Argentina to quarterfinals with chill: Australia exits with heads held high

Argentina to the quarters, now it’s the Netherlands

Argentina lived up to the prediction and overcame Australia to qualify for the quarterfinals of Qatar 2022, but the 2-1 scoreline at the triple whistle hints, not unfairly, at a match that could have ended quite differently if the Socceroos had been more concrete in goal in the final.

At the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, the Albiceleste started better but did not seem to be able to sting, at least until the usual Leo Messi decided to invent, in the 35th minute, a left-footed shot of pinpoint precision that left goalkeeper Ryan with no chance.

The doubling came in the 57th minute thanks to the winning conclusion by Julian Alvarez, in the net for the second consecutive game, and the match seemed to take a definite direction. Everything changed, however, in the 77th minute: Goodwin’s shot found the decisive deflection of Enzo Fernandez to enter the goal and the 2-1 gave no small amount of courage to the Australians, who in the last quarter of an hour came close to scoring at least three times – with Behich in the 81st minute and especially Kuol in the 97th minute.

Lionel Scaloni’s team, however, held out until time ran out and earned access to the top eight, already improving on the result of the 2018 World Cup, from which they were excluded in the round of 16 at the hands of France: in the quarters now is the Netherlands, executioner of the United States.