🏆 England and France set up blockbuster as Brazil face South Korea | OneFootball

We’re now halfway through the last 16 with four of the quarter-finalists already confirmed.

Day 15 saw France and England book their places in the final eight with day 16 offering two more mouth-watering clashes.

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OK, what was your best moment from yesterday?

England knockout games used to strike fear into the heart of Three Lions fans.

Argentina in 1998, Brazil four years later, Portugal in 2006 and Germany at the South Africa World Cup.

England never made it easy for themselves but on Sunday evening, Gareth Southgate’s side strolled through to the quarter-finals with a thoroughly professional win over Senegal.

And at the heart of it all was Jude Bellingham, a 19-year-old who has become the star of this tournament.

In the earlier game it was another youngster who stood head and shoulders above everyone else.

Kylian Mbappé helped France beat Poland 3-1 as he netted two stunning second half goals.

It means England play Les Bleus in the quarter-final on Saturday. It’s going to be a thriller.

Do you have a memorable photo?

Long-derided and misunderstood, Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time leading scorer on Sunday as he netted in the first half of France’s win over Poland.

The Milan striker scored his 52nd goal for Les Bleus, taking him above the great Thierry Henry in the record books.

It’s a remarkable number for a player that might not have even got on to the pitch at this World Cup if Karim Benzema hadn’t have got injured on the eve of the tournament.

Senegal may have waved goodbye to this World Cup but they, and especially their fans, will live long in the collective memory.

They reached the knockout rounds of the World Cup for only the second time, and all without their star player.

Got any interesting stats or facts?

As England toiled to a 0-0 draw with USA the thought of England breaking any goalscoring records at this World Cup seemed insane.

Fast forward to just over a week though, and Gareth Southgate’s side have netted 12 times in only four games, the joint-most they have ever scored at a tournament.

With Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden all in stunning form, who knows how many they could get by the time the tournament is over.

Mbappé’s ascension to greatness continued apace on Sunday as his two goals against the Poles saw the France star reach five World Cup knockout goals.

At 23, he’s the youngest player to reach that milestone since Pele netted his five in the 1958 World Cup aged just 17.

And if I need a laugh, what happened that’ll tickle me?

Irishman Roy Keane, watching England score a second goal, barely hiding his contempt for Gary Neville and Ian wright beside him.

We’d love to see what was on that notepad.

So, I’m free today, what can I not afford to miss?

There are two intriguing fixtures for us today, starting with Japan’s clash with Croatia.

The Japanese have been one of the stories of the tournament so far, beating Spain and Germany to take their place in the last 16 with a fun, vibrant, attacking side.

They play the 2018 finalists, who started slowly in the World Cup but have looked progressively better in each game so far.

This one is going to be too tight to call.

And then later on we have Brazil returning to action against South Korea.

Selecao boss Tite has confirmed that Neymar will be available for selection after an ankle injury but whether the PSG striker is fit enough to start remains to be seen.

This won’t be a walkover for the South Americans though, with Heung-min Son and co looking to keep momentum going after their late win over Portugal last time out.

And lastly, have you got a player to watch?

It could only be one player for this last section.

The weight of expectation is on Neymar and it’s been clear that despite Brazil’s vast array of attacking talent, none of their other stars are at the level of the PSG man.

His return today will be a huge psychological advantage for the Selecao, but questions remain as to whether Neymar can prove his fitness against a hard-running South Korea outfit.