No more surprises, which in this World Cup seem to have been reserved for the initial phase. When the teams had not yet fully realised that they were competing in the world's top team competition in football.

Those who rested on their laurels paid dearly. Belgium, Germany and Uruguay are testimony to this, just to mention the most notorious.

Others like Argentina were able to recover in time. And others like Spain managed to hold on in the final two matches after a spectacular start.

The Netherlands, Brazil and France, once they had qualified, devoted themselves to regulating their engines, to use an automobile term.

France overcame Poland to advance to the quarter-finals.

With a goal from Giroud and a brace from Mbappé, the world champions overcame Poland, who pulled one back late in the game through Robert Lewandowski's penalty. 

France beat Poland 3-1 on Sunday with a historic goal from Olivier Giroud and a brace from Kylian Mbappé, the top scorer at the Qatar 2022 World Cup with five goals, to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The experienced striker, 36, opened the scoring 44 minutes into the first half, while Mbappé, scorer of the assist in the first, sealed the win for the reigning champions with a brace after 29 and 45 minutes of the second half.

Giroud became the reigning world champions' top scorer with 52 goals, beating Thierry Henry by one.

And the French star is the top scorer at the Qatar 2022 World Cup with five goals, as well as being the star of the match at the Al Thumama stadium.

Poland's ninth-minute equaliser came in the ninth minute of stoppage time through Robert Lewandowski, who bowed out of the World Cup with two goals and a lacklustre performance as part of a team that had outgrown the tournament.

In the first instance, the Barcelona striker had missed the penalty, but Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela retaken it for overtaking goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and in the second opportunity, the striker did not miss to decorate the result.

France are through to the quarter-finals and await the winner of the England-Senegal game at the Al Bayt stadium at 16:00.

The Russia 2018 world champions took a step closer to defending their title and confirmed their candidacy with a convincing win.

England beat Senegal to reach the quarter-finals.

 The goals for the British team were scored by Jordan Henderson (38m.PT), Harry Kane (45m.PT) and Bukayo Saka (12m.ST) . Gareth Southgate's side will now face France in the quarter-finals.  

England, one of four unbeaten teams at Qatar 2022, eliminated African holders Senegal 3-0 in Al Bayt on Sunday and will play world champions France in the quarter-finals.

The British team, who have the highest scoring record at the World Cup (12 in four games), settled a tight game in the first half hour: Jordan Henderson (38m.PT), Harry Kane (45m.PT) and Bukayo Saka (12m.ST) set up the scoreline.

England and France, who beat Robert Lewandowski's Poland on Sunday, will contest a mouth-watering quarter-final clash next Saturday at 22:00 (16:00 Argentina time) at the same venue where the competition opened a fortnight ago.

The two previous encounters in FIFA's top competition have both gone in England's favour: 2-0 in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982, both in the first round.

With the Senegalese supporters' batucada, the match had more rhythm in the stands than on the pitch for the first 30 minutes. Two studious teams, with chess-like movements, barely hinted with approaches to the penalty area.

England played the game with a protagonist vocation but had a very predictable circulation, which was only altered by the interventions of Phil Foden.

Senegal, diminished in this World Cup by the absence of their top player, Sadio Mané, waited in a withdrawn position to respond with the speed of Ismalia Sarr and Boulaye Dia, who had a couple of chances with the scoreboard closed.

One of them, after 31 minutes, required a great save from Jordan Pickford, who blocked the shot from Salernitana of Italy striker Dia, one of seven outsiders to English football among the 22 who started the match in Al Bayt.

England made the difference on their first chance, unwarranted by their play. Bellingham, set up to run down the left after Kane's pass, identified Henderson's arrival in the centre of the box and neatly slotted home for 1-0.

The few minutes that remained in the first half had nothing to do with what had gone before. In that short time, Gareth Southgate's side were able to combine with pace and show their potential.

Then came the second on the stroke of half-time, after a great inside run from Jude Bellingham and a pass from Foden to captain Kane, who scored for the first time in Qatar and moved within three of equalling Gary Lineker (10) as England's top scorer at the World Cup.

The African Lions showed no answers in the second half, least of all when Foden set up Foden on the left for the third with a subtle touch from Saka.

The three-goal gap took the excitement out of the game. The only thing that could be expected was a few moves and another goal, with no implications for the outcome of the match. The changes were a threat to continuity, but they showed the British power.

Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Eric Dier and Kalvin Phillips, all Premier League stars.

With the final whistle scored by El Salvador's Ivan Barton, England fans celebrated with their players and Senegal's players came forward to acknowledge their fans, tireless in their drumming.

Source: FIFA.