How Chelsea stars fared in World Cup quarterfinals and semifinals

Chelsea players have continued to proudly represent their country in pursuit of the biggest prize in football. more countries have been knocked out since the Round of 16 and some Blues still remain in the competition. Unfortunately, no CFC player is in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Here’s how some of Graham Potter’s performed in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Thiago Silva (Centerback) Brazil, Chelsea

Silva was good for Brazil. He did not make many defensive actions mainly because brazil dominated the final third. Silva completed the second most passes for Brazil (92), at a 94 per cent passing accuracy. Silva also created two chances, an interesting statistic considering he’s a centerback. He won an impressive 4/6 duels for his country, but, unfortunately, none of this was enough to send the Brazilians through to the semifinals. The South American nation conceded just before the 120th minute, and was forced to penalty shootouts, where they lost.

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder) Croatia

Kovacic was very good against Brazil. He was instrumental to Croatia’s doggedness in midfield. Croatia was clearly outgunned and therefore had little margin for error in that game, especially in midfield. Kovacic had a near-flawless performance. The Chelsea midfielder completed 91% of his passes and won 4/5 tackles. He also won 8/14 duels and won two fouls and contested the second-most duels for his team.

Semifinal

Kovacic was actually much better in the semifinal match against Argentina. However, his decision-making was a bit off, which was more irritating because Croatia doesn’t have many influential players in the final third. His ball-carrying was much better, but he missed the chance to play in Ivan Perisic who was in a very good position with no one close to him at the top of Argentina’s penalty box. He created three chances, completed 4/6 dribbles, and completed 95% of his passes. He won the most duels of any one on the pitch (10) and contested the second most duels (15). The Croatians was soundly beaten though, and CFC‘s Kovacic is now out of contention for the World Cup. He plays again for Croatia in the third-place final against Morocco.