The Argentina national team was considered in the company of Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia as the main contender for the first line. In the first round, Lionel Scaloni’s team won the first half against Saudi Arabia without converting a lot of chances. But in the second half of the meeting, Albiceleste failed, conceding twice from an opponent who caught courage. The 1:2 defeat did not leave Argentina the right to make a mistake in the second round. Lionel Messi managed to pull out the toughest match with the uncompromising Mexico, who scored a goal in a situation where the opponent did not even allow him to approach his goal. At the same time, a 2:0 victory did not guarantee the Argentines a ticket to the playoffs. It was necessary to beat Poland, which was done. Two goals in the second half secured the first place in the group for Argentina.
The Australian team was not considered a contender for a ticket to the playoffs. Graham Arnold’s team competed with France, Denmark and Tunisia, where the Europeans were considered the favorites. The status of an outsider was confirmed by the Australians in the first round, where they lost 1:4 to France. The defeat did not break Australia and in the duel with Tunisia three points were obtained thanks to the only accurate blow from Mitchell Duke. However, even this success did not affect Australia’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs. In the last round they had to play with Denmark, which was the obvious favorite. Despite the game advantage of the Danes, the Australians survived and managed to carry out a high-quality effective attack. Matthew Lecky’s ball became the only one in the match and allowed him to be in the playoffs. More 90% accurate football predictions can be obtained from the link provided.
