BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

It's fair to say the Argentina media were not blown away by their win over Australia, but they are extremely grateful they have Lionel Messi in their said.

Clarin newspaper said: , external“It was not a great leap in terms of football, against a tough but lesser rival, although it will undoubtedly be so in terms of spirit.”

One thing was clear, it said: “Leo sees what no one else sees, and the ball obeys him.”

In a separate headline, they added:, external “Sometimes, to win, you don’t need to play very well: It takes Messi, being intelligent and a little bit of luck”.

After their opening-game defeat midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said the shock loss “was positive” because “we found ourselves in a situation we were not used to. We had not lost for a long time and our character came out.”

“And, for the most part, it seems that he was right,” said the La Nacion, external after Saturday's win.

Here are some of the numbers from Lionel Messi's 1,000 professional games.

They are frightening...

• 1,000 games: 831 for Barcelona and PSG, 169 for Argentina
• 789 goals: 695 for Barcelona and PSG, 94 for Argentina
• 338 assists: 294 for Barcelona and PSG, 44 for Argentina

One of the greatest.

It just had to be him.

On his 1,000th appearance in professional football and his 100th game as Argentina captain, Lionel Messi stepped up again to keep his country's World Cup dream alive.

In his fifth World Cup, the 'magician' finally scored his first ever World Cup knockout goal as Argentina took another step to ending their 36-year wait for World Cup glory with a 2-1 second-round win against Australia.

After a nervy opening half-hour, Messi intervened to open the scoring and from there it was mostly plain sailing at an absolutely bouncing Ahmad bin Ali Stadium - until a late goal from the gallant Australians gave Argentina one almighty scare.

The Argentines now face a mouth-watering quarter-final against the Dutch with the hopes of a nation once again inevitably resting on their number 10, who is now the tournament's joint-top scorer with three goals.

Shamoon Hafez and Andy Cryer reflect on Messi's performance and how the Argentina fans are in awe of their number 10.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport in Qatar

Lionel Messi produced a moment of magic on his 1,000th career appearance as two-time champions Argentina beat Australia to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Messi, 35, was winning his 119th cap for his country and they needed his brilliance to take them through to the next round and a tantalising tie against the Netherlands on Friday.

Argentina had barely threatened in the first half but Paris St-Germain's Messi stroked in a delightful low finish to spark wild celebrations from their fans.

Every time Messi got his left boot on the ball there was a buzz of excitement in the stadium, sharp intakes of breath anticipating something special.

And the little magician showcased exactly why he is considered one of the greatest of all time in his landmark game, starting and finishing a move that had blue and white shirts dancing in the stands.

Right, time for us to leave Netherlands.

Time for Argentina and Lionel Messi...

The pundits in the BBC studio were also in awe of the Netherlands' opener.

Watch analysis as Alex Scott and Micah Richards praise the Dutch for their play in the build-up to their first goal.

While the plaudits for the Netherlands' first goal were many, Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan told BBC Radio 5 Live that the side didn't exactly put in a blockbuster performance.

"Sorry to say and I probably sound the most negative Dutch journalist but it was, most of time, very boring again," said Van der Kraan

"I thought what are we going to do when we face a real big nation? We expect more. If you want to win the World Cup, you've got to come up with better football.

"It needs to improve still because if we play Brazil or Argentina after this, will this be enough? Will they put their chances away?"

Despite leading 2-0 at half-time Netherlands were on the back foot for most of the first period and boss Louis van Gaal admitted he had strong words with his side during the interval.

"I was very critical at half-time in my analysis that I share with my players," said the 71-year-old.

"Although we were in the lead 2-0, I think they were fantastic goals with beauty and team spirit.

"However, in the first half we were dispossessed so much and it was not necessary. That's simply not acceptable at a World Cup. If you play top-notch countries, you simply can't make those mistakes.

"In the second half they did a much better job I think even though we scored fewer goals. Nonetheless we were all very, very pleased and it gives us incredible confidence.

"I think we have big chances here. We still have three matches to go. I've been talking about this for a year that we can become world champions."

There was no "Knockout Round soccer" success for the USA this time around but the national side thanked the fans for their "unwavering support" during the World Cup journey.

Image source, Getty Images

USA have been eliminated from four of their five appearances in the round of 16 at the World Cup, going out in each of their last three such games (2010, 2014, 2022).

Micah Richards is a fan of Denzel Dumfries too.

Watch out Denzel, he might kiss you too!

Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries was impressive in the Netherlands win.

He set up two goals and scored the decisive third. He was the highest-rated player by BBC Sport readers.

The 26-year-old perhaps got more than he bargained for in the post-match press conference though, with boss Louis van Gaal giving him a kiss!

"Yesterday or the day before yesterday I gave him a big, fat kiss and I'm going to give him another big, fat kiss," said Van Gaal before leaning over and giving Dumfries a peck on the cheek.

Dumfries is named after American actor Denzel Washington, and he said: "I'm incredibly proud of that because Denzel Washington is a really strong personality who voices his views on certain issues and I see that as an example."

Image source, Getty Images

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has lost none of his 11 World Cup games in charge (W8 D3), the outright most for a manager without ever losing in the competition. Only Felipe Scolari (12) has had a longer unbeaten start as a manager in World Cup history than van Gaal (11).

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer in Doha

Image source, Getty Images

Louis Van Gaal has been over this course before with the Netherlands, when he guided them to a World Cup semi-final in Brazil in 2014, only to lose on penalties to Argentina after a goalless draw in Sao Paulo.

And his vast experience means they cannot be under-estimated here as they set up a last eight meeting with either their 2014 conquerors Argentina or Australia, who meet at 19:00 GMT on Saturday.

No-one would pretend this is a classic Dutch side but they have a sprinkling of quality in all areas and the beauty of their first goal, which would have delighted the purists in their homeland, was a graphic demonstration of their capabilities.

Virgil van Dijk is the world-class defensive leader alongside Nathan Ake, while both full-backs Blind and Dumfries made crucial contributions.

Frenkie de Jong brings control to midfield and there is real threat in the shape of Depay, who scored his first goal of this World Cup, and one of the break-out stars of this World Cup, Cody Gakpo.

It was a display that delighted the band of Dutch fans inside Khalifa International Stadium as Van Gaal's side march on.

No doubt a trip to the White House to meet President Joe Biden will be on the agenda when the USA team arrive back on home soil from Qatar.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer in Doha

Image source, Getty Images

The States' main man Christian Pulisic looked close to tears after the final whistle as he reflected on the chance that got away in those opening moments, an opportunity that might have made this a very different tie.

Pulisic was sent through on goal by Tyler Adams' clever delivery but the outstretched leg of Dutch keeper Noppert made the block. Pulisic should have scored and he knew it.

The US were soon in arrears and could never get close enough to the Netherlands, apart from Wright's goal, which was heavily laced with good fortune.

The left side of their defence was brutally exposed by the Dutch for all three goals and this, mixed with poor finishing, meant their World Cup ends in the first knockout round.

There is something to build on after getting out of the group stages but there will also be disappointed at the sense of missed opportunity as they make their departure from Qatar and start their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which they will be co-hosting.

Image source, Getty Images

USA head coach Gregg Berhalter called the defeat "a difficult one to handle" and said his side were "bitterly disappointed".

He added: "It's such a good group of guys, such a close group of guys and we came up short. But it wasn't for a lack of trying or a lack of effort. The guys put everything they had into this game and, unfortunately, we lost it.

"I'm really proud. When you think about how this group has come together over the last three and a half years, it's really special to see. You don't often get to see a bond like that between team-mates and the staff and everyone in the group. Bitterly disappointed in the result.

"We made some progress. When people look at our team, they see a clear identity. They see a team that fights for each other, talent on the field. We made progress but on this particular night we came up short.

"Overall I'm extremely proud of this group for the way they handled themselves both on and off the field. We set out with a goal to show the rest of the world how we can play soccer and I think we partially achieved that, although we fell short of our goals."