Ultra-dominant, Argentina validated its ticket for the round of 16 of the Football World Cup on Wednesday by beating Poland (2-0) which finished second in group C on goal difference and also qualified. In the round of 16, Argentina will face Australia on Saturday and Poland against France on Sunday.
There was no observation round for this meeting started at a high pace, and very quickly Argentina took a clear ascendancy. A domination materialized in the first quarter of an hour by two shots on goal from Lionel Messi, one from the right, too weak, easily captured by Wojciech Szczesny (7th), the other from the left, after a series of dribbles, which forced the Polish goalkeeper to divert for a corner.
Messi misses a penalty
The first real chance came in the 28th minute when Molina, on the right side, crossed back for Alvares, blocked, then the ball arrived at the feet of Acuna whose powerful shot from the left went very close. Seriously put to use, Wojciech Szczesny then worked to divert a direct corner from his teammate Angel Di Maria at Juventus Turin, then he again saved his people on a save against Alvarez.
Then came the highlight of the first period: the Dutch referee Danny Makkelie, after viewing the VAR, awarded a penalty to the Argentinians for a foul by Szczesny on Messi. Responsible for doing justice, the Argentinian captain saw his shot diverted by a Szczesny decidedly in a state of grace, he who had already diverted a penalty against Saudi Arabia in two stages (2-0).
Domination materialized
The realization of this crushing domination did not take long, however, since only a minute after the resumption, Alexis Mac Allister finally found the opening by taking over a cross from Molina at ground level. The Brighton midfielder scored his first national team goal there.
A most deserved advantage to which Alvarez, the very active Manchester City striker, gave a more logical scale in the 67th minute, with a curled shot in the top corner. Despite some very good new chances from the selection of Lionel Scaloni, the score remained there, to the great relief of the Poles.
Argentina, world champion in 1978 and 1986, reached the round of 16 as in 2018 when it was eliminated by France. Poland, third in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups, was eliminated in the first round in 2018.
Source: Europe1
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
