DOHA: It was once an atypical and unparalleled scene. After a 2-0 victory over Poland at Stadium 974 in Doha on Wednesday, argentina and its best famous person, Lionel Messi, celebrated having received Group C and advancing to the knockout degree. But Poland had been additionally exalting following their loss. Many in their gamers huddled at the box round a cellular phone, after which cheered and hugged as neatly, a extraordinary response following a defeat.
A 30-minute power away at Lusail Stadium, within the night time’s different Group C sport, México have been main Saudi Arabia, 2-0, with a handful of mins nonetheless last in overtime. If that rating held, Mexico would end with 4 issues, the similar as Poland. But Mexico’s streak of advancing to the knockout degree in seven immediately World Cups would finish through distinctive feature of dropping the 6th—sure, the 6th—tiebreaker between them and Poland: each and every workforce’s collection of yellow and pink playing cards.
But when Salem al-Dawsari scored within the 5th minute of added time—and with 3 mins last within the sport—the variation in yellow playing cards between Mexico and Poland turned into moot. Suddenly, Mexico had a worse function differential than Poland and thus had been dropping the primary tiebreaker.
Watching at the display screen, Poland’s gamers had a good time. Then moments later, after the general whistle in Mexico’s 2-1 win, they celebrated their nation’s first go back and forth to the knockout degree since 1986.
“Sometimes defeats are bittersweet, or sweet and bitter,” Poland trainer Czeslaw Michniewicz mentioned via an interpreter. “But we went through, after many, many years.”
The drama of the knockout degree awaits — it starts Saturday — however Wednesday equipped a tension-filled teaser. Entering the day, the venture was once transparent for Argentina and Poland: win and advance. But each groups knew—as did Mexico—of the situations through which Mexico may catch one of the most different groups within the standings. If Argentina beat
Poland, Mexico had to win — and rating a large number of objectives.
Argentina took care of its personal destiny. After dropping to Saudi Arabia of their first sport—one of the most largest upsets in World Cup historical past—Argentina rebounded and toppled Mexico after which Poland.
Poland’s goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, became away shot after shot within the first part Wednesday, however Argentina briefly broke via in the second one. In the forty sixth minute, midfielder Alexis MacAllister chipped in a go through Nahuel Molina for Argentina’s first function. And within the 67th minute, ahead Julián Álvarez fired a shot via a ultimate window of Polish defenders for his workforce’s 2d rating.
But through then Mexico had been main Saudi Arabia 2-0, which supposed all of the groups concerned had been briefly readjusting the mathematics of their heads. Michniewicz mentioned he and his coaches had an settlement through which they wouldn’t inform their gamers in regards to the ongoing Mexico-Saudi Arabia sport “unless nothing bad happened.”
At one level, he mentioned, he did inform Poland’s captain, Robert Lewandowski, and a couple of others. Knowing it had an edge in yellow playing cards—and thus the chance to advance if the ratings held—Poland modified their means. They performed conservatively, seeking to keep away from being too competitive as to attract extra yellow playing cards via arduous fouls. They additionally attempted to attain, however that proved difficult in opposition to an Argentine workforce that was once all for protecting the win.
In the 78th minute, Michniewicz mentioned his center sank. Midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was once issued a yellow card for a tricky slide take on. Poland’s yellow card margin had contracted, they usually now had 5 overall to Mexico’s seven.
Five mins later, Michniewicz pulled Krychowiak from the sport and changed him with ahead Krzysztof Piatek on offense.
“We wanted to avoid yellow cards and to score,” Michniewicz mentioned. “That’s why we had another striker in. But Argentina didn’t allow us.”
In the 86th minute, Argentine forward Lautaro Martínez just missed wide on a shot that would have altered the group standings and sent Mexico to the knockout stage and Poland home. And in the third minute of added time, defender Jakub Kiwior saved Poland by heading a kick by Nicolás Tagliafico that would have also sent Mexico to the next round.
After the final whistle, players from Poland and Argentina, including Messi and Lewandowski, shook hands and hugged. Although Messi had a penalty kick saved by Szczesny in the 39th minute, his younger teammates helped carry the load.
“We have a spectacular group and people who deliver,” Messi said afterwards in Spanish. “Because it’s such a short tournament and so many games in a row that it’s good that we have everyone.”
But after the usual postgame pleasantries, Poland’s players lingered on the field. The fact that they couldn’t score late against Argentina or worried about their yellow card total didn’t matter anymore when al-Dawsari scored for Saudi Arabia against Mexico. While Poland gets to advance, Mexico’s players and its coach await questions and criticism back home for failing to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1978.
“I suppose the duty of this massive failure,” said Mexico coach Gerardo Martino, adding that his contract expired after the final whistle. Added Mexico midfielder Luis Chavez, who scored in the 52nd minute: “I’m really sad because we stopped doing many of the things from the first two matches. We reacted a bit too late. We knew we still had hopes of qualifying, but we didn’t achieve it.”
Poland did, regardless that, and now faces a tricky street forward: It will face France, the Group D winner and the reigning World Cup champion, on Sunday. And Argentina and Messi, in what’s most likely his ultimate try to win a name that has lengthy eluded him, will face an more straightforward trail: They will face Group D runner-up Australia on Saturday.