At 3 a.m. Beijing time on November 27, the second round of Group C of the Qatar World Cup continued, with Argentina, who lost the first match, facing CONCAF Mexico at the Lusel Stadium. Argentina made five changes to the starting line-up in this game, and the team fought for three points.
Argentina won 2-0 against Mexico, but still had to go all out to win the final round against Poland.
Messi celebrates goal according to IC photo
In the opening period, Mexico's attack put great pressure on the Argentine defense, and Montiel, who started in the rotation, was frequently attacked by opponents on the right flank. At the same time, Argentina had little difficulty breaking into the opponent's defensive zone, and Messi had to return more often to the midfield to get the ball organized.
Although the first half of the game was fierce for both sides, the chances of scoring were very limited. In the 34th minute, Messi's free-kick shot from a small angle was punched out by Ochoa. Near the end, Mexico was awarded a free-kick opportunity in front and Bega's shot was saved by Martinez.
In the second half, Argentina pressed on the board, and Mexico could only put 11 men into the defense. In the 63rd minute, Argentina replaced Lautaro with Alvarez to strengthen the impact of the central midfield. Just one minute after the substitution, Argentina scored when Messi scored with a low left-footed shot from the top of the penalty area, and the ball streaked through Ochoa's fingertips and went straight into the corner of the goal. Under extreme difficulties, it was Messi who stood up and carried the Argentine team!
In the 88th minute, Messi provided an assist and Enzo Fernandez scored with a full moon machete to help Argentina go to the next city and seal the victory 2-0!
Enzo Fernández scored from distance according to IC photo
In the final round against Lewandowski's Poland, Argentina still needs to fight for victory in order to hold the initiative in the qualification; If the two sides draw, it will depend on the result of the match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
The 35-year-old Messi was surprised to chase Maradona first and then Cristiano Ronaldo, and became the first person in history to assist in five World Cups
With this appearance, the 35-year-old Messi equaled Maradona's record of 21 World Cup appearances and tied for the first place in Argentina's national team history.
Messi celebrates the goal with his teammates according to IC photo
Before the start of this game, Argentina's World Cup all-time goalscorer was still "God of War" Batistuta, who scored 10 goals ahead of Maradona and Stabile who scored 8 goals, while Messi's World Cup goal count was seven. In an earlier match, France beat nemesis Denmark, with Mbappe scoring twice to tie his World Cup totals with Messi, while the two fellow Paris Saint-Germain players faced off in the Qatar World Cup.
However, in this game, Messi scored from distance in the 64th minute, helping Argentina, who were slow to open the game, to get a one-goal lead. With this goal, Messi equalled Maradona's World Cup goals and tied for second in team history. Meanwhile, Messi once again equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup goal, and the Portuguese scored his eighth World Cup goal in the first round of the group stage via a penalty opportunity.
In addition, Messi has scored goals for the national team in six consecutive games, and Messi has done it for the second time in his career, the last time being from November 2011 to September 2012, more than 10 years ago.
Messi in the game according to IC photo
For Messi, the record is much more than that! The long-range goal was Messi's 93rd goal for Argentina. In 167 games for the national team, Messi contributed 93 goals and 53 assists, almost single-handedly carrying Argentina forward.
With Messi's assist on Fernandes to seal the victory in the final moments of the game, Messi improved his statistics again and became the first player in history to provide assists in five World Cups! In the nine games he has played for Argentina this year, he has scored a total of 13 goals and four assists, and his form has not declined.
What more surprises will the 35-year-old Messi bring us? The story is not over, waiting for a new chapter!
(Red Star News reporter Pei Han)