Peep peep! Argentina are still in the World Cup. It was an ugly victory secured by two beauteous second-half goals from Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez. It was a desperate game, and Kylian Mbappe won’t be losing any sleep, but they did the necessary and that was by far the most important thing.
Mexico aren’t out of the competition yet, but their toothless performance suggests they will struggle to keep up their record of qualifying for the last 16 in every World Cup since 1994.
The Argentina players celebrate their victory with their fans. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
We’re just seeing replays of the two goals. They were both so classy – not just the finishes but the touch (or in Fernandez’s case the shimmy) to set themselves up.
“How are Mexico so bad?” says Adam Hirst. “Even for football’s great underachievers, they’ve underachieved here.”
I thought Lozano and Vega looked pretty bright up front, but for a lot of the game the formation was almost 8-0-2. They really missed Edson Alvarez in midfield as well. But yeah, this is the worst Mexican team I’ve seen at a World Cup, although I wasn’t there in 1954.
Peep peep! Argentina are still in the World Cup. It was an ugly victory secured by two beauteous second-half goals from Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez. It was a desperate game, and Kylian Mbappe won’t be losing any sleep, but they did the necessary and that was by far the most important thing.
Mexico aren’t out of the competition yet, but their toothless performance suggests they will struggle to keep up their record of qualifying for the last 16 in every World Cup since 1994.
The Argentina players celebrate their victory with their fans. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
90+1 min If Argentina beat Poland on Wednesday, they’ll go through – probably as group winners, which would mean avoiding France in the last 16. If they draw, they’ll be at the mercy of the result in the other game.
Argentina took a short corner on the left and fed the ball into Fernandez on the left corner of the area. He beat Gutierrez through sleight of hip, then shaped an extravagant curling shot across goal. It beat the leaping Ochoa and nestled in the far corner.
82 min Chavez’s inswinging free-kick from the right is headed across the area by an Argentina defender then back across goal by Moreno. It’s too close to Emi Martinez, who claims comfortably.
77 min Palacios releases Alvarez down the left. He charges into the area and cuts the ball back towards Messi, who can’t quite ther before the defender. Moments later Messi’s cutback is kicked away by Ochoa.
74 min Mexico have been slightly better since the goal, though in truth they don’t particularly look like scoring. It’s been their problem since World Cup qualification began in September 2021.
72 min If it stays like this, Argentina could qualify with a draw against Poland on Wednesday, depending on the result in Saudi Arabia v Mexico. It’s all pretty complex. Mexico won’t be out if they lose either.
69 min: Double substitution for ArgentinaCristian Romero, who was supposed to be injured, and Ezequiel Palacios replace Alexis Mac Allister and Angel Di Maria. That might mean a switch to a back five.
65 min The finish was unerringly precise but the touch to set it up was even better. Any lighter and he wouldn’t have been able to get sufficient momentum into the shot; any heavier and he’d have been smothered by the outrushing defenders.
It was a goal out of nothing. Di Maria cut inside from the right and shaped a good pass into Messi, inexplicably unmarked 25 yards from goal. His first touch was perfect, setting himself up for the shot, and he rifled a low drive into the bottom corner. That’s a lovely goal.
Lionel Messi raises a fist after scoring at last. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
64 min “I don’t think that any World Cup matches of the modern era have been played in filthy rain and mud, but it would improve this one immeasurably,” says Charles Antaki. “ Also dense fog.”
62 min A draw is a better result for Mexico, and that’s reflected in the balance of play. Mexico are playing almost exclusively on the counter-attack now.
60 min A booming free-kick from Vega is headed away really well by Otamendi, running towards his own goal. The second half has been a bit better, even if we’ve still had only one shot on target in the whole game.
56 min Di Maria gets round the back on the right and pulls the ball back dangerously. Mac Allister, arriving late in the box, is about to shoot when Chavez makes a vital interception.
54 min There’s a bit more intensity from Argentina in this half, but not as much as you’d expect in the circumstances. They look like a team who had a pamper at half-time rather than a hairdryer.
53 min “Boxing is a notoriously difficult sport to exit on a high but two British fighters managed it this century,” says Max Williams. “Carl Froch knocked out George Groves at Wembley Stadium (in front of 80,000 people, supposedly) and Lennox Lewis resisted the temptation of a rematch with Vitali Klitschko after beating the Ukrainian challenger (and 2022 war hero) via a slightly fortuitous TKO. Both retired as world champions – undisputed in the case of Lewis.”
Ah yes, Froch is a perfect example – the last punch of his career was also the best.
46 min Peep peep! Argentina begin the second half. If it stays like this, they’ll need to beat Poland by at least two goals to be sure of reaching the last 16. And Mexico would need to beat Saudi Arabia by any score to progress.
Your nominations for people who did got out at the top Rocky Marciano, Steffi Graf, Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Didier Deschamps, Garry Kasparov, Basil Fawlty.
“I have a rough and ready way of judging which team is on top by adding the attempts on and off target and the corners, then subtracting the fouls,” says Richard Hirst. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever known both teams have a negative total.”
“Mexico playing five across the back when Argentina have the ball and two defensive mids in front of that, giving Messi no spaces to run into and forcing him deeper,” says Rick McGahey. “Martino knows his opponent.”
There’s no eye in the Mexican needle, that’s for sure. I’m surprised Argentina haven’t looked for their full-backs more.
