Olivier Giroud, the new record holder of the French national team, opened the round of 16 duel between France and Poland at the Sumáma Stadium in Doha with a goal in the 44th minute with 52 goals. The assist went to Kylian Mbappé, who added two more goals in the final quarter of an hour, and with five hits, he became the top scorer of the tournament. Polish captain Robert Lewandowski converted the penalty twice in the set-up.
Les Bleus avenged their opponent’s defeat from the only match between them in the elite tournament in 1982 (2:3). They did not lose to Poland for the eighth time in a row, and they reached the top eight teams for the fourth time in the last five World Cups. Poland ends up in the round of 16, just like 36 years ago, when they were last in the playoffs.
Montage of the eight-final match of the World Cup France – PolandVideo: Czech television
The reigning European vice-champions from England decided the match in Chúr with two goals at the end of the opening act, when Jordan Henderson and, for the first time in the tournament, captain Harry Kane. Bukayo Saka added the third goal in the 57th minute.
Editing of the round of 16 match between England and SenegalVideo: Czech television
The English made it to the round of 16 at the World Cup for the sixth time out of eight attempts. The Albion team did not lose even in the 22nd match against an opponent from Africa and scored a second consecutive 3-0 victory at the tournament in Qatar. Senegal, who dominated the Africa Cup of Nations in February, failed to follow up their 2002 quarter-final appearance at the World Cup in their second appearance in the knockout stages.
| Scorers of the World Cup in Qatar: |
|---|
| 5 – Mbappé, |
| 3 – Giroud (or France), Rashford, Saka (or England), Valencia (Ecuador), Gakpo (Nizozemsko), Messi (Argentina), Morata, |
| 2 – Ferran Torres (both Spain), Füllkrug, Havertz (both Germany), Taremí (Iran), Richarlison (Brazil), Álvarez (Argentina), Kramarič (Croatia), Cho Ku-song (Korea), Kudus (Ghana), Fernandes (Portugal), S. Davsári (Saudi Arabia), Doan (Japan), De Arrascaeta (Uruguay), A. Mitrovič (Serbia), Embolo (Switzerland), Aboubakar (Cameroon), Lewandowski (Poland). |
| Keepers with a clean sheet: |
| 3 – Pickford (England), |
| 2 – Szczesny (Poland), Alisson (Brazil), Noppert (Netherlands), Turner (USA), E. Martínez (Argentina), Ryan (Australia), Dahmán (Tunisia), Rochet (Uruguay), Livakovič (Croatia), Courtois (Belgium), |
| 1 – Bunú, Kajuí (both Morocco), Galíndez (Ecuador), Schmeichel (Denmark), Ochoa (Mexico), Simón (Spain), Sommer (Switzerland), Kim Sung-kyu (Korea), H. Hosejní (Iran), Navas (Costa Rica), Costa (Portugal), Epassy (Cameroon). |
