AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Argentina edged past Australia 2-1 on Saturday at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium to tee up a World Cup quarterfinal clash with the Netherlands.
Goals from Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez saw coach Lionel Scaloni’s side through against a spirited Socceroos side who had chances to force the match into extra time.
Messi’s opener in the 35th minute was the sole shot on goal from either side in the first half, while Alvarez profited on a goalkeeping error from the usually dependable Mathew Ryan to score their second after 57 minutes.
– World Cup 2022: News and features Best/worst performers