(Reuters) – The World Cup knockout phase heads towards quarter-finals kicking off on Friday in Qatar. Below are the teams who have so far advanced into the last eight.
ARGENTINA
Argentina beat off a frenzied Australia fightback to win 2-1 and reach the quarter-finals, where they will face the Netherlands on Friday.
Captain Lionel Messi, who has said he intends to retire from the national team after the tournament, scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout round in his 1,000th match to beat Diego Maradona’s tally of eight World Cup goals.
La Seleccion won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, and reached the final on three more occasions, most recently in 2014 when they lost against Germany.
Group performance:
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
Argentina 2-0 Mexico
Poland 0-2 Argentina
Round of 16:
Argentina 2-1 Australia
William Hill odds to win tournament: 5-1
William Hill odds to win against Netherlands: 6-5
CROATIA
Goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic saved three spot-kicks as Croatia beat Japan 3-1 in a penalty shootout after an enthralling 120-minute contest finished deadlocked at 1-1.
The Croats go on to play the first match of the quarter-finals on Friday against Brazil or South Korea.
This is the sixth World Cup for Croatia, who reached the final in 2018 in a losing effort against France.
Group performance:
Morocco 0-0 Croatia
Croatia 4-1 Canada
Croatia 0-0 Belgium
Round of 16:
Croatia 1-1 Japan (3-1 on penalties)
William Hill odds to win tournament: 33-1
ENGLAND
England secured a spot in the quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over African champions Senegal, in another emphatic victory after blowouts against Wales and Iran in the group stage.
The Three Lions are set to meet reigning champions France on Saturday.
England won the World Cup only once in 1966, and ended fourth overall in 2018.
Group performance:
England 6-2 Iran
England 0-0 United States
Wales 0-3 England
Round of 16:
England 3-0 Senegal
William Hill odds to win tournament: 6-1
William Hill odds to win against France: 11-5
FRANCE
One of the favourites to win the tournament, France delivered on expectations and beat Poland 3-1 to advance to the quarter-finals.
Led by Olivier Giroud – who surpassed Thierry Henry as the best scorer for the national side at 52 international goals – and current tournament top marksman Kylian Mbappe, Les Blues will meet Gareth Southgate’s England on Saturday.
France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018.
Group performance:
France 4-1 Australia
France 2-1 Denmark
Tunisia 1-0 France
Round of 16:
France 3-1 Poland
William Hill odds to win tournament: 9-2
William Hill odds to win against England: 11-8
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over the United States on Saturday, and will face Messi’s Argentina on Friday.
The Dutch — unbeaten in 19 games after their elimination at Euro 2020 — have been the runners up at three World Cups in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
This year marks their return to the international stage after failing to qualify in 2018.
Group performance:
Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador
Netherlands 2-0 Qatar
Round of 16:
Netherlands 3-1 United States
William Hill odds to win tournament: 14-1
William Hill odds to win against Argentina: 10-11
WORLD CUP 2022: TEAMS QUALIFIED FOR THE QUARTER-FINALS
TEAM ROUND OF 16 NEXT ODDS TO WIN
OPPONENT TOURNAMENT
Argentina Argentina 2-1 Netherlands 5-1
Australia
Croatia Croatia 1-1 Japan Winner of 33-1
(3-1 on penalties) Brazil v
South Korea
England England 3-0 Senegal France 6-1
France France 3-1 Poland England 9-2
Netherlands Netherlands 3-1 Argentina 14-1
United States
Betting odds from William Hill
(Reporting by Enrico Sciacovelli, Luca Fratangelo, Romolo Tosiani and Alberto Chiumento; Editing by Milla Nissi)
