Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane advances to Quarter Finals

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane will be heading to the Quarter Finals of the 2018 World Cup as France blew past Argentina. Here’s a look at the match and how Varane performed.

Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane has booked his ticket to the Quarter Finals. Along with team France, the defender played against Argentina in the Round of 16. The match was much like a roller coaster with Argentina taking the lead at one point.

France delivered despite all the critics of Didier Deschamps and people speculating that the team would implode on themselves. With all the superstars in the squad, the team was cohesive and got the job done.

Superstar Kylian Mbappe had a breakthrough match on the world stage taking his dominance to the next level. Messi struggled yet again as he was unable to register a goal for his country. This is likely to be the last time we will see Lionel Messi dawn the Argentinian jersey.

Match Recap

The first knockout game of the 2018 World Cup was a treat with 7 goals scored between both teams, four by France and three by Argentina. Only two goals would be scored in the first half with the other five coming in the latter 45-minutes.

From the start of the match, Kylian Mbappe proved to be a nuisance for Argentina as the 19-year-old utilized his incredible pace. In the 12th minute of the match, Kylian made a darting run into the box where he was then fouled Argentina’s back line. France was then awarded a penalty which Antoine Griezman struck into the back of the net with ease.

The first half consisted of several runs of possession by both teams before Angel Di Maria’s incredible strike. The former Real Madrid winger took a crack on goal from around 20 yards out. The clean hit would fly by French keeper Hugo Lloris.

At the start of the second half, Argentina got on the front foot scoring a goal just three minutes in. Messi’s curling shot would make contact with teammate Gabriel Mercado granting him the assist and not the goal. Nonetheless, Argentina made use of their quick attack and took the lead 2-1.

Less than 15 minutes later France would equalize and in the 10 minutes ensuing would score twice more. French right-back Benjamin Pavard would hit the ball from distance scoring a wonderful goal as the ball sailed into the top left corner.

Kylian Mbappe would go on to score two goals in the span of four minutes. The youngster was a constant threat to Argentina and proved it by giving his team a big advantage. The final scene would be a late goal by substitute Sergio Aguero but his efforts were too little, too late.

Raphael Varane

Raphael Varane got his fourth start in four games this tournament with Didier Deschamps putting his trust in the 24-year-old to lead the backline. Varane had five clearances and two blocked shots on the night, minimising the workload on his keeper.

The Madrid center-back had another fine outing for his national team boasting the best pass accuracy of his side. Raphael made 36 passes with 91.7% accuracy. Of his 4 long ball attempts, 2 met the target. Yet again Varane proved to be an important part to his team whether it be for club or country.

Next: Real Madrid: Who made it out of the group stage

Quarter Finals

Given the high stakes of the match players for physical and in one another faces. In order to calm the players down and keep a firm grip on the match, the referee handed out eight yellow cards. French midfielder Blaise Matuidi will miss the next game as he picked up his second yellow card of the tournament.

France will play in the Quarter Finals against Uruguay who eliminated Portugal on the same day. The match will be played on July 6 and will a great match to watch. Both teams boast strong back lines and a wealth of attacking power. In the group stage, France was criticised for their inability to score plenty of goals, the match against Argentina has shown that they have it in them to do so.

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