Everything You Need to Know About Day 16 of the World Cup

France beat Argentina at the Kazan Arena in the first match of the knockout phase of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on Saturday. Later in the day, Group A winners Uruguay set up a date with Les Bleus with a win over Portugal.

Les Bleus and the Albiceleste served up an instant classic in the first match of the round, with the Europeans deservedly taking a 4-3 win. Kylian Mbappe was the standout with two goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates couldn't cope with Uruguay's relentless energy in a 2-1 loss. La Celeste will meet Les Bleus on Friday.

Saturday Results

Argentina 3-4 France

Uruguay 2-1 Portugal

Argentina's Issues Finally Catch Up

Lionel Messi and his team-mates struggled throughout the tournament and ran into a team as talented as them on Saturday, with a predictable result. The Albiceleste are going home, courtesy of a 4-3 loss.

Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Angel Di Maria and Gabriel Mercado momentarily gave their fans hope of an unlikely win. But Benjamin Pavard pulled France level again with a superb strike, and Mbappe would score two quick goals to decide the contest. A late goal from Sergio Aguero didn't change the outcome.

It was pretty clear the overmatched defence was at fault:

The result should hand France a huge boost, as the squad was faced with some real adversity for the first time this tournament. With renewed momentum, Les Bleus have to be considered among the favourites for the title.

Uruguay's Energy Too Much for European Champions

Edinson Cavani scored both of Uruguay's goals in Saturday's win, but the final result was an enormous team effort in which every single player on the pitch stood out for good reasons.

Portugal lacked the creativity needed to break down Uruguay's impressive defensive wall, and their individual talent was unable to win out, as the side kept losing duels. Ronaldo rarely got away from Lucas Torreira, and Bernardo Silva often found himself without any options to pass to, with the gaps being plugged immediately.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe was impressed:

Pepe headed home Portugal's only goal, as he got away from Uruguay's defence for a brief moment, but there were precious few chances for a second for Portugal. 

Cavani did leave the pitch with an injury, and that could derail Uruguay's bid to beat European heavyweights France in the next round.