The World Cup had the start it needed on Friday, with Argentina harassing France in a game played to the soundtrack of what sounded like 80,000 teenagers in a particularly scary roller coaster.

Argentina gave a performance of immense physical and mental courage Friday as it beat France, 17-12, in Group D. For the host anything less than a place in the final will be a disappointment, and this loss, in the same stadium where the French soccer team won the World Cup, could prove devastating to its chances. The group also contains the dangerous Irish, and even second place may not represent much of a reprieve since it will almost certainly mean an encounter with New Zealand in the quarterfinals.

From the start at the Stade de France, the Argentines tore at the bigger French team, bombing them with high kicks, then hunting down the ball or the ball-carrier with single-minded desperation.

The French crowd's roars every time its team began rumbling forward, repeatedly turned into squeals of terror as the Argentines wrestled away another ball, blocked another kick or tackled a man on the point of breaking away.

Argentina was not one of the eight seeds for the World Cup, where it has advanced as far as the last eight only once. But it had beaten France in four of the previous five encounters. It's lone defeat was by one point in November at the Stade de France.

Argentina might have felt more at home in the Stade. Four of the Argentine starters played for Paris-area teams last season, compared with three of Les Bleus.

Argentina showed its eagerness to scratch out any sort of early lead. The first two times it penetrated deep into French territory, it immediately attempted drop goals. Juan Martín Hernández's first attempt was short and wide, the second charged down.

Argentina did turn territory into points with three penalties by Felipe Contepomi. David Skrela replied with one for France.

Ignacio Corleto outpaced the French defense in a curling 40-meter, or 145-foot, run.