In the 78th minute, Michniewicz said his heart sank. The midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was issued a yellow card for a tough slide tackle. Poland’s yellow card margin had shrunk, and it now had five total to Mexico’s seven. Five minutes later, Michniewicz pulled Krychowiak from the game and replaced him with forward Krzysztof Piatek for offense.
“We wanted to avoid yellow cards and to score,” Michniewicz said. “That’s why we had another striker in. But Argentina didn’t allow us.”
In the 86th minute, Argentine forward Lautaro Martínez just missed wide on a shot that would have altered the group standings and sent Mexico to the knockout stage and Poland home. And in third minute of added time, defender Jakub Kiwior saved Poland by heading a kick by Nicolás Tagliafico that would have also sent Mexico to the next round.
After the final whistle, players from Poland and Argentina, including Messi and Lewandowski, shook hands and hugged. Although Messi had a penalty kick saved by Szczesny in the 39th minute, his younger teammates helped carry the load.
“We have a spectacular group and people who deliver,” Messi said afterward in Spanish. “Because it’s such a short tournament and so many games in a row that it’s good that we have everyone.”
But after the usual postgame pleasantries, Poland’s players lingered on the field. The fact that they couldn’t score late against Argentina or worried about their yellow card total didn’t matter anymore when al-Dawsari scored for Saudi Arabia against Mexico. While Poland gets to advance, Mexico’s players and its coach awaited questions and criticism back home for failing to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1978.