Argentina needed a Messi with the Maradonian rebellion to come out of the knockout and maintain its World Cup illusion

Yes, always Messi. I didn’t play a good first half Leomuch less the Selection. The volcanic reaction that might have been expected had not been seen. Something was wrong with the team. Something was wrong with Messi, when he needed it more than ever.

But in the second half Leo showed a rebellion “Maradona“. He asked for the ball and gave electricity to the selection. The game changed, Messi was present. There was another vibration in the atmosphere of the Lusail stadium. At 18 minutes, Enzo Fernández tried Di María and spaghetti He looked for Messi. Leo He found a solitude he had never had. A second. He took advantage of it: his furious left foot seemed pushed by millions of Argentines who wanted another story for the national team in this World Cup and by millions of fans of other nationalities who didn’t want Messi to say goodbye so quickly.

So was that Argentina knock out and revived. Improved the last image a bit. It wasn’t that hard, but the reality is that the staggered, as we knew, has not yet appeared in Qatar. That solid team, with quick responses to every circumstance of the game, only began to get complicated against a Saudi Arabia they couldn’t decipher and against Mexico they showed improvement, especially emotionally.

The rest was provided by Messi, with help from Di María and Enzo Fernández.

But you had to suffer. The first time he showed the faces of the two, without make-up. Mexico, waiting, knowing that the major emergencies weren’t its own. With a line of three centre-backs and two full-backs, he gave the Argentine the ball, put pressure in midfield, especially De Paul, so that the ball didn’t reach Messi. And if it were his turn, he would never be arm in arm with a marker, always against at least two.

In that first phase Messi was seen as very static, first identified as another “9”, between Di María and Lautaro Martínez; then backing away, also standing in the center circle, looking at the team trying to go around to the left. Something happened to Messi.

A peaceful Mexico, a nervous Argentina, tied up, with the handbrake on, aware that a defeat would leave them out of the World Cup too soon.

Argentina’s first approach to the expert’s objective memorandum Ochoa went after 40 minutes: Messi’s corner, Di María’s cross and Lautaro’s deflected header on the edge of the penalty area. In the 45th minute, the best play by the national team, with fast movement from center to left, with the participation of Mac Allister and Messi, so much so that Acuña finished with a cross that Álvarez deflected for a corner. Too small.

The second time was different: Messi transformed it. After four minutes he tackled the area with one of his old men slalom. They lowered it. Perfect punishment. Messi crouched down and waited for the referee’s signal and seemed to be talking to the ball, as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His shot went high. It didn’t feel like his nightbut we had to wait.

Scaloni risked 12 minutes in the plug-in. He brought out a very inaccurate Guido Rodríguez to put Enzo Fernández. The former River then stopped to try to make up for the fact that De Paul didn’t provide safe passes either.

At 18, the coach changed side by side (Molina for Montiel) and striker for striker (Julián Álvarez for Lautaro Martínez). Immediately Enzo Fernández sought Di María e spaghetti to Messi. We already know what happened. Messi advanced, in his 21st World Cup match, to join Maradona. His goal number eight at the World Cup. To save a Selection that needed him like never before.

Then came Enzo Fernández’s great goal, shouting at the property and letting the national team know that it’s time to become the staggered.