AL KHOR, Qatar — England will clash with France in the second confirmed quarter-final tie of the 2022 World Cup.
England 3-0 Senegal
England overcame a pedestrian start to surge to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Senegal as goals by Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka swept them into a mouth-watering World Cup quarter-final clash with holders France.
The victory extended England’s all-time unbeaten run against African teams to 21 games, including eight in World Cups. Morocco, who faces Spain on Tuesday, is now the only African team left in the tournament.
England took a long time to impose themselves on the African champions, a team they had never faced before, and survived a couple of scares before two goals late in the first half changed the feel of the night and it was no contest after the break.
The absence of the suspended Idrissa Gueye and injured Cheikhou Kouyate left Senegal´s midfield too underpowered to pose problems for England, Reuters reported.
With Sadio Mane missing the tournament through injury the Africans also lacked a cutting edge to trouble an England defence that kept a third successive World Cup clean sheet for the first time in 20 years.
For most of the first half they were slow and static and a series of misplaced passes gifted Senegal chances. The best of them fell to Boulaye Dia and only the strong left arm of keeper Jordan Pickford prevented the Africans taking the lead.
They found their voice after 38 minutes though when England finally injected some pace, breaking down the left through Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, who crossed for late-arriving Henderson to stroke home the opener.
Kane had an almost identical chance minutes later and though he side footed over, his goal drought at this tournament came to an end in emphatic style in first-half stoppage time.
Bellingham again surged from his own box and fed Foden, who rolled the ball into the path of the captain to smash in an unstoppable shot to become England´s eighth scorer in Qatar.
It was a lead that had looked unlikely but England came out full of confidence after the break and it no longer felt like a contest.
Saka, recalled by coach Gareth Southgate in his only change from the win over Wales, cleverly lifted in the third after 58 minutes following a penetrating run and low cross by Foden.
France 3-1 Poland
Kylian Mbappe continued his supreme form in Qatar with a brace and an assist to help France progress into the World Cup quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Poland, AFP reported.
Giroud’s opening goal a minute before half-time was his 52nd for his country, allowing him to pass Thierry Henry and become France’s all-time record marksman.
Mbappe’s lethal strike in the 74th minute killed off any prospect of a Poland comeback and he netted again at the death to move to nine goals in just 11 World Cup appearances, the second-most for a French player at the tournament.
At the other end the threat of Robert Lewandowski was snuffed out by the French defence although the 34-year-old Poland captain did get the consolation of scoring a stoppage-time penalty.
France, though, marches on to the quarter-finals and remain on course to become the first team to successfully defend the World Cup since Brazil 60 years ago.
France was overwhelming favourites against a Poland side who had limped through the group stage, but the memory of their exit from Euro 2020 served as a warning.
France had been 3-1 up and cruising in that last-16 tie against Switzerland only to concede two late goals and end up losing on penalties, with Mbappe missing the crucial spot-kick.
Mbappe returned Sunday as one of nine changes, following their inconsequential defeat by Tunisia, with goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris also returning to win his 142nd cap.
That saw him equal the record for most France appearances held by Lilian Thuram, whose son Marcus came off the bench here.
It was a history-making occasion for France but what coach Didier Deschamps wanted above all was a routine victory and progression to the quarter-finals.
Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were lively in a strong start amid a hushed atmosphere at Al-Thumama Stadium.
The fans were happy to sit back and be thrilled as the big screen at one point showed that Mbappe had reached a top speed of 35 kilometres per hour.
France’s pace and pressing was too much for Poland as Przemyslaw Frankowski gave possession away, leading to Dembele crossing to the back post for Giroud to somehow put the ball wide.
Poland, who has not won a World Cup knockout match since 1982, recovered from a tentative start to almost go ahead in the 38th minute as Lloris blocked a shot by Piotr Zielinski and Jakub Kaminski’s follow-up was stopped on the line by Raphael Varane.
Patient build-up play ended with Mbappe having a glance as he received the ball just outside the box before playing in Giroud who took a touch and finished into the far corner.
Poland was left to chase the game in the second half and they sent on Juventus striker Arkadiusz Milik to support Lewandowski for the final half hour.
However, their attack was simply no match for France, who picked off Poland to make it 2-0.
A Griezmann clearance was brought down by Giroud and he released Dembele whose ball into the middle was controlled before being blasted home by Mbappe.
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