Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win against Australia in their last-16 encounter on Saturday. Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez scored either side of halftime.
Netherlands, who defeated USA 3-1 tonight, will play Argentina in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The first goal came in the first half when Messi slotted home from just inside the area beyond the reach of goalkeeper Mat Ryan after 35 minutes of a scrappy period of play with the only shot on target in the game so far.
In his 1,000th match, Messi scored his ninth World Cup goal and third of the current tournament, making him the joint-top scorer.
After the game started again, in the 57th minute, Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul worked together to put pressure on the Australia goalkeeper. Alvarez took advantage of this by putting the ball into an empty net.
In the 77th minute, Argentina’s midfielder Enzo Fernandez deflected a shot into his own net. This gave Australia a chance to get back into the game.
Later, Aziz Behich almost tied the game with a quick run, and the Albiceleste’s substitute Lautaro Martinez missed two clear chances.
The last minutes were nervy, but thanks to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, Argentina was able to get through.
