Argentina defeated underdog Australia 2-1 in their round of 16 match. They will now face the Netherlands, who defeated the United States, in their first knockout stage match.
Argentina struggled at the start of what was a tight match until Leo Messi arrived to open the scoring (1-0) and score his first goal at this stage in the World Cup. He received a diagonal pass in the penalty area and hit a cross shot past Australian keeper Mathew Ryan. With the goal, Messi surpassed the legend Diego Maradona to become the top scorer for Argentina in World Cup history
After the goal, Australia slowed down and eased up its press through the end of the first half. The Australians knew they stood little chance against the heavily favored Argentinians and tried to complicatethe game with their tactics.
Lionel Andrés 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢 and his goal of a lifetime 🐐🇦.
✈️ Content sponsored by @emirates #flybetter#GolMundial pic.twitter.com/YLGqG6QuL8
- Gol Mundial (@Gol) December 3, 2022
The Argentinians carried their confidence into the second half, and in the 57th minute, Julián Álvarez scored to extend their lead (2-0). The atmosphere of the stadium was overwhelmingly supportive of Argentina and never stopped chanting and supporting their players.
Australian Craig Goodwin struck the ball from distance for a shot that would have gone wide if not for the head of Enzo Fernandez, who deflected it in for an own goal (2-1). Incidentally, Fernandez, at 21 years and 320 days old, became Argentina's youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match since Ariel Ortega against Romania in 1994, at 20 years and 121 days.
The “Socceroos” had a couple of chances that they missed, but so did Argentina. The difference was that Argentina gave the reins to Messi, and he put an entire nation on his back.
