ARGENGTINA BOUNCED BACK from defeat and France continued their dominance in the FIFA World Cup on Saturday.
Facing Denmark in the second match, defending champs France were in for their biggest test in the group stage. Although the first half was as tight a contest as it got, it was Kylian Mbappe who broke the deadlock near the hour mark. And although Denmark struck right back with a goal from Christensen, it was Mbappe once again in the 86th minute who sealed the victory for France.
This win, coupled with the 4-1 win over Australia in their previous game, is enough to propel France into the knockout stage with 6 points. Denmark now must beat Australia in their last match to progress further in the World Cup.
The late night thriler of the day took place between the Latin American rivals Argentina and Mexico. Argentina, who lost their opening match to Saudi Arabia, were under pressure as they came into this match; because failure to win would put them in danger of being knocked out from the competition early.
Mexico put on a great defensive performance, with a back five keeping a tight lid on Argentina's offence throughout the first half. But in the second half, it was none other than Lionel Messi who broke through their defence, scoring their Argentina's first goal in the competition from open play. A relieved Argentinian side increased their offensive attempts and soon afterwards, Enzo Fernandez scored.
A 2-0 victory through two world class goals rejuvenated Argentina's campaign. Now, a win against Poland in the last round will guarantee a place in the second round for them. For Denmark, though, it's a question of defeating a strong Saudi Arabian side by a large margin.