While all eyes were on Argentina captain Messi and his fifth bid to win the one major trophy eluding him, it was 22-year-old Alvarez who stole the show, earning the penalty before opening his own account at the end of a scintillating 50-metre run.
Messi, now 35, will attempt to fire Argentina into the final for the second time in eight years against the 2018 runners-up.
Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated sportswriter who moved to the Substack online publishing platform, had been tweeting about the Netherlands-Argentina match on Friday.
A hugely significant victory broke new ground for the game outside of Europe and South America, who have been the dominant force in the sport, winning all 21 previous editions of the World Cup.
After three weeks of pulsating action in Qatar, just eight teams are left standing as the 32-nation tournament heads into the final rounds of the knockout competition after a two-day break.
A huge surge in visitors at this stage is unlikely with only eight teams staying on in Doha, and eight games left out of the 64 in the tournament that began on Nov. 20.
Ronaldo was hogging the headlines at the tournament even before he kicked a ball after launching a tirade against Manchester United and their manager Erik ten Hag.
In 1986, the football-obsessed North African nation became the first African or Arab country ever to reach the knockout stages, before many of the current players were born.
Japan staged their second stunning turnaround of the World Cup to beat 2010 champions Spain 2-1 on Thursday to surge into the last 16 along with their beaten opponents and dump Germany out in one of the greatest nights for the Samurai Blue.
Germany finished third in the standings, behind Spain on goal difference, with Japan top following their 2-1 win over the Spaniards.
Second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez secured victory for Mexico at Lusail Stadium but they finished third behind Poland after Salem Al-Dawsari's late strike.
There was no replay of the street celebrations last Friday, when people danced after Iran beat Wales.
Elsewhere, 2018 runners-up Croatia crushed Canada 4-1 to eliminate their opponents while Costa Rica claimed a shock win over Japan.
City centers in Rio, Sao Paulo and other hubs of Latin America's biggest economy meanwhile turned to ghost towns as Brazil ground to a halt to watch the match.
Richarlison has been in fine form when wearing the golden yellow kit of Brazil this year and he opened the scoring with an easy tap-in before doubling the lead with his acrobatic effort.
Ronaldo drilled home a penalty in the 65th minute of the Group H encounter to set his side on their way and while Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana.
The Brazilians have arrived in Qatar hoping for a repeat of what happened at the last World Cup held in Asia two decades ago, when they won their fifth title in Japan.
The veteran Portugal forward set the stage for his Old Trafford exit last week with an outspoken interview on TalkTV, in which he said he felt "betrayed" by the club and had no respect for new manager Erik ten Hag.
After England thumped Iran 6-2 to showcase their title credentials, day three of one of the most controversial World Cups in history will have four matches.
Asian champions Qatar became the first home nation to lose their opening World Cup match as Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 victory on Sunday, with veteran forward Enner Valencia scoring twice.
Ronaldo has been a peripheral figure on the field during Ten Hag's first season in charge.
"I was very happy to receive the news yesterday. It was a relief," the Serbian said after beating Andrey Rublev in the ATP Finals in Turin.
Messi, 35, has a sackful of trophies but the tournament in Qatar is likely to be his final chance to equal the achievement of fellow Argentine great Diego Maradona, a winner in 1986.
The recent record for Portugal at the World Cup makes for sorry reading, with just a combined three wins in three appearances since reaching the semi-finals in 2006.
Garcia, 29, was ranked outside the top 70 in mid-June but has since won four titles, made the semi-finals of the U.S. Open and will now rise to a career-high number four.
Manchester United were blown away 3-1 by an inspired Aston Villa on Unai Emery's bow as boss, while Newcastle moved up to third with a 4-1 victory at Southampton.
Rune, 19, became the youngest winner of the Paris tournament since an 18-year-old Boris Becker in 1986 after beating five top-10 players in as many days.
Haney now looks set for a fight next with two-time Olympic champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.
A Spanish court placed a temporary hold on the 50 million euros pending a full hearing on the case, according to court documents issued on Monday that AFP has seen.