Messi misses the penalty, yet Argentina defeats Poland. They will move to the round of 16. Even though Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the other group game, Czeslaw Michniewicz’s Poland advanced as runners-up due to a superior goal differential.
In the first half, Poland’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved Argentina’s second penalty kick and kept them scoreless. Szczesny was called for a penalty when he was ruled to have fouled Messi while trying to get to a cross, but he made a great save by diving to his left. Messi’s miss marked the 31st penalty kick of his career that he had failed to convert.
Messi misses the penalty, yet Argentina defeats Poland
Poland, who will play France in the round of 16, posed little of a danger in the future offensively, with star striker Robert Lewandowski being largely ineffective. In contrast, Szczesny was the hero for the Poles, coming up with two early saves that denied Messi a goal.
At first, Messi wriggled free from the defenders and took a shot that was well wide of the goal. He then took advantage of a void on the left and charged into the Polish box, drawing a save from Szczesny. Marcos Acuna sent the first-half attempt over after Alvarez and Argentina had previously come close to breaking the stalemate. Szczesny made a diving save to prevent Angel di Maria from scoring on a direct shot from a corner kick, and then he made another save to keep out Alvarez.
Defending a penalty kick Szczesny excelled once again in the 39th minute when he dove to his left to save a penalty kick from Messi. Before the half was out, he still had to punch away a shot from Alvarez and keep Rodrigo de Paul’s rebound attempt. He had no chance when Mac Allister scored less than a minute after halftime. After charging down the right flank, Nahuel Molina crossed the ball for Mac Allister, who fired it past Szczesny.
A goal finally spurred Poland to display some forward intently, and nearly immediately after the restart, Kamil Glik headed narrowly wide from a free kick. Alvarez scored Argentina’s second goal after he and Enzo Fernandez worked well together. Starting for Argentina for the first time, Fernandez found a teammate who fought off a defender and slammed the ball past Szczesny.
Official Statements
Poland’s prospects of advancing to the round of 16 were still hanging in the balance, and yellow cards may play a significant role. Even though Poland’s Grzegorz Krychowiak was sent off in the 83rd minute, they advanced to the next round thanks to a late goal scored by Saudi Arabia versus Mexico.
“We went out there thinking we had to win,” said Messi.
“The game against Australia will be difficult — anyone can beat anyone. It’s very even. We must always prepare for the game in the best way.”
“I’m angry at missing that penalty but the team came out stronger after my mistake,” he said. “We knew that once the first goal went in it would change the game.”
“Thus, we were trying to score the whole time and I think we’re back to being the team we used to be,” said Mac Allister. “So, we controlled the ball more, we were calm and we didn’t get desperate. We played a great match.”
“It was not a match for a striker, but I knew it would be like this,” Lewandowski said. “For me, for the Poland team, given our possibilities, it was a success. “No one will remember what this match was like — we will just be getting ready for France.”
