In an all time classic, France overcame a late Argentine surge to advance to the quarter finals of the World Cup. It was a thriller of a game, and one which bucks the trend of World Cup knockout ties as dull and tense affairs.

From minute one it was an open encounter, as France exploited the Argentine high-line by peppering long balls to Kylian Mbappé. This eventually led to the penalty, cooly dispatched by Antoine Griezmann, as Man United defender Marcos Rojo cynically brought down an advancing Mbappé just inside the box.

Argentina got back into the game in style, a fabulous Angel Di Maria strike just before the break was then added to by right-back Gabriel Mercado, who diverted a Lionel Messi shot into the French net.

It was not to be for Argentina however, who’s fans took over the stadium in Kazan, which today was sea of pale blue. Benjamin Pavard and Mbappé turned the match on its head once more, with a flurry of second half goals to give France a 4-2 lead.

Sergio Aguero would pull one back for Argentina, but alas, it was all too late.

France will march on to another World Cup quarter final, but for Argentina, and Leo Messi, it is the end of an era for an ageing side. Will we see Messi grace the world stage again? One would hope so, but an uncertain future lies ahead for Argentinian football in the wake of this crushing defeat.

Here are the Argentina player ratings from an extraordinary afternoon in Kazan, as France beat the South Americans 4-3.