Argentina bounce back; France first to enter last 16

Riding high on Kylian Mbappe’s two brilliant second-half goals, defending champions France became the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 after defeating Denmark 2-1 in Group D of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Stadium 974 Saturday.A potent French side knew a second victory in as many Group D outings would take them through to the knockout phase and they were well worth the lead that Mbappe gave them when he opened the scoring at Stadium 974 just after the hour mark.However, Andreas Christensen soon equalised for the Danes and Les Bleus needed Mbappe to produce the goods again in the 86th minute as he turned in Antoine Griezmann's cross to puncture the Danish resistance once and for all.MESSI ON TARGETSuperstar Lionel Messi was on target as Argentina bounced back from their shock loss against Saudi Arabia by beating Mexico 2-0 in a Group C encounter at Lusail Stadium Saturday.After a goalless first 45 minutes, the much-fancied Argentina found the back of the net twice in the second half. Messi opened the scoring in the 64th minute, with Enzo Fernandez extending the lead in the 87th.The victory takes Argentina to second the group after Poland, who also won Saturday, while Saudi Arabia is in third.LEWANDOWSKI BREAKS WORLD CUP DUCK, HELPS POLAND DEFEAT SAUDIRobert Lewandowski scored the first World Cup goal of his career as Poland defeated Saudi Arabia Saturday. Barcelona striker Lewandowski, who had failed to score in four previous World Cup games, netted the second in a 2-0 win in the Group C clash at Education City Stadium. It was a World Cup reality check for the Saudis, who had stunned Argentina 2-1 in their opening game. The 34-year-old capitalised on a blunder by midfielder Abdulelah al-Malki. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was the hero for Poland, however, producing a stunning double save in the first half. He first denied Salem al-Dawsari from the penalty spot, then made a stunning stop to keep out the rebound.AUSTRALIA GET FIRST CUP WIN SINCE 2010Australia defeated Tunisia 1-0 at Al Janoub Stadium Saturday to register their first World Cup victory in 12 years. Striker Mitch Duke scored the only goal of a tight game with a clever header in the first half and Australia desperately held on to silence Tunisia's vociferous fans. The Socceroos sit second in Group D with three points from two games, with a game to come against Denmark. The victory, only the third for Australia in six visits to the World Cup finals, was the perfect response to their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of France on Tuesday. The victory snapped Australia's seven-match winless run at World Cups since they last picked up three points in a victory over Serbia in 2010. Australia now move to three points in the group, level with world champions France.