Lionel Messi was pushed into the middle of a joyous post-match huddle as Argentina’s players jumped up and down to celebrate reaching the World Cup quarter-finals.
Messi delivered again for his country, marking the 1,000th game of his era-defining career with his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup to lead Argentina to a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
This was not the walkover most were expecting against the unheralded Australians, though.
At the final whistle, Argentina was just as grateful for its goalkeeper as the No. 10 with magic in his boots.
Emi Martinez came up with a sprawling save in the last seconds of an increasingly anxious match to prevent the need for extra time and the potential of another shock in a World Cup full of them.
“That is the World Cup for you,” Messi said. “All the matches are difficult and what’s important is that you win.”
With a flourish of his famous left foot in the 34th minute, Messi put Argentina ahead with his third goal at this year’s tournament and ninth in total at the World Cup, one more than Diego Maradona.
“Wow, he’s just remarkable,” Australia coach Graham Arnold said.
Dramatic late chance
Julian Alvarez pounced on a heavy touch by Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to tap into an empty net for the second goal, setting Argentina on its way to a meeting with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Australia’s fightback in the final 20 minutes was as stirring as it was unexpected. Craig Goodwin’s shot deflected into the net off Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 77th. Then, amid a late aerial bombardment from the Australians, Garang Kuol had a dramatic late chance when he was left free at the far post. Shooting on the turn, his effort was smothered by Martinez and two Argentina players fell on top of their goalkeeper.
On the only other occasion Australia reached the last 16, in 2006, the team lost to eventual champion Italy.
Maybe it’s an omen for Argentina, which has fully recovered from its shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening group match and won three straight games.
As for Messi, he now has 789 goals in a career that might yet reach a crescendo on Dec. 18 by winning soccer’s biggest trophy in his fifth and likely last World Cup.
The dream is still alive for the seven-time world player of the year and the tens of thousands of Argentina fans who dominated the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, massively outnumbering the small pockets of green-and-gold-clad Australia supporters and making it feel like a match in Buenos Aires or Rosario.
“The whole of Argentina would like to be here but it’s not possible,” Messi said. “This bond, this union we have, it’s beautiful.”
After Messi’s goal, the Argentina fans bounced, swayed and twirled their scarves in joyous celebration of their favourite player’s latest piece of ingenuity.
“We gave it everything,” Australia striker Jackson Irvine said through tears, “but it wasn’t enough.”
Dumfries leads Dutch attack
Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzil Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday that advanced the Dutch to the quarter-finals.
Second-half substitute Haji Wright cut the U.S. deficit to 2-1 in the 76th minute when Christian Pulisic’s cross hit his trailing foot and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net. But Dumfries, who assisted on the first two goals, scored on a volley in the 81st.
Runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and face Argentina or Australia on Friday.
It was a disappointing end for a rebuilt U.S. team hoping to advance past the round of 16 for the first time since 2002. Using the second-youngest squad in the tournament, the Americans achieved the bare minimum to consider the World Cup a success, beating Iran in their group-stage finale to reach the knockout round.
But just like in 2010 against Ghana and 2014 against Belgium, the United States was eliminated in the round of 16. The Americans are winless in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002, losing six, and are 1-7 during the tournament’s knockout rounds.
“I think we made some progress,” United States head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “When people look at our team, they see a clear identity. They see guys that go out and fight for each other. They see the talent on the field. We made progress, but on this particular night we came up short.”
Pulisic, playing four days after getting hurt during his game-winning goal against Iran, had a chance to put the United States ahead in the third minute but Noppert, playing in only his fourth international match, blocked his point-blank shot. With the Americans seeking an equalizing goal, Noppert dived to stop Tim Weah’s 25-yard effort in the 42nd.
The crowd of 44,846 was well back from the field at renovated Khalifa International Stadium, which has an athletics track and was more subdued than the raucous spectators for the match against Iran.
Inching closer to Dutch scoring leader van Persie
While the United States had the better play at the start, the Dutch went ahead after breaking the American press. Dumfries one-timed a pass from the right flank as Depay streaked unmarked into the penalty area. His right-footed shot from 14 yards beat Matt Turner to the far post in the 10th minute for his 43rd international goal, moving him into sole possession of second place on the Dutch career scoring list behind Robin van Persie’s 50.
The goal was the first allowed by the United States from the run of play in the tournament. In 37 World Cup matches, the Americans have never won a game in which they trailed.
The Netherlands doubled the lead on virtually the final kick of the first half, in the first minute of stoppage time. After a quick series of exchanges following a throw-in, Dumfries got a cross around Tyler Adams and found Blind wide open at the penalty spot. Blind scored only his third international goal, his first in eight years. Gio Reyna fed an open Weston McKennie in the 54th, but he skied his shot over the crossbar.
Wright entered in the 67th and scored his second international goal, sparking U.S. hopes. But Dumfries was left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and used his left foot to volley Blind’s cross.
The starting lineup for the United States was its youngest for a World Cup knockout match at 25 years, 86 days. The previous low was 27 years, 19 days for the 1930 semifinal loss to Argentina.
New tourney format draws ire of Polish coach
The high drama of split-screen tension during simultaneous matches in the final set of World Cup group games is now a thing of the past.
The next tournament in 2026 will feature 48 teams — 16 more than this year in Qatar — and use a different format that will do away with group rivals playing at the same time with advancement and elimination swinging on late goals.
Poland head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz, who led his team into the round of 16, isn’t a fan of the upcoming changes, even though it will give his country more chances to succeed at soccer’s biggest tournament.
FIFA, the sport’s governing body, is scrapping arguably the perfect tournament structure, one that has been reliably excellent since 1998. Eight groups of four teams produce a 16-nation knockout round.
The next tournament, which will be hosted by North American neighbours the United States, Canada and Mexico, is expected to have 16 groups of three teams with 32 advancing to the first knockout round.
“I think sometimes this can spoil the show,” Michniewicz said through a translator, one day before his team faces defending World Cup champion France in the round of 16. “Sometimes less means more and the more teams there are, the easier it will be to go through. Will this be attractive for the fans?”
The expansion was agreed on despite FIFA’s own study concluding the 32-team format delivers the highest quality tournament.
“I would prefer to have fewer teams. It will be more difficult to qualify but it will be easier for the fans,” Michniewicz said. “We see that today there are a great many matches and if you want to see all of them it’s a huge problem.”
The new format will add 16 games to the schedule, making it an 80-game tournament in 2026, but it is still expected to fit in the usual 32-day time period.