For the first time in what feels like weeks, there are no matches at the World Cup today.
And we have to wait until Friday for the start of the quarter finals and another 24 hours until England meet France back at the Al Bayt Stadium.
But what an incredible finish to the last 16 ties with Portugal thrashing Switzerland and looking every bit a better team without Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line-up. Maybe it’s time someone is honest enough to tell him that even all time greats have a sell-by date. He’s one hell of a sub, mind you.
And an even bigger story was Morocco beating Spain on penalties to become the first North African team and the first Arab country to reach the quarter finals in the first Arab World Cup.
What timing. You had to admire Morocco’s passion and energy, skill and drive as they caused a major upset by knocking out Luis Enrique’s side. And maybe, just maybe, it should signal the end of an era in Spanish football because their lack of intensity, pressing and urgency was incredible.
Spain made 1,019 passes in the game but created so little with their 77 percent possession that it defied belief. They have got such talent in Pedri and Gavi but could have gone out in the Group stage let alone the last 16.
They were such a dominant force a decade ago and yet seem unable to adapt and change with the times. Lovely to watch as a training exercise but pretty ineffective as a team and no-one was really talking about them as potential winners.
That tells its own story of the state of Spanish football and expectations with Luis Enrique. Sergio Busquets is probably the last survivor of the great tiki-taka generation - and now it’s time to move on.
Now it’s into the build-up for England’s quarter final with France. England have a press conference today at their Al Wakrah training base. France are doing something at their base too.
We’re into the serious stuff now.
I still make France favourites but England have a chance which is something you would not have said before Gareth Southgate took charge.
That is something to remember when we analyse his reign.
Southgate has made England contenders and when you look at some of the big nations to fall in this World Cup, that should not be taken for granted.
