Argentina completely dominates Poland and finally fulfils expectations in this World Cup group stage.
Argentina and Poland entered the field with the qualifications assured for the round of 16 as the leaders of the group. However, the posture of both teams in the first 70 minutes drew attention.
Manager Lionel Scaloni’s team completely dominated possession and invested in plays on the wings, ending up with crosses in the penalty area for Messi, Di Maria or Julian Álvarez.
However, the great Argentine difference was concentrated in Mac Allister, a player who brought a new dynamic to the midfield. Meanwhile, Acuña remained alone at various times to fix the right winger in the last third.
In addition, the occupation of the central corridor to have spaces worked well, progressing outside. With no players between the lines, there were no players to fix in the opposing midfield.
The two features were missing for Argentina in the first two matches and were left in the decisive round. Meanwhile, Poland opted for a completely defensive strategy, seeking to manage their qualification to the round of 16 with the least possible physical strain.
The best goalkeeper at this World Cup, Szczęsny saved Lionel Messi’s penalty at the end of the first half with an incredible defence on the left side, but Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring early in the second half.
Julian Álvarez scored the second goal and put Poland under a lot of pressure, as the classification was taking place in the advantage of yellow cards against Mexico, which was beating Saudi Arabia by 2-0 in the second half.
With an extremely solid performance, more than 20 shots, 11 shots on target, more than 70% possession and almost 600 passes, the Argentina team managed one of the most solid performances of this World Cup.
In addition to qualifying, the Argentines managed an improbable first place, avoiding heavier clashes with France and possibly England in the semi-finals. With this fundamental result and a sensational performance, Argentina definitely returns to the list of big favourites for the title.
On the other hand, Poland’s surprising strategy disappointed those who expected a more balanced duel. Even with such a dangerous scenario, the Poles maintained their defensive strategy with low block lines, allowing Argentine dominance until the final whistle. Luckily for the Poles, Mexico failed in its mission.
SAUDI ARABIA 1-2 MEXICO
With the aim of seeking victory, Mexico and Saudi Arabia played a busy game with the possibility of qualifying for the round of 16 of the World Cup.
The first half was balanced between the teams, with Saudi Arabia managing to fit moments of danger in the offensive transitions, but with little use of shots on target
However, with the dominance of possession of the ball in the second half, Mexico managed to react offensively and had an excellent game with 23 finalizations, 10 shots on target and 76% success in passes.
This was not only Mexico’s best performance at this World Cup, but one of the best performances by this Mexican team in the last four years.
Henry Martin and Luis Chávez established a two-goal lead just 10 minutes into the second half. Mexico was close to the third goal on several occasions, while Saudi Arabia had no reaction power.
In stoppage time, Mexico even scored an annulled goal, but Saudi Arabia discounted the score and guaranteed Poland’s classification.
