Lusail (Qatar) – A goal by Lionel Messi after the hour of the match, with a left foot shot from outside the area, led to Lusail’s first victory in the 2022 World Cup Argentina, who beat Mexico on the second day of group C of the tournament 2-0, with the second goal on the verge of the end by Enzo Fernández.
Both teams depend on themselves in the last round to qualify against Poland and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
Messi appeared to resolve the matter, to get Argentina out of the mess they were in after their unexpected and embarrassing defeat against Saudi Arabia and restore the outlook for the albiceleste team in Qatar 2022, with a long-suffering victory that now leaves on the ropes Mexico.
That is enough for ‘la Pulga’, the main, almost unique, argument used by Lionel Scaloni’s team to knock down a timorous rival, resigned to his fate from the outset and left with one foot out of the World Cup, although not according to the numbers.
Argentina is resurrected. It can even finish as first in the group if it beats Poland on the last date. Everything will be as it should in that case and the setback against Arabia will have been a temporary setback, an accident.
And it is that the unthinkable bump against Saudi Arabia had called into question the World Cup project of Lionel Scaloni. A blow that left the entire environment of the Albiazul touched, which has arrived in Qatar 2022 full of illusion. Time is running out against Leo Messi and his flame is running out by natural imperative. For this reason, this World Cup is assumed to be the star’s last dance.
Something had to change Argentina after the doubts that Arabia dusted off. The technician who implanted a radical revolution in his eleven did not mess around. Five changes. Five new faces for the appointment with Mexico. Three in the rear, indicated in the first game, and two in the center of the field.
Gonzalo Montiel replaced Nahuel Molina on the right side, Marcos Acuña replaced Nicolás Tagliafico on the left and Lisandro Martínez replaced Cristián Romero in the center of the rear. The swerve in the midfield was the inclusion of Guido Rodríguez and Alexis MacAllister. Leandro Paredes and Alejandro Papu Gómez stayed outside.
An abrupt facelift that hinted that things are not clear right in a summit duel, a premature final against an adversary who has taken the measure. Especially in the World Cups. On the three occasions that they have coincided in a Championship, the albiazul was successful on all of them.
For this reason, the Mexican coach, the Argentine Gerardo Tata Martino, who only made two variations in his eleven, implemented a five-player defense. And with false front. A declaration of intent.
Mexico played for few things to happen on the field. As little as possible. He took one point as a lesser evil. A draw left him alive after avoiding defeat against Poland and with Arabia as the next rival. He assumed his historical inferiority; the records say so. Scoring against the albiceleste would keep them on track to reach the round of 16 for the eighth time in a row.
And for a long time what Mexico wanted was played. Nothing happened in the first half. There were no shots on goal. The attempts of Argentina, hasty, drowned in the area or on its border. Leo Messi, too late to be able to participate in the game, hardly had any influence. Meanwhile, Mexico found itself incapable, without resources to put Emiliano Martínez in trouble.
Even so, it was Martino’s team that was the only one that shot on goal before the break in an innocent, colorful free kick, in which the Argentine goalkeeper who had not been heard from throughout the game excelled.
Only a genius, a specific moment, an appearance by Messi could turn the event around. In a flat match that had begun to uneven around the locker room, the captain assumed responsibility. He warned first in a stopped ball, in the crescent, after suffering a foul by Erik Gutiérrez. But the next time he had he didn’t forgive.
Ángel Di María saw him from the right. Alone, in the front. Messi received the ball and with a low shot, with his left foot, close to the post, beat Guillermo Ochoa.
The second goal in Qatar 2022, which leaves one of the World Cup’s top scorers, the Ecuadorian Enner Valencia and the French Kylian Mbappe and two by Gabriel Batistuta, the top Argentine scorer in the history of the competition, with ten, relieved Argentina which she found more comfortable afterwards, with spaces.
Mexico could not avoid the World Cup defeat on this occasion either. And there are four. He looked for the reaction with the entry of Raúl Jiménez and Roberto Alvarado. But La Tri lacks gunpowder and arguments to turn around the game that Enzo Fernández closed three minutes from the end when he received the ball from Messi after a corner kick, entered the area and sent a parable from the peak that surpassed Ochoa . A great goal to put the finishing touch to victory.
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– Data sheet:
2 – Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Gonzalo Montiel (Nahuel Molina, m.63), Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuña; Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodriguez (Enzo Fernández, m.58), Alexis MacAllister (Ezequiel Palacios, m.69); Lionel Messi, Ángel Di María (Cristian Romero, m.69) and Lautaro Martínez (Julián Álvarez, m.63).
0 – Mexico: Guillermo Ochoa; Kevin Álvarez (Raúl Jiménez, m.66), Néstor Araujo, César Montes, Héctor Moreno, Jesús Gallardo; Héctor Herrera, Andrés Guardado (Erik Gutiérrez, m.43), Luis Chávez; Hirving Lozano (Roberto Alvarado, m.73) and Alexis Vega (Uriel Antuña, m.66).
Goals: 1-0, m.64: Messi; 2-0, m.87: Enzo Fernández.
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA) . He showed yellow cards to Néstor Araújo, Erik Gutiérrez, Héctor Herrera and Roberto Alvarado, from Mexico and Gustavo Montiel from Argentina
Incidents: match of the second day of Group C of the Qatar 2022 World Cup played at the Lusail stadium before 88,966 spectators.
