• Argentina and France, two star-studded teams that were underwhelming in the group stage, face off in the first game of the 2018 World Cup knockout stage.
• Refresh here for live World Cup updates and analysis from Russia.
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How to watch: In the U.S., FS1 and Telemundo have the broadcast at 10 a.m. Eastern, but you can stream it here.
2’: France Deals With Messi
Messi gets his first touch, but a pressing France (well, Kanté) immediately dispossesses him. He’s going to be all over the Argentine captain today, and he’s very good at that.
1’: A Quick Whistle
The game lasts only seconds before Giroud trucks Tagliafico chasing a header. That may be a message, or just hyper-nerves. But it won’t be the last time Giroud runs over an Argentine, trust us.
Kickoff!
O.K., the anthems are done. Here we go. Warm hug between France’s Umtiti and Messi in the handshake line; they’re teammates at Barcelona. Rojo and Pogba will know each other from Manchester United, too.
France will be in blue with white shorts today. Argentina is in its traditional blue-and-white stripes with black shorts.
Our referee today is Alireza Faghani of Iran. It’s an Italian V.A.R. crew.
Will This Be Messi’s Last Run?
The last time Messi was eliminated from a major tournament, he retired from Argentina’s national team before he left the stadium, only to be coaxed back for this World Cup.
The retirement came in 2016, which was the third straight summer he had suffered defeat in a major final — in extra time to Germany at the 2014 World Cup and on penalties to Chile on the Copa America in 2015 and 2016. After losing to Chile in New York, Messi declared that he had done all he could do.
“It’s not for me,” he said then. “We’ve lost three finals in a row and I’m disappointed about it but what can I do? It wasn’t meant to be, and we have to understand it, and that’s it.”
Could today be the end for real if Argentina loses? Maybe. Messi will be 35 at the next World Cup, and playing for Argentina sure hasn’t seemed to bring him much joy this month. He has looked frustrated and withdrawn. A win over France might spark something in him, and his teammates — a chance to go to the quarterfinals with the hope of one last run. But today’s winner meets the Uruguay-Portugal survivor, and it won’t get easier after that.
Argentina Fills the Stands
For the 4th straight game here in Russia, France is playing what feels like a road game. French fans are heavily outnumbered by Argentine fans, just as they were by Australian fans in this stadium in game one. Some of the French fan clubs have complained that they have not been able to get seats close together, although I can se at least two good blocs of them today. French federation president Noel Le Graet said this week that France has work to do in terms of mobilizing its traveling fans. French players have taken note. When they played Peru in Yekaterinburg, captain Hugo Lloris told me it was like playing in South America.
How the Argentine fans did it, I’ll never know. Their team wasn’t expected to be playing here when this tournament began. And yet the Argentines are filling 3/4ths of the seats in Kazan Arena. Huge atmosphere, if you’re Argentine
Warm-up Support
Blasting Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” over the loudspeakers in Kazan as the teams warmed up seemed like A1 trolling/subliminal support of Argentina and France after the suboptimal two weeks they’ve had.
Three fans just showed up on the screen in Russian-themed France jerseys. The names on the back: Pogbov, Mbappov, Kantov. Nice work.
Christopher Clarey: In place here in Kazan. Gorgeous day: 83 degrees, sunny, as it has been most of the time here in Kazan. Low humidity though: close to 30 percent. Field is already almost entirely in shadow so weather conditions should not be a big factor.
Messi on the Spot
Best stat you might not know entering today? Lionel Messi has never scored in a knockout round game at the World Cup.
Yellow Danger
Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Corentin Tolisso are all one booking away from suspension for France. Ever Banega, Gabriel Mercado, Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, Marcos Acuna and Nicolas Otamendi are in the same danger for Argentina.
Player to Watch: Ever Banega
Want a non-Messi, non-Griezmann, non-Pogba player to watch today? Try Ever Banega. He sprung Messi for that gorgeous goal against Nigeria with an inch-perfect ball over the top, and he will again need to do a lot of work in midfield to make Argentina work. Mascherano will handle the dirty work behind him — hopefully, says every Argentina fan, without conceding a penalty this time.
Really fantastic move this for Messi’s goal. The pass from Banega is perfect. But the movement from Messi and then the touch and finish. Sublime! pic.twitter.com/eZ4Pba2fE2
— Whitehouse Address (@The_W_Address) June 26, 2018
Argentina’s Starting Lineup
Argentina drops Aguero again, and starts with Di Maria and Pavon up front flanking Messi.
12 Franco Armani (River Plate)
2 Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla)
17 Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City)
16 Marcos Rojo (Manchester United)
3 Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax)
15 Enzo Perez (Boca Juniors)
14 Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune)
7 Ever Banega (Sevilla)
22 Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors)
10 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
11 Angel di María (Paris St Germain)
The teams have arrived for #FRAARG!
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 30, 2018
Who's looking forward to this one?
TV listings https://t.co/xliHcxWvEO
France’s Starting Lineup
France goes back to its A-list:
1 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)
2 Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart)
4 Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
5 Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona)
21 Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid)
13 N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)
6 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
10 Kylian Mbappé (Paris St Germain)
7 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
14 Blaise Matuidi (Juventus)
9 Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)
A Look at the Bracket
Saturday’s winner in Kazan plays the winner of the late game, Uruguay vs. Portugal in Sochi. That means before the day is done we could be looking at a Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo quarterfinal, or a tournament without either one of them. Or something in between.
Graphic
World Cup 2018 Bracket: The 16 Teams in the Knockout Round
Teams and schedule for the knockout stage.
Argentina Works on Penalties
Argentina practiced penalties in training Friday. You’d have to think every team would be doing that now, but Argentina may need it most: they lost the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals to Chile in penalty shootouts.
France: Mendy Out, but Umtiti Might Return
Benjamin Mendy is out for France but Samuel Umtiti might be back to join the silky Raphael Varane in central defense. The always-working midfielder N’Golo Kanté will probably get the job of shadowing Messi, or at least hectoring him when he does get the ball.
“We’re working to improve, to play a bit better, because we can do it,” France’s Umtiti said. “But the most important thing will be to win, because if we go all the way, even if most people are not pleased by our football, everybody will be happy and we won’t hear any more that the football was lacking.”
Graphic
The Outstanding Goals of Ronaldo and Kroos as You’ve Never Seen Them
We have dissected the critical moment leading to each goal in order to fly you through the scene.
Sampaoli Gets Messi’s Support
There have been rumors that Argentina’s players have lost faith in Sampaoli, that they now dismiss his opinions and pick the team themselves. But after the Nigeria win, Messi made a point of seeking out Sampaoli for a hug. “Leo’s gesture with me makes me proud,” he said. “He knows all the passion I put into everything I do.”
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