The Argentinian star is giving away a great game and finally gets his second chance
Argentina is a single burning throat. The albiceleste background roars and Lusail trembles as his song manages to infect the rest of the stands. There is also a big festival in Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Rosario, La Plata… The two-time champion celebrates being just one step away from the third star. The first was embroidered by Kempes, Maradona the second. No one doubts who is responsible for sewing what is to come. The stands vibrate with a Leo Messi concentrated in his thoughts and very serious before the start. Chewing gum and already sweating, the star receives the affection of his fans as he approaches the band to greet the box being taken by his family, all with the ten on their shirts. Then comes the greeting with Modric in the field draw. A heartfelt embrace ensues between the two men, which is also repeated at the end, already surrendered with the Croat.
Messi jogs a lot but hardly runs in Lusail. He looks for empty spaces on the grass and forces the Croatian coach to make an extra effort to assign him a marker. In the end it’s Gvardiol, a fantastic centre-back project, who has to dance with Leo. Also suffer from it. Despite his good match, he falls victim at the hands of the genius.
A blow between the two inflicts pain on Messi, who emphatically touches the back of his thigh. Argentina swallows saliva, because after the blow, his star goes unnoticed during that first tasteless stretch. When the match is finally uncorked and Julián Álvarez is brought down in the area, Messi knows his time has come. He starts his routine unaware of the Croatian players’ protests. He escapes the world without wanting to look at the goal or at Livakovic, the penalty goalkeeper standing between him and victory. Only when he blows his whistle does Orsato set his eyes on the team and there he places the ball with a devastating left-footed shot.
Messi scored his first goal more than fourteen years ago at a World Cup in the German stadium of Gelsenkirchen, the scene of his debut in a match against Serbia. Last night, he added the 11th, already standing alone as Argentina’s top scorer in World Cup history. Gone was Batistuta.
Let loose, Messi joins a disoriented Croatia after Argentina’s best minutes. Even stumbling, he launched the counterattack that led to Julián Álvarez’s goal. And then, yes, he smiles with desire. The stands applauded him, as well as his own journalists, as he escaped Perisic’s pressure. And he turns that handclap into a standing ovation on the final play of the first act, when he walks past up to three Croatian defenders before being knocked down. “Messi, Messi!” rumbles again from the bottom of the Dibu Martínez.
Nobody trusts Argentina, where they still remember the comeback from the Netherlands a few days ago. Not to mention reserving the star. And also, Leo enjoys it. He taps his second goal on a wall with Julián Álvarez, but Livakovic stops the cross whip. It won’t be the last, because the magician saves the best trick for last. After a throw-in, the ball comes to him with an open field and yes, he runs like the devil there. Gigantic, this time he eats Gvardiol, the central defender who cannot overcome the two bankruptcies he makes. He then slides the ball between his legs so that Álvarez can finish it into the net. The cheers in the stands are absolute, but Messi asks for more and raises his arms in true Simeone style.
The game is over and the party is double for the captain, who dances with his teammates and accompanies the stands in their songs. With this match he equals Lothar Matthaus’s 25 World Cup matches. He will play that solo record in the final.
Eight years after Germany’s loss in Maracanã, Messi is getting a second chance to win a World Cup, the only thing they can blame him for in football. Argentina can only trust him if he sees him.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
