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Argentina secured a 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16 in the 2022 FIFA World cup, becoming the second team to qualify. They will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
La Albiceleste qualified as winners of an exciting Group C. Despite a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game, they bounced back to win the next two without conceding a goal against Mexico or Poland. Lionel Scaloni and his men were eager to keep progressing as he fielded a strong lineup.
Australia, on the other hand, did extremely well to qualify as runners-up in Group D and also had the same number of points as group-winners France (6). However, they missed out on the top spot owing to an inferior goal difference. They were looking to cause an upset in their biggest game in World Cup history.
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Argentina started the game well and looked the likelier of the two teams to get on the scoresheet first. They kept 61% possession in the first half and attempted two shots, with just one on target. Australia, on the other hand, managed just one shot and failed to hit the target with it.
Lionel Messi handed Argentina the lead after 35 minutes with a scrumptious goal from inside the box. Nicolas Otamendi took a heavy touch that laid the ball off perfectly for Messi to run onto and place it perfectly to Mathew Ryan's right side. Australia tried to find a way back into the game and went into the break trailing by one goal.
La Albiceleste picked up where they left off in the first half as they doubled their lead just 12 minutes after the restart. Goalkeeper Ryan was the culprit this time as he tried to pass the ball out from the back but took too much time to make a decision. That allowed Julian Alvarez to close him down and win the ball before slotting into an empty goal.
Australia showed no signs of giving up as they continued to press forward in search of a goal. Their efforts paid off in the 77th minute as substitute Craig Goodwin latched onto a poorly cleared shot on the half-volley. It took a heavy deflection off Enzo Fernandez before hitting the back of the net and an own goal was awarded.
Argentina held on to secure a 2-1 win despite a late barrage from the Aussies. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points.
#5. Lionel Messi is Argentina's savior
Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and Sachin Tendulkar for the Indian Cricket Team are some of the only other athletes in the history of sport whose teams have heavily relied on them. And they delivered most of the time, if not always. Such was their impact on their respective teams.
Messi almost single-handedly carried Argentina to the World Cup final in 2014 where they fell to Germany after extra time. This time around, however, La Albiceleste have a better chance owing to a perfectly balanced squad around Messi.
He scored the crucial go-ahead goal in today's game that eased the nerves and also made a couple of trademark runs, leaving several defenders behind.
#4. Australia massively overperformed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
To finish second in a group alongside France, Tunisia, and Denmark, is no mean feat. Australia did that and also won an impressive six points in the process. They only lost to France and mainly because of their excessively offensive approach against one of the world's best sides.
Despite being the underdogs coming into this game, the Aussies showed great spirit and even looked like they were mounting a comeback late in the second half. However, they were held off as their historic World Cup campaign came to an end.
#3. Australia scored and looked like equalizing for a brief period
After going two goals down, many expected the Socceroos to wither away and recede into a shell as they saw out the rest of the game. However, much to the contrary, Australia showed a fighting spirit and took the chances that came their way. One such attempt resulted in a heavily-deflected goal, which was later awarded as an own goal.
They looked like scoring right up until the 85th minute, after which Argentina effectively shut them out.
#2. Scaloni made good changes at the right moments
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni played a big part in helping his nation win from the sidelines, assessing the game perfectly and bringing in the right players for the task at hand.
He brought Lisandro Martinez into the game just after the break, giving La Albiceleste some much-needed protection at the back. Nicolas Tagliafico then came on a while after they had gone 2-0 up. He offered width and helped Argentina exploit the wide areas with his bursts down the flanks.
Theses substitutions ultimately helped his team win.
#1. Argentina will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals
La Albiceleste secured an important 2-1 win over Australia, securing their passage to the next round. They will face the Netherlands, who defeated the USA 3-1 earlier in the day.
The game will be played on Friday, December 9, as the second quarter-final.
