France ends Messi’s World Cup dream in soccer thriller

MOSCOW — France roared back against Argentina to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday as wonderkid Kylian Mbappe sent Lionel Messi home empty-handed following a seven-goal thriller.

France will play Uruguay in the last eight, after the South American team ousted Portugal in the day’s other action.

The 1998 champions France won 4-3 and looked a different sight from the one that struggled to find their cutting edge in the group stage, pouring forward with pace and purpose to stretch the aging Argentine defense in Kazan.

Antoine Griezmann gave France the lead from the penalty spot but the South Americans leveled after a sweet hit from Angel Di Maria and edged ahead shortly after half-time through Gabriel Mercado.

But defender Benjamin Pavard equalized with a thunderous strike to pull France level and once more change the complexion of the game.

That set the scene for 19-year-old Mbappe, who netted two goals in four second-half minutes to become the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup match since Pele in 1958.

Sergio Aguero gave Argentina late hope but they ran out of time and will head home after a rollercoaster ride in Russia that ultimately ends in bitter disappointment for the two-times former champions.

Man-of-the-match Mbappe brushed off the Pele comparisons.

“I’m very happy and it’s flattering to be the second teenager [to score twice in the knock-out rounds] after Pele but let’s put things in context: Pele is in another category, but it’s good to be among these people,” he said.

Beaten finalists four years ago, Argentina only reached the last 16 by the skin of their teeth after a shambolic group phase, and despite a brave effort against France their aging squad and lack of balance ultimately caught up with them.

Messi, at the age of 31, may have played his last World Cup game in a career curiously unfulfilled at international level despite his astonishing achievements with Barcelona and his multiple individual awards.

Some Israeli leaders had mocked Argentina’s earlier troubles in the tournament, after the team canceled what would have been its final warm-up match in Jerusalem.

Two weeks ago, for instance, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman suggested that Messi missed a crucial World Cup penalty against Iceland because of Argentina’s last minute withdrawal from the Jerusalem match.

“In the Argentina against Iceland game we saw just how much Messi needed the warm-up game against Israel,” Liberman tweeted after Messi missed the penalty and Iceland held on for a 1-1 draw.

Argentina pulled out of the warm up game amid intense protests and threats from the Palestinians after Israel decided to move the game to Jerusalem from Haifa, where it was originally to have been staged.

In Saturday’s other World Cup game, Edinson Cavani upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo, first with his head and then with his right foot, and sent Uruguay to the quarterfinals.

Cavani scored twice and Ronaldo none to give Uruguay a 2-1 victory.

On the same day Lionel Messi was sent home, the other “GOAT” at this tournament was also eliminated. It was two weeks ago that Ronaldo scored a hat trick in the same stadium against Spain, stroking his chin after the first goal to imply he was the “Greatest Of All Time.”

There was no goal from Ronaldo this time. Everywhere he went, the Portugal great was hounded by two or three Uruguayan defenders.

“We had our chances, but this is football,” Ronaldo said. “We have to keep our heads high. We gave our best. The team played well. As the team captain I am proud of this group. Everyone worked hard to make sure things went well.”

It was Cavani who instead took the spotlight. He combined with Luis Suarez to compete a series of precision passes to give Uruguay the early advantage with a header in the seventh minute. And after Portugal equalized on Pepe’s header in the 55th minute, it was Cavani again finishing a perfect Uruguay counter in the 62nd with a shot from just inside the penalty area that caught Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio slightly out of position and curled inside the far post.

“The truth is, it was really exciting,” Cavani said. “There aren’t words to describe this.”

Cavani now has three goals at the World Cup, but limped off in the 70th minute with an apparent injury and had to be replaced. He was helped to the sideline with his arm around Ronaldo’s back.

“Right now we are only worried, but we don’t know how grave this injury is,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.

Uruguay, a two-time champion that reached the semifinals at the 2010 World Cup, will next face France on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod.

Portugal had chances in the second half, including a frantic final few minutes of stoppage time with claims of a possible handball in the penalty area from a late corner kick. But there was no late video review to benefit Portugal as Ronaldo’s fourth World Cup came to an uneventful end.

Like Messi, Ronaldo has never scored in a knockout round match at the World Cup.

“I said no team can win alone. I never said Cristiano wants to play alone,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “The team didn’t win because Uruguay scored twice. Usually we also score.”

Ronaldo had one clean shot the entire 90 minutes and it came in the opening moments of the match, directly into the arms of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. His shadows were Uruguay defenders Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who know Ronaldo quite well from their clashes between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league.

Ronaldo was involved somewhat in Portugal’s goal, even if he didn’t come close to getting a touch on the cross. Ronaldo ran in front of Pepe and drew the attention of both Gimenez and Godin. Pepe came in behind and Uruguay finally surrendered its first goal of the tournament in the 55th minute.

Being level lasted only seven minutes. The last time Uruguay won its first four games in the World Cup was 1930 when four wins earned it the title.

“Up until yesterday I think people were saying, ‘Well, Uruguay won the group stage but the group was easy.’ Well, I don’t think Portugal is easy,” Tabarez said.