World Cup 2018: 5 best and worst players from the game - France 4-3 Argentina

France edged out Argentina in what was probably the best game of the tournament so far, with a 4-3 margin to secure their qualification to the Quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. The encounter proved to be an enticing one, and Les Bleus prevailed over their counterparts after a roller-coaster of a game at the Kazan Arena.

Didier Deschamps' men took the lead as early as in the 13th minute after referee Alireza Faghani awarded a penalty following a challenge from Marcos Rojo on Kylian Mbappe. Antoine Griezmann shouldered the responsibility of converting the penalty and he made no mistake from 12 yards out to break the deadlock.

However, La Albiceleste were granted a life-line when Angel Di Maria restored parity between the sides in the 41st minute with a sumptuous strike from 30 yards out.

The second half witnessed more drama as Argentina took the lead after Lionel Messi's shot on goal took a wicked deflection off Gabriel Mercado to completely wrong-foot Hugo Lloris on it's way to the back of the net.

Despite going behind, France continued to push forward and Benjamin Pavard equalized for Les Bleus in the 57th minute, just nine minutes after Jorge Sampaoli's men had taken the lead.

France produced one of the best attacking spells we have witnessed so far in the tournament just after the hour mark, and teenage sensation Mbappe scored twice in the space of four minutes to establish a two goal advantage over their opponents.

Sergio Aguero, who came off the bench, pulled a goal back in stoppage time for Argentina but it was a little too late to mount a comeback as France held on to become the first team to qualify for the last eight of the competition.

Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the best and worst performers from this compelling encounter in Kazan.

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#5 Best - Antoine Griezmann (France)

Griezmann opened the scoring for France

It is safe to say that Antoine Griezmann went out today and gave his one-hundred percent best to help his country edge past Argentina.

The striker was deployed just behind Olivier Giroud by Didier Deschamps, and he drifted all around the final-third to conjure some inspiring link-up play.

Griezmann made no mistake from the penalty spot as well, and sent Franco Armani the wrong way to open the scoring for France with a composed penalty. However, the element that stood out significantly in his performance was the willingness and desire he showed to track back and win the ball back for his side.

The Atletico Madrid striker was seen deep in his own half at a few instances, and even dispossessed Lionel Messi in a bid to try and secure the lead.

#4 Worst - Marcos Rojo (Argentina)

Marcos Rojo failed to replicate his form from the last game

Marcos Rojo went from hero to villain in just about 13 minutes after the start of the game when he brought down Kylian Mbappe inside the penalty area, after the Frenchman had absolutely ghosted past a number of Argentine defenders.

The Manchester United defender grabbed the headlines after his goal against Nigeria took his team to the knockout stages, but he was uninspiring against France to say the least.

Picking up an early yellow card certainly held him back from committing frequently, and Jorge Sampaoli was forced to introduce Federico Fazio in the second half in place of Marcos Rojo.

#3 Best - Benjamin Pavard (Argentina)

Pavard stepped up when it mattered the most

Benjamin Pavard came into this tournament as France's second choice right-back option behind Djibril Sidibe, but the youngster has quickly established himself as an indispensable part of this team with some consistent performances.

The 22-year-old, who is currently plying his trade with VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, worked tirelessly down the right flank for Les Bleus and bombed forward whenever he sensed an opportunity.

The defender's attacking instincts were rightfully rewarded when he sent a pile-driver of a shot into the back of the net in the 57th minute to pull things back for France after Argentina had taken a slender lead.

Pavard stepped out to play the biggest game of his career in Kazan and he held more than his own against some of the most prestigious names in world football.

#2 Worst - Enzo Perez (Argentina)

Perez disappointed in midfield for Argentina

Enzo Perez was a surprise inclusion in midfield when the line-ups were announced, and he was completely outplayed by the legs of N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park.

The River Plate midfielder struggled to keep up with the tenacity of the French midfielders and was dispossessed far too easily on a number of instances.

Perez offered very little going forward and was probably one of the most isolated figures on the pitch during the first 45 minutes of the game.

The 32 year old was replaced in the 66th minute by Sergio Aguero as Jorge Sampaoli rolled the dice to try and find a goal from anywhere, to cap off a very disappointing afternoon for the player.

#1 Best - Kylian Mbappe (France)

The world is at his feet!

Kylian Mbappe, the teenage sensation who is also France's youngest goal-scorer in the World Cup, added two more goals to his tally for the tournament with a quick-fire brace in the space of four second half minutes.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker caused all kinds of problems to Argentina's fragile and sluggish defenders, punishing them as early as in the 13th minute when he was brought down inside the penalty area after he had whizzed past a few challenges during the build-up to the same.

The 19 year old scored the goals that put the game to bed in the second half when he re-established Les Bleus' lead in the 64th minute before adding a second just four minutes later after a fantastic attacking foray from France.

With every passing game, Mbappe continues to scale new heights, and he has well and truly arrived at the international stage with this performance.