Argentina and Poland turned in very different performances against one another on Wednesday, but the outcome was similar for each – even if the result wasn’t.
Argentina impressed in securing a 2-0 win against Poland and qualifying top of Group C, while the beaten side snuck into the last 16 in second place due to having a better goal difference than Mexico – who beat Saudi Arabia 2-1. For a long spell towards the end of both games, Poland looked set to squirm into the knockout rounds due to having received fewer yellow cards than Mexico, with both teams even on points, goal difference and number of goals scored.
That was the case after Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez put Argentina 2-0 up against the Poles, while Mexico moved into a 2-0 lead over Saudi Arabia. But a late Saudi goal – coming after the final whistle in the Poles’ clash with Argentina – ensured Poland advanced by a slightly more significant margin. And this is to say nothing of Lionel Messi’s missed penalty, as he was denied from 12 yards by Wojciech Szczęsny, the Polish goalkeeper deemed to have fouled the Argentina captain in a controversial moment at 0-0.
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