Saturday was no day for underdogs in the 2022 World Cup. After the Netherlands found no problem beating the U.S. team 3-1, Argentina eliminated Australia 2-1. The winners of today’s matches will face each other on Friday in the quarter-finals.
The game started with Argentina finding problems breaking down Australia’s heavily-defensive formation. The Socceroos were completely focused on not allowing a goal rather than scoring one themselves — a tactic often employed by teams when facing a more talented opposition.
It is, some would say, the only way a team like Australia can beat one like Argentina. The problem is: when your entire gameplan is defending, what do you do when the other team scores? Australia found no solution after Argentinian star Lionel Messi, in his 1,000th career match, scored from the edge of the box with a vintage left-foot finish on the 35th-minute mark.
Still, the Australians managed to take the game to half-time at only 1-0 to Argentina. But just 12 minutes into the second half, the South Americans would extend their lead. Pressing by Rodrigo De Paul and Julián Álvarez forced a blooper-reel mistake by Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
Australia tried to get back into the game with a fortuitous goal by forward Craig Goodwin in the 77th minute. His shot, from outside of the box, was headed for the stands until it deflected on Argentina’s Enzo Fernández and beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
In the 81st minute, Australian left-back Aziz Behich slalomed four Argentinian defenders and almost scored a Messi-like equalizer, but his shot was blocked by Lisandro Martínez.
Before the final whistle, Messi put forward Lautaro Martínez in position to seal the win twice, but he was unable to capitalize on both occasions. Messi tried to score himself from a crossing shot from the top of the box during stoppage time.
Australia had a last chance to tie the game in the final seconds of the match, but Emiliano Martínez made an incredible save to keep Argentian’s lead intact.
With another win, Messi’s dream of delivering a World Cup title to his home country remains alive. But after four matches, it is still difficult to assess just how good Argentina really are.
The team led by Messi has yet to face worthy opposition, and they have yet to shine in Qatar. Argentina had a horror second half in its debut against Saudi Arabia (a 2-1 loss) and won a poor game against Mexico before playing well against Poland and Australia.
Still, Argentina managed to let a scrappy Australia make the game more interesting than it should have been right from the gate. In that sense, the Netherlands — a team that has been highly efficient but not exciting — may offer a litmus test to the Albiceleste, not only in terms of where it stands as a team but also of its physical endurance.
The Saudi Arabia fiasco meant that Argentina were in do-or-die mode from the second match and weren’t able to rest starters as France, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain did. In a World Cup that has taken a physical toll on teams, that bill for that first game could come on Friday.
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