Argentina: Lionel Messi is one game away from realizing his dream. Failure with La Albiceleste has dogged his incredible career until recently, but the small kid from Rosario is now on the verge of sealing his already indisputable reputation.
Victory in the Copa America in 2021, paired with a fantastic victory in Qatar, will see Messi emerge out of Diego Maradona’s enormous shadow and undoubtedly solidify himself in the eyes of everyone with a sense of humor as the best player we have and possibly will ever see.
His Argentina team has come a long way since losing to Saudi Arabia on Matchday 1, and here’s a look back at how they got to the 2022 World Cup final.
Argentina’s path to the 2022 World Cup final
Argentina followed in the footsteps of the Italia ’90 incarnation of La Albiceleste by losing their first game before progressing to the final.
Cameroon upset the holders in the San Siro 32 years ago, while Herve Renard’s courageous Saudi Arabia began this tournament with one of the most unexpected World Cup triumphs in history. Argentina’s future in the tournament was on the line after their group opener defeat until Mexico made the fatal choice to give Messi a yard of space an hour into their Matchday 2 game.
Messi guided Argentina to a 2-0 victory against El Tri before Alexis MacAllister, and Julian Alvarez scored against Poland to send Argentina to the knockout rounds as Group C champions.
Package surprise Argentina faced Australia in the round of 16, and the Socceroos gave Lionel Scaloni’s team plenty to think about in Argentina’s 2-1 triumph, with Messi again brilliant.
The Netherlands was their biggest test in the quarter-finals, but they gained complete control when Messi superbly teed up Nahuel Molina in the first half, who converted from the penalty to give his team a 2-0 lead. However, Louis van Gaal’s tactical adjustment perplexed Argentina, causing them to drop further and more profoundly, which aided the Dutch.
Wout Weghorst, who joined fellow target man Luuk de Jong up top, pulled one back for Van Gaal’s side before brilliantly converting an imaginative free-kick routine with the last kick of regular time to force extra time. Argentina took control in the extra session, but without a goal, they had to rely on Emi Martinez’s brilliance to take them through.
Martinez stopped two Dutch penalties early in the shootout, allowing Lautaro Martinez to score the game-winning penalty kick.
Argentina easily defeated Croatia in the semi-finals thanks to a brace from Julian Alvarez and a penalty from Lionel Messi.
Messi was in great form throughout the game, and supporters expect the same in the final on Sunday.
Argentina’s finest World Cup moment thus far.
While Argentina’s dramatic quarter-final triumph was unforgettable, the tournament-changing event came on Matchday 2 against Mexico.
They had failed to break through a tenacious Mexican defense in the first half, and the game seemed set to conclude 0-0 until Messi collected Angel Di Maria’s ball in a central position 25 yards from Guillermo Ochoa’s goal.
Messi’s shot was precise after two frantic defenders collided. The ball was constantly evading Ochoa before resting in the bottom corner. It was a classic Messi moment and launched Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
