DOHA, Qatar — Defending Champions France edged Denmark 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi came up with another crucial goal for Argentina in a 2-0 win over Mexico that ignited the team’s World Cup chances.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored his first ever World Cup goal as Poland brought Saudi Arabia back down to earth with a 2-0 victory that rejuvenated their tournament campaign.
Messi guides Argentina past Mexico
Sublime strikes by Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez earned Argentina a 2-0 win over feisty Mexico in a pulsating atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium and got the South American favourites’ World Cup campaign up and running.
Stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in their opening Group C match, Argentina knew defeat would send them out of the tournament but they started poorly, struggling to cope with Mexico’s high press as Messi was denied time and space to operate.
Argentina’s captain was anonymous in the first half, his sole contribution of note a header that ballooned over the bar, as his team failed to carve out a single decent chance.
But picked out by Angel Di Maria just outside the Mexico box in the 64th minute, Messi made no mistake, arrowing a low shot through a crowd of defenders into the corner. Fernandez doubled the lead in the 87th with a wonderful curling effort.
The win took Argentina up to second place on three points, one behind leaders Poland, who they play in their last group match. Saudi Arabia is third, level on points with Argentina but with an inferior goal difference.
Poland beats Saudi Arabia
Lewandowski at last scored a goal in a World Cup match, helping Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and boosting his team’s chances of reaching the knockout stages.
Lewandowski shed tears after scoring in the 82nd minute. He raced toward the corner with his arms outstretched, then stayed slumped on the field as teammates rushed to congratulate him. He got up, rubbed his face, and blew a kiss to the crowd.
“Today everything I had inside, the dreams, the importance of the occasion, all those dreams from my childhood came through,” Lewandowski said according to AP. “It was so significant.”
One of the best forwards in the world, Lewandowski’s barren streak at the World Cup was somewhat puzzling. Now, in his fifth match at the tournament, it’s over.
“I always wanted to score at the World Cup and this dream came true,” said Lewandowski, who had a penalty saved in Poland’s 0-0 draw with Mexico on Tuesday. “It’s not easy, because we didn’t have many opportunities in the first match and I missed that penalty.”
Against Saudi Arabia, Lewandowski also set up the opener in the 40th minute when he kept the ball in play after goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais’ initial block, then laid it back for Piotr Zielinski to knock in.
Lewandowski, who had no involvement in any goals in his first four World Cup games, also hit the post, and Al-Owais later denied the Barcelona player from scoring another goal toward the end of the match.
It was the one that went in that brought tears to the 34-year-old striker’s eyes.
“The older I get, the more emotional I get,” Lewandowski said, referring to his reaction after finally scoring. “I’m aware that when it comes to the World Cup, that this might be my last World Cup. And I wanted to underline that I played at World Cups and I scored.”
Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said he wasn’t surprised by Lewandowski’s moving reaction.
“I know how deeply he lived the last match,” Michniewicz said. “I’m very sorry he wasn’t lucky enough, he hit the post and the goalkeeper made a save. He could have had a hat trick today.”
Poland will next face Argentina, while Saudi Arabia will meet Mexico in their last Group C games.
France stuns Denmark
Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including a late winner, as holders France edged Denmark 2-1 to become the first team to reach World Cup last 16.
A potent French side knew a second victory in as many Group D outings would take them through to the knockout phase and they were well worth the lead that Mbappe gave them when he opened the scoring at Stadium 974 just after the hour mark.
However, Andreas Christensen soon equalised for the Danes and Les Bleus needed Mbappe to deliver again in the 86th minute as he turned in Antoine Griezmann’s cross to puncture the Danish resistance once and for all, AFP reported.
Having scored four during France’s victorious 2018 campaign and one against Australia, Mbappe now has seven goals in nine World Cup appearances.
Didier Deschamps’s side now have the luxury of going into their final group game against Tunisia knowing a draw will guarantee them top spot, and even a defeat may not prevent them finishing first.
Having come roaring back to batter Australia 4-1 in their opening match in Qatar, France were more wasteful in front of goal on this occasion but at least they did not come unstuck against opponents who have caused them problems before.
They were reigning champions when a defeat to the Danes knocked them out of the 2002 World Cup, while the sides played out the only goalless draw in 2018.
More recently Kasper Hjulmand’s side beat France home and away in this year’s Nations League, and it seemed that Deschamps had learned lessons from those two encounters.
If France were a shadow of their usual selves in Copenhagen in September, they were much better in this match, played in a pop-up stadium made of shipping containers on Doha’s waterfront.
Deschamps changed three of his back four, with Theo Hernandez at left-back in place of his injured elder brother Lucas and Raphael Varane coming in for his first game in over a month.
But the French attack was untouched from the Australia game.
If Olivier Giroud took the headlines then, here Ousmane Dembele was electric at times on the right, Griezmann excelled in an advanced midfield role, and Mbappe made the difference.
France’s pace, power and passing were all too sharp for the Euro 2020 semi-finallists who were lucky to go in level at half-time.
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