Barca was having a hard time on Saturday, trailing in the game against Athletic de Bilbao until almost the 80th minute. They were better than the vascos, but couldn't manage to beat Athletic's goalkeeper Unai Simon and showed (once again) that its defense struggles by being overexposed by a midfield that does not make it to support them. 

If historians had not located the ancient Sparta territory, I would have guessed it was in the Basque country, precisely in the lovely city of San Sebastian, and that King Leonidas is buried under the turf of Anoeta, Real Sociedad’s stadium, as the almighty Barcelon continues to struggle in the land of Euskera, despite playing against a weaker side (at least in theory).

France takes on Uruguay in the first quarterfinal of the 2018 World Cup at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The match will serve as the tournament’s first truly fascinating clash of styles: the attacking zest of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba versus the hard-bitten play of Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez and Luis Suarez. It’s all on the line with the winner advancing to the semifinal to meet either Brazil or Belgium. 

It wouldn’t be a World Cup without Luis Suarez making headlines for negative actions. In 2010 it was his hand ball to save a goal against Ghana. In 2014 it was biting Giorgio Chiellini. In 2018 against Portugal, he was caught faking a head injury, with the referee not buying it at all.

Luis Suarez combined with Edinson Cavani for the game’s first goal, which was vital in a match between two teams with defenses that can be difficult to break down.