It looks like a mouth-watering clash on paper when Argentina take on France in the round of 16 on Saturday, but a classic is possible only if the South Americans make vast improvements over the next few days.
They were minutes away from a 1-1 draw with Nigeria at St Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday, before Marcos Rojo converted Gabriel Mercado's cross in the 86th minute to stave off elimination by the skin of their teeth.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
