Round of 16 so far and what to expect next

Writer and editor- Naren

So, four matches have already been played in the round of 16 stages of the FIFA WC, with the likes of Netherlands, France, England and Argentina advancing into the next rounds. Today we will be looking at the already concluded matches and what to look forward to in the remaining ties.

Match 1- USA vs Netherlands - Netherlands win 3-1

It wasn't much of a surprise to Netherlands booking a quarterfinals berth with a comfortable win over the USMNT. Depay, Blind and Dumfries all scored to see off the opposition. The question is- Will the Netherlands get the better of Argentina in the quarters? Highly unlikely in my opinion. Argentina, an inspired team that took redemption after the 2-1 Saudi Arabia loss, have looked absolutely swift, energetic and balanced. Meanwhile, Messi is one of the top scorers this WC, he has also led the team with responsibility and is hungry to taste success on the biggest stage.

Match 2- Argentina vs Australia

Again, wasn't much of a shocker to see Argentina go through, but they didn't do it quite comfortably. The Socceroos looked inspired and courageous except for that disastrous error from the keeper which led to a goal for Argentina. They almost came back from behind to level the scores but they were too late.

Match 3- France vs Poland. Once again the favourites winning and making it through to the quarterfinals. France was disciplined and played really solid. Mbappe, one of the top scorers in this WC, again made a statement with his goal. Poland, on the other hand, had a really good run but it had to come to an end. Olivier Giroud, now the highest goal-scorer in France's history with 53 goals had a great performance as well. They are going to be facing England in the quarterfinals, who have won against Senegal 3-0.

Match 4- England vs Senegal, England won 3-0.

The favourites have now won 4 out of 4 times so far in the round of 16 stages. This time England getting the job done against Senegal. Senegal, however, did play with their whole hearts but they fell too short in the end. Bukayo Saka, Henderson and Kane scored to take England through. So, it's going to be England vs France in the quarterfinals. In my opinion, I think England is going to win.

So, what to expect for the remaining matches?

Japan vs Croatia, in my opinion, Japan will be going through. Yes, they have been in good form but they also have high confidence especially after winning against Germany and Spain.

Brazil vs South Korea, Brazil- obviously!!

Morocco vs Spain- it's a tough one, after how Morocco has been playing this year, I think Morocco might go through.

And finally, Portugal vs Switzerland, it's going to be Portugal. They are in good touch, although they lost against South Korea.

So that's it!! Hope you enjoyed it! See you in my next blog!