Tunisia, Mexico out of World Cup despite winning
3 Min Read
Tunisia and Mexico were kicked out of the World Cup despite winning against their opponents, with France and Argentina chairing their respective groups.
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Tunisia's Wahbi Khazri and teammates salute their fans after the match, Qatar, November 30, 2022 (Reuters)
Tunisia's Wahbi Khazri scored the game's only goal as Tunisia claimed a shock 1-0 win over holders France at the World Cup on Wednesday, but it was not enough to send them into the final 16.
France coach Didier Deschamps, whose team was already through to the knockout stage, made nine changes but they were a shadow of their usual selves, and Khazri punished them in the 58th minute at Education City Stadium.
It looked as though Tunisia would be denied their win in the final moments but an Antoine Griezmann goal in stoppage time was disallowed following a VAR review.
Australia seals Denmark's fate
Australia beat Denmark 1-0 to reach the last 16 of the World Cup for the second time in their history.
A 60' goal from Mathew Leckie secured a battling win for Australia, who advanced to the knockout rounds after finishing second in Group D behind reigning champions France.
Mexico out despite win
Mexico suffered an agonizing exit from the World Cup on goal difference despite beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in a dramatic finale to Group C.
Second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez secured victory for Mexico/ However, they still finished in third place behind Poland after Salem Al-Dawsari's late strike.
Mexico desperately pushed for a third goal in an effort to improve their goal difference as they faced elimination on FIFA fair play rules.
Poland loses to Argentina, still makes it to final 16
Argentina beat Poland 2-0 on Wednesday, but both teams made it into the final 16 with Poland progressing on goal difference.
For once, Messi was not the Albiceleste's match-winner, even missing a penalty in the first half of the game, his 31st missed penalty.
The clash between two of the greatest strikers in football, Lionel Messia and Robert Lewandowski, saw the former's team stand tall on their group's standings, still allowing their Polish opponents to qualify.
Lewandowski, for his part, never got into the game, a mirror image of his strangely subdued and passive team-mates, who sat back from the first whistle and rarely tested Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
