Poland 0 – 2 Argentina

Lionel Messi missed a penalty but Argentina still clinched top spot in Group C with a 2-0 win over Poland, who squeezed into the last 16 on goal difference ahead of Mexico on a night of high drama.

Argentina went into the game a point behind Poland knowing a second-placed finish would pit them against France in the last 16, but goals from Alexis Mac Allister (46) and Julian Alvarez (67) after Wojciech Szczesny had saved a contentious Messi penalty secured a deserved win which means they will face Australia instead.

For Poland, qualification was hanging in the balance right until the end, Czeslaw Michniewicz’s side sensationally set to advance on fair play points before Saudi Arabia’s stoppage-time goal in their 2-1 loss to Mexico put the Poles through on goal difference.

Poland played out the final stages of their game knowing another goal for either Argentina or Mexico would knock them out of the competition, and needed a goalline clearance from Jakub Kiwior in stoppage time to keep the deficit at only two.

With Mexico ultimately only winning by a single goal, however, and despite a poor Poland performance in which Robert Lewandowski did not even register a shot, the Poles did just enough to set up a meeting with reigning champions France on Sunday in what will be their first World Cup knockout game since 1986.

How Argentina dominated Poland

Argentina totally dominated the game from the outset, with Messi, clearly determined to build on his match-winning display against Mexico following the shock loss to Saudi Arabia, forcing a smart save from Szczesny with a powerful early effort.

The 35-year-old was Argentina’s main creative outlet too, popping up in midfield areas and repeatedly picking out team-mates in dangerous positions, only for the finish to be lacking.

Julian Alvarez, selected up front in place of Lautaro Martinez, spurned a fine opportunity from a Molina cut-back, his low effort blocked by a Poland defender when he should have scored, with Marcos Acuna then firing narrowly wide from the follow up.

Acuna wasted two other chances from Messi passes and Alvarez was denied twice more in the first half too, the Manchester City striker seeing a one-on-one effort blocked by Szczesny, then having another effort parried.

It was Messi, though, who missed Argentina’s biggest opportunity, his spot kick brilliantly saved by Szczesny following a VAR check which saw the Poland ‘keeper harshly deemed to have fouled the Paris Saint-Germain striker as he headed a cross wide.

Poland boss Michniewicz made a double substitution at the break in an attempt to change the course of the game, throwing on Michal Skoras and Jakub Kaminski to support the isolated Lewandowksi, but Argentina’s opener arrived within a minute.

Brighton’s Mac Allister scored it, finding the bottom corner with a scuffed finish from Nahuel Molina’s precise cut-back for his first international goal.

Kamil Glik headed a rare Poland chance wide from a free-kick soon afterwards, but it was all Argentina otherwise, with Mac Allister threatening a second before Alvarez finally got his goal, collecting an Enzo Fernandez pass and curling home brilliantly.

Poland were hugely fortunate not to concede again, with Sczesny denying the brilliant Messi, who put on a passing masterclass as he continued his chase for the one trophy that has eluded him.

There were further opportunities for Alvarez and substitutes Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico, too, with the latter’s effort requiring a dramatic goalline clearance from Kiwior in the third minute of stoppage time.

In the end, though, Poland held on, claiming a place in the last 16 that their performance hardly merited. They will need to be much better against France.

What does the result mean?

Argentina go through as Group C winners with six points from their three games, while Poland go through as runners-up with four points, advancing ahead of Mexico, who join Saudi Arabia in crashing out of the competition on goal difference.

Argentina will now face Group D runners-up Australia in their last 16 game on Saturday, kicking off at 7pm, while Poland come up against Group D winners France on Sunday, kicking off at 3pm.

Analysis: Messi fuelled by destiny

There was no goal for Lionel Messi. That despite a total of seven shots, one of which was a penalty brilliantly saved by Wojciech Szczesny. But this was a performance to suggest he may yet be destined to carry Argentina to the biggest prize of them all.

The 35-year-old, fresh from scoring the sensational long-range strike which helped Lionel Scaloni’s side overcome Mexico in their last game, produced his best display yet at the tournament, the missed spot kick a blot that ultimately did not matter.

That was largely because of everything else he did.

The records will show Messi had no hand in the goals, with Enzo Fernandez and Nahuel Molina the men to claim the assists for Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez. But even if the last pass wasn’t always his, Messi was involved at some point in almost every attack.

He had struggled to exert his usual influence against Saudi Arabia and Mexico but not this time. Messi had 98 touches, around 50 per cent more than in either of Argentina’s previous games, and that total included 13 in the Poland box.

It was further back, though, in between the lines, that Messi produced most of his best work, producing a masterclass in distribution as Poland’s discombobulated defenders found themselves completely unable to keep up with him.

Some of his passes were sublime and, in addition to his seven shots, the statistics showed he was directly responsible for creating five scoring chances – two more than anyone else on the pitch.

There were even four successful dribbles – twice as many as any other player on either side. At times, the feints, shimmies and sudden bursts of acceleration harked back to his glorious peak.

The question now is whether, at 35, the climax of his extraordinary career is still to come. This Argentina side are flawed in many ways. But they also have Messi. With him in this kind of mood, fuelled by an irresistible sense of destiny, they are serious contenders.

Mac Allister: This gives us confidence

Brighton’s Mac Allister described his goalscoring performance, as Argentina booked their place in the last 16, as a “dream come true” after the game.

“We wanted to compensate for that defeat [against Saudi Arabia],” he said. “In the second group game, we found the calm we needed.

“Today, it was a great team game, the best of the group, it gives us great confidence to have played well.

“We were always positive, we were calm. Leo’s penalty didn’t get us down, neither the team nor Leo.

“It’s so emotional for me [to score], and for the whole squad. We achieved the first goal, of coming top in the first round. It’s a dream come true.

“Debuting with this team was such a pride for me, so imagine scoring a goal in a World Cup.

“I’m so happy, now we just have to rest and prepare for the next match.”

Argentina’s dominance – Opta stats

• Argentina completed 800 passes and had a pass completion rate of 92 per cent in this match – both of which were their highest in a World Cup game on record (since 1966).
• Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez both scored their first goals at the World Cup, with only Brazil (83) and Germany (77) now having more different scorers in the competition than Argentina (62, excluding own goals).
• Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny became just the third goalkeeper on record (since 1966) to save two penalties in a single World Cup tournament (excluding shootouts), after Brad Friedel in 2002 and Jan Tomaszewski in 1974.
• Lionel Messi made his 22nd appearance at the World Cup in this game, which saw him overtake Diego Maradona (21) to become the player with the outright most appearances in the tournament for Argentina.
• Despite their defeat in this game, Poland qualified from the group stage of a World Cup tournament for the first time since 1986. They had failed to do so in each of their previous three appearances at the tournament prior to this year (2002, 2006 and 2018).
• Argentina have qualified from the group stage at the World Cup for the fifth consecutive tournament (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022), while they have now progressed from the first round group stage for the 13th time in their last 14 World Cup appearances.