World Cup: The predicted outcome revealed – and what it means for England

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2022

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England will be hoping to finally end more than half a century of World Cup heartache by bringing home football’s most sought-after trophy from Qatar.

But the Three Lions face a tough route to the final at the Lusail Stadium in Doha in December.

Gareth Southgate’s side have already taken their first step on the road to international football’s biggest game, having won Group B to land a place in the round of 16.

But, depending on the way results fall, tricky ties against the likes of France, Portugal and Brazil potentially await them.

Here Sky News maps out the route that England could face on the road to the World Cup final.

Round of 16

One thing we do know for sure is England’s round of 16 opponents.

As winners of Group B, England now face the runners-up of Group A, Senegal, at the Al Bayt stadium at 7pm this Sunday.

The two sides have never met on the football field in their history.

But it promises to be an exciting encounter with the African side, who are ranked 18th in the FIFA World Rankings and have a host of star names including Chelsea stars Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy and Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye.

Senegal will, however, be without star forward Sadio Mane.

The Bayern Munich and ex-Liverpool star was ruled out of the World Cup earlier this month after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

Quarter-finals

If England beat Senegal they will go into the quarter-finals in what will be game 59 of the tournament.

Just like the round of 16, the game will be played at the Al Bayt stadium, at 7pm on Saturday 10 December.

This is where it gets a bit trickier, but England’s most likely opponents at this stage will be France.

Les Bleus look set to top Group D after winning both their opening games ahead of their final group game against Tunisia on Wednesday.

Their round of 16 opponents will be the runners-up of Group C – which is still very much up in the air at this moment.

Poland currently top the group with four points, with Argentina in second on goal difference ahead of Saudi Arabia – who beat the South American side in their opening match.

Argentina face Poland in their final game and although La Albiceleste will be the favourites, they are in for a difficult match.

And even a draw might not be enough for Argentina if either Mexico or Saudi Arabia claim victory in their last game.

While Argentina will be France’s toughest opponents if they finish second in the group, Didier Deschamps’s side will be favourites to win and clinch a quarter-final tie against England.

A game between England and France will be the first World Cup match between the two sides in 40 years.

The last game, at the 1982 World Cup, ended 3-1 to England.

Before that was England’s 2-0 victory in 1966 on the road to the Three Lions’ only World Cup win.

Semi-finals

Again, another tricky prediction given much is still in the balance in the group stages, and England will have to beat one of the tournament’s favourites to get to this stage.

One thing is for certain, if England can make it to the semi-final, they will return to the Al Bayt stadium for a third time for game 62, which will be played at 7pm on Wednesday 14 December.

At the moment, England’s likely semi-final opponents will be Portugal.

Against the odds, Morocco looks likely to clinch the top spot in Group F. They sit second behind Croatia on goal difference with bottom side Canada left to play.

Croatia faces a stuttering Belgium side, with the winner of that game clinching the other spot.

Presuming it is Morocco, they face a potential clash with Germany in the round of 16, who, while currently bottom of Group E, face a final group game against Costa Rica needing a win and for in-form Spain to beat Japan.

Despite Germany’s less-than-impressive start to the tournament, Hansi Flick’s side will be favourites to overcome Morocco.

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Meanwhile, Portugal look set to storm Group H and set up a round of 16 tie with the runner-up of Group G – which looks likely to be Switzerland.

Presuming Portugal wins that quarter-final tie, they could set up a semi-final against England.

Such a tie would be a chance for redemption for England, who suffered two dramatic penalty shoot-out defeats to Portugal in the 2000s.

The Three Lions were beaten 6-5 on penalties in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals after a 2-2 draw.

Portugal then dumped England out of the World Cup at the same stage in 2006, winning 3-1 on penalties after a tense 0-0 draw.

Final

There’s a long route to the final, with plenty of twists and turns still to come.

But if England can overcome Senegal, France and Portugal, they could face tournament favourites Brazil in the final at the Lusail Stadium in Doha.

The game is set to take place on Sunday 18 December at 3pm.

While it is by no means certain that they will face the five-time World Cup winners in the final, Tite’s side looks like strong favourites to be in the mix.

At is it currently stands, Brazil will likely face Ghana in the round of 16, followed by a strong Spain side in the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals are, again, a bit trickier to predict, but the Netherlands look the mostly likely to be there with them, but only if they can beat their likely opponents of USA and Denmark in the round of 16 and quarter-finals.

Should Brazil’s impressive firepower, with an attacking line-up containing the likes of Neymar, Vinicius, Raphinha and Richarlison, see them through, a potential final clash with England awaits.

England fans will no doubt remember the heartbreak of the 2002 quarter-final defeat in Japan.

The Three Lions took an early lead through Michael Owen but were pegged back through Rivaldo, before Ronaldinho scored a spectacular long-range free-kick to beat David Seaman and dump England out.

That match was one which saw two golden generations go head-to-head.

And while Brazil will be favourites with their squad of superstars, England’s emerging talents will be no doubt hopeful of pulling off an upset should they face the South American side in the semi-final.

UK

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quits Labour – criticising Sir Keir Starmer in resignation letter

Published

14 hours ago

September 28, 2024

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Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quits Labour - criticising Sir Keir Starmer in resignation letter

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.

The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.

She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.

In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.

“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.

Sir Keir has faced backlash after a Sky News report revealed he had received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader.

Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.

Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.

She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.

“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.

“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”

Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.

Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.

“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.

Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.

UK

King Charles hails ‘uniquely special’ Scotland as it marks Holyrood milestone – before being hugged by woman

Published

14 hours ago

September 28, 2024

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King Charles hails 'uniquely special' Scotland as it marks Holyrood milestone - before being hugged by woman

The King has paid tribute to Scotland as a “uniquely special place” for the Royal Family as he marked the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament.

At the ceremony to commemorate a quarter of a century since parliament opened at Holyrood, the King said: “Speaking from a personal perspective, Scotland has always had a uniquely special place in the hearts of my family and myself.

“My beloved grandmother was proudly Scottish, my late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days.”

He said we are all “united by our love of Scotland”, paying tribute to its “natural beauty”, “strength of character”, “diversity of its people”, “passions and frequently deeply held beliefs”.

“From the central belt to the north Highlands, across the islands in Ayrshire, in the Borders, the cities, towns and villages, all the coastal communities, who I wonder, could not fail to be moved by this complex Caledonian kaleidoscope?,” he asked as presiding officer Alison Johnstone and the Queen sat beside him.

After he gave the speech, the King was hugged by a member of the public – who said she did so “because of him being unwell”.

The 75-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in February but has since returned to public duties.

Yvonne Macmillan, 59, from East Renfrewshire, attended the anniversary ceremony with her husband Russell who is registered blind and chosen as a “local hero” for work in their area.

“I asked him if he was feeling better and if I could give him a hug. I actually said to him: ‘Can I hug you?’,” she said.

“As I hugged him I said, ‘God bless you’, so it was like God giving him a hug.”

While Sir Tony Blair’s Labour government legislated for Scottish devolution in 1997 – parliament officially opened at Holyrood on 1 July 1999.

The King has made six visits to the parliament since 1999 – while his mother Queen Elizabeth II made 10 visits during her lifetime.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney is one of a number of MSPs who have been at Holyrood since the start of devolution.

He said in his own speech in Edinburgh on Saturday that the parliament has “placed itself at the very heart of the nation”, describing it as a “vessel of enlightenment, invention and creativity”.

The SNP’s Christine Grahame is another MSP who has been there since the start.

“Free tuition, free prescriptions, game-changing policies to tackle child poverty, the ban on smoking, the baby box, ScotRail back in public ownership – none of this would have been possible without the Scottish parliament and the strength of our commitment to self-determination,” she said on Saturday.

The King said the devolved parliament has the ability to “touch and to improve the lives of so many individuals”.

But he added that “there remains much more to be done” for Scotland, the rest of the UK, particularly with regards to climate change.

“Let this moment therefore be the beginning of the next chapter,” he told those assembled.

“The achievement of the past and the commitment shown in the present give us the soundest basis for confidence in the future.”

UK

Phone thief caught red-handed hours after snatching device from woman’s hand in Croydon

Published

14 hours ago

September 28, 2024

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Phone thief caught red-handed hours after snatching device from woman's hand in Croydon

A moped riding phone thief was caught red-handed after police tracked the device down hours after he snatched it from a woman’s hand.

CCTV footage released by police showed a masked moped rider mount the pavement in Croydon, south London, to swipe a phone from a woman’s hand on 6 March, while another victim had theirs stolen while they waited for a bus an hour later.

Amari Scott, 20, looked surprised when confronted by officers inside a shop, where he was found with two mobile phones.

“We’ve just had a moped rob a mobile phone off the pavement and the phone is pinging in this location,” one of the officers told him in body-worn camera footage before Scott was handcuffed and led away.

Police also recovered a stolen motorbike and Scott, from Sutton, south London, was later jailed for four years.

Two teenagers who committed four robberies in the space of just half an hour were also arrested as part of a crackdown in Croydon.

Aged 16 and 17, the teens were issued with referral orders after pleading guilty to charges of robbery, attempted robbery and attempted grievous bodily harm.

They were behind a spree of eight robberies across Croydon and nearby Bromley, including four within 30 minutes on the morning of 5 August.

Their crimes, which included the knife point robbery of a rough sleeper outside Croydon library, were caught on CCTV.

One of the teenagers tried to discard a knife before she was arrested after a foot chase, telling officers: “The knife wasn’t mine”.

The other ran away, leaving a knife and his bag, but was lying in bed at home when he was arrested shortly after.

The Metropolitan Police said officers are intensifying efforts to tackle robbery and theft, encouraging victims to report incidents as they happen to increase the chances of catching the criminals.

Chief Inspector James Weston said: “We understand the impact that robbery has on victims – it is invasive and frightening.

“That’s why our teams are working so hard to deter and catch offenders to reassure our local community.

“Thanks to the hard work of officers, our partners and community grassroots organisations, we are stepping up our efforts and tackling the issues that matter most to the people of Croydon.”