Egypt and Cape Verde Advance to World Cup Knockout Stage

Egypt and Cape Verde have successfully qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup, with Cape Verde making history as the first World Cup debutants to advance. Cape Verde played against Saudi Arabia, where they were the better side but settled for a draw.

Key players included Willi Semedo and Kevin Pina, who came close to scoring. The tournament hosts, Saudi Arabia, were thwarted by Cape Verde's defense.

In another match, Egypt became the fourth African nation to reach the round of 32, finishing second in their group after a 1-1 draw with Iran. Mahmoud Saber scored early for Egypt, but Ramin Rezaeian equalized for Iran.

Egypt ended the group stage with five points. Meanwhile, Belgium secured the top spot in their group with a 5-1 victory over New Zealand, thanks to Leandro Trossard's brace and goals from Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.