1,000 games of glory renewed! Argentina's soccer legend, Luis Méz, was at the center of the action in his 1,000th career match. Thanks to a goal from the "King of the Thousand", Argentina returned to the last eight of the World Cup after 2014 with a narrow 2-1 win over Australia in the last 16 of the World Cup. In the early hours of Saturday morning (10th), they will face a tough match against European powerhouse Netherlands to qualify for the semi-finals.
Argentina made a change in personnel for this match, with Ejendo Gomez replacing the injured Di Maria. Although the overall strength was higher than the opponent, the initial attack was a bit slow. In the 17th minute, Ajindo Gomes attempted a long-distance shot, but it went over the crossbar, which was his first shot on goal in the match. It wasn't until the 35th minute that Argentina's sublime coordination allowed Mez to break the deadlock with a pinpoint left-footed shot from inside the box, which was Mez's first goal in a World Cup knockout match.
In the second half, Australia stepped up their pressing and created more counter-attacking opportunities for Argentina. In the 57th minute, Argentina increased their lead when Zulian Ivaris got away from Mafirayan in the box and scored with an easy shot. Although Australia didn't give up, in the 77th minute, a long-distance shot by Kijiji Gwain was skillfully redirected by Ansel Fernandes and bounced into the net. After that, Bechuanji's shots were blocked by the Argentine defense, and the match ended with a 2-1 victory to advance to the Round of 8.
The victory marked the 1,000th match milestone in a career that has included 169 appearances for Argentina, 778 for Barcelona and 53 for Paris Saint-Germain, amassing 789 goals and 338 assists. Mez's best finish in the World Cup was second place in 2014, and he is naturally eager to go one step further in this tournament and realize his long-held dream of winning the title.
