Messi scored, Argentina came back to life! The French team "broke the curse" and qualified early

1 Messi scored from distance Argentina beat Mexico 2-0

In the second round of the Qatar World Cup Group C focus match on the 26th local time, Argentina defeated Mexico 2-0 with goals from Messi and Enzo Fernandez in the second half.

In the second round of Group C of the 2022 World Cup group stage, Argentina beat Mexico 2-0 thanks to goals from Messi and Enzo Fernandez, and regained the initiative to qualify.

After this battle, Argentina finished second in the group with three points, and had to beat Poland in the final match to secure qualification.

In this game, the Argentine team, which fought in the backwater, boldly changed its lineup and made a major adjustment to the midfield, from the previous double midfield to a three-midfield system.

After the opening, Mexico firmly controlled the rhythm, and the two sides were full of gunpowder. In the 9th minute, Luis Chávez took a set-piece on the left, Montes went in front of the spot, and Héctor Herrera missed the goal after the post.

In the first half, the pace of the game was fierce, and Argentina was slightly impatient due to the pressure of qualifying.

In the 34th minute, Messi took a free kick and was parried by Ochoa. In the 40th minute, Di Maria's tactical corner cross was stolen by Lautaro and his header deflected off the upright.

Under the fierce pressure of Mexico, Argentina made frequent mistakes and did not find the perfect opportunity to attack. At half-time, the two sides drew 0-0.

In the second half, neither side made changes to the lineup. In the 51st minute, Messi took a free kick and went straight to goal, but the ball was high. In the 57th minute, Argentina made a substitution, with Enzo Fernandez coming on to replace Guido Rodriguez. After that, the two sides tried to find holes in each other's defense, but still did not create good scoring opportunities. In the 63rd minute, Argentina made another substitution, with Julian Álvarez and Molina coming off the bench. Just after the substitution, in the 64th minute, Argentina found an opportunity when Messi shot from distance and the world wave broke the deadlock. It was Messi's eighth goal in the World Cup, equalling the legendary Maradona.

After Messi scored, Argentina was completely ignited. In the 68th minute, Argentina made another substitution, with Romero and Palacios coming on for Di Maria and McAllister.

Since then, Argentina's attack has become more fierce, very different from the first half. In the 87th minute, Messi assisted Enzo Fernandez, who scored another goal to seal Argentina's victory!

Currently, Poland has 4 points, Argentina and Saudi Arabia have 3 points, Argentina is in second place with goal difference and Mexico is 1 point.

2. France took the lead in the cut

Mbappe scored two goals alone as France advanced to the round of 16

The French team hit the line first.

In the early hours of this morning, Beijing time, France beat Denmark 2-1 with Mbappe's goal, becoming the first team to advance to the knockout round.

In this game, Mbappe charged and repeatedly broke through the inside cut, which became the key to the victory of the French team.

At the back, France made a major adjustment, with only Palmecano continuing to start, Varane replacing Konate, and Conde replacing Pavard at right-back. At left-back, Te'o replaced older brother Lucas, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the previous game.

Denmark continued their starting line-up for the first game, with Schmeichel guarding the goal, Cornelius forming a forward line with Mikel and Eriksen in midfield.

After the opening, France firmly controlled the rhythm. In the 9th minute, France crossed from the left, Griezmann nodded the ball and Giroud volleyed in the middle. In the 14th minute, Dembele crossed from the right and Olivier Giroud's header deflected over the net. The rhythm of the first half was basically mastered by the French team. In the 29th minute, Kylian Mbappe's cross from the left was blocked by Conde's volley from the right side of the penalty area. In the 35th minute, Denmark launched a counter-attack, and Konelius picked up his teammate and volleyed from the right that deflected off the goal. In the 36th minute, France played a delicate match again, with Olivier Giroud receiving a cross from the left and jumping high to head it wide. Luke Shaw took a pass from Raheem Sterling into the box and crossed low in front of the goal, and Saka played the ball high. Throughout the first half, Denmark created multiple chances through defensive counter-attacks, with France dominating possession.

In the second half, France continued to press. In the 54th minute, Dembele took a long pass and Schmeichel came out to clear the area in front of Mbappe. In the 56th minute, Mbappe drove straight in with the ball and his shot near the penalty area line was saved by Schmeichel. After several attacks were defused by the Danish defense, France finally scored in the 61st minute. Mbappe drove straight in with the ball on the left flank and distributed the ball to left-back Teo Hernandez on the wing, and the two completed a short pass, and Mbappe broke the deadlock with a powerful shot straight into the Danish goal.

In the 62nd minute, France made a substitution, with Olivier Giroud being substituted and Thuram Jr. coming on. Six minutes later, Denmark also fired a corner kick to create confusion in the French penalty area, and Christensen crossed over with a header from his teammate to equalize the score. After a 1-1 draw, Danish morale soared. In the 73rd minute, Braithwaite fired hard and Lowry fought to save with both hands. In the 74th minute, France transferred troops, Varane and Dembele were replaced, and Konate and Coman came off the bench. In the 86th minute, Griezmann crossed diagonally to the far goal, and Kylian Mbappe scored with a shot from inside the box. In the end, France beat Denmark 2-1 to win two consecutive games and take the lead in qualifying from Group D, breaking the "reigning champion curse".

On 26 November, Mbappe (right) scored his second goal of the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Lili

Since the 2010 World Cup, the defending champions have failed to qualify from the group stage, including Italy (2010), Spain (2014) and Germany (2018).

On the top scorers, Mbappe, who will only turn 24 next month, has already scored seven goals in the World Cup, surpassing Henry to rank second in the national team.

In the last World Cup, the then 19-year-old French rising star scored four goals, which was the key to the French team's World Cup victory.

In this World Cup, Mbappe has scored three goals, equalling Enna Valencia and tying for the top scorers.

Currently, France have 6 points in the Group D standings; Australia scored 3 points after beating Tunisia 1-0; Denmark and Tunisia each have 1 point.

In the final round of the group stage, Denmark will play Australia and France will face Tunisia.

Transferred from Xinhua News Agency

Source: Upstream News