World Cup recap, Day 7: France are first through to Round of 16

France beats Denmark, Argentina defeats Mexico, Poland wins over Saudi Arabia, and an Australian victory over Tunisia.

On day seven of the World Cup in Qatar, France has become the first country to earn their spot in the knockout stages after beating Denmark 2-1 on Saturday in a game that saw Kylian Mbappe put two goals away for the French.

With their victory over Denmark, world champions France now have six points at the top of Group D and are the first team to be guaranteed a place in the Round of 16.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez earned Argentina a 2-0 win over Mexico and kept their World Cup dreams alive, while the Mexicans must now beat Saudi Arabia to have any chance of entering the Round of 16.

It was also 2-0 for Poland in their tense match against Saudi Arabia, which saw the Saudis dominate the game for long periods, but the gritty Poles held the backline, and excellent goalkeeping saved them the day.

Australia earned their first World Cup victory in 12 years in a 1-0 win over Tunisia.

France’s Kylian Mbappe scored two goals and put the defending champions into the knockout stage of the World Cup with their 2-1 win over Denmark in a game that early on seemed as if it could end in a deadlock.

Denmark defender Victor Nelsson said after the match: “Right now I’m very disappointed with the late goal.

Argentina were aware that another defeat would have sent them out of the tournament on Saturday, and they started poorly against Mexico as they struggled to cope with the pressure the Mexicans unleashed from the first kick of the ball.

Argentina’s substitute Enzo Fernandez then added a second goal in the 87th minute, ensuring the team has bounced back from their 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia that now ranks as one of the World Cup’s biggest-ever upsets.

It looked like Saturday’s Group C match was not going to go Poland’s way, with Saudi Arabia riding on a wave of confidence after their historic defeat of Argentina earlier this week.

Poland needed at least a draw to stand any real chance of getting to the last 16 for the first time since 1986, and with Argentina left to play, few would fancy their chances.

“I think the older I get, the more emotional I get, and I’m aware that when it comes to the World Cup, it might be my last World Cup actually,” Lewandowski said after the game and what was his 77th international goal.

“I don’t think a lot of people [thought] Saudi Arabia was able to play this kind of football,” he said.

Tunisia is still seeking to advance from the group stage for the first time in its six World Cup appearances but now needs to beat France