The indomitable light became flesh in Messi. Doubts, regrets, suspicions, or any name that has ever been given to uncertainty ended on the Lausail field. Maradona in the sky and Lionel in the green. Father and son moving mountains of balls that bless goals, assists, dribbling. All this seemed unquestionable, until the antichrist arrived. A heretic. “He who replaces or opposes the Messiah.” That he denies his existence, destroys his work, tramples on it and poisons it.
The antichrist is a singular figure, a beast almost two meters tall and with numerology 19. In this form he responds to the name of Wout Weghorst, and comes from the Netherlands. He has the ability to inspire many to reject the work of his antagonist. He acts when the end times are near. That’s why he channeled all his evil in the last play of the game. One of the most surreal in the history of the world. He came from the diabolical notebook of Louis Van Gaal, the only demiurge capable of inventing a pass from a free kick on the edge of the area.
Argentina had settled into the advantage, and it was then the bottom (countries) that did not lose faith. Later Lionel was seen bleeding, they took a yellow one. They had transferred him to his just human time after that blow from the enemy. But if the Antichrist has acolytes, the Messiah has saints. Emiliano Martínez told the Dutch that chance is closer to God than to the devil.
Argentina survived against the team of the survivor Van Gaal, who fights against cancer and goes against the albiceleste as in 2014: in a penalty shootout. They survived the arbitration of the Spanish Matheu Lahoz, before the mistakes of Scaloni in his changes. The South American DT started the match better with his tactical change to the 3 line with which he neutralized a team that flourishes on the side branches. The goals came from hits by Molina and Acuña and errors by Blind and Dumphries. That is why Van Gaal brought two trunks in the second half to try to break Dibu’s goal.
Messi will be able to continue embodying his legend, bringing the myth down to the grass. Next will be Croatia. The Balkans need not wonder to whom they owe their survival. The goalkeeper Livakovic is one of the figures of the World Cup and the country’s new hero. His ownership occurs due to the injury of Lovre Kalinic, the starting goalkeeper of the entire qualifying process. The one born in Sadar (just like Subasic, as we already pointed out in this column) put the last clod in Brazil’s coffin. But he did not bury them.
The most feared team in the world was complicated by its own demerits. And the surprise that the Croats knew how to play their Cavaquinho, one of the star instruments of the samba. They planted it in the middle of the field. The four strings were made up of Modric, Kovacic, Pasalic and Brozovic. They set the pace. Only Neymar was capable of generating other sounds, which just after extra time ended in an unequivocal chorus…
There Dalic forgot about the music and sent everything he had to the field, without fear of creating a polyrhythm. Orsic, Majer, Budimir for all. With a yellow green withdrawn and disorganized when he had to close the game. Tite did not know how to direct his orchestra. He first replaced Vinicius and in the final moments Militão, one of the best in the almost 120 minutes of play.
Brazil could not dance. And we already know that historical phrase that football is 11 against 11 and the Croats always win… penalties.
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