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The Frenchman was one of the causes for knocking out the Barcelona star from the World Cup in the Round of 16 stage as his nation won 4-3 on the day.Pogba was one of his country’s best performers, perhaps only being bested by PSG’s Kylian Mbappe who scored a brace and France will now face Uruguay next in the quarter-finals. Perhaps if the former Juventus man keeps up his good form on the biggest international stage he may be able to help his side go all the way. Messi on the other hand may still have one World Cup left in him in the future but there have been rumours that his frustrations have reached a boiling point and he may quit. According to ESPN, Paul said to TyC Sports: “We know that we are playing against probably the best player in the world. For 10 years now I have been watching him, learning from him. “He makes me love football more, always. We want to play against the best, and today we won against the best. I will always be united with him, world class p...

On the back of this years world cup in Russia, Many had expected things to boil down to two of the most talked after people on world football; Leo Messi And C. Ronaldo as both players already in the latter stages of their playing careers were hugely expected to battle for who would win the piece of silver ware for himself to complete his trophy haul. But now, confirmation has almost certainly arrived that neither man will win a World Cup. Ronaldo will be 37 in four years' time and Messi — who has history of prematurely retiring from the Argentina side and is tipped to do so again in the aftermath of this tournament — will be 35. Neither has scored a goal in the knockout stages of the World Cup in their careers. Messi has played in one final, Ronaldo one semi-final, but this major honour, the medal that was supposed to rule all medals and definitively end the debate once and for all, has eluded the both of them. They will be crushed by that. But for us, the regular footbal...

Lionel Messi was understandably distraught following Argentina's defeat by France in the last-16 of the World Cup on Saturday. The Barcelona legend notched an assist on the day, but was unable to inspire a victory, as Les Bleus ran out 4-3 winners over the two-time champions of the tournament. Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring from the penalty spot for France, after man of the match Kylian Mbappe was pulled down in the box by Marcos Rojo. Angel Di Maria leveled the scores with a wonder strike before Gabriel Mercado latched onto a Messi shot to beat Hugo Lloris in the France goal, and put Argentina in front. Benjamin Pavard then netted a wondergoal of his own to level the scores once more before an Mbappe double won the match for France. Sergio Aguero bagged a late consolation, reducing the deficit to a single goal, but it was too little too late for Argentina. After the match a number of Argentina players burst into tears on the pitch. Paul Pogba was then see...

The 1998 champions won 4-3 and looked a totally different side from the one that struggled to find their cutting edge in the group stage, pouring forward with pace and purpose to stretch the ageing Argentine defence in Kazan. Antoine Griezmann gave France the lead from the penalty spot but the South Americans levelled with a sweet hit from Angel Di Maria and edged ahead shortly after half-time through Gabriel Mercado. But defender Benjamin Pavard equalised with a thunderous strike to pull France level and once more change the complexion of the game. That set the scene for 19-year-old Mbappe, who netted two goals in four second-half minutes to become the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup match since Pele in 1958. Sergio Aguero gave Argentina late hope but they ran out of time and head home after a rollercoaster ride in Russia that ultimately ends in bitter disappointment for the two-time former champions. "I'm very happy, and it's flatt...

"Leo has such clear vision when it comes to football that he allows us to see things that, sometimes, only a true genius sees," said Sampaoli. "It's often difficult to be at the level of such a great player. He's a shining light for us all and we have to do our very best to all try to be at his level." Messi’s campaign has been as bipolar as the rest of the Argentina team. He missed a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland in the opening Group D game. He was as absent as the rest of the side during the 3-0 loss to Croatia in the second game in Nizhny Novgorod but was menace incarnate during the 2-1 defeat of Nigeria which led to qualification for the last 16. Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega claimed Messi had hit his stride. "It's only normal - he wasn't relaxed. We didn't start the tournament as well as we should have. "Now, I see him a lot more comfortable now. He helped us win, and that makes a big difference." Samp...

Argentina scraped through to the knockout stage following a dramatic victory over Nigeria in their last group match, finishing as runners-up to Croatia. Les Bleus, meanwhile, came top of Group C after two wins and a draw but both countries have failed to light up the tournament so far. Already qualified, France played out arguably the worst match of the competition so far - and the only 0-0 draw - against Denmark but all three group performances led to criticism in some quarters. And Tottenham goalkeeper and French captain Lloris accepts his team will now have to raise their game in Kazan if they are to reach the quarter finals. “This is going to be a big match, and a difficult one, we are going to have to step up our level,” he said at a press conference, broadcast by FIFATV on YouTube. Pavon “This is going to be a big match, and a difficult one, we are going to have to step up our level” Hugo Loris “We should go beyond our limits, have to be full of energy, bet on ou...

Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi take centre stage as the World Cup shifts into high gear at the weekend with the start of the knockout matches in the loaded top half of the draw. Football heavyweights France, Argentina, Portugal and Brazil are all clustered in one section of the competition, with only Spain among recent winners in the other half. The unbalanced nature of the knockout phase increases the chances of an unlikely team reaching the semi-finals -- and of the big guns cancelling each other out. That scenario sparked debate ahead of Thursday's England-Belgium group match -- was it better to win and enter the tougher side of the draw or lose and face potentially easier fixtures down the line? In the event, third-ranked Belgium won 1-0, adding even more firepower to the top half, while if England can get past Colombia they will fancy their chances of reaching a potential semi-final against 2010 winners Spain. The first phase in Russia featured just one goalless draw an...

Bests of all time Victory in football's biggest tournament would play a huge role for either player's legacy, particularly in the long-term, and it looks incredibly likely that the 2018 edition will be the final attempt for both men. As a result, there was always going to keen interest in exactly how Ronaldo and Messi fare. And, well, three games in and their form is diametrically opposed. Ronaldo is in the running for the Golden Boot after scoring four goals in his opening two fixtures, including a stunning hat-trick against a hotly fancied Spain team. MESSI VS RONALDO DEBATE Meanwhile, Messi just found the back of the net in Russia only in his last outing vs Nigeria and missed a vital penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland. These developments led to a spike in support for Ronaldo to be considered the greatest of all time, with this summer exemplifying his brilliant form over the last few years. BALAGUE has some answers One of the most interesting tweets, t...

Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the 2018 World Cup against Nigeria on Tuesday as La Albiceleste booked their place in the last 16 of the competition. It was yet another landmark strike for Messi as he bagged the 100th goal of the competition in Saint Petersburg. He also surpassed a Diego Maradona record during the win over Nigeria, as shown by Opta. View image on Twitter OptaCan ✔ @OptaCan 107 - Lionel Messi has passed Diego Maradona (105) and become the player with the most dribbles completed in World Cup history since 1966 (107). Inspiration. # WorldCup 9:09 PM - Jun 26, 2018 751 556 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Next up for Messi is a clash with France which will see him take on Barcelona team-mates Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele.

Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel was left fuming with the referee and the VAR system after his side were denied a penalty and later defeated by Argentina in Saint Petersburg. The Super Eagles were tied with the Argentines and poised to progress from Group D, when defender Marcos Rojo headed the ball onto his own arm in the penalty area. Nigerian appeals instantly went up causing referee Cuneyt Cakir to consult VAR for a definitive verdict, before ruling against a spot kick. I don't understand how that wasn't a penalty,' said Nigeria skipper John Obi Mikel. 'For me, it was a clear handball. If you look at the game yesterday, Portugal, that wasn't even close to this. This was even worse - very open. He headed the ball and it hit his hand. 'Maybe the referee has given the first penalty, he doesn't want to give the second one. But a penalty is a penalty. If it's a penalty, you can still give a penalty. 'We've seen it again in the dre...

messi goal move Argentina head coach Jorge Sampaoli believes making captain Lionel Messi "feel secure" is key to his side's chances at the World Cup. Messi scored the opening goal as a late Marcos Rojo volley earned Argentina a decisive 2-1 win over Nigeria in St Petersburg on Tuesday to set up a last-16 clash with Group C winners France. Sampaoli used his third different tactical setup of Russia 2018 in a bid to get the best out of Messi, who drew blanks in a 1-1 draw with Iceland and a 3-0 loss to Croatia, missing a penalty in the former match. And the Argentina coach, who has been strongly criticised by former players including Diego Maradona, makes no excuses for building his team's attacking threat around Barcelona superstar Messi. "When Leo came and hugged me it made me very proud and happy, because he knows I am passionate every single day," Sampaoli said. "I have had the opportunity to travel with him and share moments with him. He knows me ...

Lionel Messi said that he had never suffered as much as he did in St Petersburg, but insisted that he never feared Argentina being knocked out of the World Cup because God would not allow it. Messi scored a superb opening goal to give Argentina a 1-0 lead and put them in a position to progress to the Round of 16 but a second half penalty from Victor Moses left them on the verge of elimination until Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo volleyed in a dramatic 87th minute winner. At the final whistle, Argentina’s players collapsed, some in tears. After a week of tension and accusation, coach Jorge Sampaoli talking about a “disaster”, Argentina finally found a way through and will now face France in Kazan. “I knew that God was with us and would not leave us out [of the competition],” Messi said. “I don’t remember having ever suffered so much, because of the situation and because of what was at stake. It was a huge release for all of us. Marcos Rojo’s late goal seals Argentina’...