France knocks out Morocco in the World Cup, plus the remaining quarter-final previews

The GIST: One explosive FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) quarter-final (QF) down, three to go. Next week’s semis will be set by our next newsletter, so let’s get right to it.

💪 Dominant France knocks out Morocco with 2–0 win: French star striker Kylian Mbappé scored his 20th WC goal in 20 WC games yesterday, opening the scoring for Les Bleus in the 60th minute before Ousmane Dembélé put the game away. Morocco was notably without their injured star striker Ismael Saibari, and it showed — the Atlas Lions registered just one shot on target.

🇪🇸 Spain vs. 🇧🇪 Belgium — Today at 3 p.m. ET: Spanish teen phenom Lamine Yamal hasn’t had his breakout WC moment yet, but his first QF feels like a prime opportunity. Keep an eye on the right winger’s killer left foot, which could cause Belgium’s lackluster defense some problems.

🇳🇴 Norway vs. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England — Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET: Whether you’ve been charmed by the Snapchat Viking or are more of a God Save the Kane girlie, there’s something for everyone here. England is the favorite, but they’re down a starting defender — and standout Norwegian striker Erling Haaland (seven WC goals) will be looking to capitalize.

🇦🇷 Argentina vs. 🇨🇭 Switzerland — Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET: Late-game heroics have been reigning champ Argentina’s bread and butter throughout the knockout round, but they’ve also exposed La Albiceleste’s weakness: defending the counter-press. Can underdog Switzerland exploit the trend and bounce Golden Boot contender Lionel Messi?