The X-ray of the best collective goal in the history of the national team: 28 touches, participation of all the players on the pitch and definition by Julián Álvarez

Argentina He is already in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar. Lionel Scaloni’s side beat Poland 2-0, qualifying first in Group C and will face Saturday Australia. And to seal the victory against the Poles, there was football champagne… and total.

This is the goal of Giuliano Alvarezthat of 2-0, had 28 passes, including the exquisite definition of the Manchester City forward opening his right foot. And so, the national team converted the goal with the most touches in its history at the World Cup. Thus he surpassed the record of what had been Albiceleste’s best goal up until before this match, the second in the 6-0 win by the team led by José Néstor Pekerman against Serbia and Montenegro, finished by Esteban Cambiasoin the second match of the group stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Julián Álvarez’s goal play began on Poland’s pitch, down the left, with a quick free kick from Tagliafico. Before that there was another sequence of many touches, but they are not counted because it is a new play.

He went from left to right, changed wing again to return to Polish soil, reached the back with Messi’s speed and Molina’s projection, got back on De Paul, who lateralized towards the other sector and culminated with the acceleration of Enzo Fernández, who burst forward, overtook Polish players and assisted Álvarez, who after a hook, unleashed a great shot from the right that got stuck in the corner. And in between 27 steps.

So many that the 10 players on the field participated.

This goal was reminiscent of that goal by Cuchu in 2006, in which there were 25 passes, contemplating the definition of the left-footed midfielder, which went down in history as one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the World Cup. That national team, in addition to Cambiasso, had other great players with excellent bases such as Juan Román Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola Carlos Tevez, Hernán Crespo, Juan Pablo Sorín, and one… Lionel Messi.

Pulga was playing her first World Cup and that day, the day they beat Serbia and Montenegro, she scored her first goal in soccer’s biggest event. At that moment they were all smiles, before the elimination in the quarterfinals, against Germany, and that image of Rosario’s star player sitting on the substitutes’ bench, without having played a single minute of that match.

Sixteen years later, Argentina repeated another great goal, which had three more touches and it was against a European team, in this case Poland. And a couple more coincidences: like Cambiasso (although he didn’t leave Núñez’s club, he did have a stint at the institute), the goal was scored by a former River player like Julián Álvarez, who in turn, like Messi, he scored his first goal in his first World Cup match.

Another milestone for history. What remains now as the best collective goal of all those scored by the Argentina national team at the World Cup. With 28 touches. It’s a nice definition. Galley and barrel…