Reaching the knockout phase of any tournament is a major achievement, but the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been a whirlwind of excellence, especially for many of the teams who have proven themselves at the biggest stage of the competition.
Heading into the Round of 16 stages of the mega event, we do a brief analysis of the groups A, B, C and D, and their leaders, runners-up, winners and losers.
Group A:
Winners: Netherlands
Two wins and a draw sums up the Dutchmen's World Cup. They beat Senegal but were held to a 1-1 draw by Ecuador, making their qualification scenario tough. But a win over Qatar, followed by Ecuador's loss to Senegal gifted them the top spot in this group.
Best player: Cody Gakpo scored a goal in all three matches and was undoubtedly their best player.
Runners-up: Senegal
Led by Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegal fought back from their 2-0 loss to the Netherlands to beat Qatar and Ecuador and qualify for the Round of 16 for the first time since 2002.
Best player: Senegal had six different goalscorers but centre-back Koulibaly scored the goal against Ecuador that took his team to the Round of 16.
Ecuador
It was a successful World Cup for an Ecuador team currently in transition. They beat hosts Qatar 2-0 and then held favourites Netherlands to a 1-1 draw. But their loss to Senegal in a must-win contest ended their tournament.
Best Player: Enner Valencia's three goals were crucial for Ecuador to put up such a tough challenge in the competition.
Qatar
The hosts had a disappointing campaign, losing all three of their group matches. They were the first team to be eliminated, an unceremonious record for a host nation of the FIFA World Cup. They were also the first host nation to be eliminated from the competition so early.
Best Player: Since Mohammed Muntari scored their only goal of the competition, he can be their best player in a pool of uninspiring performances.
Group B:
Winners: England
A young England squad were expected to make it out of their group, and their 6-2 win over Iran proved this so. But qualification was delayed after a 0-0 draw. They then brushed aside neighbours in Wales as the youngsters of the Three Lions shone on the biggest stage.
Best Player: Among a plethora of talent, it is tough to pinpoint a single player, but Jude Bellingham's performance for England is definitely worth mentioning.
Runners-up: USA
It was a tricky situation for the Americans, who were held to a 1-1 draw against Wales and a goalless one against England. But their narrow 1-0 victory over Iran was enough in the end.
Best Player: Despite Christian Pulisic sending them to the Round of 16, their other winger Timothy Weah was their best player.
Iran
They stunned Wales 2-0 after scoring two goals against England, showing how much the side have grown in the last few years. Iran needed just a draw against the USA to create history but floundered at the very end.
Best Player: Mehdi Taremi scored twice for Iran against England, and was at his best against Wales as well.
Wales
A disappointing return to the biggest stage for Wales ended with two losses and a draw, with just one point and one goal scored for the Welsh team.
Best Player: Not too many players stood out, but eyes will be on Brennan Johnson for the future of the team.
Group C:
Winners: Argentina
Lionel Messi's side rose from the ashes, literally. They lost their opening game against Saudi Arabia and were in danger of elimination. But a brilliant performance against Mexico turned their fortunes as the team went on to secure qualification to the Round of 16.
Best Player: Lionel Messi, once again, has finished as the team's top scorer and their best player in the group stage of the competition.
Runners-up: Poland
Poland were favourites to make it through this group and with good reason. But a draw against Mexico almost dented their chance. A win over Saudi Arabia was enough to take them to the knockouts despite their loss to Argentina in their final game.
Best Player: Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny could not keep a clean sheet against Argentina but saved two penalties in three games, showing how good he is.
Mexico
It was a subpar performance from Mexico, who were clearly missing their talismanic striker Javier Hernandez. Hirving Lozano failed to live up to his hype as the South Americans went out with a whimper.
Best Player: Guillermo Ochoa was once again, the player that Mexico relied on the pitch.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabians caused the upset of the tournament when they overcame a 1-0 deficit to beat Argentina 2-1. But losing to Saudi Arabia and Mexico ended their special campaign.
Group D:
Winners: France
It was no surprise that France made it out of this group with relative ease. Their only concern would have been the dreading ‘defending champions curse’ but such statistics did not bother Didier Deschamps's team. They won their first two games against Australia 4-1 and then Denmark 2-1. But the second-string team could not overcome Tunisia as they lost 1-0 in the final game. This, however, did nothing to their league position.
Best Player: Kylian Mbappe's three goals take him to seven in two World Cup campaigns. He definitely has miles to go before he sleeps!
Runners-up: Australia
The Aussie brigade arose from their thumping loss to France by beating Tunisia 1-0. They then surprised Denmark by securing another 1-0 victory to set up a match with Argentina in the Round of 16
Best Player: This accolade will go to Mitchell Duke, whose goal against Tunisia kept their side in the competition.
Tunisia
They might not have stood a chance in this competition but their win by a solitary goal against even a different XI of France was highly impressive.
Best Player: A resolute forward for club and country, Wahbi Khazri was undoubtedly their best player in this tournament.
Denmark
It was a disappointing tournament for the 2020 Euro semifinalists, who finished at the bottom of their group. They scored just one goal, off Andreas Christensen, and their loss to Australia was especially disappointing.
Best Player: Given Andreas Christensen was their only goalscorer, the Barcelona defender might just have been their best player.
Round of 16 schedule
Saturday, December 3
Netherlands vs USA - 8:30 AM
Sunday, December 4
Argentina vs Australia - 12:30 AM IST, France vs Poland - 8:30 PM IST
Monday, December 5
England vs Senegal - 12:30 AM IST, Japan vs Croatia - 8:30 PM IST
Tuesday, December 6
Brazil vs South Korea - 12:30 AM IST, Morocco vs Spain - 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday, December 7
Portugal vs Switzerland - 12:30 AM IST
Quarterfinals
Friday, 09 December 2022
Quarter-final 1 - 8:30 PM IST
Saturday, 10 December 2022
Quarter-final 2 - 12:30 AM IST, Quarter-final 3 - 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 11
Quarter-final 4 - 12:30 AM IST
Semifinals
Wednesday, December 14
Semi-final 1 - 12:30 AM IST
Thursday, December 15
Semi-final 2 - 12:30 AM IST
Saturday, December 17
Third Place Match
Third Place Play-off - 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 18
Final
FIFA World Cup 2022 Final - 8:30 PM IST
