FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 32 (Part 1) Quiz

Answer: Canada, in regulation time

In the 6th minute Teboho Mokoena's long range shot was well saved by the Canadian keeper, Maxime Crepeau. In the 7th minute Stephen Eustaquio also tried from long range, his shot went over. In the 9th minute Richie Laryea's ball into the area was blocked for a corner. In the 14th minute Liam Miller tried to cut inside from the left but the ball was blocked. In the 16th minute Jonathan David's shot was blocked for a corner. From the resulting corner, David found space but shot wide. In the 22nd minute Derek Cornelius had a golden chance to score but he didn't get a strong enough connection on his header and the ball was saved by the South African keeper, Ronwen Williams. At the other end Mokoena's shot was blocked. In the 35th minute Nathan Saliba's shot from a tight angle was saved. In the 41st minute a Canadian free kick was sent in from the right and it was headed way over by Tani Oluwaseyi.

In the 44th minute another Canadian corner caused mayhem in the six yard box, when Moise Bombito's header was blocked on the line by Aubrey Modiba, Cornelius had an air swing and then Tajon Buchanan's shot was blocked by Williams. In the 45th minute, Laryea appeared to be chopped down by Khuliso Mudau in the area but the referee awarded a goal kick. The replay showed that Madau had gotten a touch on the ball and in fact if anyone had fouled anyone, it was the other way around. Half time, score was 0-0.

In the 65th minute Oluwaseyi was sent through the middle and his shot under pressure was blocked by Williams, the ball ballooned into the air, and Jonathan David would have assumed he was going to be the first goalscorer until a last ditch flying clearance from Mbekezeli Mbokazi sent it out for a corner. In the 74th minute a South African attack fizzed out when Sphephelo Sithole blazed over. In the 76th minute Promise David drove his shot just wide. In the 78th minute David's snapshot at the near post was beaten away by Williams. In the 84th minute a long range effort from Oswin Appollis was saved at full stretch by Crepeau.

In the 1st minute of stoppage time Jacob Shaffelburg's cross from the right was headed clear but straight into the path of Eustaquio on the edge of the area who took one touch and then drove it into the far corner. 1-0 to Canada with only a few minutes of stoppage time to go. In the last minute of stoppage time a hopeful cross floated into the Canadian area and was gathered by Crepeau. Full time, 1-0 to Canada. They progressed, Bafana Bafana went home.

Neither country had ever made it past a group stage at a World Cup Finals tournament. In the Round of 16 Canada played Morocco.

Answer: Japan

In the 2nd minute some uncharacteristically sloppy defending by Japan saw Bruno Guimaraes have a snapshot that was deflected behind. In the 7th minute a Brazilian free kick into the area was gathered buy Zion Suzuki. In the 14th minute a shot from Matheus Cunha was turned around the post by Suzuki. From the ensuing corner Douglas Santos tried to curl a shot into the far corner but was wide. In the 29th minute Brazil gave the ball away in midfield, it was latched onto by Kaishu Sano who ran 20 metres than drove a long range shot into the far corner of the net. 1-0 to Japan, it was Sano's first international goal. In the 33rd minute a header from Marquinhos glanced wide of the far post. In the 38th minute Cunha put in a weak shot from way out which was gathered easily by Suzuki. In the 43rd minute Junya Ito's cross for Japan was cleared. Half time, 1-0 to Japan.

In the 46th minute Vinicius Jr's lofted ball into the area was again easily gathered by Suzuki. In the 52nd minute a cross from Danilo was met with a strong header from Cuhna, but it was beaten away by Suzuki. In the 54th minute Cuhna's header was blocked on the line by the side of Takehiro Tomiyasu's face and Suzuki's left hand. The ball was then hooked clear, and as Japan broke away towards the other end, ultimately a cross from Keito Nakamura was poorly placed and the danger for Brazil passed. In the 56th minute a cross into the box from Gabriel Magalhaes found the head of Casemiro at the far post. Score is 1-1. In the 58th minute Vinicius Jr went on a mazy run that took him inside the area; his outside of the foot shot was parried by Suzuki onto the inside of the post, rebounded to a defender, and was cleared out to Cunha, who belted it over the bar.

In the 64th minute a long ball out of midfield from Maeda found Ito on the left whose fierce shot was stopped by the Brazilian keeper Alisson Becker. In the last minute of second half stoppage time, Brazil took the lead. Japan's Ao Tanaka was dispossessed on the edge of the area, The ball was passed to Guimaraes on the edge of the area, who looked to shoot but instead placed a beautifully weighted pass to Gabriel Martinelli, lurking to the left of the penalty area. Martinelli's side footed shot was placed to perfection, in off the far post and breaking Japanese hearts and hopes in the process. 2-1 to Brazil. This was the full time score.

In the Round of 16, Brazil played Norway.

Answer: 4-3 to Paraguay

In the first 20 seconds Paraguay attacked and Julio Enciso's shot was blocked behind. From the resulting corner, the ball went all the way through to an unmarked Junior Alonso at the back stick, whose first touch was unsure, resulting in a poor shot the German keeper Manuel Neuer was able to knock down. In the 6th minute, Denis Undav's cheeky chip went wide of the far post. In the 7th minute Florian Wirtz's cross in the from the left was deflected behind by Jose Canale. From the resulting corner, Wirtz blazed his shot over. In the 42nd minute Neuer punched away Miguel Almiron's shot. The ball was recycled and Galarza's cross was powerfully headed home by Enciso. 1-0 to Paraguay. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Felix Nmencha's shot/cross for Germany was deflected wide by Canale. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Kai Havertz mis-directed his header but if fall to Joshua Kimmich at the far post, whose shot was held by Paraguay's keeper Orlando Gill. Half time score, 1-0 to Paraguay.

In the 46th minute, Enciso almost capitalised on a short backpass from Kimmich, but Neuer gathered. In the 54th minute Germany equalised. A cross from Florian Wirtz found Kai Havertz in the box and his flick header beat Gill and nestled in the far corner of the net. Score was levelled at 1-1. In the 56th minute Leon Goretzka's shot was blocked. In the 59th minute, Gustavo Caballero's weak header was saved by Neuer. In the 77th minute Gill saved an almost point blank header from Havertz. In the 86th minute a German corner came to nothing as a goalmouth scramble resulted in an offside decision. In the 1st minute of stoppage time Kimmich's shot was deflected wide. Full time score 1-1, we go to extra time.

In the 3rd minute of extra time, Nick Woltemade and then Kimmich had shots in quick succession, both were blocked. In the 10th minute of extra time Wirtz's cross from the left managed to evade everyone in the area and go behind. In the 12th minute of extra time a corner from Germany's Nathaniel Brown was sent to the far post where it was met with a towering header from Jonathan Tah giving Gill no chance. 2-1 to Germany. But uh oh! The referee was advised by the VAR to go and have a sticky beak at the pitchside monitor. What could this have been for? From the replays being shown it appeared that he was considering whether Waldemar Anton had fouled Gill as the ball was being delivered. From this author's viewpoint, if that is considered a foul then it will be a poor decision - there is minimal contact at best. Will the referee grow a pair and stick by his onfield decision, or will he wimp out and hide behind the VAR recommendation?

The decision: Foul, goal disallowed. I will say no more, you already have the gist of my thoughts! In the 28th minute of extra time Brown's corner presented a free header for Anton in the six yard box, but his header was straight at Gill. End of extra time, no additional score, it remained at 1-1. The World Cup tournament goes to its first penalty shootout. Here is the summary:

== Havertz (GER) - did the silly stutter step and put it hard to the Gill's left, but not far enough and it is saved. Penalties: Germany 0 Paraguay 0.
== Mauricio (PAR) - Put his laces through the ball and into the side of the net to Neuer's left. Penalties: Germany 0 Paraguay 1.
== Kimmich (GER) - Sent Gill to his left while the ball was driven into the side netting on the right. Penalties: Germany 1 Paraguay 1.
== Gomez (PAR) - Also sent the keeper the wrong way, to the right, as he stroked the ball to Neuer's left. Penalties: Germany 1 Paraguay 2.
== Musiala (GER) - Drilled the ball to Gill's right, the keeper guessed correctly and got his fingers to it but the ball had too much power behind it. Penalties: Germany 2 Paraguay 2.
== Galarza (PAR) - Calmly placed the ball to Neuer's right as the keeper dived to his left. Penalties: Germany 2 Paraguay 3.
== Woltemade (GER) - Placed the ball low to Gill's left but the keeper guessed correctly and blocked the ball with a great dive. Penalties: Germany 2 Paraguay 3.

If Paraguay had scored from their following penalty they would have been the winners.

== Sanabria (PAR) - Hit it low and hard to Neuer's right but the wrong side of the post. Penalties: Germany 2 Paraguay 3.

Germany had to score from the following penalty to have any chance of progressing, if not, they would have lost.

== Amiri (GER) - Sent Gill the wrong way and placed the ball to the keeper's left. Penalties: Germany 3 Paraguay 3.

Again, if Paraguay had scored from their following penalty they would have been the winners.

== Balbuena (PAR) - Hit it low and hard to Neuer's left, but the keeper guessed correctly and made a great full length dive to save. Penalties: Germany 3 Paraguay 3.

Back to parity after five penalties for each country. Now it went to sudden death, one penalty per side until a winner was found.

== Tah (GER) - Blasted his attempt over the bar, Baggio-style. Penalties: Germany 3 Paraguay 3.

For the third time, if Paraguay had scored from their following penalty they would have been the winners.

== Canale (PAR) - Sent his kick high and left of the keeper as Neuer dived the wrong way. Penalties: Germany 3 Paraguay 4.

So, Paraguay won the match 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time. La Albirroja progressed and the Germans went to the airport.

Julio Enciso's goal was the first time Paraguay have scored in a knockout stage in a World Cup Finals tournament. It was the first time Germany have lost a penalty shootout at a World Cup Finals tournament. They had won their previous five. In the Round of 16, Paraguay played France.

Answer: Ismael Saibari (Morocco)

In the 16th minute Crysensio Summerville was set free and charged towards the goal and tried to lay it off for Brian Brobbey, but the ball was intercepted by Morocco's Issa Diop. In the 20th minute a Moroccan corner was met with a powerful glancing header from Neil El Aynaoui which Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen did very well to push away. In the 21st minute Achraf Hakimi had a fierce strike from the edge of the area forced Verbruggen into a full length save. In the 38th minute Jan Paul Van Hecke bashed his head on El Aynaoui's knee and came off worse, the referee had to stop play as blood was pouring from the Dutchman's noggin. In the 43rd and 44th minutes a number of goalmouth scrambles/incursions kept coming to nothing until the ball rolled to Micky Van de Ven who tried a hard shot from range but the ball was pushed over by Yassine Bounou. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time Azzedine Ounahi shot over the bar. In the 6th minute of stoppage time Ismael Saibari failed to connect in front of the goal with a Hakimi free kick. Half time, score is 0-0.

In the 48th minute Summerville's free kick was headed tamely towards goal by Van de Ven, easily gathered by Bounou. The next minute at the other end, Ayyoub Bouaddi blazed wide and over. In the 52nd minute Hakimi broke free into the area, and his angled shot hit the face of the crossbar. In the 61st minute Saibari's pass across the box was deflected behind. In the 72nd minute Summerville broke away but was brought down when approaching the area. Before the referee could whistle (or had he played advantage?) the ball broke to Cody Gakpo who slotted it under Bounou. 1-0 to the Netherlands. In the 1st minute of stoppage time a cross from the left by Chemsdine Talbi resulted in Issa Diop evading Virgil van Dijk and heading strongly past Verbruggen. Score now 1-1. Full time, the match went to 30 minutes of extra time.

In the 7th minute of extra time, Soufiane Rahimi danced through the area but his shot was kept out by a great reflex save from Verbruggen. In the 25th minute of extra time a cross from Talbi was headed away. No further scores after extra time. The World Cup tournament went to its second penalty shootout (and the second of the day). Here is the summary:

== Koopmeiners (NED) - Drilled his shot low to the keeper's left. Bounou guessed correctly but was beaten by the power and placement. Penalties: Netherlands 1 Morocco 0.
== El Aynauoi (MOR) - Powerfully struck, sent Verbruggen the wrong way, but the ball cannoned off the top of the crossbar. Penalties: Netherlands 1 Morocco 0.
== Kluivert (NED) - Stutter stepped, sent the keeper the wrong way but also did enough to put himself off as his shot hit the outside of Bounou's right hand post. Penalties: Netherlands 1 Morocco 0.
== Rahimi (MOR) - Hit it powerfully to Verbruggen's right, but close enough for the keeper to get both hands to. Unfortunately, the ball squirmed underneath him in the process and was rolling in an away from goal direction until Verbruggen's heel knocked it backwards into the net, and that's a valid goal in a shootout. Penalties: Netherlands 1 Morocco 1.
== Weghorst (NED) - Slammed it into the top left corner of Bounou's goal, giving the keeper no chance. Stutter steppers, take note: put your laces through it. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 1.
== Talbi (MOR) - Hit it high and to the left of Verbruggen, who guessed correctly but couldn't reach it. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 2.
== Timber (NED) - Put a low shot well wide of Bounou's right hand post. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 2.
== Hakimi (MOR) - Drilled his shot into the bottom of Verbruggen's right hand post and back out, with the keeper diving the other way. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 2.
== Summerville (NED) - Stutter stepped, did not score. Bounou guessed correctly and moved to his right and threw a big left hand up whilst still standing to bat the ball away. It's almost as if Bounou had known. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 2.
If Morocco converted their final penalty, they would have won.
== Saibari (MOR) - Confidently powered the ball into Verbruggen's right hand side as the keeper dived to the left. Penalties: Netherlands 2 Morocco 3.

Morocco won the match 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time. The Atlas Lions progressed and the Dutch were left to lament yet another penalty shootout failure, they had to lament from home. Cody Gakpo became one of six Dutch players to have scored six goals in World Cup Finals tournament games - one less than Johnny Rep who has seven. In the Round of 16, Morocco played Canada.

Answer: 1

In the 3rd minute Norway's Erling Haaland found himself in space near the penalty spot but his directed header was blocked by a defender. In the 8th minute Ivorian Yan Diamonde was in a similar position, but the cross was just too high, and he wasn't able to get any more than a glance on his header. Later that minute Nicolas Pepe's shot was blocked by Torbjorn Heggem. In the 21st minute Ghislain Konan cut into the box but his right footed shot went into the side netting. In the 28th minute Pepe met a cross at the far post and his first time shot went across the goal and was cleared by Kristoffer Ajer. In the 37th minute a cross from the right by Heggem was again met by Haaland on the spot, but his downward header was easily saved by Ivorian Yahia Fofana. In the 39th minute Norway made a breakthrough. Antonio Nusa cut in from the left and his curling effort snuck just inside the far post. 1-0 to Norway. In the 42nd minute Martin Odegaarde's cross from the right was met by Alexander Sorloth whose nodded header went to Haaland. Haaaland's effort was blocked by Ibrahim Sangare. from the resulting corner, Sorloth's inswinger was glanced on to the far post where both Haaland and Heggem arrived just too late. In the 45th minute Franck Kessie's shot from the left was deflected for a corner. In the second minute of stoppage time Pepe's free kick was met with a header from Emmanuel Agbadou which took another touch off a defender for a corner. Half time, Norway lead 1-0.

In the 49th minute Guela Doue's cross for the Ivorians flashed across the goal with no touches. In the 55th minute first Doue had a shot blocked by Heggem, then Pepe's shot was saved by Orjan Nyland. In the 57th minute a weak shot at goal was gathered by Fofana. In the 58th minute Odegaarde's free kick was sent into the box but was deflected into the hands of Fofana. After 63 minutes Diamonde's shot in the box was blocked behind for a corner which was subsequently cleared. In the 66th minute a corner fell in the box to Heggem, whose blasted shot was blocked on the line by Amad Diallo. In the 74th minute Diallo weaved his way into the box, cut inside and fired past Nyland. Score was levelled at 1-1. In the 86th minute Oscar Bobb cut in from the right hand touchline, fed a through pass to Patrick Berg in the area, who cut it square to Haaland, whose tap in was not cleanly struck, but cleanly enough to go into the goal. 2-1 to Norway. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time Konan's cross from the left was awkwardly parried by Nyland but the ball was cleared by David Moller Wolfe. In the 6th minute of stoppage time Diallo's free kick was heading for the top corner until it was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Nyland. Full time, 2-1 to Norway.

Norway progressed and the Ivorians can feel justifiably disappointed, but they were eliminated. Nusa's goal saw him become Norway's youngest scorer at World Cup Finals tournaments. Haaland's goal took him to five in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot award. It was also his 60th goal for Norway in 53 appearances, a stunning return rate. It was the 13th consecutive competitive international in which he had scored. In the Round of 16, Norway played Brazil.

Answer: Three

In the 3rd minute Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres cut the ball back to Alexander Isak whose tame shot was gathered by the French goalie Mike Maignan. On the other side of the area was Anthony Elanga in a lot of space who was none too happy about not being fed the ball. In the 12th minute Elliot Stroud's cross for Sweden sailed behind. In the 16th minute Lucas Digne's show from outside the area was comfortably save by Swerden's keeper Jacob Zetterstrom. In the 17th minute the same thing happened except the time Kylian Mbappe took the shot. In the 19th minute France's Bradley Barcola drove into the penalty area but then lifted his shot over the bar. In the 20th minute Mbappe was fed a ball through the middle and finished tidily but those who were watching knew the flag was going up because he was offside! It was a tight call. In the 28th minute Yasin Ayari's clever low free kick sent Isak through on goal but he could not make sufficient contact to worry Maignan. In the 30th minute Michael Olise's cross was headed away by Gustaf Lagerbielke. When the ball was recycled, Adrien Rabiot's shot was saved by Zetterstrom's leg, and the rebound hit Victor Lindelof and went behind.

In the 32nd minute Jules Kounde's cut back found Mbappe in (too much) space but his first time shot hit the base of the post. This time the rebound hit Lindelof and bounced back into Zetterstrom's hands. In the 33rd minute Adrien Rabiot's shot from outside the box flew over the top. In the 35th minute, Olise tried a spectacular overhead kick/side kick that hit the post. The ball came quickly out to Ousmane Dembele whose shot went wide of the post. In the 40th minute Mbappe tried a long shot which went down Zetterstrom's throat. In the 42nd minute Olise's long distance effort flashed just wide. In the 45th minute Olise's long range effort was tipped around the post by Zetterstrom. Moments later Mbappe cut into the area and hot a strong shot into the far corner of the net. 1-0 to France. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time Anthony Elanga's low cross into the French area saw Stroud eventually shoot wide. Half time, 1-0 to France.

In the 53rd minute, Olise passed to Barcola running into the area and he smashed his shot past Zetterstrom into the goal. 2-0 to France. In the 59th minute, Kounde's close shot was stopped by Zetterstrom. In the 61st minute Olise's fierce shot from the edge of the area was beaten away by Zetterstrom. After 64 minutes, Mbappe fed Olise in the box but his shot was deflected. In the 71st minute the same combination was at work but this time Zetterstrom smothered the effort. Zetterstrom was a busy lad during that part of the match. In the 74th minute the combo struck again, this time in reverse. Olise fed a great ball in behind the defence for Mbappe to run onto and fire across Zetterstrom into the far side of the goal. 3-0 to France. In the 81st minute Desire Doue fired in a shot with Zetterstrom grasped at the second attempt. Moments later, Elanga's cross saw Isak's turn and shot smothered by Maignon. In the 82nd minute Barcola shimmied into the box but his shot was saved by Zetterstrom. In the 89th minute the ball fell to Gyokeres at the edge of the box and his snapshot was pushed away by Maignon. Full time, 3-0 to France. As the commentator put it at the time: "Well that has been a joy. For all but Sweden."

Les Bleus progressed. The Swedes went home with the dubious pleasure of knowing they were completely overrun by a better country on the day. In this form, who would stop the French? With his two goals in this match, Kylian Mbappe had scored a World Cup record of ten knockout stage goals. With this victory France became the first side to score three or more goals in five consecutive World Cup Finals games. This match represented passing the five million mark for spectator attendance at the tournament. In the Round of 16, France played Paraguay.

Answer: Mexico won 2-0

In the 7th minute Mexico's Gilberto Mora played a long ball down the right where Luis Romo crossed the ball first time and Raul Jimenez's diving header went wide of the post. In the 11th minute a number of Ecuadorian incursions to the Mexican penalty area were made, but no danger was presented. In the 12th minute Mora shot across goal from the left and it went just wide of the far post. In the 18th minute Ecuador's John Yeboah burst into the box and his snapshot clipped the outside of the post. In the 22nd minute Roberto Alvarado played Julian Quinones free up the left, He cut inside to wrongfoot his defender, and the rocketed home a shot into the near top corner. In real time it looked suspiciously offside but a replay proved that he was just in his own half when the ball was played. 1-0 to Mexico.

In the 31st minute Joel Ordonez played a sloppy pass out his area which was picked up by Jimenez, he passed to Quinones who was central on the edge of the box, got a return pass and scored in the top right corner past Hernan Galindez. 2-0 to Mexico. In the 40th minute Yeboah made a strong mazy run into the area and his shot forced a flying save out of Mexico's keeper Raul Rangel. In the 44th minute Jimenez got his head to a cross but it went over the top. In the 45th minute it was Jiminez again, this time meeting a cross on the edge of the area; his volley was hit into the ground and went wide. Half time, 2-0 to Mexico.

In the 1st minute of the second half, Mexico's Alvarado shot wide from an angle. In the 62nd minute Ecuador's Nilson Angulo drilled a low ball into the penalty area but it was cut out. In the 67th minute a corner saw Cesar Montes powerfully head toward goal but Galindez pulled off a great save. From the resulting corner Montes had another free header but this one went wide. In the 72nd minute Piero Hincapie swung in a great cross, but it was cut out by Johan Vasquez. In the 74th minute a long through ball saw Kevin Rodriguez stab the ball past the Rangel but wide. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time Orbelin Pineda tried to place the ball in the far top corner but his shot went wide.

In the 4th minute of stoppage time Hincapie was seen to say something (or a number of somethings!) to Mexico's Jimenez, which Jimenez took offence to. Hincapie had his mouth covered with his hand as he was doing so, which, under new laws of the game brought in prior to the tournament, was a huge no-no. The referee was called over to the pitchside monitor by the VAR to see for himself. The law states: "Any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned". The referee had only to look at the replay once before whipping out his red card, and Hincapie was sent off for the third time in his international career.

A red card had already been issued to Paraguay's Miguel Almiron earlier in the tournament for the same offence. It beggars belief that players are either not aware of the law, or are unable to control themselves. Full time, Mexico are 2-0 winners. So, Mexico progressed whilst Ecuador was eliminated.

Mexico's Gilberto Mora became the second youngest player to take part in a World Cup Finals knockout match, 20 days older than a certain player named Pele in Sweden 1958. In the Round of 16, Mexico played England.

Answer: DR Congo

In the 5th minute, Marcus Rashford's cross under no pressure for England curled harmlessly out at the far post. In the 7th minute a cross from Chancel Mbemba went to the left and found an unmarked Brian Cipenga who shot low and hard past England's keeper Jordan Pickford at the near post for his first international goal. 1-0 to DR Congo. In the 14th minute after much lead up play, Declan Rice's attempted cross was turned behind for an England corner. In the 15th minute Jude Bellingham's outside of the foot cross went behind for a Congolese goal kick. In the 17th minute Rashford's cross was punched away by DR Congo's keeper Lionel Mpasi just before Bellingham got to it. In the 20th minute a cross from the right by Nathanael Mbuku just evaded Yohan Wisse's head and went out for a goal kick. In the 28th minute a free kick from the right by England's Declan Rice found its way into the penalty area and hit a stationary Ezri Konsa, and bounced behind after just missing the top corner. In the 29th minute Noni Madueke's low cross was cut out by Congo's Axel Tuanzebe. In the 30th minute a Rice cross was met with a powerful header from Bellingham, but it was straight at Mpasi who palmed it away.

In the 32nd minute Cipenga drove to the bye line and chipped across into the area, but it was cleared. Moments later Cipenga's shot from the corner of the are went high and wide at the far post. In the 35th minute a Rashford cross into the area found Harry Kane whose shot was blocked by Tuanzebe. The ball was recycled by Madueke who beat his opponent and put the ball through the six yard box. It came to an unmarked Rashford whose snapshot at goal was cleared off the line by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. One minute later Madueke's long range effort was charged down. In the 39th minute there appeared to be a handball in the area by a defender as he leapt for a ball, his arm was fully outstretched, and the ball hit his hand as he spun around. The referee played on and the VAR made the decision that the incident did not need further review. In the 40th minute Mbuku's cross was deflected behind for a corner. In the 42nd minute a low cross from Wan-Bissaka was met in the area by Wisse whose first time strike hit the post and went behind.

In the 43rd minute Harry Kane was played through the middle and as he got to the area he got a touch to the ball just before Mpasi and appeared to be brought down by the keeper. The referee signalled no penalty and his hand motions inferred that he considered it to be a dive. The VAR checked it and again decided there was no case to answer. The question remains, if the referee considered Kane to have dived, why was he not booked for simulation? In the 2nd minute of stoppage time Bellingham's diving header was saved at full stretch by Mpasi. In the 6th minute of stoppage time Rice's corner to the far post was met by Kane on the volley, and that man Mpasi was there again to block the effort. Half time, 1-0 to DR Congo. Mpasi was having the game of his life. Was it going to be one of 'those games' for England?

In the 49th minute a Rice corner was headed away at the far post by Arthur Masuaku. In the 51st minute Rashford broke away down the left, but his shot hit the side netting. In the 53rd minute Rashford's cross took a deflection and Mpasi had to claw it away from the goal. One minute later from a deep cross from the right, Rashford's header on goal went way over the top. In the 58th minute Rashford's cross went harmlessly over the bar. In the 61st minute some head tennis in the Congolese area came to nothing. In the next minute Cipenga's shot was blocked. In the 63rd minute Mbuku's long range shot was deflected just over the bar by Elliot Anderson's head. In the 66th minute Anthony Gordon's cross was short and was cleared. From the recycle, Spence did well to break into the area and then sent his cut back to no-one. In the 72nd minute, Rice's cross found its way to Kane, whose cut back led to Bukayo Saka butting in a cross that was headed behind. In the 73rd minute a Bellingham cross sailed way over the area. It was at that point when the boos from the crowd grew notably louder regarding England's profligacy.

In the 75th minute a breakthrough, or rather, a breakback, for England. Saka fed Eberechi Eze down the right, he passed inside to Rice who crossed from the goal line, the cross went to Gordon on the far side of the area, whose dinked cross found the waiting head of Kane who guided his effort into the side netting via a touch from Mpasi. Score is now 1-1. In the 79th minute, Anderson's effort from the edge of the area went just over. In the 81st minute Bellingham's low ball into the six yard box pinballed around before being cleared. Gordon's resultant cross was headed clear. In the 84th minute Bellingham's aimless low ball into the are was cleared, for what seems like the umpteenth time. In the 85th minute Anderson's hopeful long range effort turned into a cross for Gordon, who attempted headed ballooned skywards and was gathered by Mpasi. At the other end Meschack Elia's shot was saved comfortably by Pickford. In the 86th minute Bellingham was played through and his shot was blocked by Mpasi. Gordon picked up the rebound and fed it to Kane on the edge of the area. Kane took a controlling touch and turn to the right and slammed the ball into the top of the net with Mpasi motionless for the first time in the match. 2-1 to England. In the 90th minute Kane shot from 30 metres and sent it way over. No hat trick there, Harry. In the second minute of stoppage time, Mbemba's cross sailed over the back post. In the last minute of stoppage time Bellingham fouled Wissa centrally outside the area. The free kick from Wissa went over the bar. Full time score 2-1 to England.

The English survived a huge scare, and they progressed to the Round of 16 for the third successive tournament. The Congolese went home but should have been proud of themselves and encouraged by the way they played. England had never won a World Cup Finals match when trailing at half time. Harry Kane's goals were his fourth and fifth in World Cup knockout matches, passing Geoff Hurst, and leaving him one behind Gary Lineker. In the Round of 16, England played Mexico.

Answer: Four

In the 9th minute, some intricate Belgian work around the penalty area saw Leandro Trossard finally in enough space to release a powerful shot, which was well held by the Senegalese keeper Mory Diaw. In the 13th minute Senegal's Ismail Jakobs' cross was flapped at by Thibaut Courtois and the ball fell to Ismaila Sarr who could only direct the ball onto the post. In the 24th minute a short cross by Sadio Mane was met by a header from Sarr, whose effort hit the post, but the rebound fell straight to Habib Diarra and he knocked it into the net. 1-0 to Senegal. Brickbats to Diarra's marker Maxim de Cuyper who, when Sarr's header was on its way to hitting the post, stood and ball watched, leaving Diarra an unopposed attempt at goal. In the 31st minute, a pitch invader temporarily halted the game. In the 37th minute after some patient passing around the outside of the area, Sadio Mane finally found space inside the area to shoot, but it was straight at Courtois. In the 43rd minute Belgium made space down the right and Jeremy Doku's shot was deflected, forcing Diaw into a quick reflex save. In the 45th minute de Cuyper's shot from outside the box was saved at full stretch by Diaw. Half time, 1-0 to Senegal.

In the 1st minute of the second half, Senegal's Iliman Ndiaye's shot went wide. In the 51st minute Mane's run to, and cutback from the byeline, saw the ball run free to Diarra in a great position, but his shot went past the post. In the 51st minute Sarr ripped the match apart, and almost the net, when he expertly controlled a long ball from Moussa Niakhate on his chest, held off the attentions of his marker, and thundered the ball past Courtois. 2-0 to Senegal. In the 60th minute Youri Tielemans' shot hit the side netting. In the 84th minute Tielemans' shot went high and wide. In the 85th minute Mane was sent clear by a lucky rebound, but his shot was well saved by Courtois. In the 86th minute Thomas Meunier's short cross was flicked in at the near post by Romelu Lukaku. 2-1 to Senegal. In the 89th minute Leandro Trossard's short chip into the box was headed home by Tielemans. Score levelled at 2-2. In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Tielemans' low cross was deflected behind. Score at full time was 2-2, extra time was required.

In the 13th minute of extra time, Nicolas Raskin's shot through the area connected with no-one and went behind. In the 27th minute of extra time Diego Moreira's low cross from the left was deflected to Dodi Lukebakio standing alone near the penalty spot, his shot grazed the bar on its way over the top. Then we had a vital moment, the referee was advised by the VAR to go to the pitchside monitor to consider a possible penalty kick for Belgium. In the lead up to Lukebakio's missed chance, Tielemans had been fouled by Lamine Camara. Final decision: penalty kick. Tielemans stepped up under remarkable pressure and stroked the ball into the top right corner. 3-2 to Belgium. There was more Drama to come. In the 11th minute of stoppage time (there was only four minutes originally, but with the VAR check and all the brouhaha and arguing after that, time blew out a bit), Senegal was awarded a free kick centrally on the edge of the area for a hand ball by Raskin. Pape Matar Sarr put his shot over the wall and also the bar. Full time, 3-2 to Belgium.

The Belgians survived a huge scare, that being an understatement. They progressed to the Round of 16. The Senegalese headed home but should have been mightily proud of themselves. Belgium have recovered from a two goal deficit before, in 2018, when they overcame Japan 3-2. Youri Tielemans' penalty, at 120 + 5 minutes, was the latest goal scored in World Cup finals history. In the Round of 16, Belgium played USA.

Answer: Two

In the 4th minute Christian Pulisic made a strong run through midfield and took a shot which was deflected for a corner. In the 10th minute a huge goal kick from the Bosnian keeper Nikola Vasilj found a striker way beyond the last defender (you cannot be offside from a goal kick but it is rare to see this), he controlled it and laid it off to Dzeko whose shot was beaten away by Matt Freese. The follow up play was deflected behind for a corner. The corner from Kerim Alajbegovic was curling under the bar before it was punched away by Freese. In the 18th minute Weston McKennie's run down the right saw his hardly struck cross headed over by Antonee Robinson after being deflected into his path by Vasilj. As Robinson was falling from his diving attempt, his knees accidentally collided with Vasilj's head. He recovered and play continued after a short break for treatment. In the 29th minute Folarin Balogun went down in the area, the referee waved play on. The crowd went nuts. A replay showed it was clearly a dive.

In the 31st minute the crowd went nuts again because Balogun turned and fired a fine shot into the corner of the net after being fed by McKennie. The assistant referee's flag was up for offside. The replay showed the decision to be correct. The crowd went nuts at the assistant referee for doing his job correctly! In the 45th minute Tim Ream played a ball through the middle which Tyler Adams deftly flicked onto Malik Tillman. His attempted pass took deflections off two defenders and fell right into the path of Balogun whose shot went under Vasilj.1-0 to USA. In the 8th minute of stoppage time a chipped pass from Adams was headed down at the far post by Sergino Dest, and Balogun got there first but his attempt hit the bar and bounced over. Half time, 1-0 to USA.

In the 48th minute Pulisic's cross was headed behind by Sead Kolosinac. In the 56th minute a long range effort from Nikola Katic went over the top. In the 61st minute Balogun clumsily tackled Tarik Muharemovic. The VAR advised they were reviewing it as a possible red card situation. The referee was called to the pitchside monitor. His final decision was foul play and red card. If the crowd had gone nuts before, they went extra nuts now, and with good reason I felt. This author felt yes, it was a foul because of the contact made, and yes, Muharemovic was obviously badly hurt. I didn't believe there was any intent, I think that Balugun was simply trying to place his foot while landing, and the contact was unintentional. I thought it was a poor decision.

In the 79th minute McKennie's chipped cross was brought down by Tillman whose attempted shot was deflected into the path of Pulisic in a clearly offside position, and he rolled it under Vasilj. The flag was up, the crowd went nuts for the umpteenth time, it was no goal and the decision was correct. In the 82nd minute Tillman scored from a direct free kick over the wall and past Vasilj's right hand side. 2-0 to USA. In the 8th minute of stoppage time, Ermin Mahmic's long range shot went just wide of the post. Final score 2-0 to USA.

The USA played well to maintain and then increase their lead after the send off. They progressed to the Round of 16. Bosnia and Herzegovina went home after not putting in any real kind of showing the world what they could do. In the Round of 16, USA played Belgium.