World Cup: with the eighth, serious things begin… What awaits you this December 3

Group matches are over.

Now, place in the round of 16 and with a defeat, it's back home.

The first to undergo this test will be the Dutch, qualified quietly by taking first place in group A. Facing them, the United States and their star Christian Pulisic, who should be fit despite a big collision with the Iranian goalkeeper. a few days ago.

In the evening, Lionel Messi's Argentina will do battle with Australia, the second surprise of the Blues group.

The program

• 4 p.m.: Netherlands - United States (beIN)

• 8 p.m.: Argentina - Australia (TF1, beIN)

Big game: Argentina v Australia

Argentina had started its World Cup badly.

An inaugural loss to Saudi Arabia after opening the scoring, and now the specter of an early exit was already looming in South American minds.

But the Albiceleste recovered well with 2-0 victories against Mexico and Poland, to finally secure the top spot in their group.

For what will surely be his last World Cup, Lionel Messi will want to shine.

Not necessarily successful since the start of the competition, having notably missed a penalty against Poland, the number 10 of PSG will obviously be eagerly awaited.

Especially if the other creator of his team, Angel Di Maria, is absent.

The former Parisian, slightly touched and released in the 60th minute on Wednesday, is uncertain for tonight's meeting.

Additional pressure for Lionel Scaloni's men, who according to the Argentinian coach do not need it: "I received a message from my brother who started crying in the middle of the match", he declared at a press conference.

" It is not possible.

This excessive pressure, the players necessarily feel it.

»

It will be necessary to know how to ignore it, and this is what the young Argentinian guard seems to know how to do.

Alexis MacAllister (23) and Julian Alvarez (22) scored against Poland.

After a golden generation (Aguero, Higuain, Mascherano) to which great success was promised, it is perhaps the youth that will take Argentina to the heights.

Already, she will try to make him pass the eighth, four years after the elimination against France at the same stage.

For its part, Australia returns to the final phase, 16 years after having passed the hens for the first time.

In 2006, it was Italy, world champion two weeks later, who brought down the Socceroos after extra time thanks to a penalty from Francesco Totti.

Graham Arnold's men, already on the Australian bench at the time as an assistant to Guus Hiddink, will therefore find a big name in world football.

Player to watch: Cody Gakpo

The young striker never ceases to be talked about.

Already announced as a future great before the competition, the PSV Eindhoven striker has become the first Dutchman to score in the first three games of a World Cup.

One goal with the head, one with the left foot and one with the right.

It shows the extent of his talent.

Cody Gakpo tops the scoring charts in the competition, tied with Kylian Mbappé, Ener Valencia, Alvaro Morata and Marcus Rashford.

And he has just equaled the number of World Cup goals of a certain Johan Cruyff, just that.

🇳🇱 What a #WorldCup so far, Cody.

💎#NothingLikeOranje pic.twitter.com/HtKww7hF7u

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 30, 2022

If he continues on this path, he could see his market value increase even further.

It was already very high: a time announced towards Leeds during the summer, he preferred to stay in the country.

He is now courted by major European clubs, including Manchester United.

With Cody Gakpo at the forefront of their team, the Dutch will be favorites to reach the quarter-finals against the United States, four years after having simply missed out on qualifying for the World Cup.

The sentence:

“If we are going to beat Argentina?

Sure !

»

Graham Arnold is obviously not afraid of the Albiceleste.

In any case, that's what he let appear after the victory of his players against Denmark on Wednesday evening.

"I coached the Olympic team in Tokyo, and we beat Argentina 2-0," he added.

It will be the white jerseys with blue stripes against the yellow jerseys, 11 against 11”.

A small statement taken up in the Argentine media, who consider him too confident before the meeting tonight.

And if he seemed rather joking than really serious, it is likely that this is a speech that will motivate his men even more.

The number: 6

Like the number of years spent by the American coach Gregg Berhalter in the Netherlands, for his career as a player but above all to perfect his football education.

He arrived there in 1994, the same year as a certain Ronaldo, played 103 games there in six years but above all asked a lot of questions, and got a lot of answers: "A lot of my principles of play are formed on the style Dutch.

It's a huge part of who I am today,” he told the Wall Street Journal.