FIFA WC Last-16 RACE: FIFA World Cup 2022: Poland vs Argentina Highlights: A strong second-half performance powered Argentina to the Last 16. Alexis Mac Allister & Julian Alvarez gave Argentina a 2-0 win over Poland. Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the first half. But it had no bearing on the match. In the other game, Mexico fought hard but a 2-1 win over SaudiArabia was not enough. Poland reached knockouts by virtue of finishing 2nd, ahead of Mexico on goal difference.
In Group D, Mathew Leckie’s LONE strike was enough for Australia to qualify for the Last 16. On the other hand, Wahbi Khazri’s opening goal was enough for Tunisia to secure a victory over France.
Round of 16 Confirmed Fixtures:
December 3: Netherlands vs USA
December 3: Australia vs Argentina
December 4: England vs Senegal
December 4: France vs Poland
Teams who have reached Round of 16:
- France
- Brazil
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Senegal
- England
- USA
- Australia
- Argentina
- Poland
Eliminated:
- Ecuador
- Qatar
- Iran
- Wales
- Canada
- Denmark
- Tunisia
- Mexico
- SaudiArabia
Group A
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Netherlands (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Senegal (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Ecuador (E) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Qatar (E) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
In all to play for three teams, Senegal and Netherlands have sealed their deals.
Netherlands blanked already-eliminated hosts Qatar 2-0.
In the other match, Senegal edged past Ecuador 2-1.
Netherlands finished Group A with 7 points while Senegal managed 6 points to qualify.
Qatar, Ecuador are knocked out.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | England (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | United States (Q) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Iran (E) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 |
| 4 | Wales (E) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 |
All four teams were in the running for Last 16 spots.
However, England and United States won their respective games to seal Last 16 spots.
England beat neighbours Wales 3-0.
In a pulsating encounter, bitter rivals on diplomatic front, USA edged past Iran 1-0.
England finished Group B on the top with 7 points from 3 games.
United States managed 5 points from 3 games to finish 2nd.
Iran and Wales bowed out.
Group C
| Pos | Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Argentina (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Poland (Q) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Mexico (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia (E) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
Argentina: A stunning 2-0 win over Poland saw Argentina storming their way into the last 16 by topping the group stage.
Poland: The Polish side lost 2-0 to Argentina, but made it through the next stage.
Mexico: Despite a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in their last, the Central American team fell short to Poland on goal difference.
Saudi Arabia: SaudiArabia with two losses exited the tournament.
Group D
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| France (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 |
| Australia (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Denmark | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
France: Defending champions France have their date booked with destiny already. Though they lost against Tunisia in the final game, they managed to top the group.
Australia: A 1-0 win against Denmark was enough for the Aussies to seal their spot for the next stage. The win for Australia means they have knocked out Denmark and Tunisia.
Tunisia: Tunisia pulled off a stunning 1-0 win over France in the final game but failed to make it to the next stage.
Denmark: A 1-0 loss to Australia meant Denmark ended group D at the bottom spot with just a solitary point.
FIFA WC Last-16 RACE: Argentina STORM into Last 16, Poland PIP Mexico for knockout spot, Australia & France qualify from Group D, Check Qualification scenarios, Follow FIFA World Cup LIVE UPDATES
Group E
This group is completely open, with a couple of matches scheduled later in the day. Spain has a huge lead, but anything can happen over the course of next one week.
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Spain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 2 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Costa Rica | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
a. Spain: Spain slammed 7 goals against Costa Rica, and that could be a massive difference in the end. They settled for a 1-1 draw against Germany. La roja need a win or a draw to make it to the next round.
b. Japan: The Asian team has Costa Rica and Spain on their schedule. Losing to Costa Rica, the encounter against Spain becomes a must win affair.
c. Germany: Germany need a win over Costa Rica to make it to the knockouts.
d. Costa Rica: Costa Rica defeated Japan in a 1-0 affair. They need to beat Germany to bolster their qualification chances.
Group F
Belgium, Croatia and Morocco are in contention. Canada are knocked out.
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Croatia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Morocco | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Belgium | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
a. Belgium: Loss against Morocco has made their final game vs Croatia a must-win clash.
b. Croatia: A win or a draw vs Belgium is needed in their final game to qualify. If they lose, they need Canada to beat Morocco.
c. Morocco: Morocco defeated Belgium to all but confirm their spot. They will make the knockouts should they avoid defeat vs Canada.
d. Canada: Canada are knocked out after losses to Belgium and Croatia.
FIFA WC Last-16 RACE: Argentina STORM into Last 16, Poland PIP Mexico for knockout spot, Australia & France qualify from Group D, Check Qualification scenarios, Follow FIFA World Cup LIVE UPDATES
Group G
Brazil did no harm to their reputation and after beating Switzerland 1-0, the Samba Boys are in the Last 16. The remaining three teams are still in contention for a knockout berth from Group G.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Brazil (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 |
| Serbia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
a. Brazil: A 1-0 win over Switzerland was enough for the 5-time champions to make to the Last 16. The Samba boys won their back to back games to progress to the next round.
b. Switzerland: After loss to Brazil, the situation has become tough for Switzerland. A win will be enough for Switzerland against Serbia to qualify for the next round. The best thing for the Swiss side are that Cameroon and Serbia both are down with just 1 point.
c. Cameroon: With this 3-3 draw with Serbia, Cameroon stands third on the points table with 1 point. If they manage to win their next game and Switzerland lose, then they can qualify as the second team of the group
d. Serbia: Serbia played a 3-3 draw with Cameroon and are bottom last at the table with 1 point. Serbia will need a win in their next game at any cost and a favorable conditions with Switzerland and Cameroon dropping points will see them qualify by being the second placed team in group G.
Group H
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are into the knockouts, and are looking good at the moment. However, there is still one spot pending from the Group, with three good teams fighting for that.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Portugal (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Ghana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
a. Portugal: A sensational brace from Bruno Fernandes was enough to seal Portugal’s spot in last 16. 2 consecutive wins mean Cristiano Ronaldo’s team make it to the next stage.
b. Ghana: Ghana pulled off a stunning 3-2 win over South Korea, giving their first 3 points. Ghana needs a win in their last game and will hope for Uruguay and South Korea to drop points for them to qualify for the next round.
c. Korea Republic: South Korea are bottom last in the points table. The Asian side will have win their next game at any cost and hope for favorable results in the other game.
d. Uruguay: Uruguay faces Ghana in the knock out encounter. The winner of the game will most likely make it to the next stage. With just 1 point from 2 games, it’s a must-win game for Uruguay.
The tournament is quickly moving along and is already quickly moving past the second week. Already, the FIFA World Cup 2022 has experienced expected results, upsets, and shocking draw results. Going into the business end of the tournament, three teams have qualified, with 13 spots pending in the Round of 16. Just one more slip-up, and given the nature of the tournament, it should be good enough to shut the door on the losers in the coming days.