Five conclusions from the France-Argentina seven goal thriller | OneFootball

We thought Portugal and Spain’s 3-3 draw in the group stage was going to be the best game this World Cup had to offer, but we were wrong.

Kylian Mbappé was the star of an absorbing encounter which lived up to its billing in Kazan on Saturday, and we won’t forget it in a hurry.

So before we probably bid farewell to Lionel Messi’s international career, here are five things we took away from France 4-3 Argentina …

Kylian Mbappé is a very fast man

It probably shouldn’t have come as a shock, but Mbappé’s acceleration through Argentina’s midfield before he was brought down for France’s early penalty was jaw-droppingly quick.

The second youngest player at the World Cup is 15 years younger than Javier Mascherano and in that moment, it really, really showed.

Mbappé has previously drawn comparisons with Thierry Henry and the boots he’s wearing at this tournament are an homage to the Brazilian great Ronaldo, but his sensational slalom across the Kazan Arena turf was perhaps more reminiscent of Michael Owen announcing himself to the world against Argentina at France ’98.

Coincidentally, that goal was scored exactly 20 years ago today but unlike Roberto Ayala, Marcos Rojo had no qualms about bringing his aggressor down and preventing what would have been an incredible goal for the ages.

The 19-year-old may not have scored on that occasion, but he took his two second half goals with the consummate aplomb of a seasoned veteran. If he hadn’t already arrived on the biggest stage before this game, he certainly has now.

Believe the hype about this kid. He’s special.

Was a penalty the right decision?

There is absolutely no doubt that Rojo fouled Mbappé, but should it have been a penalty or a free-kick on the edge of the box?

You could argue that the contact began outside the area but you could also argue that the vital touch which sent the Frenchman tumbling took place inside the 18-yard box.

It was a tough dilemma, and one which referee Faghani Alireza probably got right. You have to wonder whether, without the benefit of a video replay to correct him in the event of a mistake, the Iranian would have had the courage to point to the spot in that situation.

Moments later, Alireza had another tricky decision to make and he was again correct in awarding a free-kick on the edge of the box after Mbappé had again been fouled. But was Nicolás Tagliafico not the last man, and should he not, therefore, have been shown a red card?

Argentina’s miracles were not enough

Ángel Di María’s stunning strike on the stroke of half-time got Argentina back into a game they had no right to be in, and had Gabriel Mercado’s goal to make it 2-1 been the winner, it would have been nothing short of a travesty.

Jorge Sampaoli’s approach to this tournament has been the epitome of “all the gear, no idea” and his tactics in this game were utterly baffling.

The decision to deploy Lionel Messi as a false nine may not have been worst Sampaoli has ever made, but it meant La Albiceleste lacked a focal point up front and nullified their talisman’s threat by forcing him to drop into ineffective positions to get the ball.

But it was Sampaoli’s high defensive line which ultimately proved to be his side’s undoing, and it’s really difficult to get your head around what on earth he was thinking. Rojo and Nicolás Otamendi just couldn’t cope with the raw pace of France’s forward line and Les Bleus looked capable of scoring every single time they mounted a counter-attack.

The scoreline and the fact they found themselves 2-1 up at one point suggests Argentina were well in this game but in truth, they were second best by quite some distance.

Welcome to big school, Benjamin Pavard

If you thought your favourite goal of the tournament had already been scored, you may have been forced to think again this afternoon.

The technique of the strike and the spin Pavard imparted on the ball to send it flying past Franco Armani and into the net to make it 2-2 was a thing of sheer, unadulterated beauty and we might never get tired of watching it back.

And what a great moment it was for a young full-back who, two years ago, was virtually unknown in his homeland.

At the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Pavard had just finished a season in which he’d barely been able to get a game for Lille’s youth team and in 2016, he left France for then German second division side Stuttgart.

“One year ago, I was still a stranger [to the French national team],” he recently told the Bundesliga’s official website.

“I went abroad in 2016 without proving anything in my home country and was told that I’d made a bad decision when I signed for Stuttgart in the second division.

“But I went to Stuttgart to get minutes of action under my belt and to mature, and now I’m living a dream.”

Two years on and Stuttgart are back in the top flight and Pavard is scoring worldies at the World Cup. It just shows what can happen if you’re prepared to leave your comfort zone and put your mind to something.

We may have seen the world champions-elect today

They may have underwhelmed during the group stage and there’s still something not entirely convincing about Didier Deschamps as a coach, but you sense France will be difficult to stop from here on in.

If they are going to win the World Cup, they’re going to need to improve defensively, but in Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté they have probably the best performing midfield pairing at the tournament, while Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Blaise Matuidi (who will sadly miss the quarter-final through suspension) are really beginning to move through the gears.

The French were considered one of the pre-tournament favourites and today they reminded us why. They aren’t without their weaknesses, but their strengths could cause any opponent problems and we’re already looking forward to their next match.

And as for Argentina, well, in the end, they got what they deserved. Messi will end his career having never got his hands on the World Cup and that’s a real shame, but it was always going to be a big ask for a team coached by a man who ostensibly couldn’t handle the power at his disposal.

Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín and Paulo Dybala all started this game on the bench and with his side chasing goals in the dying stages, Sampaoli chose to throw on Maximiliano Meza. Staggering, really.

They were fortunate to get through their group but their luck ran out today and now, they’re off home.

That’s football.