Lionel Messi missed a first-half penalty but Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez scored in a 2-0 victory over Poland at Stadium 974 on Wednesday as both teams booked their places in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Argentina's victory propelled Lionel Scaloni's side to the top of Group C and they will face Australia, which defeated Denmark 1-0 earlier on Wednesday, in the last 16, while second-placed Poland, who qualified on goal difference after Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-1, take on reigning champions France, which won its World Cup group despite losing 1-0 to Tunisia.
Argentina took the lead just one minute into the second half when Mac Allister got on the end of Nahuel Molina's cross and, despite making weak contact, he saw his shot creep over the line with Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny beaten.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.