Lionel Messi was powerless to prevent Argentina crashing out of the World Cup on Saturday after a 4-3 loss to France in their round of 16 clash.

Some of his teammates came to the fore instead, but it wasn’t enough to get their side into the quarter-finals.

Here’s how the players rated:

ARGENTINA

Franco Armani 5 – He should have done better with Mbappe’s first goal, which put France back on top and allowed them to keep the momentum going. A shaky performance all round.

Gabriel Mercado 6 – Knew nothing about his goal – indeed, he was trying to get his foot out of the way of Messi’s shot. Was put under the cosh by France’s speedy attack.

Marcos Rojo 3 – Couldn’t handle Mbappe’s pace, giving away a cheap penalty and struggling constantly. Was duly taken off at half-time.

Nicolas Otamendi 5 – Looked a far cry from the defender whose passing has made him a Pep Guardiola favourite at Manchester City. This was a thuggish performance – and a poor one.

Nicolas Tagliafico 5 – Among the many players made to look a step too slow by Mbappe, as the young Frenchman proved too much for his Argentine counterpart.

Enzo Perez 5 – Helped maintain possession but offered little thrust for Argentina. Looked a little unsure of himself.

Javier Mascherano 5 – A typically robust display in midfield, as Mascherano would pop up everywhere to try and get Argentina going. His age showed in a few mistimed tackles and was perhaps lucky to stay on the field.

Ever Banega 7 – Argentina’s best player on the day, as he tried as often as he could to find the perfect pass to unleash his attackers. It was his pass that found Di Maria in space to gloriously level the scores at 1-1.

Cristian Pavon 6 – Was an ever-willing runner on Argentina’s right side, but his crossing was wasteful.

Lionel Messi 6 – It says something about Messi’s quality that a below-par display from him still sees the Barcelona man get two assists. But he was well contained by France’s defence.

Angel Di Maria 7 – Scored an utter screamer to get Argentina back in the game, a much-needed goal as French had threatened to run away with the tie.

 

SUBSTITUTES

Federico Fazio 6 – Came on at the start of the second half for Rojo, but although he wasn’t as reckless, he didn’t fare much better against Mbappe and the rest of France’s attack.

Sergio Aguero 7 – Was largely anonymous after coming on from the bench, but scored a late header to give Argentina hope of an unlikely comeback.

Maximiliano Meza 6 – Came on for Pavon and played in much the same vein, not doing much to help his side be any more incisive.