England, Belgium and the United States booked their places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after three entertaining Round of 32 clashes on Wednesday.
England came from behind to defeat DR Congo 2-1, with captain Harry Kane scoring twice to rescue the Three Lions after an early scare. The victory sets up a mouth-watering last-16 showdown against Mexico.
Belgium produced one of the comebacks of the tournament, overturning a 2-0 deficit against Senegal to win 3-2 after extra time. Youri Tielemans netted the dramatic winner from the penalty spot after a VAR review, sending the Red Devils into the next round where they will face the United States.
The United States completed the day’s action with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring before being sent off, but Malik Tillman sealed the win with a superb late free-kick as the hosts advanced despite finishing the match with 10 men.
Wednesday’s results confirmed the following Round of 16 fixtures:
- Canada vs Morocco
- Paraguay vs France
- Brazil vs Norway
- Mexico vs England
- Belgium vs United States
Attention now turns to Thursday’s Round of 32 fixtures, with Spain taking on Austria, Portugal facing Croatia, and Switzerland meeting Algeria as the battle for the remaining last-16 places continues.