The consequences were dire for Argentina in Saturday’s match against Mexico. If the match ends in defeat, Argentina will be eliminated from the World Cup after only two matches.
Gravity seemed to be weighing heavily on Argentina’s shoulders. They couldn’t break down Mexico’s solid defense and hardly created any chances.
Right until Messi suddenly got space to fire from outside the box fifteen minutes into the second half. The 35-year-old stuck the ball into a corner and sent Argentina into the sky.
– What a goal. Moment. To a man who wrote Gary Lineker on Twitter after Messi’s important goal.
It was clear that the result meant a lot to the Argentine. Perhaps not surprisingly, he also touched Diego Maradona’s eight World Cup goals.
Three minutes before kick-off, Argentina completely broke the deadlock when Enzo Fernandez followed it up with a stunning goal.
However, the job is not all for Argentina. They still have to collect points, and preferably win, over Poland in the last group stage match.
– I do not understand that
The Argentine players were fully aware of what was at stake in Saturday’s game, but seemed a little nervous about the aggressive Mexican style of play from the start. In addition, the Argentines struggled to find a good flow in their game.
And it soon became clear that Mexico, so to speak, was only seeking to defend against Argentina, which also guaranteed very few chances.
In the first half, there was hardly a chance to score, and Argentina struggled to field Lionel Messi in their attacking play.
Andreen Hegerberg, an expert at NRK, was unimpressed by what Argentina saw in the first half against Mexico.
– If you’re going to be a medal contender in the water cycle, you have to come to terms with Mexico coming out and pushing it. We’ve seen Argentina play before, and I don’t see why they don’t play now. When Mexico goes, it means there is room elsewhere, which Argentina has not come close to taking advantage of. I don’t know where to start, I was really surprised by this, she said on NRK’s break podcast.
Messi with dynamic scoring
The second half started in the same vein for the Argentines, but in the 64th minute they suddenly suffered a breakthrough. And of course it was Messi who did it for Argentina.
Messi suddenly had some space to shoot from 22 metres, and as he had done so many times before, he slotted the ball into the left corner of the goal. The Argentine spectators, as well as the Argentines on the field, burst into tears.
The result also completely changed the picture of the match, and suddenly Argentina seemed more energetic. Mexico also had to attack, which created more space for Argentina to attack.
In the 87th minute, Argentina doubled their lead. After a short corner kick, Enzo Fernandez received the ball from Messi, and the former beautifully shot the ball into the right corner.
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