MESSI DELIVERS WHEN IT MATTERS
The little genie genius still has his one last wish intact
ONE touch to kill the ball dead. One touch to send it fizzing across the turf into the bottom corner. Two touches by Lionel Messi to keep the dream alive. A goal to keep Argentina alive and unleash a torrent of emotion.
Messi sprinted towards the stands, unleashing a scream of pure delight, his team in pursuit. Once he emerged from the mob, he stood before the banks of supporters swathed in their sky blue and white, pumping his fists and basking in their adulation.
The little genie’s genius did not desert him in the desert. It was there when it mattered, immune to the stifling tension of the occasion. Effortlessly, he accepted the square pass from Angel Di Maria and found the net.
This is what the greatest athletes do. They deliver when required. This was Messi’s eighth goal for Argentina in 21 World Cup appearances. It was enough to sink Mexico and should be enough to put Lionel Scaloni’s team back on track for the last 16.
It might not be enough to erase the memories of Tuesday’s defeat against Saudi Arabia in this same stadium but freed from the tension Enzo Fernandez added a brilliant second, in the 87th minute, a goal curled into the top corner after a short corner and a pass by Messi.
Argentina will complete their Group C fixtures against Poland in a stadium built from shipping containers. If they had stumbled again here, they might as well have climbed inside one, closed the door and taken a slow boat back to Buenos Aires. As it is, they can win the group on Wednesday and think about the knockout rounds and start to think about building another long unbeaten run. They had not lost in 36 games when humbled here by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Manager Scaloni reacted by making five changes. Three of the back four and two in midfield. Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez and Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister were among those to come in for a test of nerve in a febrile atmosphere. These are the two nations with the most support visible in Qatar and the World Cup’s biggest venue was packed. The noise was incessant. The decibels were up and so was the pressure. Unexpected defeat had thrust Scaloni’s team into a knockout situation within five days.
There were early mistakes in possession by his players, hustled by the Mexicans, who have reached the knockout stages of the last eight World Cup tournaments but arrived at the Lusail having not beaten Argentina in 10 attempts.
It made for a maddeningly scrappy opening phase. Argentina made the same type of mistakes on the ball they were making in the second half against the Saudis.
They were uptight, as though troubled as they teetered on the knife-edge and found no fluency in the first half, when their only effort on target was a curling free-kick from wide, delivered by Messi, probably a cross but misjudged by Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who was rescued by the referee.
Early touches were heavy. Passes and crosses went astray. Mexico strung five across the back and focused on frustrating the life out of their opponents, upsetting their rhythms and efforts to create any tempo.
Italian referee Daniele Orsato needed his wits about him. Argentina’ Gonzalo Montiel took an arm across the face and made the most of it. Mexico’s Nestor Araujo arrived late with studs up on Marcos Acuna and accepted his yellow card with a nod of agreement. They were not about to make it easy. Happy to play on the break and work from set-pieces.
Aware Argentina could not afford to lose, for an hour yesterday evening, a classic Mexican standoff ensued.
Mexico boss Gerardo Martino had promised to do all he could to foil his native Argentina and he should know how to do it. Martino hails, like Messi, from the city of Rosario. Like Messi, from Newell’s Old Boys. They were together when Martino took charge at Barcelona but last night his job was to crush the dream. His team stuck to the plan. It took until the 40th minute for the first thing resembling a chance to appear. Lautaro Martinez headed it wide.
Mexico lost their veteran captain Andres Guardado before half-time, replaced by Erick Gutierrez, who was promptly greeted with a yellow-card tackle from Montiel. From the free-kick, Alexis Vega forced the first save of the night from Emi Martinez.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper sprang right and plucked it out of the air. Not a difficult save but one that looked good. Vega unleashed another effort from distance and it flew over before half-time, and the contest loosened up after the interval.
Messi dropped deeper and enjoyed more of the ball. Argentina took encouragement. Di Maria got into the game. Still Mexico defended their penalty box. Messi curled a free-kick over from a good position.
But when the next chance came the little magician did not falter. Once ahead, the game changed amid a flurry of substitutions. Argentina sent on defenders. Mexico went after an equaliser but rarely threatened to find one as the clock ticked by.
When Fernandez added the second it was over and now Messi started to play with a smile on his face. The pressure must be suffocating but the dream is on and that must be good for the World Cup. Dream on, Leo. Dream on.