William Saliba vs Lamine Yamal
A Rolls Royce centre-back vs a Ferrari teenager. An immovable barrier against an unstoppable force. The duel between the French centre-back and Spanish winger would cater to both sensationalists and connoisseurs. Saliba is an elegant defender with all attributes to become a legend of the game. Immense poise under pressure, fleet of foot and sharp of brain, a man-marker of iron will, a one-man wall repelling relentless waves of attacks, he has stifled forwards throughout the tournament.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal controls the ball during a training session at his base camp in Donaueschingen, Germany, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, ahead of their Group B soccer match against Croatia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
But Yamal’s trickery and blinding pace could test his wits like no other in the game. The teenager can ghost through defensive quagmires with the ease of an evening stroll in a park. He piled agony on the German defenders, raking through with an unbound spirit. However, Saliba could be the toughest hurdle yet. The pair embody the classic contest between the meanest defence (1 goal conceded) and the deadliest attack (11 goals scored).
Rodri vs N’Golo Kante
The tussle in midfield couldn’t be more delightfully lit up. Until the Frenchman left for Saudi shores, he was the best holding midfielder in the Premier League, and architect of Chelsea’s trophy-winning moments. There have been times when he bossed Rodri in England, but since his departure, Rodri has established himself as the finest in the business. Kante is all energy and efficiency, dexterous in ball retrieving. Rodri’s hallmark is his positional intelligence, apart from his reading of the game and passing canvas. Rodri sets the tunes of Spain; Kante artfully disrupts the opponent’s rhythm. If anyone doubted Kante’s fitness and sharpness after a season in the 33rd-best league in the world, he has emphatically proved them wrong, emerging as France’s un-tearable midfield screen. If Rodri masters in finding space to pass, Kante specialises in filling the space his attackers have left behind in search of someone to mark.
Kylian Mbappe versus Jesus Navas
It is a mismatch on paper. The world’s reddest, hottest forward, screaming at the speed of a light year. Navas is 38 and the lone link to his country’s golden generation in this team. On paper, Mbappe should tear him apart and hurry him to pack his bags to the Saudi Arabian league. Except that it wouldn’t be as straightforward a meeting as it looks. The French virtuoso has been a few yards slower than he usually has been, his shots on goal have not stung. But Navas, a dodgy winger with atrocious crossing range converted into a utility left-back, still retains the pace of his youth and enthusiasm to run as fast as he can. He could match Mbappe’s pace. Navas has combined pace with smart positioning and tight marking.
France’s Theo Hernandez and Kylian Mbappe celebrate at the end of a round of sixteen match between France and Belgium at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. France won 1-0. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Like Dani Carvajal, the man he replaces, Navas can fling his body around to thwart goal-bound shots. Mbappe would undoubtedly target him, looking to drive through the channel between Navas and Nacho, the centre-back. But the Sevilla man is a feisty character and would not run away from the challenge.
Unai Simon versus Mike Maignan
Goalkeepers would not be involved in direct contact. Nonetheless, they would wield their powers in the game. Both carry a penalty-saving reputation, should the game tumble into a shootout. The French custodian has saved 23.7 percent of all spot-kicks he has faced in competitive games. His pre-shot antics could unsettle shot-takers, as Portugal’s Joao Felix realised. His Spanish counterpart Simon is taller, nearly two metres, bigger, and has a better record in denying penalties. He has saved 27.4 percent of all penalties he has countenanced. The French stopper has been excellent between the sticks, with a save percentage of 94, the best of any goalkeeper to feature more than once in the competition. Simon had been less busy, but conceded a goal more often (with a save percentage of 84). Worryingly, he is prone to hideous errors, one nearly costing Spain in the quarterfinal against Germany, when he sent a goal-kick straight to Kai Havertz, only for the German forward’s chip to soar over the post.
