Argentina beats Poland 2-0 to advance to knockout round

Messi scores, Argentina advances to knockout round after beating Poland 2-0 in Group C finale

DOHA, Qatar -- It was an odd and unprecedented scene. After a 2-0 victory over Poland at Stadium 974 in Doha on Wednesday, Argentina and its raucous fans celebrated advancing to the knockout round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by ...

Lionel Messi, who turns 35 on Saturday, scored his second goal of the tournament in the first half, and Julian Alvarez added insurance in the second half to secure Argentina's place in the knockout stages.

Argentina finished second in Group C with six points, one point behind Poland. Mexico, who defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the other Group C match, also finished with six points but had an inferior goal differential to Argentina. Saudi Arabia finished last in the group with three points.

Argentina will face Australia in the knockout round on Saturday. Poland will face France on Sunday.

Messi was at the center of Argentina's attack throughout the match, and he was the one who created the opening goal. In the 36th minute, Messi dribbled past two Polish defenders and then played a perfect through ball to Alvarez, who finished past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Messi scored his goal in the 64th minute. He received a pass from Angel Di Maria on the left wing and then cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot that beat Szczesny at the near post.

Poland had a few chances to get back into the match, but they couldn't find the back of the net. Their best chance came in the 81st minute, when Robert Lewandowski had a header saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Argentina's victory was a relief for the team and its fans. After losing their opening match to Saudi Arabia, Argentina needed to win their remaining two group matches to advance to the knockout round.

Argentina will now face Australia in the knockout round on Saturday. Poland will face France on Sunday.