Dec 6 (Reuters) – The World Cup play-offs head into the quarter-finals, which begin in Qatar on Friday. Below are the teams that have made it to the last eight so far.
ARGENTINA
Argentina overcame a furious Australian fightback to win 2-1 and advance to Friday’s quarter-finals against the Netherlands.
Captain Lionel Messi, who said he intends to retire from the national team after the tournament, scored his first goal in the World Cup playoffs in his 1000th match, surpassing the eight goals scored by Diego Maradona in the World Cup.
La Seleccion won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986 and reached the final three more times, most recently losing to Germany in 2014.
Group performance:
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
Argentina 2:0 Mexico
Poland 0-2 Argentina
Round 16:
Argentina 2-1 Australia
William Hill odds to win the tournament: 11-2
William Hill Netherlands win odds: 6-5
BRAZIL
Brazil scored all their goals in the first 36 minutes of the game and advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory over South Korea. They will face Croatia in the first leg of the quarter-finals on Friday at 15:00.
The Selecao have won the World Cup five times and are the pre-tournament favorites to win a record sixth title.
Brazil has participated in every World Cup since 1930, but last failed to reach the final after winning the title in 2002.
Group performance:
Brazil 2:0 Serbia
Brazil 1-0 Switzerland
Cameroon 1:0 Brazil
Round 16:
Brazil 4-1 South Korea
Odds for William Hill to win the tournament: 15-8
William Hill Croatia win odds: 7-20
CROATIA
Goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic saved a three-point shot as Croatia beat Japan 3-1 on penalties.
The Croatians next face Brazil on Friday.
This is the sixth World Cup for Croatia, who reached the final after losing to France in 2018.
Group performance:
Morocco 0:0 Croatia
Croatia 4-1 Canada
Croatia 0:0 Belgium
Round 16:
Croatia 1-1 Japan (3-1 on penalties)
William Hill odds to win the tournament: 33-1
William Hill odds for Brazil to win: 8-1
ENGLAND
After beating Wales and Iran in the group stage, England beat African champions Senegal 3-0 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The Three Lions are set to face defending champions France on Saturday.
England have won the World Cup just once, in 1966, and finished fourth overall in 2018.
Group performance:
England 6-2 Iran
England 0-0 USA
Wales 0-3 England
Round 16:
England 3-0 Senegal
William Hill odds to win the tournament: 6-1
William Hill odds for France to win: 11-5
FRANCE
France, the favorite of other bookmakers to win the tournament, lived up to expectations and advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Poland 3-1.
Led by Olivier Giroud – who has overtaken Thierry Henry as the national team’s top scorer with 52 international goals – and current tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappe, Les Blues face 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 16:
France 3-1 Poland
William Hill odds to win the tournament: 9-2
William Hill odds for England to win: 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.
Unbeaten in 19 games since Euro 2020, the Dutch were runners-up in 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 16:
Netherlands 3-1 USA
William Hill odds to win the tournament: 14-1
William Hill odds for Argentina to win: 10-11
WORLD 2022: TEAMS FOR THE QUARTER FINAL
Betting odds from William Hill
Reports by Enrico Sciacovelli, Luca Fratangelo, Romolo Tosiani and Alberto Chiumento; Edited by Milla Nissi
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
