Australia's plan to foil Lionel Messi did not come off, but Garang Kuol believes the Socceroos showed in this World Cup campaign they can compete with the best around.

After losing their opening game to France, Australia responded with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark, reaching a last-16 tie against Argentina.

Graham Arnold's side threatened an upset on Saturday, too, but eventually went down 2-1 after Messi inspired La Albiceleste to victory.

Socceroos coach Arnold said of Messi, who scored the opener: "Look, he's incredible, one of the greatest ever.

"We worked really hard to not be in awe of him, because of the great player he is, but he's remarkable.

"I had the privilege of playing against Diego Maradona and now of coaching against Lionel Messi on a few occasions.

"They're both wonderful players and Argentina should be so proud and happy they've produced players of that calibre."

Teenage winger Kuol, who at 18 became the youngest player to feature in a World Cup knockout match since Pele, could have netted a late leveller, only for Emiliano Martinez to block well.

"I was telling myself that I'd come on and score a goal, and Arnie was telling me to come on and do the same thing," Kuol said. "We had the same expectation.

"When I wasn't able to score, I was very disappointed, but we move on.

"I didn't really see much of it. I just turned around and tried to shoot. It was only when I saw the replay I could see the keeper rushed out. It's just a learning curve."

Although Australia came up short against both France and Argentina, Kuol felt their performances were evident of a narrowing gap between the Socceroos and their elite opponents.

"Yeah, 100 per cent," he said. "People think the people in Europe can fly or something, but we're all humans, we've all got two feet. It's all just about the passion and the heart."

Whether Arnold is the man to lead Australia into future meetings with Argentina and Co. remains to be seen.

"I haven't even thought about it," he said. "My contract is up and I just want to go away, have a good holiday, have a break and see what happens.

"I've worked extremely hard throughout this campaign, I did the Olympic team for nothing just to help these players come through.

"I need a break and a rest, then I'm sure I'll have good discussions with the federation."

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said his players were born to handle high-pressure World Cup contests after Lionel Messi led them to a 2-1 win over Australia in the last 16.

Messi scored his ninth World Cup goal – and his first in a knockout tie – as Argentina edged out Australia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday, with Julian Alvarez also getting on the scoresheet following a mistake from Mathew Ryan.

Argentina will now face the Netherlands for a semi-final place on Friday, a prospect which appeared unlikely when they began their campaign with a stunning defeat to Saudi Arabia 11 days ago.

Asked how the Albiceleste had managed to turn their tournament around, Scaloni said: "What I said before the Mexico match was that these guys were born to play these games.

"Argentina have played three games which were very intense, where being knocked out was a reality. But these players are capable. Sometimes the urgency and anxiety makes you feel different.

"Even if things happen like the Saudi Arabia game or the Australia goal today, we have to keep believing in our football. 

"There is no pressure in football, that's how I see it. Pressure is something else.

"If you've watched Argentina today, these are memories which will stay with you forever. You've seen these young players, and also Leo, playing beautifully."

The next hurdle for Argentina to overcome will be a heavyweight tussle with the nation they beat in both the 1978 World Cup final and the 2014 semi-finals.

While Scaloni acknowledges the Oranje's current crop may not be as easy on the eye as some of their predecessors, he expects a tough test against Louis van Gaal's men.

Asked about Van Gaal's qualities, Scaloni said: "I was a young player at Deportivo La Coruna when he was coaching at Barcelona. He's a great coach and many have to try to take a page from his book. It's a pleasure to face him at a World Cup.

"Today we saw the Netherlands match. They probably don't play as beautifully as some older Dutch teams, but they have very strong points that they will try to use.

"It will be a beautiful game between two historic national teams, and one will be knocked out, unfortunately."

Argentina are hopeful of receiving a fitness boost ahead of Friday, with Scaloni revealing Angel Di Maria – who was an unused substitute on Saturday after suffering a thigh injury – could return.

"I didn't think we were going to help anyone by bringing him on today," he said of Di Maria. "We hope that in the next few days he keeps evolving and he can make it for the next match."

Lionel Messi has now gone past Diego Maradona for World Cup appearances and goals – and the Argentina number 10 has pulled exactly level with his predecessor on two important statistics that showcase their creative brilliance.

Saturday's hard-fought 2-1 win over Australia carried Argentina into the quarter-finals, with Messi scoring the ninth World Cup goal of his career to put Lionel Scaloni's team 1-0 in front in the first half.

That nudged Messi ahead of Maradona's career haul of eight goals, while he has moved to 23 World Cup appearances during this tournament, two ahead of his late compatriot and fellow number 10 shirt wearer's previous national team record.

Messi is just one behind Gabriel Batistuta's record of 10 World Cup goals with Argentina, and he may have that in the back of his mind ahead of Friday's last-eight clash with the Netherlands.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward is picking off records as he goes during this tournament, and he will surely overtake two more Maradona marks in that clash with Louis van Gaal's team.

That is because Messi and Maradona are now exactly level when it comes to chances created and open play chances created at the World Cup.

They have both created 67 chances, and with each man, 48 of those chances have come about in open play, Opta data shows.

Messi created four chances in all against Australia, including a golden opportunity for Lautaro Martinez that the substitute ballooned wastefully late in the game as Argentina looked to put the game beyond their gallant opponents.

Where Maradona beats Messi is in goal assists. Maradona's eight from 1982 to 1994 beats Messi's haul of six assists to date, since his World Cup debut at the 2006 finals.

Maradona was the driving force behind Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph in Mexico, and later coached the national team, notably at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He died in November 2020 at the age of 60.

Saturday's game against Australia was the 1,000th of Messi's career for club and country.

Lionel Messi celebrated his first World Cup knockout stage goal on his 1,000th career appearance by showing appreciation for Argentina's fans as he helped his country reach the quarter-finals in Qatar.

Messi opened the scoring in Argentina's 2-1 win against Australia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday, with Julian Alvarez doubling the lead before an Enzo Fernandez own goal caused some late nerves.

Only Gabriel Batistuta (10) has scored more World Cup goals for La Albiceleste than Messi's nine, and the captain praised the efforts of travelling fans as his team advanced to face the Netherlands in the last eight.

"I am very happy for taking another step forward and achieving another objective," Messi said at a post-match press conference. "[Australia] were very strong and it was a difficult match, we knew it would be this way.

"We played very recently and didn't have much time to rest up, so we were concerned as we knew it would be a very physical match. Luckily we found the goal, and then at two goals ahead it was easier for us.

"I am very happy to share these beautiful moments with all the fans, I know the efforts they have made to be here with us in every match. The whole of Argentina would like to be here."

Messi made his 169th appearance for Argentina, to go with 778 at Barcelona and 53 at Paris Saint-Germain. To date, he has 789 goals and 338 assists across those 1,000 games, and Australia were the 129th team he has scored against in his career.

"This bond or union that we have with the fans is something beautiful, and that's what the national team should be," Messi said.

"We were excited and eager to be together with the people again. It's unbelievable, the passion and energy they transmit."

Lionel Messi marked his 1,000th career appearance with his first ever goal in the World Cup knockout stage as Argentina reached the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday.

Australia were content to frustrate their opponents at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, but Messi carved the Socceroos open in trademark fashion as half-time approached – picking out the bottom-left corner to net.

If Argentina's first goal was sublime, their second bordered on the ridiculous as Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan gifted possession to Julian Alvarez, who made no mistake to seal the win.

Australia halved the arrears when Craig Goodwin's effort deflected off Enzo Fernandez and beyond Emiliano Martinez, but Argentina never looked likely to be pegged back as they teed up a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands.

Argentina struggled to make any early headway as Graham Arnold's men defended resolutely, but La Albiceleste had their seven-time Ballon d'Or winner to thank when they took the lead with their first real attack.

With 35 minutes gone, Messi darted inside from the right wing to latch onto Nicolas Otamendi's lay-off before planting a neat side-footed finish beyond the despairing dive of Ryan. 

Messi saw an effort deflect into Ryan's arms as Argentina chased a second after the restart, but the goalkeeper was at fault as Argentina doubled their lead with 57 minutes gone.

Ryan inexplicably tried to dribble his way out of trouble when pressed by Rodrigo De Paul and Alvarez, and the Manchester City striker applied the simplest of finishes after stealing possession.

Australia reduced the deficit out of nowhere when Goodwin's long-range strike found the bottom-right corner via Fernandez, before Lisandro Martinez denied Aziz Behich a remarkable leveller with a fine last-ditch tackle.

Substitute Lautaro Martinez went close on three occasions before Emiliano Martinez denied Garang Kuol from point-blank range at the last, but Argentina clung on to seal their progress.

Lionel Messi was named in the Argentina line-up for the 1,000th match of his career on Saturday, but Angel Di Maria only made the bench.

La Albiceleste were facing Australia in the last 16 of the World Cup, with captain Messi reaching the 1,000 mark for games with club and country.

Di Maria, Argentina's big injury doubt, could not join his team-mate in the line-up, however.

The Juventus winger was substituted in the second half of the Group C win over Poland, and head coach Lionel Scaloni was still unsure of his status in Friday's pre-match news conference.

With Di Maria named among the Argentina substitutes, Sevilla's Papu Gomez came into the XI in the only change, perhaps indicating an alteration to the system or to Messi's role.

Graham Arnold also made a single change to his Australia side following their superb win against Denmark, replacing Craig Goodwin with Keanu Baccus.

Once every four years players from across the globe get a chance to perform on the world stage and force their way into the football zeitgeist.

Whether it is a young midfielder from Ghana who has been battling injuries the past couple of seasons, or a mercurial Dutch forward trying to push his way out of the Eredivisie, it is the perfect launchpad to alter the course of a player's career.

Stats Perform has identified four players who have lit up Qatar and, in turn, have seen their profile and transfer stock skyrocket, opening the door to a new world of possibilities come the January transfer window.

Take a look at these young leading lights...

Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands

Cody Gakpo has perhaps been the breakout star of the tournament, finding the back of the net in all three of the Netherlands' group matches.

Having spent his entire career with PSV, the 23-year-old six-foot-four forward took a huge step forward in the 2021-22 season when he shattered his best goal return, following up his 11 goals in the 2020-21 campaign with 21 last time out.

While those in the Netherlands set-up were waiting to see if he could replicate his terrific 12 months, he has taken another leap, with 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 combined Eredivisie and Europa League contests this term.

There were rumours in the most recent transfer window that Leeds United were among the clubs looking to lure Gakpo away from PSV for a fee in the range of €30million, but he opted to reject their contract offer in the hope of landing at one of Europe's biggest clubs.

That bet on himself has proven to be a masterstroke, with his performances on the Qatar stage well and truly putting him on the radar of Champions League sides including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, per Dutch journalist Marco Timmer.

He became the first player from any European nation since 2002 to score in each group match, while he also became only the second player to put his side 1-0 up in all three group fixtures.

Enzo Fernandez, Argentina

Just over six months ago, Enzo Fernandez was playing for River Plate back in Argentina, but just half a season after arriving at Benfica for a deal worth up to €18m, the attacking midfielder could be moving on to greener pastures.

Fernandez, 21, broke into the Argentina squad while still with River Plate, but did not receive his senior debut until September 24 this year.

His lead-up to the World Cup was strong enough to book his ticket to Qatar, and after coming off the bench in Argentina's first group-stage loss to Saudi Arabia, he came on and scored against Mexico, forcing his way into the starting XI before contributing an assist against Poland.

His rapid rise has not gone unnoticed, and Marca is reporting Benfica have slapped a €100m fee on their new star if any team wants to pry him away while his contract still has another four seasons locked in.

Real Madrid are one side said to be accepting of that figure, with Marca claiming they now view him as an alternative option to Borussia Dortmund and England prodigy Jude Bellingham.

Mohammed Kudus, Ghana

Ajax's Mohammed Kudus had begun to break out at the club level this season heading into the World Cup.

The 22-year-old central midfielder scored four goals – including one each against Liverpool and Napoli – while adding two assists in six Champions League fixtures.

After being awarded his first senior international cap for Ghana back in 2019, he was spotted at Danish side Nordsjaelland and brought over to Ajax for a €9m fee in 2020.

He missed extended stretches of both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns through injuries, and still has not been used as a guaranteed starter this season, but his emergence on the World Cup stage has been undeniable.

Against South Korea, Kudus delivered Ghana their only win of the group as he found the back of the net twice in a 3-2 triumph, and it was a performance that is said to have caught the eye of European powerhouses.

Fichajes named Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as interested parties, and Sports Illustrated believe his price will be around £90m.

Harry Souttar, Australia

Australia have now qualified for five World Cups in a row, but after not winning a game at both the 2014 and 2018 editions, they had centre-back Harry Souttar to thank for finally taking three points against Tunisia.

Souttar, 24, stands at a towering six-foot-six and showed off an impressive ability to cover ground in a hurry when he was called upon for a potentially game-saving, last-man challenge to defend Australia's 1-0 lead.

It was one of the most spectacular defensive efforts of the tournament so far and one that will go down in Australian football folklore, and it is even more significant when taking into account his recent history.

Tipped as a potential £20m transfer target late in 2021, Souttar then tore his ACL and missed 12 months of action, returning to the field in time to get three games under his belt with Stoke City before jetting off to the World Cup.

While he could be forgiven for needing time to work his way into form, he has instead started all three group games and been the Socceroos' top performer, including his stellar efforts in a second clean sheet against Denmark to help his side through to the knockout stage.

Clearly back to the player he was before his injury – at least – Souttar's showings on the world stage have been the kind that can take a career to a new level.

Lionel Messi will walk out the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium tunnel on Saturday with the expectations of millions on his shoulders when Argentina face Australia in the last 16 of Qatar 2022.

That is nothing new, of course, for this will be the 1,000th match of a remarkable career that may yet to have peaked – though that will depend on whether Messi can inspire his country past Australia and all the way to World Cup glory.

Now aged 35, Messi has already accepted this will be his final chance to lift the most famous trophy of them all, a little over a year on from helping La Albiceleste end their 28-year wait for a major title with Copa America success.

Ahead of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's milestone match, Stats Perform looks at the numbers behind his previous 999 appearances for club and country – and why the next two weeks could yet define his career.

Barca Breakthrough

October 16, 2004. It would not be hyperbolic to suggest this was a day that football as we know it changed, with a 17-year-old Messi replacing Deco from the substitutes' bench in Barcelona's 1-0 win over city rivals Espanyol.

In a sign of the mini maestro's longevity, he has since played alongside two players born after his Barcelona debut – Warren Zaire-Emery and El Chadaille Bitshiabu, born in March 2006 and May 2005 respectively.

Both teenagers are on Paris Saint-Germain's books, where Messi is now plying his trade after ending his two-decade association with Barcelona in emotional circumstances in August 2021.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Messi's career appearances came during his 17 seasons at Camp Nou. He featured 778 times for Barca, scoring a staggering 672 goals and assisting 265, which amounts to 937 direct-goal involvements.

He made more appearances against Real Madrid than any other opponent, playing 47 times against Barca's fiercest rivals.

Good times under Guardiola

Barcelona's inability to offer Messi a new contract due to their dire financial situation allowed PSG to pounce. After an underwhelming first campaign in Paris, the superstar forward has found his form this term.

Messi has featured 53 times for the Parisians to date and has scored (23) and assisted (28) a combined 51 goals – just short of one goal involvement every match on average.

He has already had two different managers at the Parc des Princes, with Christophe Galtier having replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the hot seat. That takes the number of head coaches Messi has worked under to 19.

It was under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, between 2008 and 2012, that Messi played his most games as he featured on 219 occasions under the Catalan and scored 211 times.

Luis Enrique is next on that list (158 games), followed by Ernesto Valverde (124) and Frank Rijkaard (110), the man who gave him his debut against Espanyol.

1,000 not out

Some 18 years and 48 days on from that first appearance comes match number 1,000 for club and country – and what a truly huge occasion it is for Messi and Argentina, who recovered from a slow start in the group phase to advance.

Messi has featured in 22 previous World Cup matches – one more than Diego Maradona as the most ever for an Argentina player – scoring eight times and assisting six more. 

Incredibly for a player of his game-changing quality, Messi has yet to score in the knockout stages of the World Cup – 23 efforts, zero goals. Interestingly, the same is also true of archenemy Cristiano Ronaldo (25 shots without a goal).

The aim for Messi will be to put that right against Australia on what will be his 169th senior cap, 17 years on from his senior international bow against Hungary, which came just 10 games into his career for club and country.

And while it will be a special occasion for Messi, the man many consider to be the greatest of all time will hope to make it to 1,003 matches before Argentina's Qatar campaign concludes.

Should that be the case and Argentina go on to lift the World Cup for the first time since 1986, a centre-stage Messi will have the defining moment of a truly special career that still has some way to go yet.

Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul believes Argentina are starting to "perform like the national team we are accustomed to" as they prepare for Saturday's World Cup last-16 showdown with Australia.

Argentina arrived in Qatar as one of the tournament favourites only to be the victims of a stunning upset in their opening game, going down 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.

Wins over Mexico and Poland have got their campaign back on track, and with a favourable draw ahead of them, De Paul was in bullish mood.

"You always learn from defeats and we found ourselves in a position that was unusual," he said. "But we have shown a lot of character and personality.

"We never changed what got us here. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it doesn't but in the second half against Mexico we began to see the national team we are accustomed to, and we showed that for the full 90 minute against Poland." 

The Atletico Madrid man came in for criticism for his performance against the Saudis but says his love for the shirt is undimmed.

"I am proud to wear the shirt of Argentina and I love the country where I was born," he added.

"I will defend the shirt until I die and I will always give my all. Sometimes things go better or worse, but I will never hide. This is what brought me here."

After finishing their game against Poland approaching midnight local time on Wednesday, Argentina will be back in action on Saturday evening against the Socceroos, a turnaround coach Lionel Scaloni described as "not right".

And he may have to do without winger Angel Di Maria, who was substituted after 59 minutes against the Poles.

"He felt something in his quadriceps and we preferred to take him off," said Scaloni. "Everyone knows how important he is, it's not worth leaving a player on the pitch who could make an injury worse."

Argentina will go into the game as overwhelming favourites against an Australia side that defied expectations to emerge from a group that also contained France, Denmark and Tunisia.

Socceroos defender Bailey Wright cut an emotional figure following their 1-0 win over the Danes with his mother-in-law seriously ill at home.

"It means a lot, I want to dedicate this to my wife, for her mum. To be honest, I’m not sure if she’s still with us," he said through tears.

"It’s been a really tough time back home but ultimately they made it possible for me to be here and to live one of my dreams. So I dedicate that to her. I hope she’s still with us.

"It’s something I’ve kept to myself. We’ve all had a lot going on. [I've got a] job to do, got to be a professional all the time."

Sunderland defender Wright came on in the 74th minute to make his World Cup debut and was tasked with helping preserve a narrow lead provided by Mathew Leckie's left-footed strike on the hour mark.

"I knew Arnie [coach Graham Arnold] had in the back of his mind that he was potentially going to change things. It’s pretty special, it’s my second World Cup and to get on is special," he added.

"Achieving what we’ve achieved with that performance and the rewards you’re seeing now are for the efforts of the last four years.

"When we set out on this journey, Arnie said our togetherness would help us make history. The sacrifices staff and players have had to make, a lot of people wouldn’t have seen those – people isolating, being away from family for weeks, months.

"There’s a lot of people who aren’t here who have put that work in, but you’ve always felt the sense of togetherness, that your mate has got your back, it’s 11 brothers out there, whoever comes on. It’s pretty special to be part of that. It’s hard to put into words, it’s a real feeling."
 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Argentina - Alexis Mac Alister 

Brighton playmaker Mac Allister was named man of the match in the win over Poland, primarily for his opening goal which settled Argentinian nerves.

Having not started the opening game against Saudi Arabia, Mac Allister has played the last two and has profited from the space created by teams focusing their efforts on stopping Lionel Messi.

Australia - Mathew Leckie

Leckie scored his 14th goal for Australia in all competitions (first at the World Cup) against Denmark. His importance is demonstrated by the fact that's at least five more than any other player in the squad.

PREDICTION

Argentina's gradual improvement since their shocking second-half display against Saudi Arabia means they are finally performing like one of the pre-tournament favourites. Australia are hard-working, honest and determined but it's virtually impossible to think the Socceroos' journey won't end on Saturday.

Stats Perform's AI model gives Graham Arnold's men just a five per cent chance of causing an upset with Argentina rated an 81.8 per cent chance. A draw is just a 13.2 per cent chance.

Graham Arnold believes his Australia side can deliver this World Cup's latest upset win when they face Lionel Messi's Argentina on Saturday.

There have been no shortage of shocks at this tournament, with the Socceroos' Group D defeat of Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark among them.

That victory set up a last-16 tie against Argentina, who were themselves on the wrong end of a surprise result when they lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia.

Australia have enjoyed some success against La Albiceleste in the past, too. Coach Arnold was part of the only senior Socceroos team to beat Argentina back in 1988, although their Olympic team added another triumph last July.

"I just think Argentina bring the best out of Australia," said Arnold on the eve of this latest meeting.

"Our performances every time against Argentina have been very strong and very good, and we go into the game with a lot of belief and a lot of energy. We focus on ourselves and our job."

Harry Souttar was perhaps Australia's standout performer of the group stage and added: "We've already surprised a few people with the results we've had, so we're looking to go and surprise a few more."

Indeed, surprises are perhaps even more likely now in the knockout stage, as Arnold suggested.

"The group games are past us now. It's a whole new ball game," he said. "It's a one-off game, and anything can happen in one-off games.

"There's no disrespect to Argentina at all, but it's 11-v-11, it's 10 blue shirts against 10 yellow shirts, and it's a battle, it's a war. We've got to fight that."

Regardless, Australia remain very much the "underdogs", but that tag suits Arnold, who dismissed the suggestion of any fatigue setting in.

"Everyone's an underdog until you have success," he said. "Nearly everyone in the world at some stage in their life has been an underdog. It's until you have success that you're seen as [that].

"Australia's the underdogs and we love that. We love having our backs to the walls and nobody giving us a chance and going out and fighting the Aussie spirit way. That's our strength."

Lionel Scaloni has not yet had time to assess Angel Di Maria's fitness as Argentina prepare to take on Australia in the last 16 of the World Cup.

Di Maria was substituted in the second half of Argentina's vital Group C victory over Poland on Wednesday.

Having played in the late match, with opponents Australia through earlier in the day, La Albiceleste have little time to recover ahead of Saturday's match.

Scaloni has described the situation as "absurd", with the Socceroos enjoying precious additional hours of rest despite finishing second in their pool.

Now, as Argentina prepare to return to training late on Friday, Scaloni's focus is on seeing how key man Di Maria is faring.

When a report of the winger's injury was relayed to the coach in his news conference, he replied: "You know more than I do.

"I didn't know Di Maria had a contracture. He felt some discomfort, but contracture? That's new. You have more information than I do.

"Let's wait for today and for tomorrow."

Thursday had been spent resting – described by Rodrigo De Paul as "the first day I could really enjoy being here" – but there is no complacency around the upcoming match.

"Whether [Australia] are inferior or not, we need to see that. I don't fully agree," Scaloni said.

"They are a good team, and this is football. It's 11 versus 11, and this is the reality. We need to leave aside the 'favourites' tag and play the game. Our idea is to play like in the last games."

He added: "As we've been saying all along, we will break our backs on the pitch in this World Cup. We will be there to compete.

"We know how difficult this World Cup is. This is football, we've seen this yesterday and in previous games. For me, these are not surprises.

"When we think about big national teams, we think they should always be in the next phase, but sometimes that does not occur. Things get turned around. That's what happens in football."

As well as a repeat performance from the Poland game, Scaloni hopes to see the atmosphere replicated, too.

"I hope tomorrow can be similar to the match with Poland, because it felt like we were playing back in Argentina," the coach said.

Lionel Messi says he did not disrespect Mexico during post-match celebrations following Argentina's World Cup victory last week after incurring the wrath of Canelo Alvarez.

Messi helped Argentina bounce back from a shock opening defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Qatar with a 2-0 win at Lusail Stadium on Saturday.

Video footage appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot in the dressing room after that win, prompting a furious response from Canelo, though the boxing superstar later apologised for his comments.

Messi does not believe he did anything wrong and has nothing to apologise for.

"It was a misunderstanding," he stated. "Those who know me know that I don't disrespect anyone. These are things that happen in the locker room after the game.

"I don't have to ask for forgiveness because I didn't disrespect the people of Mexico or the jersey."

Argentina wrapped up their Group C campaign with a 2-0 victory over Poland, with Mexico crashing out despite a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Scaloni's side will face Australia in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Lionel Messi says Diego Maradona would be "super happy" after he overtook the late Argentina great as his country's most capped player at a World Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi played a full part in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Poland that secured Argentina top spot in Group C and a last-16 tie with Australia.

Messi, who had a penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny with the game level, was making his 22nd appearance in the competition – one more than his former coach Maradona.

"I only learned about this record recently," Messi said when told about his latest achievement. "It's a pleasure to be able to continue achieving these kinds of records.

"I think Diego would be super happy for me because he's always showed me a lot of affection. He was always happy when things went well for me."

Messi could yet take another record from Maradona, as the 63 chances he has created at World Cups in recorded history is second only to his compatriot, who created 67.

The 35-year-old's blank against Poland came on the back of netting in the shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia and 2-0 win over Mexico in Argentina's opening two games in Qatar.

The seven shots he amassed against Poland is his highest tally without scoring in a match for Argentina since a 1-1 draw with Iceland at the 2018 World Cup (11).

Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez ensured Argentina secured the win they needed, though, and they are now strong favourites to overcome Australia.

"After the first goal, everything went our way," said Messi, who was part of the Argentina squad that finished runners-up to Germany at the 2014 World Cup.

"We started doing again what we had been trying to do since the start of the World Cup, but which we hadn't been able to achieve for various reasons.

"Having been able to do it today, it gives us confidence for the future."

Messi will be looking to score in the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time on Saturday, with all eight of his previous goals coming in the group stage.

He has had 23 efforts without finding the net beyond the first round, though he did assist in the last 16 in each of the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions.

Wojciech Szczesny made a bet with Lionel Messi during Poland's World Cup clash against Argentina that the referee would not award a penalty, the goalkeeper has revealed.

The Juventus stopper denied Messi from the spot in the first half of Poland's 2-0 defeat in Group C following a controversial decision, where Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after watching the incident following VAR advice.

Szczesny was among those convinced that it should not have been a penalty, even going as far as to make a bet with Messi during the delay of the game – though he has no intention of paying up.

"We spoke before the penalty. I told him I can bet him €100 that he [the referee] wasn't going to give it. So, I've lost a bet against Messi," he said after the match.

"I don't know if that's allowed at the World Cup and I'm probably going to get banned for it but I don't care right now. And I'm not going to pay him either! He doesn't care about €100, come on."

Szczesny's denial of Messi from the spot saw the Polish stopper become only the third goalkeeper to save two penalties at a single World Cup tournament, excluding shoot-outs, having kept out Saudi Arabia's Salem Al Dawsari in the previous round of fixtures.

His celebrations were muted, however, due to the tight contest in Group C to advance to the knockout stage – with Poland only advancing ahead of Mexico on goal difference.

"Yeah it was nice, I didn't know at the time it was going to help us get through so I tried not to celebrate," he added.

"But I've had some bad luck at the big tournaments so far, the World Cup four years ago was awful for me and I owed this much to the team and in the last two games I managed to help them a little bit."

Poland will face defending champions France at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday in the nation's first appearance in the knockout stage since 1986.

Czeslaw Michniewicz defended Robert Lewandowski's display after Poland inched into the World Cup's last 16 despite losing to Argentina in Wednesday's dramatic Group C finale.

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez ensured Argentina recovered from Lionel Messi's first-half penalty miss to top Group C, leaving Poland glancing nervously at Mexico's fixture against Saudi Arabia.

Poland were set to beat Mexico to second place due to their disciplinary record for much of the second half, but Saudi Arabia's late consolation in a 2-1 defeat ensured El Tri exited the tournament on goal difference.

Despite Poland advancing from their World Cup group for the first time since 1986, Lewandowski was criticised after failing to record a single shot in the match, but Michniewicz believes he was hamstrung by a lack of service.

"He was very much involved and committed, I'm not attacking anyone from our team, but we didn't help him," Michniewicz said.

"If our team would have had the higher percentage of possession, if Messi played with us and Robert with them, I'm convinced Robert scores five.

"Robert needs conditions, he needs to be assisted, and he was acting in our half. There were so many players covering him. 

"He's a great player and there were several one on ones. Messi didn't score, did he? That's all. 

"I think we're expecting Robert to score. He wanted to but we didn't have the opportunity for that."

Before Salem Al Dawsari reduced the arrears for Saudi Arabia, Poland held a narrow disciplinary advantage over Mexico – picking up five yellow cards across their group games to El Tri's seven.

Asked whether he told his team to concentrate on avoiding bookings late on, Michniewicz added: "I said to avoid stupid cards. 

"We were also discussing it on the bench, we were afraid one of the players would get a card and then we wouldn't go through. 

"Cards from the bench weren't going to count, we were told, but we were doing everything possible to avoid provocation."

While Poland failed to record a shot on target during a meek performance, Michniewicz was visibly irked by criticism of his side, choosing to relish their qualification after failed group-stage campaigns in 2002, 2006 and 2018.

"We got promoted after so many years, we played this difficult group. Let's enjoy. We still have until Sunday to criticise," he said. "Were you watching the match? What can I say? We've lost, it wasn't nice football, but it's bittersweet."

Eager to call time on his media duties, Michniewicz added: "It's really late, the prime minister is calling and I can't answer!"

Poland will now face world champions France for a quarter-final spot at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday, while Argentina will take on Australia on Saturday.