France hoping Mbappe will be enough to match England's impressive depth
England's Raheem Sterling will head back to Britain on Monday to be with his family, coach Gareth Southgate said, as local media reported a break-in at his home.
England spent little time celebrating Sunday's 3-0 World Cup win over Senegal before turning their thoughts to an intimidating quarter-final next Saturday against reigning champions France.
That incredible spread of goals has been shared by Marcus Rashford (3), Bukayo Saka (3), Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Jordan Henderson plus Harry Kane.
Images from the FIFA World Cup match between Senegal and England on Sunday.
Giroud, at 36, brings experience and guile to France's attack, while Mbappe, 23, is blessed with pace
Images from the FIFA World Cup match between France and Poland on Sunday.
Cisse has been in charge of Senegal since 2015 and guided the Lions of Teranga to several firsts including their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title this year.
Now, if he can keep at bay an England attack that might include club mates Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount, Mendy could yet finish the year on another high note, having started it with success in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The most impressive players at the FIFA World Cup 2022 after Round One.
The World Cup pre-quarter-finals line-up.
The FIFA World Cup knock-out phase kicks-off on Saturday in Qatar. Here's an overview of the teams advancing to the last 16.
Ghana had always been expected to struggle at this World Cup after an unconvincing qualifying campaign in which a Nigerian goalkeeping howler saw them win a fortunate place in Qatar.
"These things happen, that players ventilate their views, but whether it's sensible or not, that's another issue. Everybody has their own opinion, particularly in the Netherlands," the 71-year-old said.
"They have experienced players. Obviously, Lewandowski is a stand-out player, one of the best strikers in the world. We should not underestimate them." said coach Didier Deschamps.
Here is an overview of the teams that have been eliminated
If any England players need advice on scoring against an African team ahead of Sunday's clash, they need look no further than their manager Gareth Southgate.
"It's very difficult for us, the probability for us to proceed is lower than the other nations like in Europe, they have 13 spots. And so the probability is much, much higher."
Although they won their first round group, there was little evidence to back up their self-confidence as they stuttered through
Brazil are pre-tournament favourites to win a record-extending sixth title.
England coach Gareth Southgate's last two tournament near misses were accompanied by criticism of his conservatism in selection but a relatively radical switch to bring in Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden paid off handsomely in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Wales.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group B match played between Wales and England on Tuesday.
"We wanted to commemorate the great player he was, he's a legend of Senegalese football, he made me dream and he made all of us dream so we could not mess it up on the anniversary of his death."
'There is no time for rest. There is a plan and the project will not stop and is not linked to me alone. We will prepare for the Asian Cup.'
Ecuador, who needed a draw to qualify for the last 16 for the second time after 2006, end up third on four points after a game played to the relentless beat of the Senegal fans' drums.
IMAGES from the Group A match played between the Netherlands and Qatar on Tuesday.
With three goals, Diop, who won 62 caps, is Senegal's top scorer in World Cup finals.
A defeat would knock Serbia out if Brazil fail to win against Switzerland, while Cameroon will be out if they lose and Switzerland fail to win against Brazil.
"They had a few biters, guys who are hot on your heels. Then you have to act quickly, and (we) could have dealt with that better. We should have done better in possession of the ball," said Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk.
Qatar are without a point after they lost their opening game 2-0 to Ecuador and then went down 3-1 to Senegal earlier on Friday.
"We started the second half well, went 2-0 up and then struggled a bit as Qatar was more aggressive and reduced the gap. But once again we were better in transition and we managed to score the decisive third goal."
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group A match between Qatar and Senegal on Friday.
All five African teams at the last World Cup in Russia failed to get past the first round and the continent's football leaders have said their future priority is to make sides more competitive in the international arena.
"We are a small country, the smallest to host the World Cup. We prepared ourselves for the possibility of an early exit, but this does not mean the end of the project."
The home team froze under the weight of expectation and quickly went behind in Sunday's opener, losing 2-0 to Ecuador
Ecuador are confident that Enner Valencia, who got both goals in their 2-0 win over hosts Qatar on Sunday, will be fit to play despite some concerns over a knee sprain.
Saudi Arabia's 2-1 victory over Argentina is rated the biggest shock in World Cup history.
It took Giroud, who owed his place in the starting lineup to Benzema's absence, 115 international appearances to score his 51 goals, while Henry needed 123 from 1997-2010.
England, who are gunning for their second World Cup title, have the most valuable squad in Qatar with Jude Bellingham topping a list of over 800 players.
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances