Lionel Messi missed a penalty, but Argentina beat Poland 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the last 16 of the World Cup as Group C champions. Poland also advanced as runners-up, but Czeslaw Michniewicz’s team only advanced on goal difference because Mexico defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the other group game.
After a tense first half, Alexis Mac Allister’s goal in the 46th minute calmed Argentina’s nerves, and Julian Alvarez doubled their lead just over 20 minutes later. In the opening 45 minutes, Argentina couldn’t get past Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny, who saved his second penalty of the tournament.
Although Szczesny was adjudged to have fouled Messi while attempting to cross, he dived to his left to prevent the penalty kick.
Messi had failed to convert 31 penalties in his career.
Robert Lewandowski, a star striker, was virtually unnoticed throughout Poland’s attack.
Szczesny, on the other hand, was left to take center stage for the Poles, stopping Messi twice early on that were crucial.
First, Messi shot straight at the goalkeeper after wriggling out of a group of defenders.
Szczesny was forced to make a save at his near post after he found space to charge into the Polish box on the left.
In the first half, Argentina continued to have better chances, and Marcos Acuna missed a shot after Alvarez had also been close to scoring.
Before the goalkeeper could deny Alvarez, Szczesny had to scramble to stop Angel di Maria from scoring directly from a corner.
– Penalty save:
In the 39th minute, Szczesny outdid himself by diving to his left to stop Messi’s penalty.
Before the halftime whistle, he still had to punch away an Alvarez shot and stop a Rodrigo de Paul one.
When Mac Allister broke the deadlock less than a minute after the break, there was nothing he could do.
Nahuel Molina ran after the right, then cut the ball back for Macintosh Allister to penetrate just past Szczesny’s reach.
Poland had to show some late attacking ambition after the goal, and Kamil Glik headed a free kick just wide almost immediately after the game started.
Alvarez combined well with Enzo Fernandez to score Argentina’s second goal as the team continued to search for more goals.
In his first start for Argentina, Fernandez chose his teammate and lashed the ball past Szczesny after evading a defender.
With yellow cards potentially being crucial to their chances of reaching the last 16, Poland was still on a tightrope.
Grzegorz Krychowiak was sent off in the 83rd minute, but Saudi Arabia defeated Mexico with a late goal to secure their place in the playoffs on goal difference.