WORLD CUP NOTES: Messi puts Argentina in quarter-final

DOHA, Qatar — For the first time in his illustrious career, Argentina superstar Lion Messi scored a goal in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Messi scored in the 35th minute and Julian Alvarez added a second in the 57th as Argentina hung on for a 2-1 victory against Australia at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Saturday.

The goal was Messi’s 94th for his country and third at this World Cup as Argentina advances to the quarter-final, where it will face the Netherlands on Friday at the Lusail Stadium.

“I’m very happy we were able to take another step forward and were able to achieve another objective,” Messi said. “It was a tough, difficult game and we knew it was going to be like that. We had just played a few days ago and didn’t have a lot of time to rest and we were worried about that, because we knew it was going to be a very physical match and they are very strong.”

Messi has scored nine goals in 23 World Cup games, but prior to rolling a left-footed shot into the corner past Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and never done it in an elimination game.

Alvarez’s added a second taking advantage of a giveaway by Ryan.

From there it appeared as though Argentina would cruise to the finish line, but Australia got one back as Craig Goodwin’s shot deflected off Enzo Fernandez and in past Argentina goaltender Damian Martinez in the 77th minute.

Australia gave it everything they had and came so close to tying the game seven minutes into second-half injury time, but Martinez made an unbelievable save on substitute Garang Kuol.

Messi was named player of the game for another outstanding performance. The 35-year-old is playing in his final World Cup, looking for the one major trophy, which has eluded him.

“He’s incredible, one of the greatest ever,” said Australia head coach Graham Arnold. “We really worked hard not to be in awe of him, but he’s remarkable. I had the privilege of playing against Diego Maradona and coaching against Messi a few times and Argentina should be proud of having players of that caliber.”

MILESTONE FOR GOALKEEPER

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will equal a national team record when he lines up against Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

Lloris will make his 142nd appearance for his country, which will equal the mark set by defender Lilian Thuram. If France are able to get past Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium (10 a.m., TSN) Lloris will have an opportunity to break the record in the quarter-finals.

“I feel very humbled and proud of reaching this milestone; I’d even dare to say playing a Round of 16 game tomorrow, comes in second place,” Lloris said Saturday. “At a personal level, this competition has major importance and I want to invest all my energy and focus in tomorrow’s game.

“Regarding that milestone, I’ll definitely enjoy it once the competition comes to an end. I hope we’ll put an end to this story in the best way.”

The defending World Cup champions won its first two games here in Qatar and were then defeated by Tunisia in its final game with its backups on the field.

Lloris didn’t play, making way for backup goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Tunisia scored in the 58th minute as midfielder Wahbi Khazri ran at the heart of the French defence and slid the ball past Mandanda.

The loss was another in a series of surprise results, which includes Saudi Arabia defeating Argentina, Morocco beating Belgium, Japan over Germany and then Spain, and Cameroon beating Brazil.

France will have all its stars back on the field against Poland, who backed into the second round, defending a 2-0 deficit against Argentina, so they could qualify ahead of Mexico on goal differential.

“I think the team is aware of the importance of tomorrow’s game,” Lloris said. “We all know we’re now in a new stage of the competition, where if you lose, you have to go home.

“We really want to make the most of our chances to continue our journey here. The guys are ready and willing to grow even more in this competition as a team. Obviously, that means we have to go through and win these decisive games.”

Four years ago, France was by far the best team in Russia. They were able to get past Argentina and Belgium before dominating Croatia in the final. There hasn’t been a repeat World Cup champion since Brazil won back-to-back in 1958 and 1962.

“We’re in a stage where all details count, and at the end of the day, details can make a difference,” Lloris said. “We need our talent, and for our talent to be effective we need to be relaxed. But at the same time, we to be strong mentally and we need to demand a high level of concentration from ourselves.”

Poland’s main target up front is Robert Lewandowski, who played with Canada’s Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich before moving to Barcelona in Spain. Lewandowski has 77 goals for his country and one at this tournament.

“Yes, Lewandowski has clearly been amongst the best strikers in the world for a certain number of years now; he’s a key player on the Polish team,” Lloris said. “They’re still a good team though, one that likes to defend; I feel they really take huge pleasure in doing that.

“They actually have two key elements: the forward, Lewandowski, who can be decisive at any moment, and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who’s having a fantastic tournament. I think that Poland is in the Round of 16, it will also be thanks to their goalkeeper.”

Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com

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