Teenager Mbappe double leads France past Argentina in 4-3 thriller

France's Kylian Mbappe scores their fourth goal - REUTERS

KAZAN, Russia (Reuters): Teenager KylianMbappe scored two goals in four minutes to send a youthful France charging into the World Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina on Saturday that sent Lionel Messi’s team home.

The 19-year-old forward’s electric pace caused Argentina problems all afternoon and his twin strikes helped France overturn a 2-1 deficit and set up a meeting with Uruguay, who later beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 2-1 in Sochi.

Messi provided assists for two goals at the Kazan Arena but the 31-year-old was otherwise subdued in the “false nine” role and his fourth, and possibly final, crack at winning the World Cup was destined to end in disappointment.

While Mbappe was the most influential player on the pitch, Argentina winger Angel Di Maria and France full back Benjamin Pavard fought out a private contest for the best goal of the match with two magnificent long-range strikes.

Di Maria’s goal cancelled out Antoine Griezmann’s early penalty for France just before the break while Pavard’s in the 57th minute levelled the scores at 2-2 after Argentina had edged ahead through Gabriel Mercado.

Mbappe, the first teenager since Brazilian great Pele, in the 1958 final, to score two goals in one World Cup match, then took over to send Argentina slumping out of the finals before the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.

“If I am a coach it is because I want to live this – a full stadium, highly-experienced teams,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Our team is much younger, but it’s there. We answered the call, we have a lot of character and it was not easy ... but we kept fighting.”

Twice champions Argentina got a consolation through substitute striker Sergio Aguero in added time but they were simply unable to cope with Mbappe’s pace from his first surge towards the box after nine minutes.

Javier Mascherano brought him down and Griezmann crashed the subsequent free kick off the bar but France only had to wait a couple of minutes to open the scoring.

Mbappe set off on another driving run from well inside his own half and Marcos Rojo, well beaten for pace, bundled him to the deck inside the area.

Griezmann’s strike from the spot was not as clean as his free kick but goalkeeper Franco Armani went the wrong way and the Frenchman converted his second penalty of tournament.

Early onslaught

Argentina looked shell-shocked at Mbappe’s early onslaught but Jorge Sampaoli’s side was full of big match experience and four minutes before the break they were level.

Di Maria received a pass from the left, took one touch to tee up the ball and hit the sweetest shot into the top-left corner of Hugo Lloris’s goal from 40 metres.

Three minutes into the second half and Argentina were ahead, Messi curling a shot hopefully towards Lloris and right back Mercado reacting instinctively to deflect the ball into the net.

The Argentina fans were in full voice but France soon restored parity when Pavard pounced on an over-cooked cross some 20 metres out and lashed it into the net on the half-volley.

Mbappe’s first goal came seven minutes later when he snared a loose ball, taking one touch to race past his marker and firing it home with his left foot through Armani’s dive.

His second came after 68 minutes at the end of a flowing French move with Olivier Giroud providing the subtlest of touches to lay the ball into Mbappe’s path and the teenager finishing right-footed with some elan.

“It’s flattering to be the second one after Pele, but let’s keep things in context,”Mbappe said. “Pele is another category, but it’s good to be among these people.”

Argentina continued to fight over the last 20 minutes but Aguero’s header from Messi’s cross in stoppage time was too little, too late.

“This is very painful, especially because the players have made a huge effort,” said Sampaoli, already under pressure after Argentina’s stuttering start to the tournament.

“It was a very difficult game but we have not achieved our goal here in Russia. I’m sad, I’m frustrated – I think that’s quite normal. I won’t decide my future today.”

Mbappe flattered by comparisons to Pele

Reuters: French teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe carried France into the quarter-finals with a sublime performance over Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the World Cup’s first knockout game.

Mbappe pace and skill ravaged the Argentine defence throughout the match and his brace drew comparisons to Brazil legend Pele, the previous player to have scored multiple goals in a knockout phase of a World Cup when he was at the tender age of 17 in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

Mbappe, 19, said he was flattered with the praise but felt Pele was still on another level.

French coach Didier Deschamps said he was proud his team’s preparations paid off when it mattered as the 1998 winners seemed to find their stride and finally live up to their pre-tournament expectations of being one of a few favourites to win the tournament in Russia.

Argentina’s Jorge Sampaoli, under fire for poor results including a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Croatia, faced a barrage of criticism and questions surrounding his future in his job.

The coach said it was still early to speak about the long-term consequences of Argentina’s exit.