France vs Argentina Highlights - World Cup 2018, Head to Head in History

Rosemary December 15, 2022 | 10:09

France vs Argentina was was one of the best games at World Cup Russia 2018. Let's take a look at the match recap before the final match of World Cup Qatar 2022 where the two teams will face off again.

World Cup 2018: France vs Argentina Review. Photo Goal

The meeting in 2018 was one of the best games at Russia 2018 with the sense of potential guard changing as Mbappe starred and Messi was left frustrated. Let’s look back at France-Argentina World Cup 2018 match.

Les Bleus had more energy across the pitch and an Mbappe quickfire double after the hour mark took the game away from Argentina, despite Sergio Aguero's late consolation.

France went into defensive mode for their remaining knockout games, but the dynamism of their win over Argentina four years ago, remains as one of Didier Deschamps' best results as head coach.

France vs Argentina at World Cup 2018: When and where?

France and Argentina kicked off the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on June 30, when two of the favourites for the title meet in Kazan, Russia.

Les Bleus went unbeaten in Group C, while La Albiceleste narrowly escaped from Group D.

♦ Video Highlights: France 4 - 3 Argentina at World Cup 2018:

France vs Argentina at World Cup 2018: Lineup

France (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Hernandez, Pogba, Kante, Mbappe, Griezmann, Matuidi, Giroud.

Argentina (4-3-3): Armani; Mercado, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico, Perez, Mascherano, Banega, Pavon, Messi, Di Maria.

France vs Argentina at World Cup 2018: What was the result?

France have won Argentina with the result 4-3.

Who scored the goals?

France Goals From:

Antoine GRIEZMANN-13'

Benjamin PAVARD-57'

Kylian MBAPPE-64'

Kylian MBAPPE-68'

Argentina Goals From-41'

Angel DI MARIA-48'

Gabriel MERCADO-90'+3'

What happened at the match?

Photo the mirror

Lionel Messi stared off blankly with trademark opacity while a billion or so Earthlings accustomed to watching him might have wondered which thoughts coursed behind that absurdly famous face. The fourth World Cup venture of the player widely deemed the world’s best had wound up kaput sooner than any of the other three, which had gone quarterfinal, quarterfinal and final.

Yet somehow, as a player who just reached 31 might have surmised a final trudge away, a player who hasn’t yet reached 20 supplied a bouquet of scenes that also matter globally. At the moment when France’s charismatic Kylian Mbappe followed one of the two goals he scored and the three he caused by sliding on his knees with his arms folded, the 19-year-old stated his grandest “Here I am” to date.

10 minutes: Kylian Mbappe takes up the lost ball and dashes towards Argentina's goal, Rojo. Mascherano attempts to stop him, but he's too quick, and Rojo ultimately knocks him down in Argentina's box, earning a penalty.

1st HALF

13 mins: Goal! Griezmann puts France ahead from the spot!

19 mins: Nicolás Tagliafico receives a yellow card for a nasty foul.

41 mins: DI Maria has the ball, and no one is closing in on him as he attempts the shot; GOAL! Another Di Maria special. Argentina equalizes before halftime.

43 mins: Javier Mascherano receives a yellow card for a hard tackle.

45 mins: The halftime whistle has been blown. Both nations are poised in the first half, and the second half will hopefully settle their fates.

2nd HALF

48 mins: GOAL! Argentina takes the lead. Lionel Messi fires a shot that takes a deflection off Gabriel Mercado, and the ball flies past Lloris from the bottom right corner.

57 mins: GOAL! Benjamin Pavard unleashes a super side footed strike from the right, to bring France back into the game. Score is 2-2.

64 mins: GOAL!! Kylian Mbappe scores the game's first goal, driving past Otamendi and sliding the ball into the goal from the left side of the area.

66 mins: Substitution for Argentina. Sergio Agüero replaces Enzo Pérez.

68 mins: GOAL!! Argentina's dreams of a comeback have been shattered as Kylian Mbappe doubles France's advantage with a powerful strike to the bottom left corner. France are 4-2 up.

70 mins: Argentina poses a danger but lacks the cutting edge.

75 mins: Substitution for France! Blaise Matuidi has been replaced by Corentin Tolisso.

80 mins: Argentina will need two more goals to force extra time, and their luck is slipping out.

90 mins: Five minutes extra time has been given.

93 mins: GOAL! Messi whips in a cross, Aguero rises the highest and heads home, and Argentina are back in the game. Maybe it's too late for Argentina.

95 mins: The final whistle is blown by the referee. France upsets Argentina 4-3 in this World Cup match, putting an end to Messi's World Cup hopes. Lionel Messi and his teammates have suffered yet another disappointment in their quest for an international championship.

Final Whistle: France 4-3 Argentina

Mbappe scored twice and Messi recorded two assists as France beat Argentina 4-3 in the round of 16 in Russia four years ago.

Messi was on the scoresheet nine years earlier in 2009 - the last time that Argentina beat France.

Comments: An incredible game to light up the knockout stage

The fact that Argentina even had a chance with the last kick of the game shows how much grit and determination there was in that team who were bereft of organisation or a coherent philosophy. Sampaoli surely won't survive and this could be the end of an era for an aging squad.

For France, you'd struggle to argue the defence was at fault for any of the goals conceded and in attack they can strike the fear of God into opposition. They're odds will have just shortened but it's a tricky route to the final. Still, the French have arrived at this tournament.

Why did Argentina lose to France in FIFA World Cup 2018?

Photo Getty

Lots of reasons were pointed out by football fans

1. Disorganized defense - Argentina’s back line was a mess. Pushing up too far left Armani all alone in goal on French counterattacks, leading to the penalty on Mbappe that Griezmann scored. The second French goal was scored because of the defense’s failure to mark the trailing French players on the far post, leaving a wide open space for French defender Benjamin Pavard to shoot from outside the box (a wonderful shot, too). The third goal was caused by an ineffective clearance, but there’s not much they could’ve done about that one. The fourth goal was a lack of organization in the back coupled with the pace of the French strikers that allowed them to move the ball from goal to goal in a matter of seconds, with Mbappe getting on the end of it and calmly slotting it into the back of the net.

2. Inability to push the ball - the midfield couldn’t penetrate the French midfield and defense. The center backs had a few miscommunications at the beginning of the match with Messi drawing them out, but after that they held their line well for the rest of the match. Di Maria played well on the left side, and was the main player who created anything for Argentina. His goal was only possible because the French line got caught too far back off the throw in, leaving him with space to shoot and no one closed him down. The second goal, off the free kick, was a good play by Messi who was standing in the back of the box, ready to clean up if the ball sailed too far. His shot was redirected by Mercado and Hugo Lloris could only watch it go by. Other than those set pieces, in the regular field of play Argentina could not create much against the French defense.

3. Lack of striker presence - Sergio Agüero should have started this game. I believe that if he did, or at least was subbed on earlier, Argentina could have equalized and taken the match to extra time (or even won in 90 minutes). In the first half, when Argentina pushed forward, there was a huge, gaping hole in the middle of the field, where there was no Argentine in sight. They played in a large curve, with players on both flanks and near the center circle. With no one in that area between midfield and goal, there was no target in the middle to pass the ball into, so players were forced to try to dribble into the box on their own. With the addition of Agüero, there was someone always in the box as a target man. This led to Messi’s ball into the box that set up Agüero’s goal in the 93’. With a striker playing in the box, the players would have had an outlet when they pushed forward, and Argentina could have created more chances.

4. French pace - the pace of the French strikers was too much for Argentina to handle, as the defense was consistently burned by Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann on counterattacks.

Argentina vs France Head to Head in History

Argentina and France have played each other at three previous World Cups in 1930, 1978 and 2018.

The first two meetings, in 1930 and 1978, came at the group stages, with Argentina coming out on top, but France's win in Russia was their first knockout stage clash.

Heading into their 2018 tie, Argentina had a clear edge on France, in World Cup meetings, but the prospect of knockout football changed the dynamic.

In terms of overall record, the two teams have faced off 12 times in their respective histories, with six Argentina wins, three draws, and three Les Bleus victories.

Mbappe's brace in that game makes him the top scorer in World Cup games between the two teams, with Benjamin Pavard and Antoine Griezmann also on target in 2018, as the former netted the goal of the tournament.

France have only won three of their previous 12 meetings, while Argentina have been victorious on six occasions

Argentina vs France: Previous meetings

Date	Competition	Result	Scorers
June 30, 2018	World Cup (Round of 16)	France 4 Argentina 3	Griezmann (13'-pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68'); Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90')
February 11, 2009	Friendly	France 0 Argentina 2	Gutierrez (40'), Messi (83')
February 7, 2007	Friendly	France 0 Argentina 1	Saviola (15')
Mar 26, 1986	Friendly	France 2 Argentina 0	Ferreri (15'), Vercruysse (80')
June 6, 1978	World Cup (Group stages)	Argentina 2 France 1	Pasarella (45'- pen), Luque (73'); Platini (60')
Jun 26, 1977	Friendly	Argentina 0 France 0	N/A
May 18, 1974	Friendly	France 0 Argentina 1	Kempes (22')
Jun 25, 1972	Friendly	Argentina 0 France 0	N/A
Jan 12, 1971	Friendly	Argentina 2 France 0	Laraignee (4' - pen), Madurga (75')
Jan 8, 1971	Friendly	Argentina 3 France 4	Brindisi (55'), Nicolau (73'), Laraignee (90' - pen); Loubet (3'), Djorkaeff (50' - pen), Lech (64'), Revelli (89')
June 3, 1965	Friendly	France 0 Argentina 0	N/A
July 15, 1930	World Cup (Group stages)	Argentina 1 France 0	Monti (81')

France's records at World Cup

Kylian Mbappe: France's record-breaking, history-making goal-scoring machine

Kylian Mbappe's goal-scoring exploits have become the topic of hot conversation in Qatar, not least because they have seen him match some of the greats of the game.

The 23-year-old scored his fifth goal of FIFA World Cup 2022 against Poland.

The only players with more goals at a single men's World Cup before turning 24 were Brazil's Pele, Mario Kempes of Argentina and Colombia's James Rodriguez who all netted six.

Mbappe has now scored nine World Cup goals in 15 appearances, one more than Pele who previously held the record for most goals in the men's competition before turning 24.

With that number the Frenchman has now surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, who has eight World Cup goals to his name with Lionel Messi - currently sharing the lead with Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot - up to 11 goals.

Has Kylian Mbappe won a World Cup?

Paris Saint-Germain hot-shot Mbappe made his tournament bow in Russia, as Deschamps deployed him alongside Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud.

His role in driving France on in Russia kicked off with a winning goal in their 1-0 group-stage win over Peru, before he scored twice in the 4-3 last-16 victory against Lionel Messi's Argentina.

However, his crowning moment came in the 4-2 final glory against Croatia, where his late strike made him only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, after Pele in 1958.

Steve Mandanda: oldest ever player to represent the French national football team

At 37 years and 247 days old, French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda became the oldest player in history to represent France when he started for Les Bleus against Tunisia on Wednesday 30 November.

France make ninth FIFA World Cup quarter-finals

As one of the 13 teams to compete in the first football World Cup in 1930 France has a rich history when it comes to the tournament.

Since their debut, 'Les Bleus' have only failed to qualify for the event four times (1970, 1974, 1990 and 1994).

France reached the quarter-finals for the ninth time in Qatar, reaching that stage at three consecutive editions (2014, 2018 and 2022) for the first time.

Victory over Morocco saw the French win their fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final having lost their first three.

How many times has France won the World Cup?

France's glory in Russia in 2018 crowned them as world champions for a second time, 20 years on from their iconic first World Cup win in Paris in 1998.

Deschamps captained a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Les Bleus side on home soil in '98, and their win was hailed for its impact on improving multiculturalism and diversity within the host nation.

Should France triumph in 2022, they'd become just the fourth nation to win the World Cup three times - a feat Argentina are also looking to match.

Argentina's records at World Cup

How many World Cups have Argentina won?

Argentina has won two FIFA World Cup titles in the country's illustrious footballing history, behind only Brazil's world-best five and level with Uruguay amongst South American nations.

La Albiceleste won their first World Cup title in 1978 as hosts. They won a second title two World Cups later as Diego Maradona led Argentina to glory in the 1986 edition hosted by Mexico. This tournament featured the famous 'Hand of God' goal that saw Argentina get past England in the quarterfinals.

1978 FIFA World Cup

As hosts, Argentina hoisted the nation's first FIFA World Cup title, led by the tournament's top goalscorer Mario Kempes, at the time playing for Valencia in Spain.

As second-place finishers in the first group stage behind Italy, they topped Brazil on goal differential in the second group stage, largely thanks to a 6-0 demolition of Peru in the final match. Kempes scored two of his six World Cup goals in that pivotal game, but wasn't quite done yet.

In the final against the Netherlands, Kempes would open the scoring on 38 minutes, and while the Netherlands answered in the 82nd minute to send the match to extra-time, Kempes would bag the winner in the 105th minute to hoist the trophy, eventually winning the match 3-1. The match was marred by controversy as the Netherlands were upset with some delay tactics from Argentina prior to the game, but the hosts reigned supreme.

1986 FIFA World Cup

The tournament, initially meant to be hosted in Colombia, was eventually held in Mexico due to financial issues in the South American nation. Mexico would be captivated by Diego Maradona, who starred in the tournament and led Argentina to World Cup glory.

A 1-1 draw with Italy was the only blemish of the group stage as Argentina topped Group A and advanced to the knockout stage. The Albiceleste knocked out Uruguay and England in the first two knockout stage matches, both via one-goal victories. The match against England became famous for the 'Hand of God' goal in which Maradona leapt to head the ball on frame, but instead it hit his hand and went into the back of the net, which was not seen by the official as the goal stood.

A Maradona brace led Argentina past Belgium 2-0 in the semifinals, and while the superstar was held off the scoresheet in the final against Germany thanks to the defending of Lothar Matthaus, it opened up spaces for his teammates, and Maradona's stunning assist led to an 86th-minute winner from Jorge Burruchaga, giving Argentina a 3-2 win to earn their second FIFA World Cup title.

How many World Cup finals has Argentina lost?

Along with lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy twice, Argentina have come close in two other finals, both times losing to Germany in devastating fashion.

The first came just four years after their second title with Diego Maradona again looking to lead the Albiceleste to glory, coming so close before slipping at the end.

Argentina's second came just eight years ago, with Lionel Messi blanked by Germany and failing to secure the title thanks to an extra-time winner.

1990 FIFA World Cup final

The 1990 FIFA World Cup has been remembered for its negative tactics and lack of goals. Argentina struggled to that effect, advancing to the knockout stage as a third-place group stage finisher behind Cameroon and Romania.

The Albiceleste beat Brazil 1-0 in the Round of 16, drew with Yugoslavia 0-0 in the quarterfinals before advancing on penalties, and did the same to hosts Italy in the semifinals after a 1-1 draw. Maradona was in poor form, failing to score a single goal in the tournament and missing his penalty in the shootout against Yugoslavia.

In the 1990 final, there was a similar issue as Argentina looked sluggish even prior to Pedro Monzon's sending off in the 65th minute. Germany would push for a winner and find it five minutes from full-time when Roberto Sensini fouled Rudi Voller in the penalty area. Andreas Brehme converted the spot-kick to secure a 1-0 victory for Germany.

Sending off in the 65th minute. Germany would push for a winner and find it five minutes from full-time when Roberto Sensini fouled Rudi Voller in the penalty area. Andreas Brehme converted the spot-kick to secure a 1-0 victory for Germany.

2014 FIFA World Cup final

Lionel Messi's search for a World Cup title came so close in Brazil, where winning would have been especially sweet in front of the fans of their fiercest South American rivals. Yet it was not to be as Germany again thwarted Argentina in the final.

Messi was brilliant in the group stage, scoring winners against both Bosnia & Herzegovina and Nigeria. The goals, however, would dry up in the knockout stage as Argentina advanced through the first two matches via 1-0 scorelines before a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in the semifinals required a penalty shootout to advance.

Has Lionel Messi won a World Cup?

Lionel Messi has never won a FIFA World Cup. It is the only major trophy available to him that he has not won throughout his career, and 2022 apparently will be his last chance.

For a long time, Messi was missing a major international trophy, having won it all at the club level multiple times but yet to win with Argentina. That changed in 2021 when he lifted the Copa America, beating Brazil in the final and finishing as joint-top scorer in the tournament. Messi won the tournament's best player award as well.