France’s Kylian Mbappe, who scored two of France’s four goals on Saturday, celebrates Les Bleus advancing to the quarterfinals. (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
France vs. Argentina
Round of 16, Kazan Arena, Kazan
Final: France 4, Argentina 2
As Kylian Mbappe walked off the pitch, his face remained blank until he got about two steps from the sideline and he looked at his replacement, Florian Thauvin. Mbappe broke into a wide grin and looked into the French crowd giving him a standing ovation. Mbappe, 19 years and 193 days old, was the youngest player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since Pelé did it twice for Brazil as a 17-year-old in 1958.
Argentina’s defensive line had no answers for Mbappe as he consistently attacked up the left side. He drew a penalty kick in the first half, which gave France its first goal, and then scored France’s final two goals himself. His speed allowed him to exploit slower defenders and blind spots he spied in the defense, like on his last goal when he ran to a through ball and found himself alone. The pair of goals also moved him into fourth for the Golden Boot, after scoring one goal in group play.
For France, a team that finished the group stage unbeaten yet unsatisfied, this was a much-needed reassurance that Les Bleus could hang when seriously challenged.
Dueling yellow cards
In the 93rd minute, France’s Olivier Giroud and Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi were involved in a scrum and received yellow cards.
Argentina tacks on a late one
In the 93rd minute, Argentina’s Sergio Aguero headed in a pass from Lionel Messi from the center of the box to the bottom left corner of the goal. It briefly gave Argentina a glimmer of hope that was quickly snuffed out.
Another one!
In the 68th minute, Kylian Mbappe capped a special day with a special run for a goal. Olivier Giroux sent him a through ball rolling in step as he made his run down the right side, and Mbappe picked it up with no one in front. He sent a right-footer flying past Franco Armani, who dove right, and that may have been the knockout blow to Argentina.
France goooal!
Kylian Mbappe had spent the match creating for others. In the 64th minute, he created a chance for himself. He dribbled through the box, past Argentinean defenders and suddenly drilled a left-footer toward goalkeeper Franco Armani’s left foot. Armani dropped, trying to deflect out the shot, but it bounced between his left hand and foot and ricocheted up into the net. After being held scoreless for 45 minutes after its first goal, the French scored twice in seven minutes. Mbappe grinned wide and slid on his knees toward the crowd exploding in applause.
France responds!
Benjamin Pavard scored what the announcers called “the goal of his life” in the 57th minute to even the French with Argentina. A long cross bounced through the box and suddenly found Pavard, who is making the ninth international appearance of his career. Pavard struck it with the outside of his foot and sent a corkscrewing, screaming spinner toward the top-left corner of the net. Argentina goalkeeper Franco Armani didn’t have a chance, and once again it was any team’s game.
A third yellow card for Argentina
In the 49th minute, French forward Kylian Mbappe beat the Argentina defense again, but he was tripped. As he fell, Argentina’s Ever Banega slid in late and collided with the Frenchman’s left thigh. The referee quickly drew his yellow card.
Gooooooooooooal!
In the 48th minute, star Argentina striker Lionel Messi sent a left-footed strike into the box and Gabriel Mercado deflected it right. French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris froze as he watched the ball trickle into the net to make his team trail for the first time in this World Cup.
Halftime: France 1, Argentina
Les Bleus struck first but La Albiceleste tied things up with a 41st-minute goal from Ángel Di María. The two sides hadn’t played their best in the group stage, but it appears they’re warming up here in their first knockout game.
Mascherano takes significant yellow card
In the 43rd minute, Javier Mascherano drew a yellow card for a tackle in the midfield. If Argentina advances, he will be forced to sit out their next match.
Argentina equalizer!
Off a throw-in late in the 41st minute, La Albiceleste’s Ever Banega rotated a pass up to Angel Di Maria, who seemed almost surprised by how open he was. The French had hung low in the box, so Di Maria thundered his left foot through a shot from just outside the box that spun left to the top-right corner of the net, wizzing by French goalkeeper Hug Lloris. Argentina and, of course, Diego Maradona went wild.
Argentina draws a yellow card, nearly allows another PK
Minutes after Griezmann gave France the early lead, his team seemed poised to receive another penalty kick. Kylian Mbappé made a deft touch on a long pass and was sprinting into the box when Nicolás Tagliafico stepped in front of him and sent him sprawling. Tagliafico received a yellow card, but Mbappé was about a half-step outside the box, so France was awarded a free kick that Paul Pogba sent high and allowed Argentina to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
FRANCE SCORES!
Marcos Rojo, the heroic defender whose goal sent Argentina into the knockout round, put his team in a difficult spot in the 12th minute Saturday. He slid underneath French forward Kylian Mbappé as he ran into the box, receiving a yellow card and giving a penalty kick. French star Antoine Griezmann slotted a left-footed PK bottom right as Argentinean goalkeeper Franco Armani went left, and France, in a win-or-go-home battle between two global soccer juggernauts, seized the early advantage.
Starting lineups
Pregame thoughts
Neither squad has hit its stride, but both are hoping to Saturday in one of the marquee matchups of the round of 16.
Argentina limped through the group stage and narrowly escaped to the knockout round with an 86th-minute goal from defender Marcos Rojo to beat Nigeria. Star striker Lionel Messi said after the match that, during group play, he “could not remember such suffering before.”
France finished at the top of Group C with seven points, but still received criticism for not showing top form. Its finale, a scoreless draw with Denmark that ensured France’s spot at the top and the Danes’ passage through the group, particularly upset fans of Les Bleus. Samuel Umtiti, a French center back, dismissed the criticism, assuring everyone France was fine and that the team’s next opponent wouldn’t matter because France would win on its terms. Except, well, Umtiti, who is Messi’s teammate at Barcelona, did say playing Argentina mattered a little.
“Only going through is important to me,” he said. “If we knock out Brazil, Peru or Mexico, for me, I don’t care. But it’s true that playing such a great nation like Argentina … I would be proud to knock them out.”
The French know beating Argentina starts with shutting down Messi, one of the world’s most dangerous players who failed to score in the first two matches before getting on the board against Nigeria. His teammates know what’s coming.
“He needs the support from his teammates, only then will he be able to play at his best,” Argentina Coach Jorge Sampaoli said of Messi. “His human side is amazing. He is a person who feels, who cries, who suffers, who’s happy when Argentina win. I’ve seen him sad and I’ve seen him happy.
“People have said he doesn’t enjoy playing for Argentina. That’s not true.”
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When: Saturday, 10 a.m. Eastern.
How to watch on TV: Fox.
How to stream online: Fox Sports and the Fox Soccer Match Pass apps and FoxSportsGo.com.
How to watch in Spanish: Telemundo.
How to watch in Canada: Bell Media’s TSN and CTV networks, the TSN GO app and TSN.ca/live.
What’s next: The winner will face the Uruguay-Portugal winner on July 6 at 10 a.m., in Nizhny Novgorod.
[Round of 16 analysis and predictions]
Team profiles
France (Group C winner)
- Previous results: Defeated Australia, 2-1. Defeated Peru, 1-0. Drew Denmark, 0-0.
- Best World Cup finish: Champion, 1998
- Notable: France hasn’t lost to a South American side since Argentina in 1978. Since, it is unbeaten in eight matches (four wins, four draws).
- FIFA world ranking: 7. ELO world ranking: 3.
Argentina (Group D runner-up)
- Previous results: Drew Iceland, 1-1. Lost to Croatia, 3-0. Defeated Nigeria, 2-1.
- Best World Cup finish: Champion, 1978, 1986
- Notable: Argentina has met France in the World Cup twice, and won both times. La Albiceleste’s 1-0 victory in 1930 and 2-1 win in 1978 preceded trips to the final, where it lost the first time and won the second.
- FIFA world ranking: 5. ELO world ranking: 11.
Players to watch
France still hasn’t found a comfortable solution to the problem it ran into on the eve of the World Cup, when it lost star Dimitri Payet to a hamstring injury. The player to watch for Les Bleus is whomever starts at forward to replace him. France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, rotated out wide through Thomas Lemar, Blaise Matuidi and Ousmane Dembele during the group stage, but he was reportedly unimpressed with all of them. Deschamps needs to find a spark for an offense that scored fewer goals every game in the group stage.
For Argentina, the easy answer is Messi, but the real player to watch for Argentina is Javier Mascherano. The 34-year-old midfielder will likely assume the responsibility of keeping French superstar Paul Pogba quiet in this win-or-go-home match. The player has looked off-pace in this World Cup, particularly against quick Nigeria, but he has played like an unofficial coach and helped ease tensions when Argentina seemed unlikely to make it this far. No matter how he plays, Mascherano will be an important factor on Saturday.
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