2022 FIFA World Cup Group C

2022 FIFA World Cup Group C
Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 22 to 30 November 2022. The group consisted of eventual champions Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. The top two teams, Argentina and Poland, advanced to the round of 16. This marked the first time that Mexico did not advance past the first round since 1978.
Teams
The teams were decided by the World Cup draw that took place on 1 April 2022. The group was set to receive one team from each pot, which sorted all World Cup teams by position on the FIFA World Rankings.
Notes
Standings
In the round of 16:
The winners of Group C, Argentina, advanced to play the runners-up of Group D, Australia.
The runners-up of Group C, Poland, advanced to play the winners of Group D, France.
Matches
All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia
The teams had faced each other four times prior to the tournament, most recently in 2012, a 0–0 draw in a friendly.
Argentina took the lead in the 10th minute with a penalty from Lionel Messi, awarded for a foul on Leandro Paredes, which he rolled into the left corner. Argentina would have three further goals ruled out for marginal offsides. Saudi Arabia equalized in the 48th minute with a low shot to the right corner from Saleh Al-Shehri. They took the lead five minutes later when Salem Al-Dawsari curled the ball into the right corner of the net from just inside the penalty area.
Saudi Arabia's victory ended Argentina's 36-match unbeaten streak, dating back to 2019. According to Gracenote, the win was the "most surprising" in World Cup history, with many calling it one of the biggest World Cup upsets of all time. This was also the second consecutive World Cup that Argentina did not win their opening match, after drawing 1–1 with Iceland in 2018, and the first time since 1990 that Argentina lost their opening match.
Mexico vs Poland
The teams had met eight times previously, including once in the World Cup, a 3–1 first group stage victory for Poland in 1978, and most recently in 2017, a 1–0 win for Mexico in a friendly.
The only shot on target of the first half was from Mexico's Jorge Sánchez, which was punched away by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. In the 54th minute, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski was awarded a penalty after the video assistant referee judged that Héctor Moreno had fouled him inside the penalty area. Guillermo Ochoa saved the penalty taken by Lewandowski, diving to his left, and the game stayed goalless. At the other end of the field, Mexico had a chance to win the game as a ball into the penalty area from Edson Álvarez went towards Henry Martín who attempted to head the ball beyond Szczęsny; however, the Poland goalkeeper managed to beat the ball away.
Poland failed to win their opening match in a World Cup for the eighth time, having won just one of their nine opening tournament games, though for the first time since 1986, they did not lose the opener.
Poland vs Saudi Arabia
The teams had previously faced each other four times, most recently in 2006, a 2–1 win for Poland in a friendly match.
Piotr Zieliński scored the opening goal for Poland in the 39th minute. At the end of the first half, Saleh Al-Shehri was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick. However, Salem Al-Dawsari's attempt would be saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. In the second half, an error by Abdulellah Al-Malki led to Robert Lewandowski scoring his first World Cup goal in the 82nd minute, as Poland would win the match 2–0.
The result meant that Poland went unbeaten in their opening two World Cup games for the first time since 1986.
Argentina vs Mexico
The teams had faced each other at the FIFA World Cup on three previous occasions, with Argentina winning all three matches: a 6–3 group stage victory in 1930, a 2–1 round of 16 win in 2006, and another round of 16 victory by a 3–1 scoreline in 2010.
After a goalless first half, Lionel Messi put Argentina into the lead in the 64th minute with a shot from outside the penalty area. Enzo Fernández made it 2–0 and secured the win in the 87th minute with a curled finish in the top right corner of the net. Messi's assist for Fernández's goal made him the first player to record assists at five different World Cups.
Poland vs Argentina
The teams had met eleven previous times, including twice in the World Cup; Poland's 3–2 first group stage victory in 1974 and Argentina's 2–0 second group stage win in 1978.
Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny made a penalty save in the first half to deny Lionel Messi, only to concede twice for the first time in this FIFA World Cup, when Argentina scored two goals in the second half; the first goal came from Alexis Mac Allister with a low shot to the left corner, and the second from Julián Álvarez with a shot to the top right corner as the Argentines won 2–0, topping the group with six points.
Despite defeat, Poland would still join Argentina in the last sixteen thanks to a superior goal difference to Mexico, ending their 36-year knockout stage drought.
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
The teams had met five previous times, most recently in 1999, a 5–1 win for Mexico at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
After a goalless first half, Mexico struck twice in the second half, first with a volley from a corner by Henry Martín in the 47th minute, and then with a thunderous free kick by Luis Chávez in the 52nd minute. However, Mexico failed to find a third goal, which they needed to overtake Poland on goal difference; Mexico had received more yellow cards than Poland and would have been eliminated on this basis if the teams finished level on points, goal difference, and goals scored. Salem Al-Dawsari, however, would score for Saudi Arabia in the fifth minute of added time with a goal after a one-two, confirming both teams' elimination as Mexico claimed the 2–1 win.
This was the first time Mexico failed to advance to the knockout stage at a FIFA World Cup since 1978, while Saudi Arabia's knockout stage drought extended to 32 years, having failed to progress past the group stage since the country's tournament debut in 1994.
Discipline
Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
first yellow card: −1 point;
indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
direct red card: −4 points;
yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.
See also
Argentina at the FIFA World Cup
Mexico at the FIFA World Cup
Poland at the FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup
Notes
References
External links
2022 FIFA World Cup
Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Mexico at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup