Kylian Mbappe inspired France to a 4-3 rollercoaster victory over stubborn Argentina in their round of 16 clash at Kazan Arena to reserve their place in the quarter finals.
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Argentina booked their place in the round of 16 in the eleventh-hour courtesy of a hard fought 2-1 victory against Nigeria after a disappointing start to their World Cup campaign, while France topped their group unbeaten with two wins and a draw despite their lackluster performances.
The game kicked off with Argentina holding onto possession of the ball in search for a goal while France looked threatening on the counter. France almost took the lead through an Antoine Griezmann free-kick, but his shot could only rattle the posts.
Kylian Mbappe’s marauding runs through the mid-field looked a bit too much for the ageing Argentine defense as he was fouled inside the box by Marcus Rojo gifting France a penalty. Griezmann kept his composure to calmly slot it into the net sending Franco Armani the wrong way.
Argentina’s scavenge for an equalizer panned out in the 41st minute when Angel Di Maria blasted a 35 meter screamer into the top right corner of the net leaving Hugo Lloris no opportunity whatsoever.
Half Time – France 1 – 1 Argentina
Argentina got themselves in the driving seat just three minutes into the second half through a goal from Gabriel Mercado. French defense could not clear a cross from Ever Banega which found the feet of Lionel Messi who fired it at the goal which then found the back of the net through a deflection from Mercado.
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France quickly changed their gears to hunt for an equalizer and it was Benjamin Pavard who came to their rescue in the 57th minute as he thumped a thunderbolt of a half-volley from the edge of the box into the top corner.
The French ran riot in the next few minutes grappling two more goals through their paladin of the night, Kylian Mbappe. It was the fragile Argentine defense that paved the way for both the goals as Mbappe found him open with Armani in both the instances and the powerful youngster had no trouble in putting them into the back of the net.
Argentina came all guns blazing yearning for a stunning comeback, but was frustrated by the unyielding French defense which was a rock at the back after the 2 goals.
But then came another twist of the tale when the substitute Sergio Aguero headed home a perfect cross from Lionel Messi in the 93rd minute, setting up an enticing last two minutes.
But France held onto their lead despite the drama that unfolded in the pitch to book their place in the quarter-final; concluding a thriller which will definitely go down in history books as one of the all-time World Cup classics.
Full Time – France 4 – 3 Argentina
Man of the Match – Kylian Mbappe (France)
Goal Scorers
France – Antoine Griezmann 13’ (P), Benjamin Pavard 57’, Kylian Mbappe 64’ & 68’
Argentina – Angel Di Maria 41’, Gabriel Mercado 48’, Sergio Aguero 90+3’Bookings
Yellow Cards
France – Blaise Matuidi 72’, Benjamin Pavard 73’, Olivier Giroud 90+3’
Argentina – Marcus Rojo 11’, Nicolas Tagliafico 19’, Javier Mascherano 43’, Ever Banega 50’, Nicolas Otamendi 90+3’
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