- Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after beating Australia 2-1.
- Lionel Messi brings the “Albiceleste” against long harmless “Aussies” with his 1st World Cup goal in a knockout phase on the road to victory.
- Argentina will face the Netherlands in the round of 8 next Friday.
The heart rate of the fanatical fans of the “Gauchos” who turned up once again in large numbers should have been in a very pleasant range up to a quarter of an hour before the end. The Argentinians were too dominant in Al-Rayyan, the Australians too pale. However, a scene from the “Aussies” point of view completely changed the dynamic of the game in the 77th minute. What happened?
Defender Nicolas Otamendi failed to clear an Australian cross sufficiently. The ball landed at the feet of the onrushing Craig Goodwin, who fired at full risk from a good 20 meters. His shot would have whizzed past the Argentine goal by the meter if Enzo Fernandez hadn’t deflected the ball decisively into his own net with his back. The lucky 1-2 breathed new life into Australia – and suddenly the pulse of the Argentinian fans increased.
Two Martinez for a quarterfinal
Just a few minutes after the connecting goal, left-back Aziz Behich dared to go it alone. The dribble of a lifetime – making several Argentinians look like slalom poles – was not rewarded with an equalizer, however, as Lisandro Martinez threw in the shot at the last second.
However, Behich’s solo was not to be the Australians’ last chance. In the 97th minute, the last of added time, Garang Kuol suddenly appeared alone in front of Emiliano Martinez. The 30-year-old keeper, who had had nothing to do for 75 minutes, had the upper hand in a duel with the 18-year-old teenager. A few seconds later, referee Szymon Marciniak released the Argentines with the final whistle.
Ryan with a bad goof
Only one team had played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium before the tumultuous closing stages. For a long time, however, the Argentines didn’t know what to do with their superiority in the field. Once again it took Lionel Messi’s genius to break the spell.
In the 35th minute Australia got a standard not decisively clarified. The ball passed through Papu Gomez and Otamendi to Messi, who circled the ball into the corner with a skillful flick. For the “Magic Flea”, who played his 1000th competitive game, it was the 1st World Cup goal in a knockout phase in the 8th attempt.
Even after the break, the “Albiceleste” struggled in the last quarter. For the 2-0 Argentina received a large portion of help from the opponent. In the 57th minute, goalie Mathew Ryan tried to dribble away from the pressing. However, this endeavor went horribly wrong. Julian Alvarez tipped the ball away from Ryan and then easily put it into the orphaned goal.
Here’s how to proceed
The next hurdle for Argentina on the way to the 3rd World Champion title are the Netherlands on Friday, December 9th at 20:00. In their round of 16 against the USA, the “Elftal” confidently retained the upper hand 3:1.