Skiddle's open goal: A weekly roundup of football news and events

The group stages were decided last week and it saw another victory for England against Wales which meant that they qualified as the top of their group. There were plenty of thrills on the final round of group fixtures as Group C went to the wire with Mexico and Poland trying to qualify.

Poland lost 2-0 to Argentina and if they had conceded again they would have been knocked out but Saudi Arabia pulled a goal back in a 2-1 defeat which meant that qualification wasn't possible for Mexico. Australia shocked the World Cup by beating Denmark 1-0, with the losing side seeing themselves embarrassed by being bottom of the table.

It set up a knock-out tie with Argentina for Australia. It was a much closer game than most thought it would be but Argentina won 2-1 thanks to a brilliant individual performance from Messi. Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 but Spain lost 2-1 to Japan in a result that knocked the Germans out.

In the past two World Cups now, the European side have found themselves unable to get out of their group in a huge shock. Belgium were another huge scalp from the group stages too. They languished to a 0-0 draw against Croatia and it hasn't been a good tournament for them at all with rumours of a rift in the changing rooms.

However, it was more likely due to the fact that most of the Belgium squad were ancient and too slow to compete. Uruguay beat Ghana in a grudge match but were still eliminated from the World Cup due to South Korea's stunning 2-1 win over already-qualified Portugal. 

The knockouts are in full effect at the moment, with the Netherlands easily beating the USA 3-1 thanks to one of the standout tournament performances so far from Denzel Dumfries. France never looked bothered by Poland in a 3-1 routine win that was blessed by some Mbappe brilliance.

In news that we all want to celebrate, England scored a big victory against Senegal to get through to the semi-finals. After a slow start England eventually won 3-0 thanks to goals from Henderson, Saka and Kane. Jude Bellingham was outstanding as usual. Find out where you can watch the game below.

 

 

England vs France

When: Saturday 10th December

Where: Kasbah, Coventry

England have gotten past their latest challenge in Senegal and now face the biggest one of all. France are a different level to their previous opponents and have Kylian Mbappe who is the best striker at the tournament. If England win this one they could go all the way.

 

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Netherlands vs Argentina

When: Friday 9th December

Where: Vauxhall Food and Beer Garden, London

This is a clash of two teams where their performances have been a bit uncertain. The Dutch rarely blow teams away and rely on controlling matches, but how will they fare against better opponents? The Argentina players on the other hand have admitted that they're almost completely reliant on an ageing Messi and have an uninspiring midfield. Anybody could win this one.

 

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England vs France

When: Saturday 10th December

Where: Joshua Brooks, Manchester

England are taking on France in the next round of the World Cup and there is a lot of optimism surrounding the team at the moment. I they beat France then Brazil will likely be their most difficult potential opponent but they need to get the job done first against a strong side.

 

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England vs France

When: Saturday 10th December

Where: Rainton Arena, Houghton-le-Spring

You can also watch the England game at Rainton Arena, a large space that will hold lots of fellow England fans. There are superstars in both teams and it looks like an even match on paper. If England win this then the excitement will be almost too much to handle as they look to bring it home.

 

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