Following humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands in 2014 and a limp defeat to Italy at Euro 2016, this was perhaps the most galling exit of all, given it came at the hands of Russia, ranked 70th in the world, just above Macedonia and El Salvador.

It would be a stretch to say Russia deserved their win, with 26 per cent possession and only six attempts at goal compared with Spain’s 25, but they had a plan, stuck to it, and fought to the bitter end.

A 4-3 victory on penalties, after the sides were locked at 1-1 at the end of extra time, sends the hosts through to their first World Cup quarter-final since 1970.

Spain’s dominance will do nothing to ease the disappointment following what can now be judged as a truly farcical World Cup campaign.

Julen Lopetegui, the coach fired two days before Spain’s opening match, and Luis Rubiales, the Spanish Football Federation president who fired him, will be circled as the key offenders.

But Fernando Hierro, Lopetegui’s replacement, and David de Gea, who endured a torrid tournament in goal, will take their share of the blame too.

It was a pity that the last match of Andres Iniesta, who later confirmed his international retirement, in the end became little more than a footnote.

“What started badly, ended badly,” wrote Marca. “All the problems began with the dismissal of Lopetegui and then continued with a team lacking in form and ideas.”

Rubiales was quick to make clear he felt no remorse for sacking Lopetegui, who was clumsy in the way he handled his pending move to Real Madrid, but seemingly dismissed because of hurt, personal pride.

“Today there is pain, as we have been eliminated,” Rubiales said. “But you can be calm when you know you have acted with responsibility, conviction and values. You cannot later look in hindsight because of a result on the pitch.”

– Positive start –

Many would argue it was clear at the time that changing the coach two days before Spain’s opening game was unlikely to benefit the team.

With Hierro in place, however, there were positive signs against Portugal, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick overshadowed an assured Spain performance in a 3-3 draw.

But defensive errors and tactical rigidity soon came to the fore as poor displays followed against Iran, Morocco and Russia.

Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique were both guilty, the latter because of a handball that gave Russia their equaliser, but De Gea left as the principal villain.

Against Portugal, he allowed Ronaldo’s shot to slip through his hands. Against Russia, Igor Akinfeev starred in the shootout while he failed to save at least two spot-kicks he might have kept out.

By the end, De Gea had made only one save all tournament.

As the late stand-in, Hierro may be spared such stinging criticism but he dropped Iniesta and Dani Carvajal against Russia in Moscow, only to bring both on as substitutes, and then replaced Diego Costa with Iago Aspas, who arguably should have been on from the start.

Rubiales sidestepped questions about who will be the coach long-term but Hierro is surely unlikely to continue.

Whoever it is, they will now face the same two-pronged brief that Lopetegui was tasked with two years ago: to restore confidence and blood the younger generation.

Of the starting eleven against Russia, only Marco Asensio will be younger than 30 by the time the next World Cup comes around. Pique, Ramos, David Silva, Costa and Sergio Busquets will be 33 or older.

It means those left from the triple triumph of Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 will either be gone or down to the last few and that could pave the way for an evolution of style too.

A debate has emerged during this tournament around Spain’s possession game and it might be that a new manager decides to update the old, winning formula.

But for all the talk of tactics and generational change, Spain’s 2018 World Cup will be remembered for a simple act of self-sabotage. This was the team that was ready and then on the eve of the tournament, sacked their coach.

The Thailand race was the fourth stop of the Supet GT series and attracted huge attentions from fans as ten thousands of them witnessed the event and participated in several activies since on Saturday.

Driving Lexus LC500, Kovalainen and Kobayashi started in the third grid before they speeded up to dominate from the mid race until the end with a time of 1:36.42 hours, followed by Kazuya Oshima and Felix Rosenqvist of Lexas Team Lemans Wako and Yuji Kunimoto and Kenta Yamashita of Lexus Team WedsSport.

However, Briton Jenson Button and Naoki Yamamoto of Team Kunimitsu, the Championships leaders, were no where near their best as they settled at 11^th.

In GT300 event, Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda of Gainer won the race with the time of 1:38.01 hours, followed by Koki Saga and Kohei Hirate of APR Racing  and Hiroki Yoshimoto and Ritomo Miyata of LM Corsa-OTG Motor Sports.

Driving Bentley Continental, Est Cola’s Kantadhee Kusiri and Frenchman Maxime Jousse, one of the two representatives from Thailand, came at 14^th while Nattavude Charoensukhawatana and Nattapong Horthongkum of Arto Panther Team, driving Lexus RC F GT3, finished at 15^th out of 23 participating  teams.

Arto Panther Team manager Suttipong Smittachartch said: “The race was exciting from start to finish. Every team is so tough. Finishing 15^th is our best result this year. I’m happy with that.”

Nattvude said: “I’m a bit tired but I’m happy with the best position we achieved this year. We were under pressure and really gave out best put there.”

Jazz and Bhullar, along with another Thai hope Pavit Tangkamolprasert, were engaged in a see-saw battle but a brilliant chip-in birdie on the 10th hole followed by four successive birdies took Jazz ahead of the two rivals, as he signed off with a 67 for 19 under-par-265 at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club.

“At the front nine, I was a bit shaky and made a bogey early. But I handled the situation well after that. The momentum changed when I chipped in on the 10th and from then on my game was back again,” said the 22-year-old from Hua Hin whose maiden Tour win was in the 2017 Bangladesh Open.

“It was a tough round, not many people played well. I’m happy to come out on top,” added Jazz, officially known as Atiwit, who earned US$54,000 prize money for his win.

“This must be my most favourite tournament on the Tour. I have always played this tournament ever since I turned professional [in 2010]. Last year, I missed a chance for a play-off. So this is like a redemption for me,” added Jazz, who is the fifth Thai to hold the trophy after Chinnarat Phadungsil in 2009, Chawalit Plaphol in 2011, Thaworn Wiratchant in 2012 and 2014 and Prayad Marksang in 2013 and 2015.

His win meant the royal trophies have been won by Thais this year after Panuphol Pittayarat lifted the Thailand Open trophy (of King Rama IX) last month.

Gaganjeet Bhullar 

Bhullar, 30, was struggling with his inconsistent form but a finishing birdie saw him settle with an even-par-71 and a total 15 under-par-269 for lone second.

“It was the toughest day of the week. I didn’t start well by making easy mistakes but I still finished strong by saving two pars and ended with a birdie,” said the Indian whose last win was in Macau last October.

Pavit, after a solid front nine, missed the fairways and several putts that saw him finish with a 71 on 270 to tie for third with American-Korean Kim Sihwan (70).

Pavit Tangkamolprasert 

“I struggled with my game today. I tried my best but my driving was pretty bad today. I missed a lot of fairways. I just couldn’t get the ball in the right positions to give myself a chance to attack the pins,” the 29-year-old Pavit said.

Thailand will hold the last and third home Asian Tour event, the Royal Cup (trophy granted by HM King Rama X), which will take place at the end of this month, also at the Phoenix Gold.

Scores after round 4 of the Queen’s Cup presented by Bangchak being played at the par 71, 6951 Yards Phoenix GC course (am – denotes amateur):

265 – Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 64-66-68-67.

269 – Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 68-65-65-71.

270 – Sihwan KIM (USA) 66-64-70-70, Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 67-67-65-71.

271 – Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 67-66-69-69.

272 – Danthai BOONMA (THA) 65-72-69-66, Natipong SRITHONG (THA) 66-70-69-67, Sadom KAEWKANJANA (am, THA) 70-64-66-72, Scott VINCENT (ZIM) 66-71-63-72.

273 – Johannes VEERMAN (USA) 71-69-67-66, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 69-69-67-68, Tanapat PICHAIKOOL (am, THA) 68-68-68-69.

274 – Chaiphat KOONMARK (THA) 69-67-72-66, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 69-70-67-68, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 71-65-70-68, Khalin JOSHI (IND) 69-70-67-68, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 66-70-69-69, Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 63-70-69-72.

275 – Rattanon WANNASRICHAN (THA) 69-68-67-71, Dino A. GIACOMAZZI (USA) 66-68-69-72.

276 – Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 70-68-70-68, Berry HENSON (USA) 71-65-71-69, Jake HIGGINBOTTOM (AUS) 72-67-67-70, WANG Wei-lun (TPE) 68-67-70-71, Jarin TODD (USA) 68-68-69-71, Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) 67-70-68-71, Paul PETERSON (USA) 65-72-68-71, Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 71-65-68-72, Rashid KHAN (IND) 69-67-68-72.

.The two-time major champion, who celebrated her 28th birthday on Friday, started the day tied with Brooke Henderson for top spot but gained five strokes on the final five holes to grab the sole lead over the Canadian at 11-under 205.

“I don’t want it to slip away my opportunity,” Ryu said. “I want to finish strong, but as I said, it is just better not to expect anything. All I can do is just focus on what I have and just have fun with it.”

Canada’s Henderson is second after shooting a two-under 70 while Park Sung-hyung, who shared the 36 hole lead with Ryu and Henderson, is third after posting a 71 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club course.

American Angel Yin shot a four-under 68 to take fourth and England’s Bronte Law rounds out the top five after firing a 69.

It is truly and international leaderboard as the top five players represent four countries, Canada, USA, South Korea and England.

Players have had to battle high temperatures this week and on Sunday they will start earlier than normal as weather forecasters are predicting thunderstorms in the afternoon. Groups of three will tee off beginning at 7:30 am (12:30 GMT).

Ryu got a welcome break at the par five seventh hole when her shot landed in a woman’s lunch sack. That prevented her shot from going in the water and she ended up with a par on the hole.

– Golf God’s working –

“One of my luckiest moments out there. Definitely God helped me out there,” she said.

Ryu, who won last year’s ANA Inspiration and the 2011 US Women’s Open, finished with a half dozen birdies. Her only blemish was a bogey on the par-three third hole.

Ryu is playing with plenty of confidence after collecting her first win of 2018 at the Meijer Classic two weeks ago.

In a span of three holes on the back nine on Saturday she went from trailing Henderson by two to leading by two strokes.

She capped her round with a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 for a three-shot cushion.

“Right now, I feel pretty confident on the putting green,” she said. “And I think the tournament is all about confidence. That’s the attitude I really want to have for tomorrow, a free mind but confidence.”

Henderson, of Smith Falls, Ontario, hopes to celebrate Canada Day on Sunday by claiming her second Women’s PGA Championship title after winning the event two years ago when it was held in Seattle.

After pulling away with four birdies over the first 11 holes she closed with bogeys at Nos. 14 and 16.

“I feel like all parts of my game are pretty strong this week. Hopefully tomorrow I can just go out and put a good score together and just kind of see what happens,” said Henderson, who will play in a group on Sunday with Ryu and Park.

But if the South Americans successfully emulate the class of 1958 by winning a World Cup on European soil, there is a strong likelihood that their rock-solid defence will have something to do with it.

In any World Cup, it is the exploits of the goal-scorers who provide most of the memories for the highlights reels.

But it is a fact that the trophy is usually won by the team with the best defence.

Germany conceded just four in seven games in 2014, and Spain let in just two in 2010, the same tally as Italy’s victorious squad in 2006.

So while Neymar will continue to hog the limelight, the good news for coach Tite is that there is plenty more to his side than the Paris Saint-Germain forward as they prepare to take on Mexico on Monday.

“In football there is always one player who gets spoken about more. But you need to have a very good team,” said Casemiro, the formidable Real Madrid defensive midfielder, this week.

“It is inevitable that people will say the player we have who is above average is Neymar, but we cannot forget that we have other great players.”

The flamboyance of the Brazil teams which lit up the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, when the likes of Zico and Socrates delighted fans but ultimately failed to deliver, has long since been replaced by pragmatism.

The World Cup-winning Brazil teams of 1994 and 2002 had plenty of attacking talent, but owed their success as much to defensive steel.

In 2002, only England scored against Brazil in the knockout stages, a solid back line providing the foundation for Ronaldo to get the goals that won his country a fifth World Cup.

This Brazil team is constructed on similarly formidable defensive ground, with just eight goals conceded in 28 matches after the 2-0 win over Serbia on Wednesday.

“We have a very balanced squad, intelligent, and composed when we have to be,” said centre-back Thiago Silva, who headed in Brazil’s second goal against the Serbians.

– Streetwise –

Neymar, and especially Philippe Coutinho at the moment, provide the spark, but around them there are enough streetwise players to ensure this Brazil should not suffer a collapse even close to the scale of the 7-1 against Germany four years ago.

“In defensive positions, it is not just four of us plus one holding midfielder,” said Casemiro.

“Brazil’s defensive strength starts from Gabriel (Jesus), then with Neymar and Willian. All 11 players defend and all 11 attack.”

The ability of Paulinho, one of the few survivors of the 2014 squad, to power forward from deep and score goals like that against Serbia is perhaps not something one associates with a typical Barcelona and Brazil midfielder.

And behind it all, there is a strength in depth in the goalkeeping department that has not always been a characteristic of Brazil teams.

In 2014 a veteran Julio Cesar, then playing for Toronto FC, was the first choice in goal.

This time around the excellent Ederson, a star in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team, cannot get in the side because of the presence of Alisson Becker.

“Guardiola has an ace in his team, but he has Alisson in his way, and at the moment he is the Pele of goalkeepers,” said Claudio Taffarel, the custodian in the 1994 World Cup-winning team and now Brazil’s goalkeeping coach, earlier this year.

It all means that, while other pre-tournament favourites continue to fall by the wayside, there is reason for Brazil to dream of lifting a sixth World Cup even if Neymar doesn’t hit the heights.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani curled home a superb 62nd-minute winner to settle a thrilling last-16 tie and send Uruguay into a quarter-final against France next Friday.

Cavani had already put Uruguay in front early on, only for Pepe to head Portugal level in the 55th minute in a thrilling contest that was not the battle of attrition many predicted.

Pepe’s goal was the first time the South Americans’ defence had been breached in this tournament, but they stood firm after that and are beginning to look like genuine contenders moving into the latter stages in Russia.

The only downside for Oscar Tabarez’s side was the sight of Cavani limping off late on, raising a question mark over his fitness for the last-eight showdown with the French in Nizhny Novgorod.

“We are so proud and happy. It is a special day,” said Cavani after his match-winning display, before expressing optimism over his chances of recovering in time to face the French.

“I hope so. I’ll do everything to make sure I can take to the field with my teammates.”

Uruguay will need him as they march on, his partnership in attack with Luis Suarez combining with a formidable defence that is arguably the best in international football.

Meanwhile, European champions Portugal go home, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi bowing out of the competition on the same day.

“We are very sad that we didn’t make it. We played well in the second half and tried everything possible, but congratulations to Uruguay,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who hopes Ronaldo will continue his international career.

“I am sure he will. Cristiano still has a lot to give to the game,” he said.

Ronaldo could not make the difference after Suarez and Cavani combined brilliantly for Uruguay’s seventh-minute opener on Russia’s Black Sea coast.

Cavani picked out Suarez on the left with a cross-field ball, before continuing his run into the penalty area and meeting the Barcelona striker’s return delivery at the back post, the ball smacking off his face and flying in.

– Pepe breaches Uruguay defence –

Suarez almost doubled the lead from a free-kick midway through the first half that forced a good save from Rui Patricio.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo did not touch the ball once in the opposition area in the first period. But with Uruguay sitting back, Portugal did equalise 10 minutes into the second half.

A corner was played short to Raphael Guerreiro, and his cross from the left was headed home from close range by Pepe.

After nearly five and a half hours of football, it was the first goal Uruguay had let in at this World Cup — indeed it was the first they had conceded in 2018.

But their response to that was magnificent as they quickly retook the lead, Rodrigo Bentancur teeing up Cavani for a magnificent first-time curling strike into the far corner on his right foot.

Santos threw up his hands in disgust, realising that coming from behind a second time against this Uruguay defence was going to be a tall order.

Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera did almost gift them another equaliser, dropping a high ball at the feet of Bernardo Silva, but the Manchester City man could only volley over.

Cavani then had to be helped off by Ronaldo before watching the rest of the game from the dugout with ice on his calf.

His side held out, and if he recovers, Cavani can look forward to coming up against his Paris Saint-Germain strike partner Kylian Mbappe, so impressive for France against Argentina.

But Mbappe is unlikely to find the Uruguayan defence so accommodating.

“France have so many young players who are full of talent, some experienced ones too, but once you get to the quarter-finals there are no favourites,” warned Suarez.

The Belgians have emerged as dark horses at this World Cup, with their “Golden Generation” of players tipped to mount a deep run into the knockout rounds.

Roberto Martinez’s side defeated England 1-0 in their last outing to top Group G, earning what on paper should be a straightforward last 16 assignment against Japan.

But Mertens says the Red Devils are wary of a possible repeat of their Euro 2016 quarter-final, when they crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Wales despite being favoured to progress.

“I remember the Wales game,” Mertens said. “Everyone thought we were going to go through, no problem. And then suddenly, we’re out of the tournament.

“We’re not going to under-estimate Japan because they have a strong team. If they have got this far, it means they’re a good side.”

After making nine changes for last Thursday’s win over England, Martinez is expected to revert to the line-up which impressed in one-sided wins over Panama and Tunisia.

With nine goals so far in Russia, Belgium are the World Cup’s top-scoring team.

Striker Romelu Lukaku has claimed four with two against both Tunisia and Panama in the group stages.

The Manchester United star is set to face Japan after missing the win over England with an ankle knock.

Martinez has all his players fit as Belgium hope to improve their best performance at a World Cup finals, 32 years after reaching the semi-finals of Mexico 1986.

Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen, 32, who played for 76 minutes against England, has proven he is over the thigh injury he suffered last month.

Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany, also 32, who replaced Vermaelen late on against the Three Lions, could force his way into the starting side after shaking off a groin injury.

Japan meanwhile will be aiming to make history by reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

The Blue Samurai have reached the last 16 twice before, in 2002 and 2010, but on each occasion fell at the first hurdle.

The Japanese have endured stinging criticism in the aftermath of their final group game, when they ran the clock down in a 1-0 defeat to Poland, squeezing into the knockout rounds to advance at Senegal’s expense by virtue of having picked up fewer yellow cards.

Ex-England international Phil Neville described Japan and Poland’s approach as ‘disgraceful’, but coach Akira Nishino’s senior players defended the tactic.

“Of course, it didn’t look too good in the end, when the fans whistled, but for us the most important thing is that we progressed, said defender Gotoku Sakai.

Japan’s captain Makoto Hasebe admitted, “that was a weird feeling, but I think we did everything right.”

Nishino, 63, has done brilliantly to get the Blue Samurai into the knock-out stages having only stepped in when predecessor Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked in April.

The reigning European champions were undone by two Edinson Cavani goals for Uruguay in their last-16 tie in Sochi, despite Pepe bringing them level at one point early in the second half.

It was not to be Ronaldo’s night, as he exited the World Cup on the same day as Lionel Messi’s Argentina were eliminated following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of France.

Ronaldo will be nearly 38 by the time the next World Cup comes around in Qatar in 2022.

“Now is not the time to talk about the future, either of the coach or the players,” the Portugal skipper said after the game.

The 33-year-old did however say that the European champions could look to the future with confidence.

“I am sure that Portugal will continue to be one of the best teams in the world. We have a young and ambitious squad,” he said.

Remarkably, neither Ronaldo nor Messi have managed to score a single goal in a knockout tie in four World Cups going back to 2006.

Ronaldo reached the semi-finals with Portugal in his first World Cup in Germany, but has never made it past the last 16 since then.

This has been his best World Cup in terms of goals scored, as he leaves with four in total, including a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain in the group stage.

His tally is one behind the tournament’s current leading scorer Harry Kane, with Ronaldo also missing a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iran.

“He is an exceptional player,” said Uruguay’s veteran coach Oscar Tabarez.

“He is their leader, their captain. You need to really concentrate to make sure he is not successful against you, but that is very difficult.”

Portugal coach Fernando Santos was hopeful that the Real Madrid man will continue to represent his country for some time yet, with Portugal’s next challenge to defend the European Championship title they won in France two years ago.

“I am sure he will. Cristiano still has a lot to give to the game,” Santos said when asked if he felt his captain would carry on representing his country.

Portugal will take part in the inaugural UEFA Nations League later this year, beginning against Italy in September.

By that time, Ronaldo’s situation at club level will be clearer after he raised doubts about his future with Real Madrid in the wake of their Champions League final win against Liverpool in May.

“There is another tournament starting in September and of course we hope Cristiano will be with us to help the younger players grow,” Santos said.

“We have many young players and it is important to have our captain there.”

Driving the Honda NSX-GT, Button and Japanese teammate Naoki Yamamoto finished second twice in two out of three opening races. They are currently No 1 in the championships heading into this week’s fourth race at the Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram province.

“I expected Super GT to be very competitive. There are very talented drivers. After taking part in three races, I now understand it’s far more competitive than I expected,” said Button, who had the first driving test at the real venue in Buri Ram yesterday.

After winning three races and finishing fifth in the Formula One 2012 season, the Somerset-born never climbed the top spot on the podium again in the world’s biggest motor sport competition. By the end of 2017, after one appearance for the McLaren Honda team, Button decided to switch his attention to Super GT in Japan.

“The love for motor sports has always been there. But the challenge and the excitement had left. In Formula One, we had a good team but we didn’t get the results we wanted,” the Briton explained on why he had turned his back on F1. “Coming to Super GT, seeing the competitiveness of the teams, the racing is action-packed which is what I love. I love to fight,” Button said.

Button and Naoki Yamamoto 

Button admitted that he had already achieved the ultimate goal in life by winning the F1 overall trophy in 2009. But what remains a challenge in life is to be exposed to new experiences and win the Super GT Championships at the end of the year.

“The most important thing for me in life is to keep learning, keep your brain active. Things always change in motorsports such as technology, the way the tyres work and the ways of driving. For me, it’s always about learning new skills,” he said. “My immediate aim is to win the Super GT Championships, which is going to be difficult. But we have such a good team, with a great teammate like Naoki. We will keep fighting and we have a good chance,” the Englishman said.

However, Button did not rule out his return to single-seat competition, including F1. “If there is something that interests me, yes, as the race [F1] was fun. I’m lucky at this point in my career where I can choose, and Super GT is the best place,” he added. With Thailand set to host its first-ever Moto GP in October in Buri Ram, Button expected a successful organisation.

“There seems to be a lot of interest in motor sports in Thailand, This is a great venue for cars and likewise I can see that riders are excited about riding here. But it’s going be really tough as it’s humid,” the racer said.

Last, but not least, Button is excited that England have made it to the last 16 in the on-going football World Cup. Asked if the Three Lions would win, he replied: “It would be difficult for England. Personally, the favourites will be Brazil and Spain. But England are looking much stronger than in previous years.”

Billed as Messi’s chance to reignite stuttering Argentina’s hopes, the thrilling last 16 clash in Kazan instead saw 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe grab the limelight as he became the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup match.

Embattled Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli had promised an “aggressive, attacking” approach from his side.

But his fears over the superior speed of the French strikers were quickly proven right when Mbappe sprinted from his own half until he was hauled down by Marcos Rojo.

Antoine Griezmann coolly converted the 13th minute penalty.

But Mbappe’s PSG teammate Angel Di Maria levelled with a 41st minute long-range stunner and the South Americans were back in what was proving a superb match.

Argentina took a 2-1 lead minutes after the restart when Gabriel Mercado clipped Messi’s low curling shot past Hugo Lloris, but that was Messi’s only real contribution in the match.

Defender Benjamin Pavard’s stunning half-volley levelled for France on 57 minutes and as Argentina lost hope, Mbappe struck in the 64th and 68th minute to seal France’s place in the last eight.

The last time France lost a World Cup game after taking the lead was in 1982, against Poland.

Argentine had calls for first-half penalties too when the ball skimmed Samuel Umtiti’s arm, then when Messi tumbled as he was played into the area, were waved away.

France had looked in control, but the stakes changed dramatically minutes before the interval.

Cristian Pavon, on the left flank, found Di Maria unmarked 25 yards out from goal and he unleashed a thunderbolt that flew past a diving Lloris and into the top right-hand corner.

Di Maria, one of several Albiceleste players criticised for underperfoming in their group games, made amends by setting up Argentina’s second.

He twisted and turned on the left side of the area to win a free kick, after Pavard’s tug, and when Banega’s free kick was cleared by Pogba it fell to Messi.

His curled shot looked innocuous, but Mercado stuck a foot out to wrong-footed Lloris.

Minutes later, Les Bleus were level, Pavard matching Di Maria’s effort with a superbly-struck half-volley with the outside of his right boot that spun past Argentina ‘keeper Franco Armani after Blaise Matuidi’s wayward cross found the Stuttgart defender.

Despite a late consolation for Argentinan when Sergio Aguero headed Messi’s superb long cross past Lloris in stoppage time, Mbappe had already well and truly stolen the show.

When Matuidi’s shot was blocked just after the hour, Mbappe was on hand to restore France’s lead with a low shot past Armani.

Four minutes later the teenager ran on to Olivier Giroud’s perfect pass on a France counter to drive it low past Armani and spark mass celebrations on the French bench.