France-Belgium match offers potential goal-fest
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA — Considering the attacking strength of France and Belgium, there’s potential for a goal-fest when the European neighbors meet in the World Cup semifinals.
There was less at stake the last time the teams last went headto-head at the World Cup, a 4-2 victory for France in the thirdplace match in 1986. That was the last competitive match between the two countries but there have been eight international friendlies since. Belgium won two of those, including the last one: an exhibition three years ago at Stade de France when the Belgians took a three-goal lead five minutes into the second half and held on to win 4-3.
With the second-youngest ros-
■ France vs. Belgium, 2 p.m., Fox
■ England vs. Croatia, 2 p.m. Fox
■ Semifinal losers, 10 a.m., Fox
■ Semifinal winners, 11 a.m, Fox
ter at the World Cup, France has shown no fear and advanced to its first World Cup semifinal since 2006 led by 19-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe and a pair of inexperienced attacking fullbacks in Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez. Coach Didier Deschamps, who was captain when France won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, has instilled a steely
World Cup
the first time. About the difficulty of dividing her time between family and forehands. About the precedent the All England Club set by seeding her 25th, based on past success that includes seven Wimbledon titles, even though she was ranked outside the top 150 after missing more than a full season.
“It will be really nice for these women to take a year off, and have the most amazing thing in the world,” Williams said, “then come back to their job and not have to start from the bottom, scrape, scrape, scrape.”
She tweeted over the weekend about missing the chance to see Olympia take her first steps, because it happened during a training session. What working parent can’t relate to that?
Azarenka knows it can be difficult to reconcile parenthood and a career. She skipped some tournaments, including last year’s U.S. Open, while working out a custody dispute with the father of her son, Leo.
“I really want to spend every second with him,” Azarenka said. “I feel guilty if I take 15 minutes for myself to stretch. I’m trying to run back to him and spend every second with him. So that’s the balance I think is the tough one.”
As a member of the WTA player council, Azarenka has been involved with discussions about how the tour can help moms. Among the topics being looked at: the “protected ranking” policy, which allows players to enter a certain number of tournaments based on where they were ranked before taking time off because of an injury, illness or pregnancy; whether a similar rule should be established with regards to seeding.
One concern raised by some of the mothers in interviews during Wimbledon was that not enough tournaments offer childcare facilities, the way the four Grand Slams do.
While Maria was in action at the grass-court tournament, her 4-year-old daughter, Charlotte, spent her days at what the All England Club calls the competitors’ creche, essentially a nursery for children of players and coaches.
It opened in 1983, was refurbished in 2015, and has space for 15 or so kids.
“It’s like a regular kindergarten. They eat together. They do activities. We don’t have to look after her at all,” Maria said.
Today’s action: Wimbledon’s unique second Monday is guaranteed to be busy: This is the only Grand Slam event that schedules all 16 men’s and women’s fourth-round singles matches on one day’s schedule. No. 1-seeded Roger Federer, seeking a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title, opens the proceedings at Centre Court against No. 22 Adrian Mannarino of France. No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, a two-time champion, tries to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, meeting 93rd-ranked Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. No. 12 Novak Djokovic, who’s won Wimbledon three times, meets 40th-ranked Karen Khachanov of Russia. Williams is the lone past Wimbledon champion left in the women’s bracket. Only one of the top 10 women’s seeds remains after an upset-filled Week 1.