Both of soccer's modern-day "G.O.A.T.s" lose in heartbreaking fashion
Multiple upsets made for an interesting day in the world of soccer! As the FIFA World Cup hosted its round of 16 matchups today, fans of respective "G.O.A.T"s of today's generation of soccer players were shocked, stunned, and in an overall state of disbelief.
The day kicked off with Argentina taking on France. Though one of the biggest players in the sport plays for Argentina, his fanbase is global. It is not uncommon to see young Houstonians sporting the #10 in a symbolic show of support for Lionel Messi. And who could blame them? Messi's greatness has been revered by his ability to not only score goals, but he also assists and creates scoring opportunities for his teammates. Since 2006, in fact, Messi's international following has increased even as fans have consistently watched him fall short of the prize. Today was another iteration of disappointment proving that Messi's greatness alone wasn't enough to secure victory. Messi assisted on 2 goals, but terrible team would be Argentina's undoing. Meanwhile, France's Kylian Mbappe scored what was ultimately the clenching point in the 89' minute of the game, which put France up 4-2. Argentina pulled off a last minute run after a goal from Sergio Aguero in the 93' minute of the game. Increasing the score 4-3. Argentina had another chance in the 94' minute as they got off a good attempt but came up short.
Featuring Real Madrid's Christiano Ronaldo (another player considered one of the greatest of all time), Portugal faced off against Uraguay. Disappointment loomed as the favored team was eliminated. Known primarily for scoring and his uncanny ability to create space to obtain his goals, Ronaldo had been on a tear in the qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup scoring 4 goals including a 51st career hat trick. The match was mainly a possession contest because both teams held the ball trying to find a good look instead of being super aggressive and looking to primarily attack and exploit the other team's defense. Still it is worth noting that Ronaldo had a great opportunity to get a kick in at the half hour mark (30'). He missed. Edinson Cavani of Uruguay went on to score both of his team's goals to seal their fate. Uraguay advanced to the next round.
Both Messi and Ronaldo felt tremendous pressure to bring their country's a World Cup title. Both players failed. And in the grandest stroke of irony, this is possibly the last World Cup for both players. Uruguay and France will face off in the quarterfinals, July 6th 10:00 AM Eastern 9:00 A.M Central.
