World Cup 2018 Scores: Saturday's Results and Sunday's Round-of-16 Schedule

France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the round of 16 match between France and Argentina, at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, Saturday, June 30, 2018. (AP Photo/David Vincent)
David Vincent/Associated Press

France became the first team to book a spot in the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as Les Bleus overcame a tough challenge from Argentina on Saturday.

They'll face Uruguay in the quarter-finals on Friday, as La Celeste beat Portugal 2-1 later in the day. Edinson Cavani scored twice.

Here's a look at Saturday's results and the upcoming schedule:

Argentina 3-4 France

Uruguay 2-1 Portugal

Sunday

Spain vs. Russia: 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Croatia vs. Denmark: 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 a.m. ET

Antoine Griezmann needed just 13 minutes to open the scoring from the penalty spot on Saturday, and while Argentina turned the contest on its head with surprise goals from Angel Di Maria and Gabriel Mercado, Les Bleus always appeared the better and more complete side. Their comeback was no big surprise.

Argentina barely made it this far, and it quickly became clear on Saturday they weren't good enough to deal with a top side:

Di Maria's strike from distance and Mercado's deflection had fans of the Albiceleste hoping their side could hold out, but Benjamin Pavard tied things up with a wonder strike, and standout Kylian Mbappe bagged a double to secure the win.

Argentina pushed for goals late, but more questionable tactical decisions from manager Jorge Sampaoli doomed their attempt at a comeback:

Sergio Aguero found a late goal, but there was not enough time for a second.

All in all, Les Bleus didn't have to work hard to defend their lead late, and they were even able to hand Florian Thauvin his World Cup debut.

Uruguay had to dig deeper in their win, although Portugal rarely threatened to score after Cavani's second goal had restored the lead for his team. The European champions had a few looks in injury time, but no real clear-cut chances.

The Paris Saint-Germain had opened the scoring in the first half after a lovely assist from Luis Suarez, but Pepe tied things up with a header after the break. Uruguay continued to prod, and a smart pass from Rodrigo Bentancur set Cavani up for his second.

The result continued a great run for La Celeste:

Friday's quarter-final could be a high-intensity affair between two teams who rely heavily on the contributions of their central midfielders. N'Golo Kante and Lucas Torreira play in similar areas of the pitch, as do Paul Pogba and Rodrigo Bentancur, and to see all these top players clash should be an incredible sight.

France may have more top-end talent throughout the squad, but Uruguay's starting XI should not be overlooked. Edinson's Cavani will be a major talking point in the days leading up to the contest.

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