Mbappe takes France through the group stage; Argentina defeats Mexico thanks to Messi's masterpiece

Mbappe takes France through the group stage

Denmark proved that they are not an easy team to play against France. Before the match, coach Didier Deschamps recalled the two consecutive defeats of "Les Bleus" in the 2022 Nations League. The reigning World Cup champions had many difficulties against Denmark, but they still won thanks to the brilliance of Mbappe.

The striker, who is currently playing for PSG, scored twice in the 61st and 86th minutes, helping France defeat their tough opponents. Both goals showed the 23-year-old striker's best qualities: speed, ability to seize opportunities and accurate finishing.

In the first goal, Mbappe scored after a beautiful combination with Theo Hernandez on the left wing. This was a worthy reward for the striker born in 1998 after his efforts since the beginning of the second half.

Mbappe became France's hero in a 2-1 win over Denmark. Photo:Reuters.

In the 86th minute, Griezmann made a difficult cross for Mbappe to tap the ball into the net, raising the score to 2-1, putting an end to Denmark. Before that, the Nordic representative had equalized 1-1 in the 68th minute, after Andreas Christensen scored from a corner kick.

Coach Deschamps and his students became the first team at the 2022 World Cup to make it to the round of 16. Meanwhile, Denmark suffered many disadvantages before the final round of the group stage took place.

Germany challenges FIFA

At the press conference before the match between Germany and Spain, only coach Hansi Flick attended. "We have a 3-hour trip to come here to speak and I want the players to rest and recharge," the German captain justified.

Coach Flick attended the press conference alone. Photo: Reuters.

According to FIFA regulations, teams participating in the World Cup are obliged to hold a press conference one day before the match, with the head coach and one player present. This rule is stipulated in Article 44 of the tournament regulations.

However, coach Flick said he did not understand why the press conference was not allowed to be held at the hotel where the German team is staying. Therefore, he decided not to let any players appear in the press conference room at the Media Center. Marca said that Germany was the only team that decided to stay outside the World Cup area, more than 100 km away.

"We have great facilities to hold press conferences, but they don't allow us to speak there. So I decided to come here myself. My players are only thinking about the game against Spain," said the 57-year-old coach.

This action by the German team once again challenges FIFA. Previously, German players covered their mouths when taking souvenir photos before the opening match of the World Cup on November 23. This is considered a move by the "Tank" to protest FIFA's decision not to allow teams to wear the OneLove rainbow armband in support of the LGBT+ community. The German Football Association has made it clear that no players will be sent to the press conferences. This decision will likely result in them facing a fine from FIFA.

Argentina defeated Mexico thanks to Messi's masterpiece

In the match between Argentina and Mexico, Messi shone when he contributed a goal and an assist to help Argentina win 2-0.

Facing a very strong opponent with many superstars in the squad, Mexico chose a defensive counter-attacking strategy to limit Argentina's strength. The two explosive players Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria were constantly surrounded and blocked by Mexican defenders, preventing the superstar duo from showing their strengths.

Argentina defeated Mexico thanks to Messi's masterpiece.

Therefore, in the first 45 minutes, both teams went into the break with a 0-0 draw. In the second half, Lionel Messi showed his star quality when he made a dangerous long-range shot in the 64th minute to break the deadlock.

Not stopping there, in the 87th minute, Messi once again assisted Enzo Fernandez to shine, sealing the 2-0 result for the Tango team. With the 2-0 result, it opened up a great opportunity for Argentina to advance to the group stage. In the early match on the night of November 26, Australia won 1-0 against Tunisia. Poland defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 to take sole possession of the top spot.

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