How Argentina advanced from Group C in victory over Poland: World Cup result

Argentina have been on an emotional rollercoaster in this tournament.

The shock of defeat to Saudi Arabia.

The relief of the win against Mexico.

Lionel Scaloni warned they couldn’t carry on living every game as if it were life or death. Argentina needed to find balance. Tonight there was no melodrama. Not even when Szczesny parried Messi’s penalty away.

Argentina made their best start to a game this tournament. The team showed little of the tension that had so far weighed down their performances in Qatar. Enzo Fernandez and Alvarez, relative newcomers to the set-up, don’t appear burdened by expectation like some of the Copa America winners in the squad. The same goes for Mac Allister. All of them have now scored at the World Cup.

The freshness this trio has brought to Argentina is changing the dynamic and the players who didn’t look in optimum shape earlier in the tournament like Cuti Romero and Messi seem to have shrugged off their knocks.

More than anything, Argentina played as if excited by the prospect that a win would allow them not only to top the group but play Australia in the round of 16. On the eve of the World Cup, most people expected Argentina to have to take on Denmark or, worse still after the Saudi defeat, France.

Now it looks like the tournament is opening up for them.

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