Netherlands
– Play-off winner A (Poland, Estonia, Wales, or Finland)

Group E:
– Belgium
– Romania
– Slovakia
– Play-off winner B (Israel, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, or Ukraine)

Group F:
– Portugal
– Turkey
– Czech Republic
– Play-off winner C (Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece, or Kazakhstan)

The tournament is set to begin on June 14, 2024, with Germany hosting Scotland at the Allianz Arena at 8 p.m. BST. The top two teams from each group will advance to the last 16, joined by the four best third-place teams. The remaining three finalists will be confirmed in March after the conclusion of the play-offs.

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Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco has revealed the team are ‘disappointed’ with Thibaut Courtois‘ decision to leave camp over a captaincy row.

Prior to their final Euro 2024 qualifying match against Estonia on Tuesday, Courtois departed the team early. Manager Domenico Tedesco reportedly claimed the Real Madrid goalkeeper quit the team out of irritation after not being selected captain.

Courtois later refuted such reports, citing injury concerns as the cause of his departure, but Carrasco has since disclosed that the players have sided with their manager.

“We’ve more or less understood what happened,” Carrasco told RBTF. “We had a meeting with the coach, who was clear with us.

“We, the older players, haven’t yet had the opportunity to speak with Thibaut. But we were disappointed with his reaction.

“At the end of the day, he’s a key member of the team, one of the three captains. An armband is just a detail. You have to show that you’re a leader and a captain with your own personality. He chose to leave. Whether he was embarrassed or not, we don’t know.

“But one of the reasons he left was also the armband. Now that’s clear.”

Tedesco has declined to comment on whether Courtois still has a future with the side and would postpone making a formal decision until after he names his team for the international games in September.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper, who turned 31 in May, has made 102 appearances for his nation and is still regarded as one of the best goalies in the world after recording 17 shutouts in all-league play last season.

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Real Madrid ace, Eden Hazard, has admitted that he wondered why he started for Belgium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup ahead of Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard.

Following Belgium’s elimination from the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Hazard announced his retirement from international football.

Despite his lack of regular game time for Madrid, Hazard started Belgium’s first two group matches at the World Cup against Canada and Morocco.

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The former Chelsea player missed Belgium’s last Group F match against Croatia, giving Trossard his first tournament start.

“We were talking about the name of Leandro Trossard to replace me, he was having a good season,” Hazard told RTBF.

“Even I wondered why I had to play when he had to go on the bench. It is normal for people to think that.

“Especially after the game against Egypt, where we didn’t play a good game, where I didn’t play a good game.

“Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play the last matches of the World Cup with Portugal, and yet it’s Cristiano with Portugal, it is even more than Eden with Belgium. It is normal, it is football.”

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Belgium have officially announced the appointment of Domenico Tedesco as their new first-team manager, after Roberto Martinez’s departure.

After Roberto Martinez left his position as national head coach in December, the Red Devils began looking for a replacement and have now turned to the Italian.

The national team website confirmed that Tedesco, 37, has a contract with them that lasts until after the 2024 Euros.

Speaking to the Belgian FA, Tedesco said: ‘For me it is a great honour to be the new head coach of Belgium. 

‘I’m really looking forward to the task and I’m extremely motivated. I had a very good feeling right from the first conversation.’

Domenico Tedesco is the new head coach of our Devils. Good luck, coach! 🤝🇧🇪 #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/KeHHPbVpB3

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) February 8, 2023

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The Italian has previously held managerial positions at RB Leipzig, Spartak Moscow, and Schalke. In May of last year, he and the German club Leipzig won the DFB-Pokal.

Further information on Tedesco, provided by the Belgian FA, claimed that he ‘is known as a modern coach with top-level international experience, who likes to play an offensive style of football with plenty of forward pressure.’

The FA claim that ‘his mission is to qualify the Belgian Red Devils for the EURO 2024 in Germany.’

His first qualifying match in charge of the Red Devils will take place on March 24th in Stockholm against Sweden.

Ever since Roberto Martinez left as head coach of Belgium following their World Cup defeat, the country has been looking for a replacement.

The Red Devils were knocked out of the World Cup in the group phase, bringing the curtain down on Martinez’s time in charge of the side.

The Spaniard announced that the Croatia game would be his last in a tearful address at the post-match press conference.

‘It was really difficult to get the message that I was going to stop,’ Martinez said. ‘To you, but certainly to the players.

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Portugal has confirmed the appointment of former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who replaces Fernando Santos as head coach of the national team.

Santos was fired after Portugal’s disappointing performance at the World Cup, which ended in a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco. The camp had been marred by negative press and rumours of unrest in the team, and Cristiano Ronaldo had been benched and had a falling-out with Santos.

Martinez himself had a World Cup to forget with Belgium, who failed to even make it out of the group stage and also had a crisis within the squad – with the Spaniard criticised for struggling to make the most of his talented group during his six-year tenure with the side.

The former Everton manager is now looking forward to a new beginning with Portugal, who welcomed him as their “new leader at service.”

‘I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition with which he (Martinez) received the invitation,’ FPF President Fernando Gomes told a news conference as Martinez stood next to him. ‘This is an important moment for the national team.’

Martinez‘ first task will be to help a deflated side regroup after their difficult tournament in Qatar and put their focus into winning Euro 2024, which is set to be held in Germany.

He will also be looking to speak with captain Ronaldo after his turbulent few weeks in Qatar where he is reported to have irked teammates over his attitude and threatened to leave their camp after being dropped by Santos.

Now at Al-Nassr, Ronaldo will be weighing up whether he will play for Portugal again and sorting out his future should be a huge port of call for Martinez.

Martinez stood down after Belgium were eliminated from the World Cup after they were held to a 0-0 draw against Croatia – with his team needing to win the game to have any chance of progessing.

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‘That was my last game with the national team and it was emotional as you can imagine,’ he said at the time. ‘I always work towards long-term projects and they need to be set in advance. That was always the plan.

He explained more about his decision to leave this month, saying he ‘couldn’t control all the emotions anymore’ as he revealed he told the players he was leaving before their final game against Croatia.

‘It was really difficult to get the message that I was going to stop,’ Martinez said.

‘To you, but certainly to the players. I had never done it before and hope I never have to do it again. I couldn’t control all the emotions anymore.’

Portugal fans may be concerned about Martinez’s ability to keep the dressing room together after reports of a feud in the squad during the World Cup.

There were claims that Belgium players flew home separately from Qatar at their own expense after rumours of in-fighting and leaks.

During his time as Belgium’s national coach, Martinez led the nation to their best World Cup finish, placing third in Russia in 2018.

Belgium suffered a quarter-final exit at Euro 2020 to eventual champions Italy, before leading the team at the World Cup in Qatar.

Despite entering the competition as FIFA’s second-ranked squad in the world, Martinez oversaw a disastrous campaign in which Belgium crashed out in the group stages after losing 2-0 to Morocco and just barely defeating Canada.

He began his managing career in 2007 with Swansea City, where he received praise for his dynamic possession-based style of play. In 2009, he moved on to manage Wigan Athletic. While the Lactics were demoted the following year, he faced relegation numerous times before securing an amazing FA Cup victory over Man City in 2013.

In his debut season with Everton, he finished in fifth place. However, he could only manage 11th the next year, and in 2015–16, his team was still in the middle of the table when he was fired in May.

Martinez was unexpectedly appointed as Belgium’s manager in 2016, but many observers and fans have questioned why he did not do more with a team that was stacked with talented players at the time, including Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, and Toby Alderweireld.

He has recently been connected to the Club Brugge position, but he decided to continue with managing the national team instead, with his old assistant Thierry Henry in line to succeed him.

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FIFA updates the national team’s world rankings following the 2022 World Cup. Despite winning the 2022 World Cup, Argentina saw a justifiable increase in their position in FIFA’s updated men’s world rankings but failed to overtake Brazil for the top slot.

Argentina climbed into second place a day after defeating France in a thrilling World Cup final in Qatar, while rival South American nation Brazil remained in first place despite Selecao’s elimination from the tournament in the quarterfinals. World Cup finalist France moved up one place to third.

Argentina or France would’ve usurped Brazil had Sunday’s finale been decided within the allotted 120 minutes of playing time.

But since shootout victories are worth fewer points than a regulation win, according to FIFA’s calculation, Brazil’s place atop the rankings was assured when extra time was over at Lusail Stadium in Doha.

While Argentina won four games in regulation and two on penalties after losing its opening match to Saudi Arabia, Brazil won three matches in Qatar before losing to Croatia on penalties.

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While all was going on, the United States moved up three spots to 13th place, passing Mexico as the highest-ranked CONCACAF country. While Canada lost the most ground, falling 12 spots to 53rd, Mexico is rated 15th.

Following an unexpected run to the World Cup semifinals, Morocco shot up the rankings. The Atlas Lions are now the highest-ranked team in Africa after moving up 11 spots to place 11. Following exceeding expectations in Qatar, Australia and Cameroon also experienced double-digit increases, moving up to positions 27 and 33, respectively.

Belgium, however, dropped two spots from second to fourth after failing to advance through the group stage. The Red Devils are in front of sixth-placed Netherlands and fifth-placed England.

Top 20 rankings:

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The 2022  FIFA World Cup Qatar tournament has just two games left, and it has been spectacular, with some unexpected results and some of the top players in the competition winning the most Man of the Match awards.

FIFA World Cups, and football’s biggest stars living up to the expectation, stepping up their game, and making unforgettable experiences, are unavoidable facts of life.

Some of the greatest matches and biggest upsets from this edition in Qatar have been built, and a few players have wowed the world with their performances.

It has been an unbelievable delight to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022. Numerous players have constantly maintained their status in the biggest tournament in the world.

Despite the failure of numerous famous teams, some players displayed consistency and received numerous MOTM awards (Man Of The Match).

The Man of the Match award is given to a player who typically scores a crucial goal or otherwise directly contributes to the team’s victory.

In the FIFA World Cup 2022, Mp3bullet.ng unveils the following players who received the most Man of the Match awards:

• Christian Pulisic:

Christian Pulisic, the team’s Captain America, epitomized the Stars and Stripes’ fervour by leading the press from the front as Team USA brought a ton of energy and passion to the World Cup.

Pulisic lived up to the talismanic expectations that Team USA had for him by recording the most assists (2), most chances created (6), most take-on attempted (15), as well as scoring the momentous, heroic winning goal against Iran to advance the Yanks to the round of 16.

Pulisic deservedly won the player of the match twice.

USA have been knocked out but they can exit with their heads held up high.

Christian Pulisic was fantastic this World Cup with 1 goal, 2 assists and 2 Man of the Match awards 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ccswTzRum7

— CfcSheikh (@CfcSheikh) December 3, 2022

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• Yassine Bounou:

The 2022 World Cup’s Cinderella team has been Morocco. They were placed in Group F, along with Canada, Croatia, and Belgium. Considering Belgium and Croatia’s squad, many deemed Morocco to stand last in the table.

In addition to winning the entire group, Morocco advanced to the semifinals. They defeated Belgium in the group stage, Spain in the round of 16, and Portugal in the quarterfinals on their historic run to the semifinals.

Their goalie Yassine Bounou is a key factor in this victory. Throughout the competition, Morocco’s unmovable goalie remained reliable.

However, he won Man of the Match for his outstanding effort against Spain. In order to keep Spain at bay for the full 120 minutes, Bounou made numerous stops. In the penalty shootout versus Spain, Bounou also made two saves.

The underdogs had only let up one goal before France defeated Morocco. It was an own goal for that one goal. Against Portugal, Bounou was also given his second Man of the Match award.

Yassine Bounou deservedly won 2 Player of the Match Awards.

3 – Yassine Bounou, who made his 50th appearance for Morocco tonight, is the first African goalkeeper to record three clean sheets in a single edition of the World Cup. Heroic. pic.twitter.com/xW3DEN6LAL

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 10, 2022

• Dominik Livakovic:

Honestly, Yassine Bounou and this goalie are the greatest of the FIFA World Cup 2022. In penalty shootouts, Livakovic was mostly responsible for Croatia’s unstoppable force. Dominik made three stops against Japan in the Round of 16 penalty shootouts. Up until Neymar Jr. conjured up an amazing goal for Brazil, Livakovic remained steadfast in the face of the test.

The penalty shootouts, though, were where Livakovic really shined. Brazilian penalty number one was stopped by Dominik. As Livakovic expertly stopped it, Rodrygo Goes was unable to score Brazil’s first penalty. Due to their victory over Brazil, Croatia gained momentum. For his bravery against Brazil and Japan, Livakovic received two Man of the Match Awards.

• Luka Modric:

Another Croatia player, Luka Modric, on the other hand, is not just any average footballer; he is timeless. He’s one of the most underappreciated midfielders in football today.

The 37-year-old midfielder is widely considered to be one of the best in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Luka Modric was named Man Of The Match two times during the FIFA World Cup 2022. In the group stage encounter against Belgium, Modric won his first Man Of The Match award.

In a game where there was no scoring, Modric was given the honour for his ability to both retain defensive composure and create outstanding offensive opportunities. Another matchup against Morocco ended in a scoreless draw, and the Real Madrid player was again voted Man Of The Match. Overall, Luka Modric was able to earn two FIFA World Cup 2022 Man of the Match accolades.

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• Kylian Mbappe:

The standout player for Paris Saint-Germain is inspiring the next generation of footballers. He may soon join the ranks of many renowned football players if he continues in this direction.

For a country hoping to win back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time in its history, Kylian Mbappe has made it his mission to be the top goal threat.

France began their World Cup defence against Australia in the Group rounds. Kylian Mbappe shone as France defeated Australia 4-1. The teenager scored a goal and assisted another.

Mbappe had another appearance in the Group stage, this time against Denmark. Kylian scored two goals in the second half to help France advance to the Round of 16. Mbappe scored another brace against Poland in the Round of 16. Kylian Mbappe might also become the FIFA World Cup 2022 top scorer. Kylian has won three Man Of The Match awards at the FIFA World Cup 2022.

#Mbappe already has 3️⃣ Player of the Match awards at the 2022 #WorldCup 🏆

🤙 v Australia
✌️ v Denmark
👈 v Poland

Will he add to his collection in the #France 🆚 #England quarter-final on Saturday?! 😬#FRA #ENG #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/eJ4qxGHvZp

— Football Mad ⚽️ (@FootballMadUK) December 5, 2022

• Lionel Messi:

Lionel Messi, the national hero of Argentina, is on his way to the FIFA World Cup 2022 finals. In terms of Man of the Match accolades throughout the history of football, Lionel Messi now holds the top spot.

Argentina’s aspirations and hopes have been on Messi’s shoulders. But this time, perhaps as a result of the Copa America victory, the bond between Messi’s team and the fans has healed.

The Argentine skipper has therefore embraced his responsibility in this competition. The dream of the little Rosario lad has received much attention, but La Pulga has given his all on the field to turn that romanticism into reality for both himself and Argentina.

Furthermore, Messi is also dominating the rankings for the FIFA World Cup 2022. At the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Messi might also take home the golden boot. At the FIFA World Cup 2022, Messi received four Man of the Match awards.

In the match against Croatia, Lionel Messi gave his best Man of the Match performance. In the semifinal matchup against Croatia, Messi scored a goal and made a brilliant assist.

LIONEL MESSI WINS HIS 4TH MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP 🐐🏆

No player has more. pic.twitter.com/5CIpjj45ik

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 13, 2022

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It has been a magnificent FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, with some surprising outcomes. There are just four nations left in the competition as the semifinal round is set to progress to the final stage.

Out of the four countries left in the competition, France, Croatia, Argentina, and last but not least, Morocco, the first and only African nation to ever break the record and make it to the world cup semifinal.

The nations that will play in the 2022 World Cup semifinals are already known. For one of the remaining four spots, Argentina and Croatia will face off, while France and Morocco square off.

Fans and football lovers have anticipated watching the Qatar World Cup semifinal match because it features a number of star players to watch out for, including Messi’s faceoff with Modric and Mbappe versus his PSG teammate Hakimi.

Much has been said about Messi and Ronaldo during their final World Cup run, but now that Ronaldo and his country have been eliminated from the tournament, Messi and Argentina are considered favourites to win the tournament, despite a disappointing World Cup group stage performance.

• Argentina will face Croatia in the first 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal game:

Argentina will face Croatia in a World Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening, matching the competition’s previous two silver medalists against each other.

Two football heavyweights, Argentina and Croatia, will face off in the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. So far, their separate competitions have been fantastic and thrilling.

Due to the highly rated players competing for the opportunity to play in the tournament, it is challenging to tell which country has the upper hand because there are strengths on both sides.

The last time they met was in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup. Croatia defeated Argentina with three goals. Croatia is undoubtedly catching everyone off guard, just as at the last World Cup.

They defeated Brazil in penalty shootouts and will now face a difficult test against Argentina on their way to success. However, Argentina is ready after defeating the Netherlands in a challenging match.

The game between the two teams will be quite unique and peculiar, but based on the current state of affairs, The Albiceleste will have the best opportunity to exact revenge on the European underdogs and move on to the national title game. On December 14, at Lusail Stadium, the game will begin at 8 p.m. Nigerian time.

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• France VS Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal game:

The defending World Cup champions France are one of the favourites to defeat Morocco in the second semi-final on Wednesday, but they will have to perform at their peak.

When these two countries clash on Wednesday night at Al Bayt Stadium, they will both be ready to break through the last World Cup obstacle.

The first African and Arab team to do so is Morocco, who are participating in the semifinals for the first time ever. Les Bleus are the defending champions after winning in Russia in 2018 and will be hoping to hold onto the title.

France raced to the semi-finals and defied rumours of conflict, outlasting a spirited England and putting on a thundering performance in all of their matches. France is on the verge of breaking a record if they make the finals, and the country will attempt to defend the World Cup with players in their prime.

This Moroccan team has been unstoppable throughout the competition, defeating Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. As they prepare to play France, they are one victory away from making history. with all of the participants relying on one another and making a valiant attempt.

However, the match between the two countries will be challenging since, despite France’s strong forward line and love of scoring, the Moroccan team is still the only one in the competition without a loss after having only had one goal scored against them.

On December 15, at Al Bayt Stadium, the game will begin at 8 p.m. Nigerian time.

• Players To Watch at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the Semi-Final.

Lionel Messi:

In 170 games, the captain of Argentina has scored an amazing 95 goals. At the World Cup 2022, Lionel Messi has already netted four goals.

He is attempting to commit no errors after scoring a penalty against the Netherlands that was calm and collected. As they both meet each other in the semifinals, Lionel Messi is Croatia’s biggest obstacle.

Luka Modric:

In terms of experience and technique, Luka Modric is by far the midfielder who is most exceptional. He consistently threatens the other team on the field by creating chances and winning balls. In the 2018 World Cup, Modric earned the Golden Ball for his efforts, and he is continuing to lead his side this year. He has outstanding passing and pushing skills.

Kylian Mbappe:

For a country hoping to win back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time in its history, Kylian Mbappe has made it his mission to be the top goal threat.

Mbappe is now leading the competition for the Golden Boot going into the last four games with five goals scored. He will be looking to improve upon a rather underwhelming showing in the quarterfinal matchup with England in order to propel his nation into the final.

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Achraf Hakimi:

Achraf Hakimi, a Moroccan player who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, was the game’s hero against Spain after landing the game-winning penalty in the shootout.

In the semi-finals, where he will likely be tasked with stopping PSG teammate Mbappe, Hakimi will be one to watch. He is quick, strong, and equally dangerous on offence as he is reliable in defence.

Olivier Giroud:

Oliver Giroud, France’s all-time leading scorer with four goals in Qatar after his game-winning goal against England, will be standing alongside Mbappe in the team.

At 36 years old, Giroud’s final World Cup appearance for France is likely this one, and he’ll want to depart the international stage with another World Cup trophy in addition to the one he won in Russia four years ago.

Hakim Ziyech:

Ziyech has changed into a new player for Morocco, with an excellent game setup and as Hakimi’s main partner. They both occupy the same wing and help with ball movement. In order to help Hakimi contain Mbappe’s threat, Ziyech will need to play against a France team that excels at transition.

In addition, The outcome of this game will depend solely on technical prowess, positional awareness, and counterplay. Each of the four nations is aware of and possesses players that are capable of breaking through any wall.

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Belgium captain Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 31 after Belgium’s dismal group stage exit at the World Cup.

Ahead of the 2024 European Championships and the 2026 World Cup that will follow, the 31-year-old has decided against participating in another qualification round.

Days after Belgium was eliminated from the group stage in Qatar, Hazard announced his 14-year international retirement and is now solely focused on revitalizing his Real Madrid career.

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The football player took to his social media page to make the announcement. The decision was reportedly made after his nation’s elimination from the tournament following a 0-0 draw with Croatia on matchday three.

On his retirement, Hazard wrote: “A page turns today… Thank you for your love. Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. “The succession is ready. I will miss you….”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eden Hazard (@hazardeden_10)

With his statement, Hazard ends a career that spanned 126 international appearances from 2008 to 2022, scoring 33 goals throughout that time.

The 31-year-old’s announcement marks the beginning of the end of Belgium’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’, as manager Roberto Martinez announced he would be leaving his post immediately after Belgium’s group stage exit.

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Morocco will play Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup as compensation for winning a group that also included Belgium and Croatia.

In a World Cup round of 16 games between two countries from different continents separated by less than ten miles, Morocco takes on Spain on Tuesday in the afternoon in the Education City Stadium.

After suffering a shocking loss to Japan in their final group match, Spain placed second in Group E. La Furia Roja has one of the strongest teams in the competition, and they’ll do everything in their power to advance.

Morocco, on the other hand, has so far at the World Cup outperformed expectations and won their group. Last week, the African team outlasted Canada 2-1, and they’ll try for a repeat performance this time around.

• Team News:

Yassine Bounou, the starting goalkeeper for Morocco, was able to play the full 90 minutes against Canada after feeling unwell just before the win over Belgium and having to leave at the last minute. He can now hope to be included in an untampered XI.

Despite having some ankle issues, Achraf Hakimi—who delivered a lovely assist for En-goal—is Nesyri’s anticipated to be in good physical condition. However, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back was one of several starters who did not participate in full training on Saturday.

A well-deserved break was also provided to players like Sofiane Boufal, Sofiane Amrabat, and Ziyech, but there is no reason to believe that they won’t be available for Tuesday’s match.

Cesar Azpilicueta, David Raya, and Dani Olmo were all absent from Spain’s training session on Friday, while it was thought that the former had just needed to relax following a taxing group period.

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However, Simon was always expected to be given the gloves despite his mistake the last time out. Azpilicueta, who was replaced at halftime against Japan, is struggling with problems in his calf, and the reasons for Raya’s absence are yet unknown.

Against Japan, Enrique did not hesitate to start the young team of Nico Williams and Alejandro Balde, although Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba can anticipate returning to the starting lineup for the knockout rounds.

• Possible Lineup:

Morocco’s possible starting lineup:
Bono; Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Sahiri; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal

Spain’s possible starting lineup:
Simon; Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; Torres, Morata, Olmo.

• Score prediction:

Since Walid Regragui took over in August, no opponent has scored against Morocco. Morocco conceded just once in World Cup qualifying under his predecessor, Vahid Halilhodzic.

When under pressure, Spain appeared to be most vulnerable in this tournament. Germany gained a point from this strategy, but Japan may have provided Morocco with the model for a targeted press by resting in a compact shape before choosing their opportunities to attack. Morocco can duplicate this strategy because they are the only team in Qatar to have scored as many as two goals from high turnover rates.

Prediction: Morocco 1-1 Spain

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Following the unexpected World Cup elimination of Belgium, Roberto Martinez has announced he will step down as manager of the Red Devils.

Second in the FIFA world rankings when it arrived in Qatar, Belgium was eliminated in the group stage behind Morocco and Croatia. A 0-0 draw with Croatia on Thursday effectively sealed their fate.

Martinez had been evasive about his future after the game, telling reporters that “now is not the moment” to talk about it before subsequently confirming his resignation.

“That was my last game with the national team and it was emotional as you can imagine,” he said.

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With players like Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku towards the latter stages of their careers, Belgium’s so-called Golden Generation appears to have come to an end with the team’s elimination from the World Cup.

Martinez emphasized that the Golden Generation was still making a difference off the field even though they might not be playing together for much longer.

“You see players like Youri Tielemans, you’ve got players like Jeremy Doku,” he said.

“The golden generation is doing something that is bringing the next generation on. It’s not only what they’re doing on the pitch. The legacy can be left in many ways.

“Today we are out of a good tournament and now the standards need to carry on rising.”

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Following a disappointing 0-0 draw against Croatia on Thursday, Belgium was eliminated from the World Cup.

Roberto Martinez’s side needed a win against the 2018 World Cup finalists to progress past the group stage, but they were unable to find the back of the net.

Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ were knocked out of the World Cup as a 0-0 draw with Croatia sent the 2018 runners-up into the last 16 with Group F winners Morocco. Romelu Lukaku hit a post and missed a number of opportunities.

In third place four years ago and number two in the world rankings until recently, Roberto Martinez’s team struggled to keep up in Qatar. Despite a second-half improvement that gave Romelu Lukaku several scoring opportunities, they were unable to secure the victory they required as Morocco defeated Canada.

Captain Eden Hazard was dropped for the start of the match, and Romelu Lukaku came on to miss four big chances as Belgium’s World Cup journey came to a disappointing end.

Croatia advances to the round of 16, but only after finishing in second place in the group behind Morocco, which defeated Canada 2-1 to take the first position.

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Ivan Perisic’s attempt went over the crossbar in the first 20 seconds as Croatia took control from the opening whistle.

After 14 minutes, Belgium immediately counterattacked, but Dries Mertens was unable to reach the goal following a superb through ball from Kevin de Bruyne.

After less than a minute, Yannick Carrasco was found to have fouled Andrej Kramaric inside the penalty area, earning Croatia a penalty.

Referee Anthony Taylor was sent to the monitor by the VAR as Luka Modric was getting ready to take the penalty kick, and the decision was reversed for an offside throughout the buildup.

The rest of the half turned out to be a tense affair, but the game came to life after the break.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was called into action early on and prevented Croatia on three separate occasions.

Lukaku was brought on in the second half, and the Inter Milan striker missed two big chances in quick succession.

Lukaku was the quickest to react to a rebound just after the hour mark, and he was able to hit the post from close range with the goalie out of position.

With the goal at his disposal, the striker then headed another easy attempt over the bar.

The striker continued to miss two additional open goals as Croatia held off late attempts from Belgium. Lukaku’s night was not good.

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