France Knock Argentina Out Of The World Cup 4-3

The conversation had been about a No 10 who was supposedly predestined to take his nation on and on, confounding every expectation and setback. ‘El General de Gol’ was Buenos Aires paper Ole’s way of encapsulating Argentinian matchday belief in Lionel Messi.

But there was a changing of the guard in every way at a searing, quite sublime game which will be talked about for years and may come to define this tournament.

The No 10 who seized it by throat was Kylian Mbappe, who powered France to the quarter finals, scoring two and winning the penalty which secured a third.