Argentina edge Japan in Nantes thriller to reach last eight

NANTES, France : A clinical hat-trick from winger Mateo Carreras helped hoist Argentina into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 39-27 victory over Japan in a winner-takes-all Pool D shootout at Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday.

Argentina's Santiago Chocobares scored a try after 67 seconds but that served only as an appetiser for a thrilling contest between two well-matched teams playing for the right to take on Wales in the last eight in Marseille next Saturday.

Emiliano Boffelli also crossed for a try and contributed nine points from the kicking tee for Argentina as the twice World Cup semi-finalists returned to the knockout stages after missing out in 2019.

Japan, whose run to the quarter-finals on home soil four years ago captured the hearts of a nation, head home despite a battling performance and tries from lock Amato Fakatava, scrumhalf Naoto Saito and replacement winger Jone Naikabula.

The Pumas made the perfect start, driving a maul up the middle of the pitch before releasing the ball to Chocobares, who skipped through the defensive line and rounded the last defender to touch down.

Japan hit back 14 minutes later in unlikely fashion when lock Fakatava put up a speculative chip kick on the wing and showed a great turn of pace to regather it and trundle over the line for a score.

Brave Blossoms flanker Pieter Labuschagne, who missed the World Cup opener after being shown a red card against Fiji in August, was again penalised for a high hit in the 23rd minute and sent to the sin bin.

The Pumas hit the front again just before the half-hour mark when scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou carved through the Japan defence and drifted across the pitch to find winger Carreras running a great line in support on the left wing.

Boffelli