Argentina 2-1 Australia: 5 Hits & Flops as Lionel Messi guides La Albiceleste to Quarter-finals | 2022 FIFA World Cup

Argentina beat Australia 2-1 at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Saturday, December 3 in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Following a cagey start to the game with no attempts from either side, it was Lionel Messi who broke the deadlock in the 35th minute of the game as he slid the ball into the back of the net. The iconic forward placed the ball to such perfection that Mathew Ryan had no chance of stopping it.

Argentina doubled their lead in the 57th minute through Julian Alvarez. The Manchester City striker forced the Australian keeper into making an error which allowed him to tap the ball back into an empty net. When everyone thought it was all settled, Craig Goodwin's ferocious strike ended in the back of the net in the 77th minute after taking a hefty deflection off Enzo Fernandez, completely wrong-footing Emiliano Martinez.

Post that, both teams scrambled for another goal. Argentina had better chances but could not capitalize on them. Meanwhile, Australia too could not get their hands on the equalizer. The Socceroos came close in the dying moments, but Martinez made a stunning save to deny them.

On that note, here's a look at the five hits and flops from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 game:

(Note: Stats as per FotMob)

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#5 Hit: Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina)

Rodrigo De Paul, after a half-decent group stage, showed why he is a regular for the national team. The Atletico Madrid midfielder was vital to Argentina's second of the night as he was one of the first to exert force to retrieve the ball.

Apart from that, De Paul won four duels, made 11 recoveries, won one tackle, made two interceptions, and completed 73 passes throughout the game. He was absolutely crucial in the center of the park. He linked up well with Fernandez and Messi.

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#4 Flop: Lautaro Martinez (Argentina)

Lautaro Martinez came on for Alvarez in the 71st minute of the game. The Inter Milan striker was all over the place and lacked conviction going forward. He was unable to match Alvarez's energy levels. Moreover, he missed two great chances to kill the game.

Martinez skied a great chance following some great work down the line by Messi. Even the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was in disbelief following the miss as it was the hardest thing to do from that position. Such performances have made it quite difficult for him to get back into the starting eleven.

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#3 Hit: Julian Alvarez (Argentina)

Julian Alvarez is showing with each passing game why he deserves to be starting each and every game. The Manchester City forward has now scored two goals in two starts.

Alvarez showed great maturity upfront. He scored following a judgment error from Ryan. He pounced on the Australian keeper to exert pressure and ended up having possession of the ball. Alvarez maintained great composure as he tucked one away into the back of the net.

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#2 Flop: Mathew Ryan (Australia)

Mathew Ryan made some great saves to deny Argentina throughout the game. But he made one error which proved to be the difference between the two sides. Ryan, following a poor back pass from Kye Rowles, failed to clear his lines and ended up losing the ball to Alvarez, who tapped one into the back of the net.

Ryan should have gaged the danger and cleared the ball as soon as he received it, but in a bid to hold possession, he gave the ball away cheaply. It ended up costing Australia dearly.

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#1 Hit: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Lionel Messi was La Albiceleste's man yet again. La Pulga was on a whole different level against Australia.

In his 1000th senior career game, he scored a brilliant goal to open the scoring for the game. It was his first World Cup knockout goal and in the process he overtook Diego Maradona as Argentina's second-highest goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup as his tally now stands at nine.

Messi was toying with Australia's back-line. His runs were out of this world and the opposition had no answers. He won four duels, made three recoveries, completed one dribble and created four chances throughout the game.