Argentina v Australia – 2-1 Win. To set up a mouthwatering match with the Netherlands, whose No. 10 was at his lethal best, Lionel Scaloni’s team scraped over Australia. Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the World Cup’s knockout round, and boy was it a big one. The Argentina captain unexpectedly broke the scoreless in a tense 2-1 victory over Australia. The Argentina fans, who once again took over practically the entire stadium here in Qatar, had been exasperated to no end by the Socceroos up to that point.
They came to witness Lionel Messi deliver another masterclass to celebrate his remarkable career’s 1000th game, and they eventually did, but for the first 35 minutes, not much happened. Every time he touched the ball, the No. 10 was instantly surrounded by yellow shirts, and he found it difficult to make an impact. Nobody else wearing an Argentine jersey appeared to be breaking new ground either.
But if the past has taught us anything, it’s that Messi only needs a fraction of a second to score, and that’s exactly what he did, responding first to what appeared to be more of a wayward touch than a lay-off from Nicolas Otamendi. The Paris Saint-Germain player casually sent the ball into the bottom corner of the Australia net, and that deadly left foot took care of the rest.
Then, Julian Alvarez capitalized on Mathew Ryan’s shocking error to make it 2-0. Although Australia threatened to tie the game with a speculative shot from Craig Goodwin that was deflected in off Enzo Fernandez, Argentina was able to hold on thanks to some outstanding late blocks from Lisandro Martinez and a fine save from namesake Emiliano.
The Performing Side:
Lionel Messi:
Before the game, Pablo Zabaleta acknowledged to BBC Radio 5 Live that the Argentina team he used to play for didn’t have a Plan B because Plan A always worked so well. He clarified that if Messi is standing next to you, all you have to do is pass the ball to him. All we had to do was that. I am aware of how much we depend on him, but he poses a threat if he steps outside the norm. That point was perfectly made by Messi’s 789th goal.
He had been under extreme pressure from the Socceroos up until the 35th minute, which had caused him to lose the ball with uncommon regularity. But when Australia let Messi find one of those tiny gaps, he punished them as was expected. Messi has now scored nine goals at the World Cup, his first in the round of 16. Who would dare place a wager on his increasing that total before Qatar 2022 expires? It was classic Messi. The fans behind the goal began to bow before him after one outstanding run from the halfway line. Why not, then? A footballing deity, that man.
Manchester City:
We were aware that Manchester City had signed Erling Haaland, a superb young striker, the previous summer. We were unaware that they had also acquired another by acquiring Julian Alvarez. No one anticipated the Argentine to play such an important role for his nation, even though those who watched him play for River Plate knew he was a forward with real talent. At least not this rapidly. Alvarez has taken center stage despite merely being intended to serve as Lautaro Martinez’s replacement. He has a great chance of coming back to the Eithad as a genuine superstar.
Lisandro Martinez:
Speaking of having an impact When he entered the game just after halftime, Lisandro Martinez presumably didn’t anticipate having much to do. At that point, Argentina was leading Australia by a goal, and Australia hadn’t even fired a shot at a goal. In addition, Alvarez made it 2-0 just a few minutes after his debut.
However, Australia appeared poised to pull even until Behich went on the run of his life in the 81st minute after Goodwin’s deflected shot alarmed Argentina. The left-back did everything correctly after slaloming through the Albiceleste defense, but Martinez brilliantly blocked his goal-bound attempt. The boisterous party said it all. He was aware that he had just won the match for Argentina.
The Losing Side:
Mathew Ryan:
More and more goalkeeping errors are occurring in this era of “building from the back.” It’s a risky game to play the ball out of defense, but the payoff is thought to outweigh the danger. However, Mathew Ryan won’t feel any better about his howl after hearing that. The most seasoned member of the Australian team is the Copenhagen shot-stopper.
He was under tremendous pressure from Rodrigo De Paul after a heavy first touch, so he ought to have known better than to even try to dribble his way out of his six-yard box. Ryan was crucial in helping Australia defeat Tunisia and Denmark to go to the round of 16, but the sad thing is that his tournament will likely be best remembered for a terrible mistake that lost his team a lot of money.
Lautaro Martinez:
It’s becoming a little challenging to observe Lautaro Martinez’s efforts in Qatar 2022. mostly due to how painfully wayward they are. When Messi set him up twice in the dying minutes, he could have given Argentina a much more comfortable victory, but instead, he missed his first shot high and wide and his second attempt went straight to Ryan. Alvarez’s success is truly a blessing for Scaloni because Lautaro’s confidence is shaken.
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