Messi, Ronaldo knocked out of Cup
What Lionel Messi has never done, 19- year- old Kylian Mbappe did twice.
The quick- footed French teenager scored two goals in a five- minute span in the second half to help his team rally for a 4- 3 victory over Argentina on Saturday in Kazan, Russia. The victory gave France a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Messi, who turned 31 during his fourth and possibly final World Cup, set up a pair of goals but again failed to score in a knockout match at the biggest event in soccer. Mbappe got his two in his first attempt. “Of course, as I’ve already and always said, in the World Cup you have all the top- level players, so it is an opportunity to show what you can do and what your abilities are,” said Mbappe, who now has three goals in Russia. “There is no better place than a World Cup.”
Mbappe was a constant threat to Argentina’s creaking defense with his speed and skill and was at the heart of France’s oftenbreathtaking display, particularly in the middle of the second half.
He became the second teenager to score multiple goals in a knockout match at the World Cup. Pele was the other, doing it twice at 17 at the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
“It is flattering to be the second one after Pele, but let’s put things in context. Pele is another category,” Mbappe said. “But it’s good to be among the players to score in knockout matches.”
With the score 2- 2, Mbappe got his first goal with a cool finish from a tight angle in the 64th minute, his low shot going under Argentina goalkeeper Franco Armani. Four minutes later, he slotted past Armani again after he was put through on goal by a deft pass from Oliver Giroud.
Uruguay 2, Portugal 1
Edinson Cavani upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo with two goals, scoring first with his head and then with his right foot, sending Uruguay to the quarterfinals with a victory over Portugal in Sochi.
There was no goal from Ronaldo. Everywhere he went, the Portugal great was hounded by two or three Uruguayan defenders.
It was two weeks ago that he had a hat trick in the same stadium against Spain, stroking his chin after the first goal to imply he was the “greatest of all time.”
But Cavani took the spotlight. He combined with Luis Suarez to compete a series of precision passes to give Uruguay the early advantage with a header in the seventh minute.
After Portugal equalized on Pepe’s header in the 55th minute, it was Cavani again finishing a perfect Uruguay counter in the 62nd with a shot from just inside the penalty area that caught Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio slightly out of position and curled inside the far post.
“The truth is, it was really exciting,” Cavani said. “There aren’t words to describe this.”
Cavani limped off in the 70th minute with an apparent injury and had to be replaced. AP