BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

England will put their unbeaten World Cup record against African opposition on the line when they face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, with history suggesting the Three Lions can expect a stern test despite never having lost to a team from the continent.

DR Congo booked their place in the knockout stages with a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over Uzbekistan on Saturday, securing qualification as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams and setting up a first-ever meeting with England at the World Cup.

While Thomas Tuchel’s side will enter the encounter as favourites, England’s previous meetings with African nations at the World Cup indicate that victories have rarely come easily.

The upcoming clash will be England’s sixth World Cup match against African opposition. In their previous five encounters, the English have won three and drawn two, remaining unbeaten but often finding teams from the continent difficult to overcome.

England’s first World Cup meeting with an African side came in Mexico 1986 when they edged Morocco 1-0 in the Round of 16. Four years later in Italy, they survived a major scare against Cameroon, requiring two Gary Lineker penalties and extra time to secure a dramatic 3-2 quarter-final victory.

Since then, England have struggled to dominate African opponents. They were held to a goalless draw by Nigeria during the group stage of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and endured another frustrating 0-0 stalemate against Algeria in South Africa eight years later.

Their most recent World Cup encounter with an African nation came in Russia in 2018 when Harry Kane’s injury-time winner secured a 2-1 victory over Tunisia after the North Africans had threatened to take a point from the contest.

Overall, England’s record against African teams at the World Cup stands at three wins, two draws and no defeats, with six goals scored and three conceded.

For DR Congo, the statistics offer encouragement rather than intimidation. African teams have repeatedly pushed England to the limit on football’s biggest stage, and Sebastien Desabre’s side will believe they can become the first team from the continent to eliminate the English from a World Cup.

The Congolese arrive in Atlanta buoyed by their first-ever World Cup victory, with Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa scoring twice in the decisive win over Uzbekistan.

Desabre has already switched focus to England, insisting preparations began immediately after Saturday’s triumph.

“We’ll start work immediately on preparing,” the DR Congo coach said. “We’ve got a few players in the squad who play at clubs in the English league, so they will help us, but we’ll prepare in the best way we can for what is going to be a very big match for us.”

With England seeking to maintain their unbeaten record against African opposition and DR Congo chasing another historic milestone, Wednesday’s contest promises to add a new chapter to the long-running story of African teams challenging one of football’s traditional powers on the World Cup stage.

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By Kunle Solaja, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

France delivered the most convincing victory of the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday, cruising to a comfortable 3-0 win over Sweden to book their place in the last 16.

Led by a brilliant Kylian Mbappe, Les Bleus maintained their perfect record of four wins from four matches and set up a Round of 16 showdown with Paraguay.

In a knockout phase that had already produced several closely contested encounters, France’s victory stood out as the most one-sided result, with Didier Deschamps’ men rarely troubled as they underlined their credentials as serious title contenders.

After dominating possession and creating the better chances in the opening half, France finally made the breakthrough on the stroke of halftime through their captain and talisman.

Mbappe collected the ball on the left flank in the 45th minute, cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot that flew inside the far post, giving the Swedish goalkeeper no chance and handing France a deserved lead.

Sweden attempted to respond after the interval but found the French defence well organised and difficult to penetrate.

France doubled their advantage eight minutes into the second half through Bradley Barcola after an exquisite assist from Michael Olise. The midfielder threaded a perfectly weighted pass through the Swedish defence, allowing Barcola to race clear and fire emphatically into the top corner.

With Sweden struggling to find a way back into the contest, France continued to threaten on the counterattack, and Mbappe delivered the decisive blow in the 74th minute.

Again, Olise was the architect, producing another incisive through ball that released Mbappe behind the defence. Timing his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, the Real Madrid forward met the pass first time and curled a clinical finish beyond the advancing goalkeeper to complete the scoring.

The brace further enhanced Mbappe’s remarkable World Cup legacy. His two goals took him to 18 goals in just 18 World Cup appearances, with a record 10 of those strikes coming in knockout matches.

France comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest to secure passage to the next round, where Paraguay await after their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Germany.

With Mbappe in devastating form and France yet to drop a point in the tournament, the former world champions continue to look every inch a team capable of lifting football’s biggest prize once again.

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Erling Haaland struck four minutes from time to send Norway into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 and crush Côte d’Ivoire’s hopes with a dramatic 2-1 victory at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday.

The Manchester City striker’s fifth goal of the tournament secured Norway’s passage to the knockout stage and set up a blockbuster last-16 encounter against Brazil in New York on Sunday.

Côte d’Ivoire had looked capable of causing an upset after a bright start in which they carried much of the attacking threat. Nicolas Pepe repeatedly troubled the Norwegian defence down the right flank, while Ghislain Konan came closest to opening the scoring when he burst into the penalty area only to drag his effort into the side-netting.

The Elephants continued to press and Yan Diomande produced a dangerous delivery to find Pepe, but the winger failed to make clean contact and Norway managed to scramble the ball clear.

For much of the opening period, Haaland was kept quiet. However, Norway gradually took control as the first half wore on. The towering striker miscued a header from Alexander Sorloth’s cross, but the move sparked an improvement in the Scandinavian side’s attacking rhythm.

Their dominance was rewarded in the 39th minute. Captain Martin Odegaard picked out Antonio Nusa on the left and the winger cut inside before curling a magnificent right-footed effort beyond the outstretched Yahia Fofana and into the top corner.

Norway nearly doubled their lead before the interval. Haaland was denied by a desperate defensive block, while Sorloth glanced a header narrowly across goal from the resulting corner.

At the other end, Emmanuel Agbadou headed wide as Côte d’Ivoire sought an immediate response.

The African side emerged with renewed determination after the break. Pepe forced goalkeeper Orjan Nyland into action after Guela Doue’s initial effort had been blocked by Torbjorn Heggem.

Coach Emerse Fae then introduced Amad Diallo on the hour mark, a substitution that transformed the contest.

The Manchester United winger first produced a crucial defensive intervention, clearing Heggem’s goal-bound effort off the line, before making his mark at the opposite end.

Combining brilliantly with Pepe in the 68th minute, Amad exchanged a quick one-two before shrugging off David Moller Wolfe, skipping past Sander Berge and firing a powerful shot that bounced beyond Nyland to bring Côte d’Ivoire level and ignite wild celebrations among their supporters.

With extra time looming, Norway found the decisive breakthrough.

Substitute Oscar Bobb, Haaland’s former Manchester City teammate, threaded a pass into Patrick Berg inside the penalty area. Berg unselfishly squared the ball across goal for Haaland, who calmly rolled it into an empty net with Fofana stranded to restore Norway’s lead in the 86th minute.

Côte d’Ivoire launched one final assault in stoppage time, but Nyland preserved Norway’s advantage by keeping out Amad’s dangerous free-kick.

The final whistle confirmed Norway’s place in the last 16, where they will face five-time world champions Brazil, while Côte d’Ivoire’s World Cup journey came to a heartbreaking end despite a spirited display.

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