Mbappe continues record-breaking march as England face Tuchel reality check | OneFootball

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout picture sharpens, the race for glory becomes increasingly unforgiving.

Norway’s first World Cup appearance since 1998 is turning into one to remember.

Stale Solbakken’s side squeezed past Ivory Coast in the first knockout round to set up a mouth-watering last-16 tie against Brazil, with Erling Braut Haaland scoring his fifth goal of the tournament to settle the final score in Arlington, Texas.

RB Leipzig forward Antonio Nusa opened the scoring with a sensational strike late in the first half, but the African side replied in the 74th minute through Manchester United star Amad Diallo.

However, parity didn’t last long as Haaland tapped home from point-blank range 12 minutes later to send the Vikings through and stay in the race for the Golden Boot award.

Climbing to the top of the scoring charts will be anything but straightforward. Let’s find out why.

World Cup’s second-sharpest shooter sends Sweden packing

Kylian Mbappe is a different kind of beast for France, with the Real Madrid superstar continuing to rewrite the history books in North America as he spearheads another dominant World Cup campaign.

After netting four goals in the group stage, Mbappe picked up where he left off in the opening knockout round, scoring his third brace at this summer’s tournament to inspire Les Bleus to an emphatic 3-0 win over Sweden.

Didier Deschamps’ side had to wait until the 45th minute and the 27-year-old’s moment of brilliance to break the deadlock, even though they had the Swedes on the ropes for the best part of the first half.

Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola doubled France’s lead only eight minutes into the second half before Mbappe’s second goal of the match removed any lingering doubt and sealed Sweden’s fate.

However, Deschamps decided to take off the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history despite him being on a hat-trick, denying him the chance to complete his second career treble on the grandest stage.

Mbappe has now scored 18 goals at the World Cup, only one fewer than Argentina icon Lionel Messi, who will be eager to add to his 19-goal tally when La Celeste take on surprise package Cape Verde on Friday night.

As for France, they have maintained their perfect record in Deschamps’ last World Cup in charge, becoming the first team in tournament history to score at least three goals in five consecutive matches, and will now face Paraguay in the round of 16.

Kane in focus as Congo set to test Tuchel’s credentials

Looking to join France in the next knockout round are Euro 2024 runners-up England, who, despite finishing top of Group L ahead of Croatia, failed to impress for large parts of their group-stage journey.

An underwhelming scoreless draw against Ghana on matchday two should serve as a stark reminder for Thomas Tuchel and his team not to take DR Congo for granted as they seek a fifth consecutive quarter-final appearance at major tournaments.

With two of England’s four winless outings under Tuchel coming against African opposition, the Three Lions cannot afford to underestimate the Leopards in their first-ever meeting.

Victories in both previous World Cup knockout clashes against African sides bode well, but that’s unlikely to faze Congo, who can draw confidence from a spirited 1-1 draw against Portugal in the group stage.

England’s hopes of advancing from this tie are likely to rest on Harry Kane.

Kane became the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup with a thumping header in a 2-0 win over Panama, bagging his 11th career goal in the most prestigious international competition.

He is currently three goals adrift of Messi in the race for the tournament’s top scorer and will need a strong knockout run to close that gap, though there’s a good chance he could find the net here.

The Bayern Munich striker has scored before half-time in two of England’s last three encounters against African teams.

Two revived contenders collide for the first time

Lumen Field sets the stage for an intriguing last-32 showdown between the two sides that stood on the brink of elimination heading into the final round of the group stage.

Belgium put New Zealand to the sword, cruising to a 5-1 triumph in Vancouver, to become the first European nation since England in 1990 to top their World Cup group after failing to win their opening two games.

Senegal’s 5-0 rout of Iraq on matchday three proved enough to secure passage into the knockouts as the eighth-best third-placed team, making them the only side to advance on three points.

From being one step away from going home to coming within touching distance of the tournament’s final 16, both teams arrive in Seattle with renewed belief and momentum.

Encouraged by their biggest-ever World Cup victory, Belgium will be out to strengthen their strong tournament record against African opposition, having lost just one of their six previous such contests.

On the other hand, Senegal will be desperate to end a four-game losing streak against European teams at the World Cup and move one step closer to the quarter-finals, a stage they last reached in 2002.

To do that, manager Pape Thiaw must find a way to shore up Senegal’s defensive woes after the Indomitable Lions conceded precisely three goals in Group I defeats to France and Norway.

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Don’t let Belgium’s thumping win over New Zealand fool you. Those five goals were more than they had scored in their previous seven World Cup games combined.

Nevertheless, they head into proceedings on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which stands for their second-longest streak in history.

Underestimating Senegal would be a grave mistake, but with Romelu Lukaku back on the scoresheet, Rudi Garcia has every reason for optimism.

Lukaku became Belgium’s most prolific player at the World Cup in that match, registering his eighth goal contribution with a late assist for Alexis Saelemaekers.

De Rode Duivels’ hopes of making it out of this tie may well hinge on Lukaku continuing in the same vein.