The last date of competition in the European leagues produced very good results for the Argentines, starting with a fully-fledged Lionel Messi at PSG and the promising return of Paulo Dybala to Roma after 35 days, where he was fully recovered physically and at a great football level one week before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
Messi and Dybala were surely the ones who brought the greatest joy and tranquility to the coaching staff of the Argentine team led by Lionel Scaloniboth for the reasons mentioned and because when both arrive in Abu Dhabi on Monday they will be ready to serve the team.
In fact, they will be part of the evening open training that the national team will carry out this Monday as a preview of next Wednesday’s friendly against the local United Arab Emirates, directed by the Argentine coach, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, before traveling to settle permanently at the University of Doha, where it will share land (but not facilities) with Spain during the World Cup concentration.
Messi played until half an hour into the complement against Auxerre, in the 5-0 win over Paris Saint Germainand in that time he hit a shot on the right post and placed an exquisite clearance on Nuno Mendes so that he enabled Kylian Mbappé for the first goal.
For its part, Dybala played the final 25 minutes of Roma’s agonizing draw at home against Torino1 to 1, and had an outstanding performance, especially considering where he came from.
Always playing with precision, playing without fear, facing, assisting, causing a penalty and the goal of his team after a stacked “to the Messi”, from right to left, which ended with a left-footed shot to the crossbar whose rebound was taken by Nemanja Matic for the ultimate equality.
And as for the penalty that he caused, surely influenced because the injury he suffered in the left femoral biceps and almost left him out of the World Cup, was caused by a shot from 12 steps, he gave the execution to Andrea Belotti, who ended up crashing him against the right post when the first minute of discount was played.
The other Argentine players who closed their participation this Sunday were, in the Premier League, Emiliano Martínez, responsible with a short exit with the foot of the goal of his compatriot Alexis Mac Allister (again of great production, he emerges as a candidate to be Giovani Lo Celso’s replacement) at 49 seconds, in what was the most premature goal by a Brighton & Hove player in the history of the English league.
Then “Dibu” vindicated himself with some good saves and finally Aston Villa ended up winning 2-1 and returned to victory as a visitor after six months.
But the one who continued to show that he is at a very high level and deserves a place among the 11 Argentine starters was Lisandro Martínez, a figure of Manchester United in the 2-1 away against Fulham.
The former Defense and Justice is playing as a second center back but, due to his left-handed condition and since Marcos Acuña arrives at the World Cup suffering from annoying pubialgia, he could be a good alternative for Nicolás Tagliafico as left back, a position that he knew how to successfully fulfill in the Dutch Ajax. And in the future they even form a good tandem in that sector with the youthful Alejandro Garnacho (today he scored the agonizing winning goal).
For his part, in Italy Lautaro Martínez had another good production in Inter’s away victory over Atalanta by 3-2.
The “Bull” assisted Edin Dzeko with a header and in the same way forced the goal against his compatriot, José Luis Palomino, who paradoxically had converted Atalanta’s second goal, and which was Inter’s third. He was replaced seven minutes from the end by his teammate, Joaquín Correa from Tucuman.
And at the end of Sunday, the last two members of the national team who saw action were Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes in Juventus’ 3-0 home win over Lazio.
Di María came on 15 minutes into the second half for the author of the Turin team’s first two goals, Moise Kean, while Paredes acted in the five finals, “Fideo” with his usual mobility and the former Boca Juniors with little action in the very short time he was on the court.
At dawn in Argentina this Monday, approximately at 2 (8 in Argentina), Messi will arrive in the Emirati capital, and after him will the rest of the aforementioned footballers who today closed their participation in the remaining European leagues.
Meanwhile, this Sunday the number of players placed under Scaloni’s orders rose to 10, because Franco Armani, the first and only of the 26 who plays in Argentine football, was first joined by Guido Rodríguez, Germán Pezzella and Cristian Romero, and today Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Foyth, Rodrigo de Paul, Nahuel Molina, Julián Álvarez and Exequiel Palacios were added, in that order.
On Monday the last week without the World Cup will begin, and on Tuesday 22, at 7 in Argentina (the hot 13 in Qatar), against Saudi Arabiathe “Scaloneta” will set off towards another dream, the greatest of all, the one that only the selections of César Menotti and Carlos Bilardo could make come true in those 70s and 80s that today seem so far away.
