England and Belgium to battle it out to win Group G
Thursday 28 June 2018 18:06, UK
The group stage of the World Cup draws to a close on Thursday, with England and Belgium fighting for top spot in Group G.
The final four games of the group stages will be settled by the end of the day, with England and Belgium fighting it out for first place - or perhaps second - in Group G. Japan, Senegal and Colombia are each still hoping to grab one of two qualifying spots in Group H.
Poland, Tunisia and Panama know their tournaments are over, but still have positions to sort out in their groups and, in Poland's case, could still play a major part in who qualifies for the last-16.
Each morning during the tournament we will bring you an overview of what is coming up...
World Cup fixtures
World Cup venues
Japan v Poland (Group H) - Volgograd, 3pm
Senegal v Colombia (Group H) - Samara, 3pm
England v Belgium (Group G) - Kaliningrad, 7pm
Panama v Tunisia (Group G) - Saransk, 7pm
England and Belgium are already through in Group G, but meet to decide who will finish top of the group.
The winners and runners-up will end up on different sides of the draw and could not meet again until the final.
Meanwhile, in Group H there are three teams competing for two qualifying spots.
Japan currently top the group on four points and need just a draw against Poland to secure their spot in the last 16.
Senegal and Colombia play off with the winner qualifying, while a draw will be enough for the African side to progress. A draw will see only Colombia through if Japan lose to Poland
Wahbi Khazri: The Sunderland midfielder, who has spent the last year on loan in Ligue 1 with Rennes, scored nine times for his adopted club in 2017/18, and set up one and scored another in Tunisia's 5-2 defeat to Belgium on Sunday. Against a defence as porous as Panama's has proved in their first two games of the tournament, he could well add to that tally.
Takashi Inui: Betis winger Inui, who has joined the club from La Liga rivals Eibar ahead of next season, has been Japan's star player at the World Cup so far, scoring one against Senegal in their last game and making another - and he will be integral to their hopes of making the last-16. Three goals in four games for his country in 2018 have made him as close to a guaranteed starter as it gets.
M'Baye Niang: The Milan striker has never quite reached the potential that convinced Arsene Wenger to take him on trial at Arsenal a few years ago, but he scored Senegal's second goal in their win over Poland in their first game of the tournament, and was a nuisance against Japan on Sunday too. That was his first goal for his country, but with the pace and guile of Sadio Mane and Ismalia Sarr on either side, his all-action, physical style has helped pin Senegal's front three together so far.
Kane to match Lineker haul?
Harry Kane could conceivably end the day as England's all-time top goalscorer at a single World Cup. He already sits only one goal behind Gary Lineker's six-goal haul at Mexico 1986, and if Belgium make the number of changes expected then, assuming he gets the nod to start with England already through, it could play into his hands.
Japan to upset the odds?
Japan were rank outsiders to get out of Group H, but could end up topping the group with a good result against already-eliminated Poland. Having upset 10-man Colombia and held Senegal, a point would be enough to guarantee to the last 16, where they would meet one of Belgium or England.
A rare Tunisia win?
Tunisia have only ever won one game at a World Cup finals - and that was back in Argentina in 1978, when they beat Mexico 3-1. This is the fifth finals the North African country has reached in its history, and on rankings at least they should have a good chance of beating 55th-ranked Panama, who are 34 places lower than them in the official FIFA rankings.
If England beat Belgium, it will be only the second time in history they have finished their four-team group stage with a perfect record, matching their performance in 1982, when they beat France, Czechoslovakia and Kuwait in Spain.
A double from James Rodriguez - including a goal-of-the-tournament strike - saw Colombia surprise Uruguay, who had finished fourth four years prior, with a 2-0 win in the last-16 of World Cup 2014. Rodriguez would go into win the golden ball, with Colombia beaten 2-1 by Brazil in the quarter-finals.
"The biggest disgrace in German World Cup history."
That's how German newspaper Bild reacts to the group-stage exit from the World Cup.
"We didn't deserve any better...The 2-0 loss is the embarrassing end to a catastrophic group phase," adds the newspaper on its website.
The front page of the newspaper uses the same headline - "no words" - as it did four years ago after Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
"Over and out," says Die Welt while Suddeutsche Zeitung Online talks about Germany playing "slow-motion football".
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described the exit as the "lowest point in German World Cup history."
Even though South Korea didn't progress after beating Germany, there was still a delighted reaction.
"We didn't make it to the round of 16... but we sent the world number one packing," said a headline in Seoul's major Dong-A daily.
"We are so proud of you," the newspaper said on its front page, adding the game "shook South Korea upside down".
