Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are set to meet when France face Norway, with both forwards on four goals at this World Cup and in reach of the Golden Boot lead. The match will also decide whether Côte d’Ivoire face France or Norway in the next round.
The knockout picture is still moving. Côte d’Ivoire reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time after a 2-0 win over Curaçao, while Ecuador advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after beating Germany and were rewarded at home with a national holiday announced by president Daniel Noboa. Sweden also secured a place in the last 32 after their result against Japan.
Côte d’Ivoire’s progress was followed by criticism of Bastian Schweinsteiger’s description of their playing style as “African football”. Manager Emerse Fae said he was disappointed by the remarks and argued that African teams should not be reduced to physicality, stressing their tactical and technical qualities. The report said Schweinsteiger had not publicly responded to the backlash.
Elsewhere, Scotland’s chances of progressing were reported to have fallen sharply after the previous day’s results, Senegal needed a sizeable win over Iraq to be sure of advancing, and the United States topped their group despite losing 3-2 to Turkey. The same live blog also noted questions around Iran and Egypt’s approach to Seattle’s designated Pride Match, with FIFA saying rainbow flags would be allowed inside the stadium.
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