Trossard double helps Belgium book place in knockouts

Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 to breeze into the knockout stage of the World Cup winning Group G to set up a last-32 clash with one of the eight best third-placed teams. After having a penalty award overturned following a VAR check, Belgium broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when De Bruyne’s corner bounced off New Zealand defender Tim Payne and dropped perfectly for Trossard to poke into the net from close range.

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Late drama leaves Iran in limbo while Egypt march on

Iran face an anxious wait to see if they will progress ⁠to the World Cup knockout stages after they came from behind to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw and finish third in Group G. Egypt, whose qualification for the last-32 was already ‌guaranteed, took ⁠the lead inside five minutes through Mahmoud Saber, before Ramin Rezaeian equalised from a tight angle in the 14th minute of a frantic start.

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Cape Verde progress despite stalemate with Saudi Arabia

Cape Verde, with Shamrock Rovers’ Pico Lopes in their ranks, have reached the knockout stage of the World Cup, becoming the smallest country in history to qualify for the next phase of the competition after a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.

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Baena strike sees Spain top Group H as Uruguay crash out

Uruguay are out of the World Cup after another costly error by Fernando Muslera led to defeat by Spain – with head coach Marcelo Bielsa substituting the legendary goalkeeper at half-time. European champions Spain were already practically guaranteed a place in the last 32 before kick-off, but Alex Baena’s strike late in the first half meant they topped Group H and will face the runners-up of Group J.

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Dembélé hat-trick fires France past Norway to seal top spot

Ousmane Dembele scored a stunning first-half hat-trick as France secured top spot in their World Cup group with a convincing 4-1 win over much-changed Norway. The Paris Saint-Germain star struck three times in the opening 32 minutes in Boston as France maintained their 100% record in Group I in the absence of coach Didier Deschamps.

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