Argentina has booked themselves a place in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup as Messi was playing football from a different universe and won for himself the Man of the Match award as well.
Doha, Qatar: It was clear and more than evident that Argentina has fully recovered from their infamous defeat to Saudi Arabia and are now actually top of Group C. All that remains now is for Argentina to prove to the world that they are indeed contenders to go all the way in Qatar, a report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
Messi delivered again for his country, marking the 1,000th game of his era-defining career with his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup to lead Argentina to a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday, December 3..
“That is the World Cup for you,” Messi said. “All the matches are difficult and what’s important is that you win.”
With a flourish of his famous left foot in the 35th minute, Messi put Argentina ahead with his third goal at this year’s tournament and ninth in total at the World Cup — one more than Diego Maradona.
Messi, now has 789 goals in a career that might yet reach a crescendo on December 18 by winning football’s biggest trophy in his fifth and likely last World Cup.
Although Australia came across as one of the easier potential opponents in the second round, the Copa America winners certainly couldn’t afford to let their guard down against a nation who made it out of a group featuring France and Denmark.
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Messi play against Australia?
In the end, though, it was that gold dust of Mr. Messi himself that proved the difference for Lionel Scaloni’s men on the night as they secured a 2-1 victory.
Messi got the party started in the opening 45 minutes for his first ever World Cup knockout stage goal, dancing his way into the penalty area before stroking the ball past Matthew Ryan.
Julian Alvarez would later double Argentina‘s advantage before the
Socceroos put on a nervy finish. But the second-half, if anything, was even more ‘The Messi Show’ than the first.
Mesmerising crowds at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, the Paris Saint-Germain star cantered his way to the Man of the Match award with slick dribbling, silky passing and satin-like touches.
According to SofaScore, the magic man finished up his round of 16 masterclass with four key passes, two big chances created, 88 per cent passing accuracy and the highest match rating on the pitch at 8.0.
Messi’s game can seldom be quantified in the statistics as the best way to enjoy his genius is by, well, simply watching it unfold before your eyes.
And the way Messi tore Australia to shreds might well be one of the final World Cup matches that he ever plays,
What did Ferdinand and Shearer have to say about Messi?
The magic of Messi’s performance wasn’t lost on those in the BBC studio either as the experts team of Rio Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and Pablo Zabaleta lavished the Barcelona icon with praise.
Ferdinand declared: “The best individual performance from a player at this World Cup. It was almost god-like. I’ve not seen anything like this.
“How is he doing this? He is embarrassing players with his head up. He’s taking people on and is able to see the whole pitch, where people are. He is phenomenal.”
While Shearer eulogised: “We’re so lucky to be in this stadium to watch him. What a performance from him, we’ve talked about his ability, the hunger and desire.
“The ability to run with the ball which attracts so many players, allowing him to free up his team-mates. The way Messi works that space, the way he carries the ball when there is much going on around him. He’s got everything.
“Whenever he gets the ball the whole stadium gets on its feet. It doesn’t matter where he is on the pitch, the whole stadium rises.”
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