This is the knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as teams don’t get a second chance to redeem themselves. At this stage, any error can be fatal and the countries will avoid elimination.
On Saturday, Argentina defeated Australia while USA ended their sojourn after a 3-1 defeat to the Dutch, thesportsbay.com reports.
Argentina 2-1 Australia
• Argentina have now been successful in seven of their last nine World Cup round-of-16 ties: W7 (including one penalty shoot-out victory) L2.
• Argentina have lost only one of their last 40 international matches (W28 D11).
• Lionel Messi played his 23rd FIFA World Cup match; he is joint third on the all-time list alongside Paolo Maldini (23), and only behind Miroslav Klose (24) and Lothar Matthäus (25).
• Lionel Messi has become the oldest goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for Argentina at the age of 35 years and 162 days, surpassing Roberto Ayala (33 years and 77 days v. Germany in 2006).
• Mathew Leckie and Mathew Ryan became the first Australian players to make ten appearances in the FIFA World Cup.
• Australia scored their first-ever goal in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
• Garang Kuol has become the second-youngest player to ever play in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage at 18 years and 79 days. Only Pelé has played in the knockout stage at a younger age (17 years and 239 days v. Wales 1958).
Netherlands 3-1 USA
• The Netherlands have won five of their last six matches in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
• The Netherlands have not lost in their last 11 FIFA World Cup matches (W8 D3) – all with Louis van Gaal as coach. This is their longest unbeaten run in the history of the competition.
• The Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 19 international matches (W14 D5); all since Louis van Gaal was appointed head coach in August 2021.
• The Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 20 FIFA World Cup matches against non-European opponents (W14 D6), with their last defeat dating back to the quarter-final against Brazil in 1994.
• Daley Blind has become the second oldest goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup for the Netherlands at the age of 32 years and 269 days. Giovanni van Bronckhorst remains the oldest at 35 years and 151 days against Uruguay in 2010.
• Memphis Depay has become the Netherlands’ second all-time top goalscorer in international football with 43 goals. He was previously level with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (42) and is now only behind Robin van Persie (50).
• The Netherlands have won their last 16 World Cup matches in which they have scored two or more goals since a 2-2 draw with Mexico in the group stage in 1998.
• Xavi Simons has become just the fourth teenager to play for the Netherlands in FIFA World Cup history at the age of 19 years and 226 days. Ryan Babel (19 years and 184 days v. Argentina in 2006) was the last one, with Bertus de Harder (18 years and 142 days v. Czechoslovakia in 1938) and Frans van der Veen (19 years and 72 days v. Czechoslovakia in 1938) before that.
• Yunus Musah has become the second-youngest player to play for the USA in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup at the age of 20 years and four days. Julian Green was the youngest at 19 years and 25 days against Belgium in 2014.
