Italy, Brazil, Sweden and Poland are semi-finalists
Day three of the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 concludes with the announcement of the final four nations who will compete for the ultimate glory at Copenhagen’s Bella Arena. The semi-finalists, Italy, Brazil, Swedenand Poland—will compete on the biggest stage of all in front of a packed room of FIFAe fans.
Round 16
The first Round of 16 took place between Denmark and Israel, Argentina and Canada. The tension in the room was high, and it only gave a first taste of how intense the knockouts would be. The first goal of the day was scored by Denmark, who then won and advanced to the quarter-finals. Argentina trailed against Canada in the first round but overturned a one-goal deficit in leg two to maintain their tournament unbeaten run and join the hosts in advancing to the quarterfinals.
The following round pitted Brazil against Spain and Portugal against England. Brazil were inconsistent throughout the group stage but managed to defeat Spain, who were unable to replicate their performance in the group stage. Brazil advanced with a 2-1 win. In the second game, England were in the lead early in the second game against Portugal. However, Tuga810 and Diogo fought back and made Portugual come back from behind to win in the last moments of the match. The match ended 2-1 for Portugal.
Italy were the next team to progress to the quarter-finals after defeating Germany quite easily, as they cruised past them with a 5-0 scoreline. Sweden defeated the Netherlands 3-1 after dominating both legs to progress to the quarter-finals.
The last two nations to join the last eight in the quarter-finals were Poland and France, after seeing off the UAE and Mexico respectively. France, the defending champions, dominated Mexico, blowing past them 3-0, while Poland scored three goals to secure their quarter-final place. The UAE backed down, but it wasn’t enough.
The final results for the round of 16:
Denmark 1-0 Israel
Argentina 2-1 Canada
Germany 0-5 Italy
Sweden 3-1 Netherlands
Spain 1-2 Brazil
Portugal 2-1 England
Mexico 0-3 France
Poland 3-1 United Arab Emirates
The quarter finals
QF 1: Denmark 2-5 Italy
The first quarter-final of the 2022 FIFAe Nations Cup took place between home nation Denmark and a resurgent Italian side. Italy took the lead five minutes into the game. Denmark equalized from long range to end the first round with both teams sharing the spoils.
In the second half, Denmark took the momentum early, but Italy slowly began to dominate, finding the back of the net after Denmark’s mistakes. Denmark made a substitution and equalized again after a disallowed goal, forcing extra time. Eventually the Azzuri won, knocking out the home team in front of a packed room of disappointed fans.
QF 2: Brazil 2-1 France
Brazil faced the defending FIFAe Nations Champions in today’s second quarter-final. The match featured some free-flowing attacking football, which was a treat for the watching fans.
Within 20 minutes of the match, Brazil took an early lead in Leg One. France hit back to equalize in the second half of the match. The Brazilians worked together to create a goal that eliminated the current FIFAe Nations Cup title holders.
QF 3: Argentina 0-0 (4-5) Sweden
In the third quarter-final, Sweden faced Argentina with their sights set on the semi-final spot. The first stretch was calm. There were hardly any chances created from either side, and the two small chances that did exist could not be converted.
At full time the match ended goalless. Eventually it came to an end in the quarter-finals of the FIFAe Nations Cup between Argentina and Sweden. The match went to penalties, with Sweden eventually taking the semi-final spot with a 5-4 win.
QF 4: Portugal 1-2 Poland
The final quarter-final match of the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 was a corker between Portugal and Poland. Both teams went against each other in attacking football. The first goal came from Portugal in the 80th minute.
The first leg ended with Portugal in the lead. In the second round, Poland went completely from the start. The score was within 7 minutes. Eventually, Poland won with a perfectly timed curler from outside the box, defeating the last place in the semi-final matches on 30 July.
From 24 teams it has come down to the top 4. $400,000 is at stake and the atmosphere is heating up. Italy face Brazil, while Sweden face Poland to book their respective places in the final of the FIFAe Nations Cup. The Grand Final will take place at the Bella Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.