World Cup Daily: France cruise as Cape Verde and Egypt make history

In Group I, France maintained their flawless record with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway. Ousmane Dembélé starred with a first-half hat-trick before Désiré Doué added a late fourth goal, sealing top spot in the group with three wins from three matches.

Earlier in the group, Senegal kept their Round of 32 hopes alive with a convincing 5-0 victory over Iraq. Habib Diarra opened the scoring before substitute Pape Gueye netted twice from long range. Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye also found the net as Senegal finished third and now await confirmation of whether their goal difference is enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

Group H saw Spain edge Uruguay 1-0 to finish top of the standings. Álex Baena scored the only goal in the 42nd minute after a goalkeeping error by Fernando Muslera, sending the former world champions out of the tournament without a victory.

The other Group H match ended in a goalless draw between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, a result that secured the World Cup debutants a historic place in the Round of 32 as runners-up. Cape Verde finished second with three draws, while Saudi Arabia and Uruguay were eliminated.

In Group G, Belgium booked top spot with a dominant 5-1 victory over New Zealand. Leandro Trossard scored twice, while Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers also got on the scoresheet.

At the same time, Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran to finish second in the group and qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the nation's history. Iran, meanwhile, must wait to learn whether they advance as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Ecuador stunned Germany to reach the Round of 32, while Côte d'Ivoire, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and South Africa also secured places in the knockout stage.