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World Cup: France Beats Argentina 4-3, Goes to Quarterfinals

FRANCE VS. ARGENTINA
Teenager Kylian Mbappe struck twice inside five second-half minutes to ensure France beat Argentina 4-3 and became the first team to qualify for the World Cup quarterfinals.

Following an exhilarating display between two former champions, France came from behind to defeat Lionel Messi's Argentina.

And Les Bleus owed their triumph to the 19-year-old Mbappe. Always a threat to Argentina with his speed and power, Mbappe was at the heart of France's performance.

France took an early lead after Antoine Griezmann broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 13th — after Mbappe drew the penalty — with Angel Di Maria leveling the score with a thunder strike just before the interval.

Messi set-up a goal for Gabriel Mercado to give Argentina a 2-1 lead just after halftime but Argentina's defense cracked to concede three goals in the space of 11 minutes. Defender Benjamin Pavard equalized with his first international goal, Mbappe then scored with a cool finish from a tight angle and netted again in the 68th with some help from Olivier Giroud.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero pulled one back in the third minute of added time with a header from Messi's pass.

URUGUAY VS. PORTUGAL
Edinson Cavani scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo none, giving Uruguay a 2-1 victory over Portugal on Saturday at the World Cup.

On the same day Lionel Messi was sent home in Argentina's loss, 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."

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

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

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.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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