Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo Kazan Photos: Messi's World Cup dream over as France defeat Argentina 4-3 in FIFA World Cup 2018 1 12 Messi's World Cup Dream over as Argentina lose thriller to France The World Cup dream for Lionel Messi is over. Argentina have to head home after losing a thrilling match to France, 4-3. AFP Photo Antoine Griezmann gives France early lead The breakthrough came early for France in the form of a penalty and Antoine Griezmann was bang on target with the shot. Reuters Photo Angel Di Maria scores for Argentina Angel Di Maria's goal could have turned the tables on France if Argentina had managed to hold on to the lead and psychological advantage. After being one down, di Maria's goal pushed Argentina ahead of France but the South Americans could not capitalise on the gain. Reuters Photo Benjamin Pavard scores an important equaliser for France French full back Benjamin Pavard scored an important goal for France. The goal came at a time France was trailing 1-2 to Argentina. The equaliser injected a fresh push in the French attack. The goal in the 57th minute gave the French attack a new boost and was arguably one of the best of this world cup. Reuters Photo Will this be Lionel Messi's last World Cup? Argentina found their feet soon enough after conceding the first goal early in the first half. But things moved swiftly in the second, starting well for Argentina with a goal from Di Maria. But the South American side soon lost the advantage when Benjamin Pavard scored the equaliser. AP Photo Kylian Mbappe celebrates after putting France ahead Frenchman Kylian Mbappe became first teenager since Brazilian great Pele (1958) to score two goals in one World Cup match. He scored two goals to end Argentina's World Cup campaign and also put France in a commanding position. France won 4-3. Reuters Photo Sergio Aguero scores for Argentina It was a beautiful goal but did it come too late for the Argentinians? Sergio Ageuro's third goal for Argentina came with a few minutes left for the final whistle. Photo by Reuters Lionel Messi congratulates Kylian Mbappe after the match For many, this photo symbolises the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Lionel Messi, who is 31 years old congratulates Mbappe of France, who at 19 years, is among the youngest players at this World Cup. AFP photo Olivier Giroud celebrates France's win against Argentina French player Olivier Giroud celebrates after France defeated Argentina 4-3. Photo by Getty Images Dejected Messi as Argentina loses to France Argentina Captain Lionel Messi seen here removing his captain arm band. This has been a disappointing world cup for Messi. Not only did the 'greatest of all time' miss a penalty, it also means a World Cup win has eluded him once again. Photo by Getty Images Argentina vs France: French Coach Didier Deschamps celebrates win Coach Didier Deschamps will certainly be a happy man. France is the first team to move to the quarter finals. Photo by Getty Images Argentina World Cup dream over This fan's expression sums up what the world cup has looked like for Argentina. Many are already wondering whether this will be the last World Cup for Lionel Messi. Photo by Getty Images It would have been a match where the sales pitch wrote itself. In an alternate universe, the opening game of the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Russia would be between Argentina and Portugal in Nizhny Novograd on Friday afternoon. After two stellar careers whereandhave wrestled for the recognition as the best player in the world like Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, here would be a world stage to truly globalise the debate. One would land a telling blow on the other, and perhaps settle the argument once and for all. It would be arguably the biggest ‘for keeps’ game this tournament had seen since Brazil and Italy duked it out for permanent possession of the Jules Rimet trophy in the 1970 World Cup final.Reality has wiped that from view. Argentina and Portugal were both eliminated from the tournament on Saturday, defeated by noticeably superior opponents in France and Uruguay respectively. With that, we may have seen the two greatest players of their generation for the last time at a World Cup. Messi is 31and Ronaldo is 33, and it seems highly unlikely that either will be around for the winter World Cup in Qatar in four years’ time. Argentina had to beg Messi out of international retirement just to guide the team to Russia and, even with his extraordinary physiology, Ronaldo surely won’t put himself through the rigours of both the club and international arenas to play in a tournament that kicks off just ten weeks before his 38th birthday.If that is the last we have seen of them, it is worth checking the balance sheet to assess how their World Cup performances stack up in relation to the rest of their careers. The general perception that both have underperformed at the biggest tournament of all was well established before Russia and will only be cemented by their second round exits here. Ronaldo helped to propel Portugal to the semi-finals in his first effort in 2006, but since then has never been beyond the last 16. Messi reached the final with Argentina four years ago, where he was rather generously given the Golden Ball as the best player in that World Cup in Brazil. In the goal count, Ronaldo has seven to Messi’s six; neither player ever registered one after the group stages.In the endless debate over who is greater, the wider international game is one area where Ronaldo has a definitive edge over Messi. Portugal’s unexpected victory in the European Championship in France two years ago landed a unique gong for their captain that Messi has been unable to match. Alongside their defeat to Germany in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, Argentina have lost three Copa América finals with Messi in the team. There will be another next year in Brazil, which now looks to represent his last chance to claim the one big achievement in the game that has eluded him. Given the current, dishevelled state of his national side, Messi may well now decide to begin an international retirement that is irreversible.The day is not far away where both Portugal and Argentina will have to compete without the greatest goal scorers in their history. Despite their early exits in Russia, and underwhelming experiences at the World Cup generally, both have made incredible contributions for their national teams and that deserves to be recognised. When they are both fully retired, each will have a compelling case to be regarded as the greatest footballer we have ever seen. The exhibits of evidence will be Ballon d’Ors, golden boots, scoring records and Champions League titles; Ronaldo will have his Euro triumph and Messi the greater haul of league championships. It seems certain now that neither will have the one medal that would put their case beyond reasonable doubt.If Saturday was the curtain call for the two definitive greats of the 21st century, it was also a stage for showcasing the potential of a player who could become the third.France finally arrived at this World Cup in, eviscerating Argentina 4-3 in a game nowhere as close as the score might suggest. Central to this performance was 19-year old Kylian Mbappé of Paris St Germain, who tore Argentina to pieces with his direct running and skill. His two goals were beautifully taken, one with either foot, but what really caught the eye was his sashay through four Argentine defenders to win a penalty in the first half. From a standing start, that 60-yard blast that terrified Marcos Rojo into hauling Mbappé down was one of the most electrifying moments of this World Cup so far.The word has been out on Mbappé for some time – if you’re going to transfer clubs for 180 million euros as a teenager, the world is likely to sit up and take notice.<doc-sep>Both of these sides are led by star power, and there’s no reason to think that won’t be on display in Sochi. That means watching Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and Luis Suarez for Uruguay. Ronaldo likely will be Portugal’s only scoring threat. The side struggled to find rhythm against Morocco and Iran, teams that put 11 men behind the ball and took away extra time and space. But there are always set pieces and weird bounces. Ronaldo will get his chances, and if Portugal has high hopes of winning, they rest on his feet. Suarez, on the other hand, plays in a more balanced offense and can look to Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain) and Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid) for scoring help. Also keep an eye on Carlos Sanchez, who has two assists.<doc-sep>Bernardo Silva hopes to play with Cristiano Ronaldo at international level again despite Portugal’s World Cup elimination at the hands of Uruguay on Saturday night. Ronaldo was powerless to prevent a Uruguay side inspired by Edinson Cavani from progressing in Sochi. Cavani scored twice, either side of a Pepe equaliser, to secure a deserved 2-1 win and a last-eight spot against France. By the time of the next World Cup, to be hosted by Qatar in 2022, Ronaldo will be 37 years old. The Real Madrid forward refused to comment on whether he would retire from international football after the final whistle, claiming: “Now is not the time to talk about the future of players and coaches.” Bernardo, who came the closest of any Portuguese player to finding an equaliser against Uruguay, is not sure whether Ronaldo will bring an end to his international career to an end but hopes he decides to play on. “That I don’t know,” he said, when asked about the Real Madrid forward’s plans. “It’s his decision. As a teammate, I hope so because he helps us so much. He’s a fantastic player. We don’t need to describe him. So hopefully he stays but it’s his decision. “He has had another amazing season. The best scorer in the Champions League, a third Champions League in a row. In this World Cup, he helped us so much, scoring four goals. So yes, it seems like he’s getting better with age. I hope he stays but we’ll see what happens.” Bernardo added: “Everyone is disappointed, him as well. We’re going out of the World Cup with the feeling that in the first three games we didn’t play as well as we thought we could, and we didn’t lose. And this was our best game and we got eliminated. It’s a bit frustrating for us. But it’s football.” Cristiano Ronaldo left Russia on Sunday with the Portugal squad (Reuters) Jose Fonte, the Portugal centre-back formerly of Southampton and West Ham United, revealed that Ronaldo returned to the dressing room disappointed after the final whistle, but believed he and his team-mates could take pride in their displays in Russia. “Everyone was holding their heads high. Cristiano came in disappointed. But he and all the team and the manager we know we gave our best, perhaps the best we played in the tournament and we lost. This is football,” he said. Manchester City’s Bernardo, meanwhile, was impressed with Portugal’s conquerors and though he does not rank Uruguay among the favourites, he believes they will pose problems for France and any other side they may come against. Recommended Father Time conquers Ronaldo and Messi to reveal the next generation “They have a very good team, they’re very strong physically and they have two amazing players up front, who can decide games like they did today,” he said. “As you can see, they work a lot offensively and defensively because some attacking players don’t defend as much as they attack, but these guys work so much for the team. They create so many problems. They had a good day and we couldn’t stop them, unfortunately. “I think the favourites are France and Brazil and Spain. But then you have teams like England and Uruguay and Croatia that can make a difference as well. We’ll see what happens.”<doc-sep>
Edinson Cavani upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo, first with his head and then with his right foot, and sent Uruguay to the World Cup quarter-finals. Cavani scored twice and Ronaldo none Saturday to give Uruguay a 2-1 victory over Portugal. FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Wrap: June 30 Sports 2:02 France and Uruguay advance to the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, while Lionel Messi and Argentina, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are out. 2:02 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." There was no goal from Ronaldo this time. Everywhere he went, the Portugal great was hounded by two or three Uruguayan defenders. "We had our chances, but this is football," Ronaldo said. "We have to keep our heads high. We gave our best. The team played well. As the team captain I am proud of this group. Everyone worked hard to make sure things went well." Cavani takes spotlight, leaves injured 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. "The truth is, it was really exciting," Cavani said. "There aren't words to describe this." Cavani now has three goals at the World Cup, but limped off in the 70th minute with an apparent injury and had to be replaced. He was helped to the sideline with his arm around Ronaldo's back. Uruguay, a two-time champion that reached the semifinals at the 2010 World Cup, will next face France on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod. 'No team can win alone' Portugal had chances in the second half, including a frantic final few minutes of stoppage time with claims of a possible handball in the penalty area from a late corner kick. But there was no late video review to benefit Portugal as Ronaldo's fourth World Cup came to an uneventful end. Like Messi, Ronaldo has never scored in a knockout round match at the World Cup. "I said no team can win alone. I never said Cristiano wants to play alone," Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. "The team didn't win because Uruguay scored twice. Usually we also score." Ronaldo had one clean shot the entire 90 minutes and it came in the opening moments of the match, directly into the arms of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. His shadows were Uruguay defenders Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who know Ronaldo quite well from their clashes between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league. Ronaldo was involved somewhat in Portugal's goal, even if he didn't come close to getting a touch on the cross. Ronaldo ran in front of Pepe and drew the attention of both Gimenez and Godin. Pepe came in behind and Uruguay finally surrendered its first goal of the tournament in the 55th minute. Being level lasted only seven minutes. "Up until yesterday I think people were saying, `Well, Uruguay won the group stage but the group was easy.' Well, I don't think Portugal is easy," Tabarez said.