Several World Cup stars are walking the tightrope of suspension. Due to the need to avoid reservations in the best eight matches leading up to the semi-finals
Jarrell Quansah is the only player suspended for the quarter-finals after receiving a red card against Mexico (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
As the World Cup finals draw closer to the remaining eight nations, there is a growing possibility that some of the tournament’s brightest stars will miss out on the semi-finals due to suspension if their country advances.
As 20 players walk the tightrope of discipline in preparation for the quarter-finals of this summer’s tournament, suspension will likely be top of mind for each coach ahead of the final eight.
Due to the extra matches played in this summer’s tournament, FIFA has adjusted its yellow card rules accordingly. In previous years, any player who received two yellow cards in any match up to the semi-finals would automatically receive a one-match suspension.
However, under FIFA’s new rules, yellow cards will be removed twice during the tournament, once after the group stage and once after the quarter-finals. Therefore, if a player is shown a yellow card in a knockout game and wishes to participate in the semi-finals, he must avoid being booked for the quarter-final match.
Mirror Football takes a look at who is walking the tightrope of suspension for each of the quarter-finalists.
France vs Morocco
Morocco looked perhaps the most comfortable in their last 16 matches, easily defeating Canada 3-0 and eliminating the hosts.
Azzedine Ounahi’s brace in the second half was rounded off by Sufian Rahimi’s goal in the 98th minute, giving Jesse Marsh’s side a supreme victory and sealing their place in the top eight for the second successive tournament.
France’s matchup in the last 16 was not so simple. Didier Deschamps’ side defeated Paraguay 1-0 thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s converted spot-kick. The scoreline was perhaps flattering for the South American team, as Les Bleus dominated the match and never really looked like they were in trouble, despite a one-goal difference.
Morocco, along with England, have the most players at risk, with five players already receiving yellow cards in the knockout stages.
Morocco have five players at risk of missing out on the semi-finals if they are shown a further yellow card (Image: Shutterstock)
Issa Diop was booked for the Round of 32 match against the Netherlands, while Redouan Halhar, Achraf Hakimi, Azzedine Ounahi and Bilal El-Kannus were booked for the Round of 16 match against Canada.
France escaped unscathed with a round-of-32 win over Sweden, but tensions ran high against Paraguay, with Bradley Barcola, Manu Cohn and Michael Olise all receiving yellow cards.
Therefore, some of the tournament’s prominent players could miss the semi-finals if they are shown a yellow card and their team progresses.
England vs Norway
England’s victory over Mexico at the Aztecs was one of the country’s greatest victories in recent memory, but it was not without its problems. The high-stakes game saw Declan Rice, Mark Guehi, Nico O’Reilly and Jordan Henderson all shown yellow cards and four players booked.
The quartet were therefore joined in walking the suspension tightrope with Jude Bellingham, who earned a spot in England’s Round of 32 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As a result, England have five players at risk of suspension ahead of their game against Norway, with Jordan Henderson expected to miss the Three Lions’ side due to injury.
Bellingham and Rice are at risk of suspension in the semi-finals and elsewhere (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)
Jarrell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Jesus Gallardo in the game against Mexico and will miss the quarter-final match against Norway. He is currently the only player banned from participating in the quarterfinals.
Norway defeated Brazil in a David vs. Goliath round of 16 matchup, with five-time champions losing to a team that had never made it past the round of 16.
Erling Haaland’s two goals were enough to eliminate Carlo Ancelotti’s side, and not a single Norwegian player was shown a yellow card.
However, Antonio Nusa earned a reservation in his team’s round of 32 win over Ivory Coast, six minutes after scoring Norway’s opening goal. He is the only Norwegian facing suspension for accumulating yellow cards.
Spain vs Belgium
Luis de la Fuente’s side took a late break against Portugal, with substitute Mikel Merino scoring La Roja’s only goal in a narrow win in the Round of 16. Spain is the only team to advance to the quarterfinals and has yet to concede a goal in this tournament, and their disciplinary record is almost as perfect as their defensive record.
La Roja survived the round of 32 against Austria unscathed, with substitute Ferran Torres being the only player to receive a booking late in stoppage time against Portugal.
Mikel Merino scores in stoppage time to seal Spain’s place in the quarter-finals (Image: Getty Images)
After Belgium’s dramatic come-from-behind victory against Senegal in the round of 32, things continued to be easy as coach Rudi Garcia’s team easily defeated the United States 4-1 and sent the hosts home comfortably.
Brandon Mechere was the only Belgian to receive a caution against Senegal, and the only player to receive a yellow card against the United States after some disciplined play.
Argentina vs Switzerland
Switzerland escaped unscathed with a 2-0 win against Algeria in the round of 32, but three players were given yellow cards in the penalty shootout win over Colombia.
120 minutes wasn’t enough to separate the two teams, but Switzerland advanced to the last eight with a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout.
Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria and Milo Mouhaiim all had their names taken out by the referee, meaning the Swiss could face the semi-final without their captain if they advance despite being shown another yellow card.
Granit Xhaka is one of the Swiss players who could be suspended (Image: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Argentina’s bid to defend their World Cup title may not have gone as smoothly as coach Lionel Scaloni had hoped, but La Albiceleste have proven they won’t take it away without a fight.
Extra time was needed for the South American team to defeat Cape Verde in the round of 32 and complete an unprecedented three-goal comeback to face Egypt in the last 16. Scaloni’s side were on the verge of elimination in the 79th minute, but then goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandes’ winner in the 93rd minute sealed the comeback with their right to the World Cup’s top spot on the line. history.
Gonzalo Montiel is the only Argentine player to be shown a yellow card across both matches, despite the dramatic nature of both encounters. Argentina, Belgium, Spain and Norway are therefore vying for the best disciplinary record in the knockout stages, with only one player each at risk of suspension.
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