Saliba and Odegaard Shine as World Cup Knockouts Begin

The rain came down in sheets at Philadelphia Stadium, but William Saliba didn’t blink. Ninety minutes, 95% pass accuracy, seven key defensive interventions – France’s centre-back turned a storm-soaked group game into a statement of authority.

France brushed aside Iraq 3-0 to book their place in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, with Kylian Mbappé once again grabbing the headlines. Saliba quietly owned the rest.

Saliba stands firm as Mbappé takes over

The contest belonged to Mbappé on the scoreboard. Fourteen minutes in, he broke the deadlock, firing France into a deserved lead. Then the skies opened properly.

A two-hour half-time delay followed as the weather turned wild. When play finally resumed, France needed to reset their rhythm. Mbappé did it in nine minutes.

Lightning struck twice on the pitch. The forward struck again early in the second half to complete his brace and kill any faint Iraqi hope. Ousmane Dembélé added a third to underline the gulf in class and seal a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Behind them, Saliba stitched it all together. Composed in possession, aggressive when he needed to be, he kept France’s back line immaculate on a treacherous surface, his passing cutting through the rain as cleanly as his positioning cut out danger.

France sit top of Group I with six points from two games, ahead of Norway only on goal difference. The job is done early. The standard, set high.

Odegaard pulls the strings as Norway edge five-goal thriller

If France’s win was controlled, Norway’s 3-2 victory over Senegal was anything but. It was frantic, open, and at times chaotic – and Martin Odegaard thrived in the middle of it.

Norway led 1-0 at the break thanks to Marcus Pedersen, but the game truly came alive after half-time. Odegaard, as so often, found the moment that mattered.

Early in the second half, the Norway captain sliced Senegal open with an incisive through ball, threading Erling Haaland into space. One touch, one finish, 2-0. It was the kind of pass that looks simple only because the player delivering it sees the game a second quicker than everyone else.

Senegal refused to fold. Ismaila Sarr dragged them back into it, striking to make it 2-1 and shift the mood. The match swung, space appeared, nerves crept in.

Haaland answered. Sarr answered back. Both men added a second goal in a breathless second half as the contest turned into a shootout of pure efficiency between the two forwards.

Norway, though, held their line and their nerve. The 3-2 win pushed them into the last 32 and kept them locked level with France on points, only separated at the top of Group I by goal difference.

At the final whistle, Odegaard and his teammates turned to the travelling support and launched into a full Norwegian viking row celebration – a release of tension, a declaration of intent, and a reminder that this team believes it belongs on this stage.

England’s stars step up next

Attention now swings to Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions, who face Ghana in a 9pm kick-off with their own ambitions of back-to-back wins.

Declan Rice will anchor the midfield, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke bring thrust and flair from wide areas, and Eberechi Eze offers the kind of creativity that can unpick stubborn defences.

With Saliba and Odegaard already through, the question is simple: which of their club colleagues will be next to turn a solid start into something far more serious?