Southgate earns a worthy opponent; England's first real test in Qatar.

It is nonstop action in Qatar as countries keep showing their superiority in grand style, the semi-final matches have definitely taken the World Cup excitement to a whole different level and I love the feeling.

The big boys are on the headline of every page, the World Cup has reached the stage where only the mighty stand. We haven't seen a surprising exit in the knockout so far and I don't see more than one upset happening in this round of the competition.

The Netherlands made it first to the quarter-final, and playing against USA was quite easy for them. They showed exactly why they deserve to remain in the competition and it was great watching that particular fixture.

Argentina survived Australia's threat and also booked their ticket to the next round of the World Cup.

A lot of chances were wasted in that match and I hope the South American side understands that they can't always be lucky with not converting chances properly in the face of goal.

France also eliminated Poland in style, I expected a lot from both teams and the French national team came out on top. They successfully put three goals past the Polish defenders to secure a place in the next round of the competition.

England didn't hesitate to grab their ticket as well and they are the only country that hasn't conceded in the round of 16 so far.

I expected Senegal to stress the England side even though I knew their journey ends in this round but it was quite easy for Southgate and his boys. The English national team has shown great improvement with every match they played in the competition and it looks like they are charged for the World Cup glory.

Two goals in the closing minutes of the first half and Saka's 57th-minute goal were enough for them to get the job done against Senegal.

Going further in the World cup is quite difficult, the deeper you go ~ the tougher it gets. England's qualification for the next round has earned them a worthy opponent in the competition.

So far at the World Cup, England has played against teams that they are bigger than in every ramification.
Talk about talent, skills, and experience, England stands out among the likes of Wales, USA, Wales, and Senegal.

Playing against France would be England's first real test at the World Cup and the match holds so much importance since it decides which country makes it to the semi-final. Both sides are in fantastic form and it would be a tough encounter for punters to predict.

I definitely can't even predict what the outcome of that encounter would be because both countries have great players that can get the job done and their managers just have to be on their toes tactically. The English and French national teams have got great quality player which makes them a perfect match playing against each other. Aside from the player's intelligence and teamwork, the managers will have to give their best to get the best out of the encounter.

England's previous opponents in the World Cup in Qatar haven't posed must threat in attack and I can tell that none of them would match France in attack so Southgate must be aware that he has got lots of jobs to do on every area of the pitch. It's been decades since they both played against each other in the World Cup and these National teams are strangers to one another on a competitive level.

There is no home or away advantage, I am really anxious and wouldn't mind going to the future just to see what the outcome of the encounter would be. Whichever team wins must deserve and either of them is definitely going to take one step closer to World Cup glory, will it be France or England?

Time will tell.