RecapSaturday, June 27

Les Bleus Detonate, the Teranga Lions Roar, and Cape Verde Pull Off Group H's Great Escape

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France dismantled Norway with a four-goal masterclass to finish Group I with a perfect nine points, Senegal buried Iraq 5-0 in a parallel demolition, Spain edged Uruguay 1-0 to top Group H while Cape Verde's goalless draw with Saudi Arabia proved just enough to sneak through in second, and Belgium hammered New Zealand 5-1 to squeeze into the knockouts on goal difference ahead of Egypt — who drew 1-1 with Iran in the night's tightest finish.

The pool nailed the obvious ones — 60 of 74 backed France, 71 backed Senegal, 68 backed Belgium — but the scorelines were wildly wrong (only one person hit the 4-1, nobody cracked the 5-0), and the genuinely tricky Group H double-header split the room: 29 punters called the Cape Verde draw correctly while 52 correctly backed Spain, producing the night's most satisfying seven exact-scoreline calls on the Uruguay–Spain 0-1.

Group I: France Turn On the Style, Senegal Make It Look Easy

Les Bleus were always going to be the story of the evening slot, and they didn't disappoint. France put Norway to the sword 4-1 in a display that was equal parts ruthless and elegant — the kind of performance that reminds you why Didier Deschamps' side are among the tournament favourites. The Norwegians had been no pushovers in Matchday 1, but France were simply in a different gear. Norway's consolation was a footnote in a match that France controlled from the opening quarter-hour. The market had France as clear, heavy favourites — the result was anything but a surprise — but the margin was. Of our 74 pickers, 60 backed the French, yet only one soul on earth called it 4-1. The modal pick was 2-1, which tells you everything about how thoroughly France exceeded expectations. In the parallel game, Sadio Mané and the Teranga Lions were merciless against an Iraq side that had already collected eleven goals against in three games. A 5-0 final score matched the pre-match mood — all 71 of you who backed Senegal were rewarded with a win — but the 31 who went for a tidy 2-0 were left watching five goals pile up. Nobody called the scoreline exactly. Iraq finish bottom with a goal difference of -11 and head home having made little impression on their debut in this expanded tournament.

Group I Final Table: France Perfect, Norway Through, Iraq Obliterated

France finish first with nine points from nine and a goal difference of +8 — they are ominously in form heading into the last 32. Norway, despite that heavy defeat, held on to second place with six points and a goal difference of +1. Senegal's 5-0 haul improved them to +2 in goal difference but three points was not enough to overtake the Vikings, meaning the Lions finish third and face the best third-place route to survival. It's a tight and slightly cruel arithmetic, but Norway — thanks to their Matchday 1 and 2 results — edge through. Iraq's World Cup is over, and it wasn't pretty.

Group H: Spain Do the Job, Cape Verde's Draw Is Worth Its Weight in Gold

The late double-header from Group H was the night's chess match. Spain — the reigning European champions — needed only a functional performance against Uruguay to top the group, and that's exactly what they delivered. A single goal separated the sides in a 1-0 win; 52 of our pool members called the Spain victory correctly, and seven of them nailed the exact 0-1 scoreline, making it the night's most-picked correct result by some distance. Uruguay, with just two points and a goal difference of -1, finish third and will need the best-third-place path to survive. Meanwhile, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia played out a cagey 0-0 that, on the face of it, looked like two sides happy to share a point. The Sharks of the Atlantic didn't need fireworks — they needed arithmetic, and the arithmetic delivered. Twenty-nine of you called the draw, and three had the presence of mind to put 0-0 on the form — give those three a round of applause. Saudi Arabia also finish on two points but their goal difference of -4 is fatal compared to Uruguay's -1, so the Green Falcons go home. Cape Verde, improbably and magnificently, advance in second place.

Group G: Belgium Squeeze Through, Egypt Survive on Tiebreakers

The early hours produced the night's most tension-laden finish. Belgium needed a big win against New Zealand to ensure qualification regardless of what Egypt did against Iran, and they delivered one — 5-1, a result that 68 of our pickers called correctly (though only one managed the exact scoreline). New Zealand's solitary goal was a consolation amid a Red Devils onslaught. In the other game, Egypt and Iran served up a 1-1 draw that kept both sets of supporters chewing their fingernails down to nothing — 29 of our pool members called the draw, and a remarkable 24 of them went 1-1 exactly, making it the night's sharpest collective scoreline prediction. Belgium finish first on five points and a goal difference of +4; Egypt also have five points and +2, good enough for second. Iran are out in third despite three points — the crucial difference was goal difference — and New Zealand's adventure ends with a single point and -6 on the board. It's a bittersweet exit for Iran, who can reflect that a different result between Belgium and New Zealand would have changed everything. The pool's crowd accuracy across tonight's six games lands at 67% — a respectable haul on a night when the scorelines were far wilder than anyone bargained for.

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