Argentinians troll Saudi Arabia after marching into Qatar World Cup 2022 round of 16; gear up for Australia
Argentina secured their berth in the knockout stages of the Qatar World Cup 2022 after a sensational 2-0 victory over Poland. Despite the loss, Robert Lewandowski and Co. will join the South American giants after coming second in the Group C table, just ahead of Mexico on goal difference.
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FollowArgentina, one of the favourites to lift the Qatar World Cup 2022, secured their berth in the tournament's knockout stages after registering an emphatic 2-0 win over Poland in Doha's Stadium 974 on Thursday.
Despite Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's heroics in saving iconic Argentinian Lionel Messi's penalty in the first half of the game, the South American giants came back strongly in the second half, with Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez firing them to the next round of Qatar 2022.
Although Robert Lewandowski and Co. suffered a defeat, Poland still qualified for the last 16 rounds after coming second in the Group C table, just ahead of Mexico. Despite both Poland and Mexico having 4 points, the European nation went through on goal difference. This would be heartbreaking for fans of Mexico, who secured a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia thanks to an effort from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez.
In the first half of Poland vs Argentina clash, Alvarez's attempt was stopped, and Marcos Acua's follow-up shot sailed just wide of the post. When the Manchester City striker's close-range shot required Wojciech Szczesny to make a save, Argentina was awarded a penalty after it appeared that the Poland goalkeeper had elbowed Messi in the face. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner subsequently attempted to convert the penalty, but Szczesny saved him, keeping the score at 0-0.
Alexis Mac Allister scored his first goal for Argentina just one minute into the second half, outwitting both the Polish goalkeeper and the entire defence to give Argentina the advantage. In the midst of Argentina's sustained pressure on Poland, Alvarez returned Lionel Scaloni's faith in him by turning inside the box and scoring with an incredible finish in the 67th minute of the clash. Two minutes later, Messi again forced a strong save from Szczesny. Messi delivered a wonderful pass to Alvarez as Poland appeared to be crumbling, but this time his potent shot smacked the side netting.
With this win, Argentina will face Australia in the last 16, while Poland will face defending champions France.
Despite the shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening clash, Argentinians will be elated to see Messi and Co. top Group C and are all geared up for Phase 2 of the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Several fans of the South American giants took to Twitter to troll the Green Falcons, with some sarcastically asking 'where is Saudi Arabia?'. There were also a few supporters who threw a wind of caution to the Australian team.
Here's a look at some of the reactions on Twitter:
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