On this episode of The Underdog World Cup Show, Chris Horwedel recaps France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals and previews Spain vs. Belgium for the next semifinal spot. The show opens with France advancing in Boston behind second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Mbappé had a first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, but responded by scoring the opener and later setting up Dembélé for the second goal.
Chris breaks down how France controlled the match despite Morocco having slightly more possession, with Les Bleus finishing with 22 shots, 9 on target, and nearly 3 expected goals while holding Morocco to almost nothing in attack. Mbappé now has 8 goals in the tournament, tied with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, and Michael Olise leads the World Cup with 5 assists. France now waits for the winner of Spain vs. Belgium, with Didier Deschamps’ team looking like the tournament favorite.
For Morocco, the quarterfinal exit still caps another major World Cup run after reaching the semifinals in 2022. Chris notes the impact of Ismael Saibari’s absence, Brahim Díaz being isolated, Achraf Hakimi’s limited influence, and France’s ability to keep the match from becoming chaotic.
The episode then previews Spain vs. Belgium in Los Angeles, using odds from oddsmakers to frame the matchup. Spain enters with 5 wins and 5 clean sheets, led by a defense trying to match the standard of the 2010 World Cup-winning Spanish team. Mikel Oyarzabal leads Spain with 4 tournament goals, while Lamine Yamal continues to stretch defenses and create space for Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.
Belgium brings the tournament’s second-highest scoring attack with 13 goals, led by the late-game impact of Romelu Lukaku, the creativity of Kevin De Bruyne, and wide threats like Jérémy Doku and Leandro Trossard. Chris highlights Belgium’s midfield concerns without Amadou Onana, the tactical challenge of pressing Pedri and Rodri, and why Yamal’s shot-volume market reflects how much pressure Belgium may face.
The show closes with a look at World Cup futures, including France, Spain, Argentina, and England in the title race, plus Golden Ball and Golden Boot markets led by Mbappé, Messi, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
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