Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France on Saturday as they beat Argentina 4-3 at the Kazan Arena to reach the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Les Bleus took an early lead thanks to Antoine Griezmann's penalty, but they went in level at half-time thanks to a magnificent 30-yard strike from Angel Di Maria after the France defence failed to close him down.
Argentina got their noses in front shortly after the break when Gabriel Mercado deflected Lionel Messi's shot past Hugo Lloris, but France replied with a sensational half-volley from Benjamin Pavard.
Mbappe fired Les Bleus in front again after Argentina failed to clear their lines, before applying a cool finish to Olivier Giroud's ball to open up some breathing room.
Sergio Aguero headed home Messi's cross in the 93rd minute to give La Albiceleste some late hope, but they were unable to find another.
Lionel Messi's Prime Wasted By Disorganised Argentina
After setting up Aguero's late effort, Messi made a little World Cup history, per BBC Sport's Gary Lineker:
It will be little consolation, though. Given Messi will be 35 by the time the 2022 World Cup in Qatar rolls around, we may have just seen his final appearance on football's biggest stage.
At the least, it will be his last World Cup appearance in his prime, and Argentina have utterly failed to capitalise on having arguably the best player to ever grace a pitch in their ranks for the last decade.
The forward was only 19 in 2006 and—while it was clear even then that he was a special talent—he had not yet established himself as one of the world's best.
Diego Maradona, appointed based on his achievements as a player rather than a coach, was in charge of the team in 2010 and oversaw their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Germany in the quarter-final.
Messi helped drag La Albiceleste to the final in 2014, but even then the side rarely convinced under Alejandro Sabella.
Four presidents of the Argentinian FA have followed in the years since, and they've had as many managers in that time.
Perhaps as a result of that chopping and changing, Argentina have never been able to turn a selection of attacking players that also includes Di Maria, Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain into anything resembling a cohesive unit.
As Grup 14's Rafael Hernandez noted, things failed to improve under boss Jorge Sampaoli:
Argentina have not been able to foster an environment that can make the most of Messi and their other top stars, and they will be left to rue that for years to come.
Mbappe Establishes Himself as France's Big Star
As if we needed one, Kylian Mbappe offered a timely reminder of not only the abundance of potential that he possesses but also the heights he's already hitting.
Even before his goals, the 19-year-old gave La Albiceleste a torrid time on Saturday thanks to his explosive pace. He picked up a loose ball in his own half and put on the afterburners to race clear of Argentina's midfielders, making it all the way to their box before being pulled down by Rojo.
Lineker and fellow former pro Jan Aage Fjortoft enjoyed his run:
Mbappe also earned France a free-kick shortly after having run onto a superb long ball from Paul Pogba, so within 20 minutes, Rojo and Nicolas Tagliafico had been booked for fouls on him.
His pair of fine finishes, which were just four minutes apart, crowned a sensational performance:
Griezmann dispatched his second penalty of the tournament and crashed a free-kick onto the crossbar, while Pogba was excellent throughout, but Mbappe is the star shining the brightest for France in Russia.
Marcos Rojo Goes from Hero to Zero with Thoughtless Defending
Rojo's excellent 86th-minute volley saved Argentina against Nigeria in their final group game, but it took him just 11 minutes to squander that credit when he gave away the penalty.
Soccer Laduma and football writer Ann Odong noted his quick change in circumstances:
Mbappe's run had taken him wide, and he would have faced a difficult angle to score from, but Rojo needlessly pulled him down to hand France a chance to score from the spot.
The Independent's Miguel Delaney was unimpressed:
Things got little better for him for the remainder of the half, per football writer Tom McDermott:
Indeed, it was of little surprise when he was hauled off for Federico Fazio at half-time.
Argentina may have shipped the three second-half goals with Rojo sat on the bench, but he handed France the early initiative in the contest.
His struggles were a microcosm of Argentina's struggles at the back and the defensive issues they need to resolve in the long wait before they get another chance at the World Cup and for the 2019 Copa America next year.
What's Next
France will play either Uruguay or Portugal on Friday, July 6 at 5 p.m. local time (3 p.m. BST, 10 a.m. ET).
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