France vs Argentina LIVE World Cup 2018: Kylian Mbappe scores twice as Lionel Messi crashes out - latest reaction
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After narrowly making it through to the knockout stage of the competition, a struggling Argentine side will now face its toughest opponent yet in the form of Didier Deschamp’s France.
The French failed to convince in their opening games but finished top of Group C regardless. The side have only conceded one goal this World Cup which came in the form of a Mile Jedniak penalty. France’s strong defensive efforts have served them well in the competition so far, though their failure to score against Denmark will have raised cause for concern.
Argentina, on the other hand, have endured a terrible opening to the World Cup and at point looked destined for a shock exit. However, a late Marcos Rojo goal clinched victory for the South Americans against Nigeria, booking their place in the last-16 for the fourth World Cup in a row.
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What time is it?
France vs Argentina kicks off at 15:00 at the Kazan Arena.
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage will be broadcast on BBC 1.
Odds
France: 11/8
Argentina: 12/5
Draw: 2/1
Prediction
If Argentina continue to struggle then this should be a fairly easy game for the French national side. France’s strong defensive play will allow their offence to focus on picking apart the weak Argentine backline.
Football is back!
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of France vs Argentina in the first knockout game of the 2018 World Cup.
How did everyone cope yesterday without the World Cup, by the way?
Anyway, action from Russia is back and what a game to kick-start the round of 16. Of course, all the focus will be on Lionel Messi who is bidding to lift the World Cup trophy on his likely final appearance on the world stage, and the Argentina players seem to be reminded of his presence everywhere they go!
Messi or Sampaoli, who's in charge?
Spare a thought this afternoon for Jorge Sampaoli who is responsible for the nation's, and a world of Lionel Messi fans', happiness. A feeling of discomfort between the players and coach has plagued the side's chaotic route through the group stage, and Ed Malyon has taken a look at how Sampaoli's relationship with his players could play out this afternoon.
Can France turn their fortunes around?
Think Argentina are disjointed? Well look at France.
Les Bleus have the most valuable squad at the World Cup and have plenty world class players at their disposal. However, the standard of football and the results being produced fall far below what might be anticipated from this exciting side.
With qualification in the bag after wins against Australia and Peru, France played out one of the most boring World Cup matches against Denmark, which prompted the question: why are we not seeing more?
Time to talk about Paul Pogba
Regardless of what happens this afternoon, there will be stories about a little known name, Paul Pogba. He attracts praise and criticism on everything from his haircuts to his performances.
"I really want to enjoy this and to forget all of the criticism, all the whispers from behind. What only matters to me is what is happening on the pitch. I’m here to give everything for this jersey, for my team, for France. I really want to win this World Cup," he said ahead of the tournament.
When he turns it on, Pogba can be one of the hardest players to play against. His speed, skill and physical presence makes him worthy of being considered a class player. But when he has a quieter game, the questions come.
France's plan to stop Messi
Presumably the first question in a team meeting when preparing to face Argentina is: how do we stop Messi. Stop Lionel Messi and you stop Argentina has been the trend in the last few years, and France manager Didier Deschamps could use his impressive midfield of N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi to limit Messi' influence.
"Messi is Messi, look at his statistics, 65 goals in 127 matches," Deschamps told reporters at a news conference."It's straightforward, hopefully we would like to neutralise him but we know very well he can make the difference with very little.
"When you play Argentina and Messi on the pitch there are several solutions to limit his impact."
How did they get here?
France and Argentina had very contrasting fortunes in the group stages as they advanced to the first World Cup knockout round.
France beat Australia 2-1 in their opening match and Antoine Griezmann scored the first penalty to be awarded by VAR at a World Cup. Australia did not pose France much of a threat, and this was again the case against Peru. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game as France laboured past their inferior opponents. Their final Group C match against Denmark may as well be erased from history, both sides had all but sealed qualification as they played out a dull 0-0 draw.
Argentina, on the other hand, had a much tougher time in their Group. Drawn with Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland, there was no way that Argentina would not qualify in that pool, right?
Well a 1-1 draw against Iceland followed by a 3-0 defeat against Croatia meant the two-time World Champions were scrambling to advance to the next round. Lionel Messi missed a penalty against Iceland and was a passenger in the game with Croatia, but, in the 14th minute of the must-win clash with Nigeria, he had finally scored. His strike was countered by Victor Moses' goal from the spot and Argentina were on the brink of an embarrassing exit. But step forward Marcos Rojo. The Manchester United defender found himself in the opposition box and scored a first time effort in the 86th minute to dramatically send Argentina through.
Head-to-head
France and Argentina have recently met in a couple of friendlies but have not faced each other in a World Cup since 1978.
They played each other in the first World Cup, Argentina won 1-0 in 1930, and won again in 1978, this time 2-1. Friendly matches were played in 2007 and 2009, when a certain Diego Maradona was in charge, with Argentina being victorious on both occasions.
France may not be so fussed by the record but they'll be keen to set it straight at 15:00 this afternoon.
Players arrive
France have arrived at the Kazan Arena ahead of this afternoon's showdown.
Lionel Messi vs Antoine Griezmann
Who is better? Well, it's obviously Messi but here's the stats.
Lionel Messi vs Antoine Griezmann in 2017-18
Appearances: 61 vs 59
Goals: 49 vs 33
Trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey vs Europa League
All time international caps: 127 vs 57
All time international goals: 65 vs 21
Late drama is on the cards
Neither France or Argentina have scored after the 90th minute, but the tournament trend has been to score late.
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