An unforgettable 1,000 match for Leo Messi. At last the scorer in a World Cup knockout round match, the striker today guided Argentina to the quarterfinals with their victory against Australia (2-1), and now the Netherlands awaits him, who ended the illusions of the United States ( 3-1).
The games and the goals follow one another in Qatar, but the world of football took time this Saturday to pay tribute to its most illustrious living legend, the ‘King’ Pele (82 years old), sick and hospitalized for several days, with several messages of support from Doha.
“Pray for the King,” French star Kylian Mbappé tweeted, while the words “Pelé, get well soon” appeared on the facades of several iconic buildings or on a banner unfurled by Brazilian fans on Friday at the Lusail stadium in tribute to the former goalscorer, three times world champion.
A few kilometers from there, at the Ahmed Ben Ali stadium, an event occurred to be noted in gold letters in the statistics book: in his fifth World Cupand in the 1,000th game of his career, Messi He finally scored in a direct elimination duel in a World Cup.
– 789 goals in 1,000 matches –
This anomaly had not prevented him from reaching the 2014 World Cup final, but the PSG player remedied it in the best way he knows how, opening the scoring with a low left-footed shot (35′), a house trademark goal. Was his both 789 and professionalboth in matches with his club and with his national team.
Also read: Messi finds his way to the quarterfinals for Argentina
And it is that he seven times Ballon d’Or He has no time to lose: at 35 years old, the Argentine genius is probably playing his last World Cup, the last opportunity in his rich career to win the only title he lacks and that would elevate him to the level of his compatriot Diego Maradona, champion in 1986.
Julian Alvarez would double the income at minute 57, but the Albiceleste could not avoid a tension-filled end of the game after the Australian goal, from Enzo Fernández own goal (77′).
Four years after falling against France (4-3), ultimately world champion, this success propels Lionel Scaloni’s team, whose next rival will be Netherlands the next Friday at 4:00 p.m.; It is the first duel with names and surnames from the quarterfinals and a rematch of the 2014 semifinal won on penalties by Argentina.
Argentina ?? and the Netherlands ?? are the first quarterfinalists of the #FIFAWorldCup.
— FIFA World Cup ? (@fifaworldcup_es) December 3, 2022
– The most pragmatic ‘Oranje’ –
Hours earlier, at the Khalifa International Stadium, the ‘Orange’ by Louis Van Gaal he was once again among the eight best teams in a World Cup, as he did in 2010 and 2014, and after his absence from the Russian World Cup.
Know more: The Netherlands, the first classified to the quarterfinals of the World Cup
In its most pragmatic version, the Netherlands got around the young cast of the United States by scoring at psychologically key moments.
Memphis DePay He did not miss the first Dutch opportunity and made it 1-0 in the 10th minute after a pass from Denzel Dumfries.
Inter’s own winger also gave the assist to 2-0 Daley Blind at 45 + 1 ‘, an even harder blow on the brink of rest for the Americans.
Haji Wrightwho had come on from the bench, discounted at 76′, but dumfries he shattered American hopes by scoring the final 3-1 in minute 81.
