France
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France vs. Argentina: A clash of footballing titans

Sarosh Ahmad·
International
·1 Comment·

France and Argentina were pitted against each other in the first match of the knockout stages…

This match in the Kazan Arena was crucial for both sides and it’s safe to say, the thrill lived up to its hype. The game began with France immediately taking control and looking determined to score the opening goal. Early on, the excitement began when Antoine Griezmann’s free-kick ricocheted off the post. Soon after, a yellow card was awarded to Marcos Rojo for a cynical challenge on Kylian Mbappe inside the penalty area. Griezmann took the penalty and scored very easily, giving France a 1-0 lead with just under 15 minutes on the clock.

Les Blues had never lost in the round of 16 and it still looked unlikely as Mbappe was running riot, strutting his ability to penetrate through the opposition’s defence and create chances. France continued to dominate and were largely untroubled defensively in the opening stages as well, with their defence having only conceded one goal in the group stages. Around the half-hour mark, this tranquillity vanished as an extremely well-struck shot by Di Maria from outside the area found its way past Lloris and levelled the scoreline.

The second half began with Argentina taking the lead through a driven shot by Messi, which was deflected into the net by Gabriel Mercado. Soon after, the South Americans nearly hit the self-destruct button, losing the ball inside the penalty box with Griezmann lurking, and the Frenchman would’ve converted had it not been for some last-ditch defending.

Then came arguably the best goal of the tournament by Benjamin Pavard as the Frenchman thumped a flawless strike right into the back of the net. Fans were left in awe and will inevitably remember the strike for a very long time. A couple of minutes later, an outstanding goal by Kylian Mbappe completed France’s comeback and put them in the driving seat. Franco Armani, the Argentine goalkeeper, got his fingertips to the shot but it wasn’t enough to prevent the ball from finding the bottom corner.

In the process, Mbappe became the first French teenager to score twice in a World Cup game since 1958. The task began to look increasingly more daunting for Argentina, and their forwards made a number of desperate attempts to equalise – but the young and mighty French defence denied them time again and again.

Around the 80th minute, Jorge Sampaoli tried changing his side’s tactics by adopting a more direct approach to get the ball into the box. Lionel Messi tried his best to decide the game in the dying moments, taking multiple shots – but Lloris was on hand on deny him. It almost seemed over for the Argentine players, but they firmly believed that one goal could send the game into a frenzy.

At one end of the stadium, the Argentine fans seemed desolate, whereas on the other end, the French were revelling in their party atmosphere. There was still a plot twist to come though, as Aguero narrowed the deficit to just one goal with two minutes to spare. The only thought in everyone’s minds after the goal was, “could Argentina equalize the game?” This question was followed by a heated scuffle, resulting in yellow cards to multiple players.

Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the whistle blew before they could muster up another golden opportunity. The players and fans seem devastated as the two-time World Cup winners failed to live up to expectations once more. Overall, the French were more determined and cohesive for large periods of the game, which gave them control of the ball throughout the encounter. In doing so, France overcame their own group stage struggles and turned in a performance which firmly establishes them as one of the tournament’s favourites.