Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is unimpressed by the quick turnaround between Wednesday's 2-0 win over Poland and their World Cup last-16 date with Australia.
La Albiceleste won 2-0 at Stadium 974 to top Group E and secure progression to the next round, an outcome that appeared in real doubt after their defeat to Saudi Arabia on matchday one.
Lionel Messi saw a penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny in the first half, but goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez after the break deservedly put Argentina into the last 16.
Awaiting them are Australia, who earlier in the day beat Denmark to somewhat surprisingly reach the knockout stages.
Argentina will be firm favourites, but Scaloni is annoyed by what he feels is a quick turnaround until the game, which is scheduled for Saturday's late kick-off slot.
"Today we are happy but not euphoric, because I think it's crazy we are playing in just over two days," he told reporters after the game.
"I can't really understand this. It's almost 1am, tomorrow is Thursday. We could have had more rest.
"I want to make it clear that it doesn't seem right to me that we have just two and a half days of rest after being first in the group. These conditions aren't great."
Nevertheless, many associated with Argentina will just be happy they made it as far as the second round after that shock loss to Saudi Arabia.
Argentina needed to beat Poland to take matters into their own hands, and Scaloni was pleased with how his team managed the expectation.
"We are satisfied with the game we played, it was not easy and neither was the context around the game," he added.
"We had to play and win against a team that had two results in mind. I think we interpreted it correctly, the players played a very good game and we are happy."
Similarly, most will expect Argentina to cruise past the Socceroos at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, but Scaloni is keen to avoid that kind of arrogance.
"We played a good game and we have to continue. We are not candidates or favourites, we are still the same," he continued.
"We are a difficult team and we are going to fight. It is totally wrong to think that we are going to be champions by winning today.
,"All teams are very tough, like I always said, Saudi Arabia is a great team. Football is football.
"You can play well and lose, that's the feeling I had after Saudi Arabia. Maybe we didn't play well but we deserved to win.
"All matches are tough and now, if you think the Australia match will be easy, you are wrong. They have shown they are tough. When you play in a World Cup and represent your country, you grow."
Tata Martino accepted responsibility for Mexico's "huge failure" at the World Cup and confirmed his contract had now expired with little prospect of him returning to the role.
Martino has been a largely unpopular El Tri coach, and his standing was not helped by Wednesday's elimination in the group stage at Qatar 2022.
Mexico came agonisingly close to making the last 16 at an eighth straight World Cup before they were instead knocked out on goal difference behind Poland in Group C.
After second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez against Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium, Mexico were tied with Poland on points, goal difference and goals scored, having drawn their head-to-head encounter.
With the full-time whistle having blown in Poland's match against Argentina, Mexico were heading out due to an inferior fair play record when Salem Al Dawsari pulled one back for Saudi Arabia in stoppage time.
Ultimately, Martino's men had left it too late to stage a recovery, and plenty of the ire was directed at the coach, whose name had been jeered ahead of kick-off.
Told of his status as a "villain" in Mexico, Martino replied: "I can't tell you anything abut people's opinions.
"I am the main [person] responsible for the frustrations we have. I'm responsible and it's a source of great sadness.
"I assume all the responsibility of this huge failure. It's been eight World Cups this hasn't happened."
Martino's contract was to expire after the World Cup, and he continued: "I have no reasons at the moment to think the future should be different. The contract expired with the final whistle and there is nothing else to do."
Chavez was asked for his opinion later in the news conference and added: "We are the players, we assume full responsibility.
"I would say in the second match [against Argentina] we didn't fully understand what he [Martino] wanted to see on the pitch.
"We defended well for some time but didn't create enough chances."
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard accepted his side did not deserve to advance with their performance against Mexico.
However, he sought instead to focus on their campaign as a whole – including the shock opening win over Argentina.
"Congratulations to the players. We did our best," he said. "Today it was more difficult for us, but we don't have to forget what we did together. I will always protect them. I'm proud of their World Cup."
Kalvin Phillips has hailed Jude Bellingham as an "amazing talent", and says England's strength in depth can only help them across the rest of the World Cup.
The Manchester City man made his tournament debut off the bench in the Three Lions' final Group B match, notching an assist as Gareth Southgate's side ran out 3-0 winners over Wales.
For Phillips, an injury doubt ahead of Qatar 2022, his Euro 2020 starting berth has been filled by Borussia Dortmund teenager Bellingham, who is now the second-youngest England player to amass 20 caps after Wayne Rooney.
But the 26-year-old is more than happy to reap the success of his team-mate, suggesting the sky could well be the limit for his growth with the national side.
"I knew a few years ago that Jude would be a major part of this team, with the way he's performed not just for England but for Dortmund," Phillips said.
"He's an amazing talent. He's one of those kids that just goes out on the training pitch, and [he] is only going to become a better player."
Bellingham is not the only talent impressing in Qatar, with Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden both seizing the chance to impress after starting against Wales.
With the addition of Jack Grealish and Callum Wilson offering threat off the bench, plus Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka, Phillips firmly believes England are stacked with game changers.
"We have got amazing strength in depth," he added.
"I think with the players that we've got, there are times when you [will] miss out and not play as much.
"But when you've got people like [City team-mate] Jack [Grealish] coming off the bench, and Marcus, who can play anywhere across the front three, we've just got a lot of options.
"There are so many people to pick out who have talent. We see it as a positive for England."
With more goals scored than any other nation at the World Cup so far, there is plenty of reason for optimism, as England look to make it three last-four finishes in major tournaments on the trot.
Phillips says it can be difficult to keep their feet on the ground, but paid credit to Southgate's staff as crucial to ensuring they stay focused.
"It's hard sometimes, but we have a good group, good coaching staff," he added. "[We have] good managers who will always keep us grounded, especially Steve Holland.
"We won't get too high about [beating Wales]. We'll be happy about the result, but we're just going to rest up and focus on the next one."
Lionel Messi saluted Argentina's character and determination, insisting they "strengthened" following his penalty miss to secure their crucial 2-0 World Cup win over Poland.
Lionel Scaloni's side booked their place in the last 16, bouncing back from Wojciech Szczesny saving Messi's spot-kick with second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez sending them through as Group C winners.
La Albiceleste, who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening match, have now reached the World Cup knockout stages for the 13th time in 14 appearances, and will play Group D runners-up Australia on Sunday.
"The team came out strengthened after that mistake of mine," said Messi, who surpassed Diego Maradona in playing the most World Cup games for Argentina (22).
"We knew that once the first goal went in it was going to change the game. The previous game gave us a lot of peace of mind and we went out on the pitch thinking we should win.
"The game with Australia is going to be very difficult. Anyone beats anyone, everything is very even. We have to prepare for the game in the best way we always do.
"We must be calm and go game by game. Now, another World Cup starts, and hopefully we can continue to maintain what we did today."
Nicolas Otamendi concurred: "This is a team that strengthens under pressure, it was demonstrated. Today we had a final, and we never lost focus."
While Rodrigo De Paul hailed the "personality" demonstrated by the squad, Mac Allister believes the performance will boost their belief heading into the knockout stages.
"I think today was a great team game, and that gives us a lot of confidence for what's coming," he said.
"It was a convincing performance. We look for the goal at all times. I think we went back to being the team we used to be. We handled the ball more, we had peace of mind, and we didn't despair. We played well collectively. It fills us with confidence."
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is excited by the prospect of Deshaun Watson making his debut for the team in Week 13 after serving his 11-game ban.
Watson was suspended for 11 games in August after the NFL ruled he had violated the league's personal conduct policy amid accusations of sexual assault and misconduct.
The quarterback, who was traded to the Browns in the offseason, practiced with the team for the first time two weeks ago, and is primed to make his bow against his former franchise the Houston Texans on Sunday.
With the 4-7 Browns keeping their slim playoff hopes alive with Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chubb hopes the quarterback can help them to a positive end to the season.
"We're all excited," Chubb said. "We've waited a long time for him to come back.
"He's special – he's a playmaker. He puts the ball exactly where he needs it go. Guys like that. The guys are excited."
Cornerback Denzel Ward echoed Chubb's thoughts regarding Watson, adding: "He's a great player. You can't go wrong with great players."
Having sat out the entirety of his final campaign with the Texans, Watson has not played a regular-season game since January 3, 2021, but linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah hopes he can hit the ground running.
"There's an excitement, for sure," he said. "We know what he can do with what we've seen so far. So we're looking forward to seeing him [play]."
For the first time in his illustrious career, an injury will prevent Los Angeles Rams seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald from taking the field.
Coach Sean McVay said on Wednesday that a high-ankle sprain suffered in the Rams' 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 will sideline Donald for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
This will be the first game the 31-year-old Donald will miss since Week 17 of the 2017 season, when the Rams rested a number of starters ahead of the playoffs. The only other game he missed in his nine-year career was Week 1 of the same season because of a contract holdout.
Despite missing those two games in 2017, he still won his first of three NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
Donald, who has five sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 11 quarterback hits and a forced fumble in 11 games this season, is the latest Rams star to be saddled with an injury, joining quarterback Matthew Stafford (concussion protocol) and 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp (high-ankle sprain).
Unlike Kupp, whose high-ankle sprain required surgery, Donald won't need surgery, and is considered week to week, according to McVay.
Although the injury isn't thought to be season-ending, there is a possibility the team ultimately decides to shut him down seeing as the Rams are essentially playing out the string.
Last Sunday's loss was the fifth straight for Los Angeles, dropping the defending Super Bowl champions to 3-8 – alone in last place in the NFC West.
Mexico fell painfully short of the last 16 of the World Cup as a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium left them behind Poland on goal difference.
Salem Al Dawsari's stoppage-time consolation sealed El Tri's elimination, although they were already on their way out by an even finer margin.
An inferior fair play record to Poland, who had already lost 2-0 to Argentina, was set to separate the sides until that point.
Mexico still had two minutes in which to add a decisive third to second-half strikes from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez, but the goal they had chased for so long proved beyond them.
Tata Martino's men perhaps paid for not making more of a first half they dominated, going closest when Mohammed Al Owais denied Alexis Vega in the third minute.
The second period initially went according to plan as Cesar Montes flicked Chavez's corner into the centre of the six-yard box, where Martin could not miss.
One quickly became two thanks to a sensational Chavez free-kick, but Hirving Lozano and substitute Uriel Antuna saw potentially precious goals ruled out for offside, leaving Mexico agonisingly short heading into stoppage time.
Full-time in the Poland match was followed by Al Dawsari strolling through to net an effort that ultimately meant little but felt like a heartbreaker for Mexico.
Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez helped Argentina secure their last-16 place with a 2-0 victory over Poland, despite Lionel Messi’s earlier penalty miss at Stadium 974.
La Albiceleste topped Group C while despite defeat, along with Mexico's 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia, the Poles snatched second place by virtue of a superior goal difference to El Tri.
Although Wojciech Szczesny brilliantly saved Messi’s first-half spot-kick, Mac Allister and Alvarez struck after the break as Argentina advanced from the group phase for the 13th time in 14 attempts.
However, due to Saudi Arabia's late goal against Mexico, Poland joined Argentina in the knockout stage courtesy of superior goal difference, progressing to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced defenseman Kris Letang will be out "indefinitely" after suffering a stroke on Monday, though his NHL career is not thought to be in doubt.
Letang was previously out of action for two months after suffering a stroke in 2014, with subsequent tests showing he was born with a small hole in the wall of his heart.
Speaking to the team's website, Pittsburgh's general manager Ron Hextall revealed the 35-year-old had suffered symptoms on Monday before undergoing testing, which will continue in the coming days.
"Kris reported symptoms to the training staff on Monday and was immediately taken to the hospital for testing," Hextall said.
"The test results were shocking to hear, but we are grateful that Kris is doing well. We are thankful to the medical staff and the physicians at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"He is a warrior on the ice, but first and foremost, he is a son, father, husband and friend. His health is our number one priority."
Letang, meanwhile, is optimistic he will make a swift return to action.
"I am fortunate to know my body well enough to recognise when something isn't right," Letang added. "While it is difficult to navigate this issue publicly, I am hopeful it can raise awareness.
"It is important for me that my team-mates, family and the fans know that I am okay. I am optimistic that I will be back on the ice soon."
Letang has spent the entirety of his 17-year career with the Penguins, playing 962 regular-season games, 543 of which have come since he suffered his first stroke eight years ago.
Ben Stokes remained non-committal on his England future in ODI cricket but refused to rule out a possible return for the Cricket World Cup in 2023.
The 31-year-old called time on his 50-over international career in July as he cited an "unsustainable" workload alongside his Test captaincy commitments and T20 interests.
Stokes subsequently guided England to their second T20 World Cup title with a vital 52 not out to help Matthew Mott's side to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the November 13 final.
The star all-rounder will turn his attention to the first Test against Pakistan, which will start on either Thursday or Friday depending on England's fitness after a viral outbreak in the tourist's camp.
But Stokes, speaking on Wednesday, left the door open for a potential return to 50-over cricket – the format in which he powered England to Cricket World Cup glory in 2019.
"[Rob Key] pulled me to the side and as soon as he said '50-over World Cup' I just walked away," the England Test captain said.
"Who knows? At the moment, being out here, my focus is solely on this series.
"Going to a World Cup is an amazing thing to do, to represent your country. But at the moment I'm not even thinking about that."
Next year's schedule leaves the opportunity for Stokes to reverse his retirement decision, given a large portion of England's contests are loaded into the front half of 2023.
A two-Test tour of New Zealand in February follows after three red-ball outings against Pakistan before the start of the Indian Premier League, which Stokes has put himself forward for in the draft.
England then face Ireland in a four-day Test as a warm-up for The Ashes at home against Australia, which will be finished by the end of July, with four T20Is to follow against New Zealand.
Should Stokes have a change of heart on his decision, six ODIs split between the Black Caps and Ireland across September would serve as a perfect warm-up for October's Cricket World Cup in India.
Fernando Hierro has hailed a "great generation" of youthful Spain and England talent shining at the World Cup, referencing the likes of Jude Bellingham and Gavi,
Bellingham, 19, and 21-year-old Saka have impressed in Qatar for England as Gareth Southgate's side secured progression to the knockout stage as Group B winners after Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Wales.
Spain are within touching distance of the knockout stage in the Middle East as well, needing to just avoid defeat against Japan on Thursday to qualify, while victory will take them through as Group E winners.
Bellingham has been ever-present and Saka scored twice for England in a 6-2 win against Iran, with Pedri, Gavi and Ferran Torres leading the way for Luis Enrique's side, much to Hierro's delight.
"I am surprised at the number of young kids with enormous talent who are feeling important in a World Cup, who are 19 or 20 years old, and that's incredible," Hierro told Stats Perform.
"It's something that I find hard to think about, that kids are so prepared with just 19 or 20 years in them and that they are playing as if they are 27 years old.
"They are very young players. Bellingham, Saka, Pedri, Gavi and Torres. It's incredible, unbelievable.
"The great generation of young boys. That speaks very well of the grassroots work that England and Spain have."
David Villa, a 2010 World Cup winner with Spain, echoed Hierro's sentiment but insisted Enrique's current crop should not be compared against the La Roja side that won FIFA's top tournament in South Africa.
"It would be a mistake if we compared the team all the time [to the 2010 one]," Villa told Stats Perform at the Adidas house in Doha.
"They are all good players, they are talented players, young players, they are great. They have a great team and if all the time we try to compare to the 2010 side, it is a mistake for me.
"We need to believe in these guys and believe they can do it."
On teenager Gavi, Villa added: "He is 18 years old. It is incredible the way that he has been playing, not just now, but the last year with the national team and with Barcelona at this age.
"So, his future is bright. I don't know what will happen with this player, but he will have an amazing career because at 18 years old, it is very difficult to show the things he is doing."
The likes of Andres Iniesta, Villa and Xavi have made way for Pedri, Gavi and Torres in Spain's youthful and exciting side, but one face remains the same.
Spain captain Sergio Busquets was part of Vicente del Bosque's World Cup-winning side and remains a key cog in Enrique's team – though that comes as no surprise to Villa.
"I think Busquets is the best player playing this position, for me, of all time," Villa continued.
"He showed in this World Cup that he has continued to be important for the national team, he continues to be important for the world of football. But you never know, to still be playing in four years' time is a lot."
While Villa believes Spain "have a chance" to win their second World Cup, the former La Roja striker suggested England are among the favourites for global glory.
"They have great players, they have a strong team," the 40-year-old said. "For me, I’ve said from the beginning, England are one of the favourites to take the trophy because the squad they have is amazing."
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has issued an apology to Lionel Messi after he accused the Argentina forward of disrespecting the Mexico flag in the World Cup.
The boxing superstar reacted furiously after a video from the dressing room following Argentina's 2-0 victory over Mexico appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot during the celebrations, which was on the floor.
Canelo declared "I ask God that I don't find him" but, having attracted criticism following his comments, has now backtracked and issued an apology to the Argentina captain.
"These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place for which I want to apologise to Messi and the people of Argentina," he posted on Twitter. "Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn.
"I wish both teams much success in their matches today and here we will continue supporting Mexico until the end."
Both sides went into the final round of matches in Group C with hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the competition, with Argentina tackling Poland and Mexico taking on Saudi Arabia.
Australia forward Mitchell Duke said "bring on whoever" when asked about taking on Lionel Messi or Robert Lewandowski in the World Cup round of 16.
The Socceroos progressed to the knockout stage of a World Cup for only the second time in their history, 16 years on from first doing so in 2006, by beating Denmark 1-0 on Wednesday.
Australia's victory at Al Janoub Stadium was required, with Tunisia stunning a much-changed France side in Group D's other game.
Messi's Argentina or Lewandowski's Poland are the most likely candidates to face Australia on Saturday, though Saudi Arabia could yet sneak through as Group C winners.
But whoever Australia have to face, Duke said they will be ready.
"Bring on whoever, I feel like we could take on anyone right now," he told reporters. "That's the belief, we go out with that mentality.
"Don't write us off. You can see there's something special building here, there's lot to be excited about."
Duke, who scored Australia's winner against Tunisia on matchday two, wants to make more history in Qatar, with the 31-year-old adding: "It doesn't really feel like it's sunk in quite yet.
"That's what some of the boys were saying when they walked in. 'Do we realise what we've just done?'
"Playing a part in history right now, we've got two clean sheets, six points out of a group with two world class teams. It's unbelievable, a lot of people would have written us off but the belief in our team is unbelievable.
"Everyone wrote us off, we've finished second in the group, it's massive and we're not done yet – we want to make history."
Australia captain Mat Ryan added that the team's unity is what has pushed them to successive World Cup wins for the first time.
"The pride of the whole group, we have such a great team – youngsters, leaders," Ryan said.
"The togetherness is our backbone, our identity and the foundation. The world keeps giving us reasons to be proud of ourselves.
"It's great to see we’re an ambitious group. We're enjoying the victory but the comments are already coming out – we want to keep going, keep having victories like this and go as deep as we can, make the nation as proud as we can.
"Everything's a collective, from front to back, the commitment from everyone. The ones who haven't got on yet, the ones who have, the ones who haven't played as much as the others, the mentality and attitude has been top class and that's what we strive for. Everyone sets the standards high."
It's officially Tony Finau's world. The rest of us are just living in it.
The 33-year-old continued his winning ways last month at the Cadence Bank Houston Open, steam rolling the competition en-route to a four-shot victory. It was his third PGA Tour victory over his last 30 starts after the Utah native won just once in his first 185 tournaments.
"This is definitely the most all parts of my game have been clicking, but I would say I've played a lot of good golf for a while," Finau said afterward. "I didn't have a lot of wins to show for it, but I've pieced together a game and that's what you have to do out here.
"I feel like I've been a very solid player for a long time, but it's exciting for me that I'm getting better and that's all I can ask of myself is try and get better in the areas that I really need to.
"And then remember why you are where you are. I think I don't go too far away from the DNA of my game and how I see the game and I think I'm kind of bearing the fruits of how I see the game now and I'm able to hit the shots that I can see, which is pretty cool."
The DNA of Finau's game has been easy to identify – putting and driving. Simple enough, right?
At the Houston Open, Finau finished with a 75 percent driving accuracy for the week, the fourth time in his five TOUR wins he's accomplished that feat.
Amazingly, it was the worst percentage among all his recent victories – he finished with a 76.8 percent accuracy at this year's 3M Open, a 78.6 percent accuracy at the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship, and a career-best 82.1 percent accuracy at the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this summer.
"Probably the best driving week I've had in my career, at least that's how I felt,” Finau said. "For the first time in my career I hit all 13 fairways, 100 percent of fairways in regulation. I've never done that in my career, so definitely drove the ball.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
