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Key events
20 min The effervescent Lozano wriggles away from Otamendi and is fouled. Free-kick to Mexico, 30 yards from goal…
19 min It’s tense. It was always going to be tense. Apart from the first 4-5 minutes, Argentina have struggled to keep the ball.
18 min There’s some nascent shithousery, with a few players making the most of any contact. Guardado runs into Lautaro Martinez, shoulder-first, and goes down holding his head.
16 min A terrible pass is nicked by Lozano just outside the area. He makes for goal and is well tackled by Otamendi.
15 min Mexico look bright, especially in transition, with Vega and Lozano playing as split strikers rather than a conventional front pair.
12 min There’s a delicious intensity to this game, and Guardado and De Paul slide into an old-fashioned 50/50 with abundant relish. Both bounce straight to their feet, looking for the next one.
11 min A reminder that (unless I’ve miscalculated), Argentina don’t have to win tonight. Their fate will still be in their own hands if they draw, but they would need to beat Poland by two goals on Wednesday to be certain of going through. I think.
10 min Almost a chance for Mexico. An outswinging free-kick from the left is helped on and bounces past the man sliding in at the far post.
9 min “It’s been vaguely discussed but what if Messi DOES go home early tonight?” says Nick Parmenter. “Always hoped him and Ronaldo wouldn’t go through the human phase of their career at the end, wanted them to retire at the very top like so few others do!”
Who do you think they are, Eric Cantona?
9 min The corner is a hot mess.
8 min Mexico are starting to settle into the game. Lozano makes a good run down the right and wins a corner off Lisandro Martinez.
7 min “It’s refreshing to see that with Mac Allister in the starting XI, Argentina have Brighton-ed things up a little,” says Peter Oh.
6 min I thought Montiel made the most of it but he was down for a fair while and is still feeling his jaw, so maybe I did him a disservice.
5 min Vega breaks dangerously down the left, just past the halfway line, and holds off Montiel, who goes down holding his face. The referee gives a foul, and Argentina’s players ask for a card. It’s not forthcoming. It was a 50/50 decision, the foul that is, and Vega would have been clear in the inside-left channel.
4 min A positive start from Argentina, who have had most of the possession in the early doors. The noise in the stadium is incredible.
3 min “Has anyone actually ever seen Ochoa play for a club side?” says Matt Dony. “I’ve heard stories, there are Wikipedia entries, but I’m sure it’s all propaganda. He only plays for the national side, and almost all of his appearances are at the World Cup. He’ll definitely be there in 2026, and he’ll still be 37.”
He spent three years at Ajaccio, and you couldn’t make that up.
1 min Peeeeeeeeeeeeep peeeeeeeeeeeeep! Mexico kick off from right to left as we watch.
These shouty morons on the pitch before games… why do we need this? Who enjoys this?
— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) November 26, 2022
Surely Argentina can’t go out of the World Cup inside the first week. We’re about to find out.
Opinions are like foibles
Wayne Hennessy will be welcoming this #ARGMEX game. At least by 9.30 tonight he won’t be the only player sent off in this World Cup.#Tasty
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) November 26, 2022
Here come the players. With profuse apologies to Qatar v Ecuador, this feels like the first huge occasion of the World Cup. The atmosphere is spectacular.
A reminder of the teams
Argentina (possible 4-4-2) E Martinez; Montiel, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Acuna; Di Maria, De Paul, Rodriguez, Mac Allister; Messi, Lisandro Lautaro Martinez.
Substitutes: Armani, Rulli, Foyth, Tagliafico, Paredes, Pezzella, Alvarez, Romero, Palacios, Correa, Almada, Gomez, Dybala, Fernandez, Molina.
Mexico (possible 5-3-2) Ochoa; K Alvarez, Araujo, Montes, Moreno, Gallardo; Herrera, Chavez, Guardado; Lozano, Vega.
Substitutes: Talavera, Cota, E Alvarez, Vasquez, Arteaga, Romo, Rodriguez, Jimenez, Funes Mori, Gutierrez, Pineda, Sanchez, Martin, Antuna, Alvarado
Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy)
This happened earlier today. Doesn’t sound like too much damage was done, aside from the obvious.
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Two years ago yesterday, Diego Maradona died at the age of 60. Here’s a piece on the World Cup that gave us the greatest insight into his character: Italia 90.
“Just take it easy, Lionel”
“I’m perfectly calm, Dude”
“Yeah, making five changes after one freak result?!”
“Calmer than you are”
“Will you just take it easy?”
“Calmer than you are”
“Big fan of Lisandro Martinez (surely for Otamendi rather than Romero),” writes Stewart, “but asking him to play both 6 and 9 is asking a helluva lot.”
That was a mistake waiting to happen, and boy did I make it happen. I think Romero’s injured by the way, though he is also officially on the bench.
The permutations
I’ve probably got at least one of these wrong, because my brain ain’t what it used to be, so here’s a pre-emptive mea culpa.
Argentina
If they win tonight, a victory by any score against Poland on Wednesday night will put them through to the last 16. A draw might be enough.
If they draw tonight, they will need to beat Poland – possibly by two goals, depending on the result of Saudi Arabia v Mexico – to qualify.
If they lose tonight, they will be booked on flight DO 1 to Buenos Aires.
Mexico
If they win tonight, a draw against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday would ensure a place in the last 16. They could go through with a defeat against Saudi Arabia if Argentina beat Poland, though it would depend on goal difference.
If they draw tonight, they will only qualify if they beat Saudi Arabia.
If they lose tonight, they need to win against Saudi Arabia and hope Poland beat Argentina. If Poland draw with Argentina, it’ll come down to goal difference.
Group C latest
Earlier today, Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 to move top of the group, and a 34-year-old man ticked something off his bucket list.
History corner
The best part (okay, not the best part) is the dull thud when his left boot connects with the ball.
Team news: five changes for Argentina, no Alvarez for Mexico
Lionel Scaloni has decided to rip it up and start again, with five changes from the defeat to Saudi Arabia. Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Guido Rodriguez and Alexis Mac Allister replace Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes and Papu Gomez.
Mexico are without the Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez, arguably their best player. I assume he’s injured, though he is officially listed among the substitutes. He’s replaced by the legendary Andres Guardado, who will win his 36th cap at the age of 179. Wait, hang on.
Guardado for Alvarez is one of three changes from the draw with Poland. Kevin Alvarez replaces Jorge Sanchez and Nestor Araujo is in for Henry Martin, which probably means a switch to 5-3-2. Raul Jimenez remains on the bench.
Argentina (possible 4-4-2) E Martinez; Montiel, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Acuna; Di Maria, De Paul, Rodriguez, Mac Allister; Messi, Lisandro Lautaro Martinez.
Substitutes: Armani, Rulli, Foyth, Tagliafico, Paredes, Pezzella, Alvarez, Romero, Palacios, Correa, Almada, Gomez, Dybala, Fernandez, Molina.
Mexico (possible 5-3-2) Ochoa; K Alvarez, Araujo, Montes, Moreno, Gallardo; Herrera, Chavez, Guardado; Lozano, Vega.
Substitutes: Talavera, Cota, E Alvarez, Vasquez, Arteaga, Romo, Rodriguez, Jimenez, Funes Mori, Gutierrez, Pineda, Sanchez, Martin, Antuna, Alvarado
Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy)
Preamble
<Big Brother> Day seven, and Argentina are up for eviction.</Big Brother> Lionel Scaloni’s Messi’s side were supposed to cruise through Group C and begin their World Cup proper with a last-16 tie against Denmark and France. But their astounding, wallchart-busting defeat to Saudi Arabia on whatever day it was, there are no days of the week during the World Cup group stage means that, less than a week into the tournament, they are fighting for their metaphorical lives.
The situation is simple, just like in the old days: if Argentina lose to Mexico in Lusail tonight they will be out, and Messi will never score a goal in the knockout stages of a World Cup, never mind win the thing. Argentina have gone out at the first group stage on only three occasions: 1958, 1962 and, most famously/recently, 2002, when Marcelo Bielsa’s side were groupofdeathed by Sweden and England.
Tonight they could be eliminated by one of their own – Tata Martino, former coach of Argentina and Barcelona among others, is in charge of Mexico. Things aren’t quite as critical for his side. They won’t be out if they lose tonight, though they would need a big favour from Poland on Wednesday. Mexico, as any fule kno, are supposed to reach the last 16 and go no further; that’s what has happened in the last seven World Cups.
They started with a watchful but not especially watchable 0-0 draw against Poland, in which Robert Lewandowski’s penalty was saved by Guillermo Ochoa. Mexico’s big problem is goalscoring – they managed just 17 in 14 games during qualification, and they would sell their soul to have the old, pre-skull fracture Raul Jimenez back.
Kick off 7pm GMT, 10pm in Lusail, 4pm in Buenos Aires, 1pm in Mexico City.
