Classic WC R16 Clash: France 4-3 Argentina
On 30th June 2018 in Kazan, global heavyweights France and Argentina produced one of the most magically memorable round-of-16 clashes in World Cup history.
Starting 11s and tactical observations
France
Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphaël Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté; Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi; Olivier Giroud
France’s 4-2-3-1 relied on the perfectly complementary midfield pairing of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté to provide balance and a solid platform. The vastly underrated Blaise Matuidi also offered exceptional stamina and power on their left-hand side.
Modified midfield, same old blistering attack
With all 3 of the aforementioned men absent in 2022, an entirely new-look France midfield has been made up of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot, with Eduardo Camavinga and Mattéo Guendouzi also options from the bench.
7 of this starting 11 from 4 years ago were selected in the 2022 squad (Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Hernandez, Mbappé, Griezmann and Giroud), although the unfortunate Lucas Hernandez sustained a serious injury against Australia and will be out of action for a few months.
Dembélé ready to shine at this level
Ousmane Dembélé, who won a medal in 2018 as part of the squad, is now playing a much more integral role after finding his feet in a Barcelona jersey and overcoming numerous injury nightmares. On his day, the 2-footed wide man is almost unstoppable. Add Dembélé to the established trio of Giroud, Mbappé and Griezmann and you’ve got a devastating attacking unit that has pretty much every weapon that exists in the sport.
Argentina
Franco Armani; Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolás Tagliafico; Enzo Pérez, Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega; Cristian Pavon, Lionel Messi, Angel Di María
Scaloni reliant on youth in 2022
Only 5 survivors from this 2018 starting 11 remain in Lionel Scaloni’s 2022 vintage (Armani, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Messi and Di María). What has stayed the same is Argentina’s commitment to selecting aggressive central defenders and hard-working midfielders that protect a queen bee in a central trio.
What’s changed quite noticeably, however, is the age profile of their midfielders. Against Poland, the engine room of Alexis Mac Allister (23), Rodrigo De Paul (28) and Enzo Fernández (21) was considerably younger than counterparts Banega (30), Mascherano (34) and Pérez (32) from 2018.
Leo leading the way
Skipper Messi has stepped up to the plate when his side really needed him after Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia. He scored and then assisted in their win over Mexico. Although he had his penalty saved against Poland, Messi was a constant threat. A player brought into the starting 11 against Poland, Julián Álvarez (22), was a goalscorer. That’s a promising sign that La Albiceleste have strength in depth, and a lot of it is provided by youngsters.
Throwback: France 4-3 Argentina in a nutshell
Benjamin Pavard decorated the occasion with what turned out to be one of the goals of the tournament, fizzing a volley on the up which bent its way beyond a sea of bodies that could only marvel at its trajectory. This was also an occasion on which we got to witness the dazzling match-winning abilities of Kylian Mbappé for one of the first times.
France made most of the early running. Antoine Griezmann clipped a gorgeous early free-kick onto the crossbar, and then Mbappé’s pace and power was just too much for Marcos Rojo, who hauled him down in the box. Griezmann slotted his penalty coolly down the middle.
Angel Di María equalised with a sublime left-footed strike from outside the box on 41 minutes. La Albiceleste then took the lead for the first and only time, on 48 minutes, through Gabriel Mercado who diverted Leo Messi’s shot in off his shin. It wasn’t pretty, but they all count.
Then Pavard struck on 57 minutes. His sumptuous rising volley was the first goal scored from outside the box by a French player at the tournament since Lilian Thuram’s semi-final winner against Croatia in 1998. What a goal it was.
Mbappé then made it 3-2 with an instinctive, predatory finish on 64 minutes. 4 minutes later, he became the first teenager to score twice in a World Cup match since Pelé in 1958 with another ridiculously cool finish on the angle. We were witnessing the birth of a global superstar.
A brilliant Kun Agüero header in stoppage time from an inch-perfect Messi cross made things interesting in the dying stages, but Les Bleus had enough to close it out. This was a match defined by chaos, with neither side really dominating it for sustained spells, but France’s pace and counter-attacking ability won out in the end against an ageing Argentinian rearguard.
One of the most entertaining round-of-16 bouts in modern WC history. Undoubtedly, this was a classic clash.
When can France and Argentina potentially meet in 2022?
These massive footballing nations, both 2-time winners, are on a potential collision course for the final since they’re in different halves of the draw. A final between the defending champions and arguably the best football team on the planet for the last 2 years, would be a mouthwatering prospect.
There’s still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played before we start to entertain that option though.
What’s next?
Argentina meet Australia on Saturday 3rd December, while France face up to Poland on Sunday 4th December.
This tournament has already delivered so many unforgettable sights and sounds. It’s only fair to expect more of the same in the round of 16.