England football icon, Gary Lineker has stated that it will be ‘extremely challenging’ for ‘any team’ to stop France from clinching the World Cup.
France secured their advancement to the last-16 of the World Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday evening.
Didier Deschamps’ squad has arguably been the standout team in the tournament, having triumphed over Senegal, Iraq, and Norway in the group stage, amassing ten goals in total.
The French team, who were crowned World Cup champions in 2018 and finished as runners-up four years ago, will compete against Paraguay for a spot in the quarter-finals after the South American team caused an upset by defeating Germany in their previous match.
Lineker considers the ‘breathtaking’ French team to be his favorites for the World Cup and believes that the defending champions, Argentina, might be the only team capable of ‘halting’ Deschamps’ illustrious squad in the United States.
The legendary England forward also mentioned European champions Spain as potential contenders against France but largely dismissed England’s prospects of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
England showcased their strength in their World Cup opener against Croatia, winning 4-2, but subsequently drew 0-0 with Ghana before securing a shaky victory over Panama.
Thomas Tuchel’s team, aiming to end a 60-year drought, appeared on the verge of a humiliating World Cup elimination at the hands of DR Congo, who led their last-32 match for more than an hour.
However, Harry Kane came to England’s aid,
