Cup fight gets Messi

France, Argentina will face national anger

ARGENTINA is the 2018 World Cup’s grippingly dysfunctional travelling circus.

Led by Barcelona genius Lionel Messi – the team’s playercoach if you’ll believe some reports – and followed by a brutal press pack with a shadow cast by flawed genius Diego Maradona, few want this exhilarating rollercoaster to end.

France had pencilled in Croatia but this epic Round of 16 clash will leave another world soccer heavyweight joining Germany in exiting the World Cup early.

There will be a stinging backlash from fans and media alike in France or Argentina within 24 hours.

Tomorrow’s other semifinal will also claim a big scalp, with Luis Suarez’s Uruguay facing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. The winners will face off, with several tantalising prospects looming including: Messi v Ronaldo, the great Argentina-Uruguay “Clasico del Rio de la Plata” or a replay of the Euro 2016 final.

Argentina’s eternal challenge has been bringing the best out in Messi while getting the team to function in synch.

With Russia 2018 qualification up in the air, the Argentine FA appointed homegrown hero Jorge Sampaoli as national coach a year ago after he was able to mould Chile around attacking ace Alexis Sanchez.

Sampaoli’s first point of business was to contact Messi, who cancelled holiday plans to join the team for the coach’s unveiling in Melbourne for the Brazil friendly.

Argentina scraped through to make the cut for the World Cup but a penalty miss and thumping loss to Croatia quickly heaped pressure on Messi and co.

To understand the enormous pressure Messi has carried on his shoulders, one of his last penalty misses for Argentina – the 2016 Copa America final – prompted him to retire from the national team.

He changed his mind six weeks later, sparking jubilation in the football-mad country.