As the group stages came to a close all 19 Manchester City players at the World Cup continued into the knockout stages of the tournament, and they continue to make history for their countries.
Norway
Erling Haaland continues to do what he does best, score goals, win games, and make history.
After being benched in the final group stage match against France, where Norway had already secured a spot in the knockout rounds, Haaland was back in the starting lineup in their RO32 match against Côte d'Ivoire.
With the game tied 1-1 in the closing stages, fans watched in suspense waiting for someone to step up and win the game for their nation. That player was Haaland, who scored his 5th goal of the World Cup in the 86th minute to bring Norway to the next round.
Haaland’s decisive moment secured his 60th career international goal in just 53 games, making him the fastest player in history to reach that mark. Haaland and Norway advanced to the Round of 16 and where they took on Brazil.
From there, Erling Haaland's star has only shone brighter. He scored a spectacular brace as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in their Round of 16 clash. Haaland dispatched old rival, Gabriel, to score Norway's opening goal with a powerful header in the 79th minute. Haaland would beat Alisson with a powerful 20-yard low drive to seal Norway's famous 2-1 victory.
England now await Norway in the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. You can almost sense England’s fear of facing a firing Haaland who looms as the man who could potentially ruin England’s World Cup campaign.
England
England had a scare in their RO32 draw against DR Congo, surprising many as they conceded early and trailed for majority of the match before Harry Kane scored a brace to help get The Three Lions a 2-1 victory.
Marc Guéhi had a big game playing the full match and dominating in the backline. Guéhi was pinpoint with his passing connecting on all of them finishing the match with a perfect 100% passing accuracy, while also winning the majority of his duels, a key part of keeping DR Congo to just 1 goal and ultimately helping his country get the win.
Nico O’Reilly also played the full match but didn’t have as much success as his teammate next to him in the backline. The DR Congo wingers on both sides were borderline unstoppable for the majority of the match. O’Reilly was solid in attack but struggled on the defensive side, and after his poor performance he’ll be looking to bounce back in the RO16 against Mexico.
John Stones got on the field for just one minute at the end of the match, it was his first appearance since playing the majority of the opening match against Croatia.
England had a scare in their RO32 draw against DR Congo, surprising many as they conceded early and trailed for the majority of the match before Harry Kane scored a brace to help get the Three Lions a 2-1 victory.
Marc Guéhi had a big game, playing the full match and dominating in the backline. Guéhi was pinpoint with his passing, connecting on all of them, finishing the match with a perfect 100% passing accuracy. He also won the majority of his duels, a key part of keeping DR Congo to just 1 goal and ultimately helping his country get the win.
Nico O’Reilly also played the full match, but didn’t have as much success as his teammate next to him in the backline. The DR Congo wingers on both sides were borderline unstoppable for the majority of the match. O’Reilly was solid in attack but struggled on the defensive side and after his poor performance, he’ll be looking to bounce back in the RO16 against Mexico.
John Stones got on the field for just one minute at the end of the match. It was his first appearance since playing the majority of the opening match against Croatia.
Soon to be Man City player Elliot Anderson had a solid game doing it all for England, but what stuck out the most was not performance-related. After DR Congo took an early lead, The Three Lions looked rattled, but Anderson was the one getting his team together to calm them down and get back to playing good football. Manchester City has signed a special talent on and off the pitch.
From there, England beat Mexico 3-2 in their Round of 16 clash. It was an epic match full of drama and talking points. Elliot Anderson was a powerhouse in midfield before he was substituted in the 75th minute. Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi both started in a match that was legitimate game of the World Cup contender.
Portugal
Portugal had potentially the game of the tournament in a 2-1 victory over Croatia that had 4 goals disallowed for offsides and 118 minutes of play without going into extra time.
Rúben Dias was once again a defensive anchor for Portugal and key to them getting the win and advancing to the RO16. Dias was a wall at the back for the majority of the match keeping Croatia to just one goal, and although many will have their opinion on Croatia having three goals disallowed to offsides, ultimately they were all the correct decision and showed an impressive connection from the Portugal back line.
Silva came off the bench for the last 28 minutes of the match and, after coming on, Portugal looked a different team. Both goals scored by Portugal came after he subbed on to the pitch, and though he wasn’t directly involved in any of the goals, it isn’t a coincidence that when he and other substitutes came on they were able to complete the comeback.
Matheus Nunes was on the bench for the thrilling match against Croatia.
Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva both played in Portugal's 1-0 loss to Spain in their Round of 16 tie. Dias started for Portugal and Bernardo was a late substitute.
Netherlands
Netherlands took on Morocco in a game that went 120 minutes, unable to be decided, ending in a 1-1 draw. The penalty shootout was surprisingly low scoring and the Netherlands lost 2-3 to Morocco in a shootout with 5 saves/misses between the two nations.
Nathan Aké didn’t have the best game, being taken off after 71 minutes. It wasn’t all bad, Aké had some good moments and kept a clean sheet when he was on the field, but he was dispossessed multiple times and both goals came after he was subbed off.
Tijjani Reijnders, surprisingly, after starting all three matches of the group stages and delivering an assist in their previous match, was left on the bench against Morocco. With the result, it’s certainly a question of why Ronald Koeman didn’t sub in the talented Man City player.
Croatia
Croatia were on the other end of the game of the tournament caliber match against Portugal, and unfortunately for Croatia, they were on the losing side of the match in what will be legendary player Luka Modrić’s last World Cup game.
Mateo Kovačić was incredible for his country, making big plays and coming very close to scoring on a dribbling run into the box, but he placed it just wide into the side netting. Kovačić was all over the pitch doing everything for Croatia, but it wouldn’t be enough, and they couldn’t get past Portugal in the RO32.
Joško Gvardiol came into the match in stoppage time, and the winner was scored by Portugal’s Gonçalo Ramos minutes later. A perfect ball into the box to Ramos had Gvardiol and center back Marin Pongračić lost trying to mark him in the box, and could do little but watch as he headed the ball into the back of the net. A poor sequence that the young defender will have plenty of time to learn and grow from in the rest of his career.
Spain
Spain got a comfortable win as well, taking down Austria, who made the knockout stages on an improbable last minute stoppage-time goal in their final group stage match against Algeria. Spain are one of the favorites in the tournament, and they proved why in this match, looking comfortable and breaking down Austria with their possession-focused style of play.
Rodri was one of the best players on the field, crucial in their build up and controlling the game with that possession. Rodri is typically a holding midfielder known for his defensive presence, but he was quality in attack, creating multiple big chances. He was big in helping defensively, and is a key reason why Spain have yet to concede a goal in the World Cup.
Rodri started in Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal. Manchester City's midfield general was the man-of-the-match as he dominated the midfield in Spain's tense win. His late bust up with Bernardo Silva was the game's main talking point.
Algeria
Algeria qualified for the knockout stages for just the second time in their country's history, their first time since 2014 in Brazil. In their fifth ever World Cup appearance, they survived their group in a thrilling final match and were matched up with Switzerland in the RO32, losing 2-0.
Manchester City’s Ryan Aït-Nouri was the best player for his country despite the loss. He played the full game and in a game where his nation conceded two goals, he was really the only defender that had a good night, winning the ball through multiple duels and interceptions, giving it his all for Algeria.
Belgium
Belgium completed one of the most improbable comebacks we’ve seen, as they scored two goals in the final 5 minutes to tie the game after trailing by two and being dominated the majority of the match. In the 120th minute of extra time, they were awarded a penalty and scored to complete the comeback, beating Senegal 3-2.
Jérémy Doku had his moments where he looked a threat down the left side but couldn’t make any decisive plays or cause more of a constant pressure on the Senegalese fullbacks. He won multiple fouls but only completed one dribble in the match and was subbed off in the 56th minute after starting.
Doku was named as a substitute as Belgium beat the United State 4-1 to progress to the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. He came on in the 67th minute but the game was over at that stage.
Egypt
Egypt made history as they beat Australia and made the round of 16 for just the second time in their history, with the last time being in 1934, 92 years ago in the second ever World Cup. The game ended 1-1, going to penalties as a winner couldn’t be decided in open play, and Egypt were able to get the better of Australia in the shootout.
Omar Marmoush played through the first half of extra time before being taken off, so he would not take a penalty in the shootout, but he was a big player for the Egyptians when he was on the pitch. Though he wasn’t directly involved in the goal, he still was a quality player for his nation and gave them everything he had for 105 minutes.
As Egypt were beaten by Argentina 3-2 in their Round of 16 clash, Omar Marmoush came on as a late substitute. However, Marmoush couldn't affect the match as Argentina completed a famous comeback to end Egypt's World Cup campaign.
France
France dominated Sweden in their knockout stage match, winning 3-0. The Swedish keeper kept his country in the match as long as he could with some big saves against the European giants, but Mbappé finally broke the deadlock just before the half and from that point it was all France, and they got a comfortable win.
Rayan Cherki came on just for the final 5 minutes and had little impact with just a handful of touches and a few passes, but it’s hard for any player to break into this French team with the attacking firepower they have.
Cherki was again a late substitute as France beat Paraguay 1-0 in their Round of 16 tie. The mercurial Manchester City playmaker came on in the 84th minute to help his team see off an ugly Paraguay side.
Ghana
Ghana yet again made the World Cup knockout stages as one of the most successful African nations to ever play in the tournament. Unfortunately for Ghana and City’s Antoine Semenyo, their 2026 World Cup journey came to an end at the hands of Columbia in a 1-0 loss.
Semenyo struggled, as did about every player for Ghana apart from their goalkeeper, Lawrence Ati Zigi. Columbia proved to be a strong side and were the deserving winners against Ghana. Semenov would play the full match but couldn’t find the success Manchester City fans are used to seeing from him on the left side, only completing two dribbles and his second World Cup appearance ended in the RO32.
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