The 2018 World Cup has had more penalties given, and scored, than in any other world cup ever before, with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) being the influential change. Russia 2018 will also be remembered for its shocking results: neither Brazil nor Germany is in the semi-finals for the first time since 1930. Despite Brazil’s exit, PSG star Neymar has topped the charts when it comes to shots on target, chances created, duels won, touches in the opposition box. He is also the most fouled player of this World Cup. Spain, on the other hand, has a record number of 3087 passes, a World Cup record since the statistics were first recorded in 1966. They completed more than a 1000 passes in the game with Russia, which they lost on penalties. Instead, it’s an all-European semi-final line up for just the second time in the last nine tournaments, with a potential first-time winner in Croatia or Belgium. The Red Devils, in particular, have impressed during this World Cup. Not only have they knocked out five-time winners Brazil, but they have also scored 14 goals so far, more than anybody else at the tournament. Despite being accused of being overly reliant on star striker Romelu Lukaku, who has scored four goals, Belgium has had nine different goal scorers, the third most anybody has ever had in World Cup history. Across the four teams left at this World Cup, 44% of the players play their club football in the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur being the best-represented club, with 9 players. Watch the video above to get more on the key stats for both the teams and individuals from the 2018 World Cup so far, with a look ahead to the semi-finals.As ever, you can watch all the action from the 2018 FIFA World Cup via beIN SPORTS CONNECT.<doc-sep>FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-Finals Live streaming, Russia vs Croatia & England vs Sweden Live Streaming will start at 7.30 PM IST. (AP photo) FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-Finals Live streaming, Russia vs Croatia & England vs Sweden Live Streaming will start at 7.30 PM IST. (AP photo) FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-Finals Live streaming, Brazil vs Belgium Live Streaming: Quarter-finals for the 2018 FIFA World Cup have officially begun France is playing against Uruguay, Brazil playing against Belgium today. Tomorrow Russia will be playing against Croatia, while Sweden will take on England as well. The quarter-final matches will also be available for live streaming in India via mobile apps like Sony Liv, JioTV and Airtel TV. For those who wish to watch the FIFA 2018 World Cup quarter-finals, they can opt for a live stream of channels like Sony Ten 3 on their mobiles as well. Here is a reminder of the top live streaming options for the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia. Sony Liv and FIFA 2018 World Cup Quarter-Finals live stream Sony Liv’s mobile app is the official one to access a livestream of the FIFA 2018 World Cup quarter-final matches. Sony has the official streaming rights for the FIFA 2018 World Cup for the India market. The Sony LIV app can be downloaded on Google Play Store or Apple App store. Soccer Football – World Cup – Quarter Final – Uruguay vs France – Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – July 6, 2018 France players celebrate in front of fans after the match REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Soccer Football – World Cup – Quarter Final – Uruguay vs France – Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – July 6, 2018 France players celebrate in front of fans after the match REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Jio TV app and FIFA 2018 World Cup Quarter-Finals live stream The other option is the JioTV app, which also has the free live stream option, thanks to Jio and Sony’s partnership. All football world cup matches can be viewed on the network. The app will provide Jio users with premium sports content for free. Keep in mind that to stream content on Jio TV app, one has to be on the Jio network, and your data from the pack will have to be for the used for the same. Airtel TV app FIFA 2018 World Cup Quarter-Finals live stream Airtel TV is another option for watching live stream of all the FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter final matches. Interestingly, the app will broadcast the matches in various local languages, including Hindi. Airtel TV users will also be able to watch previews and reviews of the match. The app is available for download on iOS and Android.<doc-sep>After two weeks of non-stop action, the FIFA World Cup 2018 group stages have come to a close, with half the teams packing their bags for home and the other 16 readying themselves for the knockout phase. (FULL FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 COVERAGE) The initial round of 48 matches has seen no shortage of goals, drama and talking points, with the VAR system contributing in its own way to all three of those. While the biggest story was undoubtedly defending champions Germany’s humiliating exit, finishing bottom of Group F behind Sweden, Mexico and South Korea, FIFA’s introduction of technology to aid referees has taken up more column inches than anything else over the past fortnight. READ | FIFA World Cup 2018: England’s odds improve despite Belgium defeat Here is an analysis of the data going back 52 years, to England’s triumph on home soil, to see how the numbers compare. A VAR GREATER NUMBER OF PENALTIES The combination of over-zealous defending (we’re looking at you, Panama) and the implementation of the VAR system means the group stages saw a record 24 spot-kicks awarded. That tally is higher than any other tournament in its entirety, and more than the previous two World Cup group phases combined (20). And the use of the technology has had other significant consequences; on average, there have been more than seven minutes of injury time in each game, over 90 seconds more than the previous record. READ | Germany’s lack of intensity led to shock World Cup exit, says Bhutia That, in turn, has led to a rapid increase in late goals. In all, 20 were scored after the 90th minute – twice as many as the previous benchmark set at France 98. SET-PIECE SPECIALISTS Those 24 spot-kicks have contributed to an unusually high proportion of set-piece goals - 43 per cent of those scored at the tournament so far have come from dead-ball situations. That figure rises above the previous high of 38 per cent from the finals in France 20 years ago, while the average number for the modern game is one in three. READ | FIFA World Cup 2018: Michy Batshuayi’s gaffe vs England leaves Twitter in splits Gareth Southgate’s England side are a testament to the importance of set-pieces – of their eight goals in Group G, only two came from open play, with the remainder coming off the back of corners, penalties and free-kicks. GOALS, GOALS, GOALS Out of the 48 group matches, only one finished goalless – France’s dour draw with Denmark that helped see both sides safely through from Group C. That figure is a first-round record, despite the fact there was an all-time low in terms of shots per game at 24.4. It seems sides are becoming increasingly proficient at getting in behind opposition defences, however, as a record 58 per cent of those efforts came from inside the box, a significant rise on the previous best set four years ago, which stood at 52 per cent. READ | FIFA World Cup 2018: France out to end Lionel Messi’s quest for glory Some calamitous defending has contributed to the number of penalties awarded, but it has also seen a glut of own goals; the nine at these finals are as many as the past three editions combined. KEEP IT CLEAN, BOYS Although punishing many a physical defender in the penalty area, the VAR system has not prompted an upturn in the trend of red cards. Cristiano Ronaldo was perhaps fortunate to only see yellow for an off-the-ball incident against Iran, but in the 48 group matches there have only been three red cards awarded, comparing favourably to the nine at Brazil 2014 and, since the format was expanded to include 32 teams, a high of 18 in 2006. WATCH | We screwed it up in the last game: Neuer talks after Germany’s World Cup exit As well as their cards, referees have been happy to keep their whistles in their pockets, with only 27 fouls a game – a record low. Try telling that, though, to Senegal, who were eliminated from the competition due to their inferior disciplinary record as Japan squeezed through from Group H.<doc-sep>We are finally into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the football fans have already touted this edition as the best in the history. With each round and each match throwing surprises, this edition has been super entertaining and completely unpredictable. The betting numbers have been changing shape and quantities with each tie and despite having favourites, one can still not predict the winners. With the final day of the Round of 16 over, we have all our quarter-finalists ready and they are on to the preparation for the last eight. World Cup 2018: England, Sweden rewrite record books to reach quarter-finals The final day of the Round of 16 saw Sweden defeat Switzerland 1-0 while England beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties to complete the quarter-final fixtures. Harry Kane's England break World Cup penalty jinx: Stats and facts First of all, here is the list of the teams that have made it to last eight: France Uruguay Russia Croatia Brazil Belgium Sweden England Here's a look at all the quarter-final ties and how the teams set up the match: URUGUAY vs FRANCE: On the first day of the Round of 16, two of biggest superstars of world football bid adieu to the World Cup. Lionel Messi's Argentina came up short against an inspired performance from the 19-year-old French superstar Kylian Mbappe and lost 4-3. Messi's dream of a first World Cup was dashed as Mbappe matched Pele's feat becoming the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup match since Pele scored a brace against Sweden in 1958. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, failed to inspire his Portugal to a victory while Edinson Cavani's brace in his 100th international for Uruguay meant the South American nation cruised through. It will now be the battle of the heavyweights as France and Uruguay take on each other in a high-profile encounter. India Today Photo RUSSIA vs CROATIA: Russia reached their first-ever quarter-final with a stunning victory over 2010 world champions Spain. While Spain looked a shadow of their superior selves, Russia showed grit and fierce will to stun Spain. Even after Spain scored first, Russia equalised with Artem Dzyuba's penalty, courtesy a handball from Gerard Pique, and thereafter, defended their hearts out to take the match to penalties. While Igor Akinfeev saved two of Spain's penalties, David de Gea failed to save any as Spain crashed out 4-3 on penalties. On the day same, Croatia vs Denmark was also one dramatic match. Both the teams scored within the first five minutes of the match but then chose caution over attacking football as the match kept getting stretched. In the last few minutes of the extra time, Croatia got a golden opportunity through a penalty but Kasper Schmeichel made a sensational save against Luka Modric to take the tie to the penalty shootout. Even the shooutout was dramatic as both Danijel Subasic and Schmeichel made a couple of saves before Subasic saved Denmark's last while Ivan Rakitic scored past Schmeichel to send Croatia into quarters. In the Croatia vs Russia quarter-final, the former will surely be favourites but they will be up against a crowd-backed and inspired Russian unit. BRAZIL vs BELGIUM: Brazil marched into the quarter-finals with a solid 2-0 victory over the unpredictable Mexico. After weathering the Mexican storm for the first half an hour of the game, Brazil came into their own. Willian, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho combined to make numerous forays, scored two goals and defended theirs with much ease. Belgium had a contrasting game to Brazil's. Belgium were heavily favoured ahead of the match but Japan matches toes to toes in the entire first half to keep it 0-0. Early in the second half, Japan stunned Belgium by scoring two quick goals but the Red Devils responded admirably come back from behind to equalise and then pull off a last-gasp goal to reach quarters. Brazil vs Belgium is going to be a mouthwatering clash between two tournament-favourites. Both teams have shown excellent attacking flair but perhaps it will be upto their defence this time to decide the clash. SWEDEN VS ENGLAND: Sweden advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Switzerland in what was a scrappy match overall. For the first time in 24 years, Sweden have reached the last eight, courtesy a 66th minute goal from Emil Forsberg and some excellent saves from Swedish keeper Robin Olsen. England and Colombia played out a dramatic and heated match as Colombia earned seven yellow cards while also conceding a penalty. In the 54th minute, Carlos Sanchez brought down Harry Kane in the box and the English captain scored from the spot to take his tally in the World Cup to six goals. Right when it looked England were going to the quarters, Yerry Mina rose the highest to head in the equaliser for Colombia in the third minute of the stoppage time. The extra time also failed to yield any result and the match went to the shootouts. While Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford scored the first two penalties for England, Falcao and Cuadrado also scored for Colombia. With Ospina saving Henderson's penalty, the advantage went to Colombia missed the next penalty to give that advantage away. Then Tripper scored for England but Uribe's penalty was saved by Pickford. Eric Dier kept his nerves at the end and gave England a 4-3 win on penalties. England will now meet Sweden. While Colombia's defence seemed to be a big hurdle for England, Sweden might pose a bigger threat in that discipline. India Today Photo Two matches will take place in the quarter-finals every day on July 6 and July 7 in the following order: July 6, 7.30pm: Uruguay vs France July 6, 11.30pm: Brazil vs Belgium July 7, 7.30pm: Sweden vs England July 7, 11.30pm: Russia vs Croatia<doc-sep>
World Cup football Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo Argentina Portugal FIFA World Cup 2018 FIFA World Cup The ongoing FIFA2018 in Russia has been a roller coaster ride forfans, with surprises and disappointments galore at various stages of the tournament. With the Round of 16 matches concluded and the quarter finals scheduled to begin on July 6, here's a look at 11 interesting facts about the tournament:1.andhave never won a World Cup. The captains ofandrespectively are in contention for the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) title but both have been knocked out of this, possibly their last, World Cup.2. In the2018, defending champions Germany were eliminated at the group stage itself. This is the first time in eight decades that Germany has been knocked out at the group stage.3. Two nations made their World Cup debut this year - Panama and Iceland. Both of them were knocked out in the group stage.4. French player Kylian Mbappe, 19, became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score at least two goals in a World Cup match when he hit his mark twice within two minutes in the Round of 16 match against Argentina.5. This was only the third time that Egypt qualified for the World Cup. The first time they did so was in 1934 and the second was in 1990. Egypt has never won a match in the World Cup.6. Brazil is the only country to have competed in every World Cup. Brazil is also the only country to have won 20 percent of the 20 World Cup tournaments held till date.7. This is the first tournament since 1958 in which Italy is not competing. They failed to qualify.8. The prize money for winners of theis a whopping USD $38 million. The runners-up will take home $28 million.9. The official song of 2018 FIFA World Cup ‘Live It Up’ has been performed by Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi and produced by DJ and songwriter Diplo. Jason Derulo’s ‘Colours’ is also one of the anthems of the ongoing World Cup. The theme of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 is a dream and cosmic outer space exploration.10. Ekaterina Bocharova, a student, designed the World Cup mascot Wolf Zabivaka.11. Zimbabwe was expelled from the World Cup for not paying their former coach Jose Claudinei Georgini.