In the first round of the final tournament of the Soccer World Cup Qatar tournament, Argentina vs. Australia won 2-1 with the performance of ace Lionel Messi, and decided to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in two tournaments.
The match between Group C 1st place Argentina and Group D 2nd place Australia in the first league was held on the 4th at 4:00 am Japan time at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium near Doha, the capital.
In the 35th minute of the first half, Argentina broke through the opponent's defense with an attack that started with Messi's free kick, and in the end, Messi scored a shot through the opponent's crotch to score the opening goal.
Then, in the 12th minute of the second half, the two of them put pressure on the opposing goalkeeper to steal the ball, and Julián Álvarez scored his second goal in a row to score another goal.
In the 32nd minute of the second half, Australia's Craig Goodwin's shot turned into an own goal, giving one goal back, but Argentina held on to the lead until the end and won 2-1.
Argentina advanced to the last 8 for the first time in two tournaments since the Brazil tournament where they finished second.
The 35-year-old Messi made his 1,000th appearance for his club and national team since his professional debut, according to the Argentine Football Association.
In addition, Messi scored his third goal in the tournament, which put him at the top of the scoring rankings.
On the other hand, Australia entered the first round with three Asian teams advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time in this tournament, but they were unable to overcome the obstacles of the strong teams who had won the championship in the past.