Had you ever imagined that Saudi Arabia, an Asian side competing in their sixth World Cup appearance, defeated Lionel Messi's team, a two-times world champion, a football's heavyweight Argentina. That's exactly what occurred unexpectedly when Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 in the opening game of the group stage on Tuesday on 22nd of November , marking the largest triumph in their football history. Argentina, who hit a roadblock earlier against the very Saudi in the competition however , defeated Mexico with both goals that came out of Lionel Messi ( 1goal & 1 assist). The 2-0 victory came at the risk of ending Argentina's tournament trip from the group stage had made them still alive in the competition.
Argentina's chances on move to further stage
Keep in mind that Argentina has not yet been eliminated from the group stage following the arrival of Lionel Messi in the team in the history of their world cup appearance. Messi's farewell and Argentina's chances of winning the World Cup are both considered as being significantly impacted by this moment in history. Will the Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, advance to the round of 16? Will they pass Robert Lewandowski's Poland? Every Argentine fans even the whole football followers are wondering the same thing.
Current Scenario in Group C
Lionel Messi's Argentina has been grouped with Saudi Arabia, Mexico & Poland in group C. Poland leads the standings after one win (2-0 against Saudi Arabia) and one draw (0-0 against Mexico). On the other hand, Argentina and Saudi Arabia, with 1 win & 1 lost both stands second and third respectively while Mexico is at the bottom with only 1 point with 1 draw & a loss.
The two group's final matches will be played simultaneously on Wednesday night. At 12:45 PM NST. Argentina will take on Poland, and Mexico will take on Saudi Arabia. What are the chances for the Argentina to make them it to the round of 16? Let's discuss it in three scenarios.
1st Scenario:
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
If Saudi (3 points) wins they will get +3 and become the first team to qualify for the round of 16 from group C with 6 points. Meanwhile Mexico will be out & either Argentina or Poland (only one team) will advance to the next round. Going through the above scenario Argentina (3 points) must win their match against Poland (4 points) at the end to qualify with 6 points. Incase of group toppers, the goal difference will matter as both Saudi & Argentina will have 6 points following the elimination of Mexico (1 points) & Poland (4 points). The final points table will look like this:
2nd Scenario:
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
If Saudi (3 points) & Mexico(2 points) plays a draw, Mexico (2 points) will be eliminated from the group stage being at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia with 4 points will move to second position. Going through the above scenario, even a draw against Poland could take Argentina to the next round with 4 points as group runners up in terms of goal difference with Saudi Arabia (equal 4 points), which drops down to 3rd. Poland will top the group with 5 points following the elimination of Mexico & Saudi Arabia. The final points table will look like this:
3rd Scenario:
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
If Mexico (1 points) beats Saudi Arabia (3 points) by more than 5 goals difference, they will move to the first place with 4 points (+3 GD) following the elimination of Saudi Arabia. Going through the above scenario, it will be a must win situation for Argentina against Poland again. Here Argentina will top the group with 6 points & Poland will be eliminated with equal 4 points as of Mexico by Goal difference. In case Mexico defeat Saudi by just 1-0 or 2-0 then Poland will advance to the next round even they lost against Argentina with the same 1-0 or 2-0 score line. The final points table will look like this:
Conclusion: Argentina must win the final group game against Poland to secure their place in the round of 16. If the game against Poland is drawn , Argentina should rely on the result of Mexico vs Saudi Arabia & that could lead the early exit of Messi's Argentina from the competition.
What if Argentina reach round of 16?
It won't be easy for Argentina, even they advance to the next round. Argentina will probably play Group D runners-up Denmark in the Round of 16 if they finish top in their group & if they finished as runners up they may face France, the defending world champions. Yes, the same France with whom Argentina lost a thrilling match with a score line of 4-3 in the last 16 of the previous edition.
Lionel Messi wants to end his career on a high note by winning the championship for his nation. He is currently on his final World Cup trip. As said a journey is more memorable when it's harder to complete. And off Couse Messi wants to prove himself one final time with this extraordinary adventure.