FIFA World Cup 2018: Google doodle dedicated to first semi-final France vs Belgium match

New Delhi: Google is continuing with its FIFA World Cup 2018-themed doodles. Today’s doodle on Google's homepage is dedicated to the first semi-finals that will be played between France and Belgium. The match will be played at the Saint Petersburg stadium, and the kick-off time is 11:30PM IST.

Today’s Google doodle depicts the football culture in both the countries. The doodle for Belgium has been illustrated by Sam Vanallemeersch, while the one for France has been illustrated by Helene Leroux. As is the case during this tournament, the doodles are basically an interpretation of “What football looks like in my country.”

Both the teams have played some stellar football in their run to the semi-finals. France defeated the likes of Argentina and Uruguay, while Belgium defeated teams like Japan, and tournament favorites, Brazil. The prize for today’s match is a trip to Moscow for the finals where the winner will face either England or Croatia.

History is on Belgium’s side as they hold an advantage over their neighbors. In 74 previous meetings, the Red Devils have won 30 games, and lost 24. That said, during major tournaments, the Les Bleus have won all the three encounters. Both teams will field among the best attacking talents tonight, including the likes of Kylian Mbappè, Antoine Griezmann, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku to name a few.

The popular belief among fans is that the winner of this match could very well go on to win the World Cup. But if the tournament has proven anything this year, it is how unpredictable every match is. For neutrals, this is likely to be as entertaining a match as one can expect.