Day 7 of the World Cup featured wins for two Manchester United players.
Lisandro Martinez started his first game of the World Cup, having come on as a second half substitute in Argentina’s surprise 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia last Tuesday. It was a much better evening for Martinez and Argentia as he played the full 90 minutes to help his nation defeat Mexico 2-0 at Lusail Stadium.
Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez, who has been a target for United [Daily Mail], both scored to help settle any potential nerves as this was a crucial match for the South Americans, who knew before the game that defeat would have sent them packing from Group C.
MESSIIIIIIIIIIIIII!! 🙌
The Argentina captain comes up with a moment of magic to light up the tight game with this gorgeous finish… 🇦🇷#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/RIHjU46QDC
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 26, 2022
The game before Argentina and Mexico was between France and Denmark. This was a game that had Manchester United representative for both teams as both Christian Eriksen and Raphael Varane started the game.
France won the game 2-1 with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace, which meant that France became the first side to qualify for the knockout stages of this World Cup. Christian Eriksen played a key part in Denmark’s equaliser as his corner was flicked on by Anderson that found its way Andreas Christiensen, who headed home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cWYT-rHUa0
After making his first appearance since his injury at Chelsea, Varane completed 75 minutes, which is a huge positive as he nears his way to full fitness.
Earlier in France’s and Denmark’s group, Tunisia and Australia kicked off Day 7 in the early kick-off, which saw Australia come out on top with a 1-0 win. Mitchell Duke of Australia scored in the 23rd minute of the game at the Al Janoub Stadium and it now means the Aussie’s have qualification in their own hands. Hannibal was an unused substitute for Tunisia.
Eriksen’s Denmark are next up for Australia, in what is sure to be an enthralling game with both sides knowing that victory will ensure their passage to the next round.
The other game in Group C saw Poland take on Saudi Arabia. The Saudis would have been in a confident mood going into their clash against Poland after defeating Argentina 2-1, however the Poles had other ideas as they ran out 2-0 winners.
Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny produced a superb double save from a penalty just before half-time.
Saudi Arabia had the majority of the ball and had more shots on target, however, they could not make their ball dominance count as Piotr Zielinski and Robert Lewandowski sent Poland top of Group C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U88Z0jeE_zA