Special correspondent Ji Yu from Doha
"Where is Messi?" In the 34th minute of the game, an Australian fan on the scene yelled to the stadium in the clamor of Saudi fans. But he did not expect that just a few seconds later, Messi broke into the penalty area in a elusive way, changing from a passer on the wing to a master shooting skill who knocked on the Australian door...
In the early morning of December 4, Beijing time, Messi ushered in his 1,000th game of his career and won a perfect goal. Argentina finally defeated Australia 2:1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Messi is still perfect and efficient in "Thousand Games".
is not a person fighting
"The difference between the two teams is a player. If Messi is removed, our performance today is as good as Argentina." After the game, an Australian fan at the scene said in an interview.
Indeed, in many games, Messi plays a heroic role who almost carries the team forward with his own strength. Argentina is regarded as one of the favorites to compete for the championship, a large part of the reason is that it has Messi on the team. However, on such a "thousand-thousand" Messi's battle night, the help from his teammates is of great significance.
Alvarez's frequent harassment in front of the goal finally created an opportunity for Argentina to expand the score. In the 56th minute of the game, the Australian goalkeeper made a huge mistake when dealing with his teammates' return pass. He was not in time to get the ball, and was easily intercepted by Alvarez. Then he turned around and the ball rolled towards the net at a relatively low speed. Argentina took two goals to lead. After
scored, Alvarez, born in 2000, hugged Fernandez, born in 2001, excitedly. Afterwards, Messi also rushed over and integrated into this short carnival. Alvarez, 15 years younger than him, picked up Messi high. Messi raised his arms and shouted, smiling on his face.
I wonder if Messi thought of Alvarez when he was 11 years old and had the opportunity to go to Real Madrid for a trial training. When he came to Madrid , he took a photo with the young Messi with the other two young players. Now, Alvarez is almost at the age of Messi, and Messi has ushered in a milestone in his 1,000 games. If Messi saw this photo, he would definitely be relieved that there would be a successor to the Argentina team.
Another hero who ended the game with Argentina's victory was Argentina goalkeeper Martinez. In the last minute of the game, Australia launched the final counterattack. Through the siege, Rising Star Kuor has the opportunity to face the goalkeeper directly. At that time, behind Argentina's goal was a "loyal" stand composed of hundreds of Australian fans. Martinez must have been able to clearly hear the remarks coming from the stands, which were not conducive to the Argentine team. But at the critical moment, he still showed his big heart and took timely attacks to resolve the crisis.
milestone successfully concluded
in the 1000th game, scored one goal, won one victory, and was close to breaking the World Cup goal record - for Messi, such a night was almost perfect.
For the 35-year-old Messi, Qatar World Cup is the "master song" of his World Cup career. In the 4 games that have ended, Messi scored 3 goals and contributed an assist. His own thousand milestones appeared in the World Cup and in the matches representing the country, which is already perfect for Messi.
In this game, in addition to one goal, Messi also created a series of outstanding data: he completed 6 shots in total, 2 of which were aiming, and created 2 excellent scoring opportunities. Facing the Australian defender who is much taller than himself, he has performed wonderful shows in succession, as if he saw the young Messi who is a little childish.
What is even more touching is that Messi and the late Argentine star Maradona completed a historic "handover". He scored nine goals in the World Cup, which allowed him to surpass Maradona and ranked second in the team's history. At present, Batistuta, who scored 10 goals in front of him, is waiting for him to surpass.
in the audience, Messi's elements can be seen everywhere. Messi's No. 10 jersey, Messi's poster, Messi's flag... At the same time, some fans put the portraits of Messi and Maradona together.Perhaps for fans, only Messi in Argentina can be compared with Maradona.
If there are regrets in this game, then maybe it is the last moment of the game. Lautaro missed the excellent shooting opportunity provided by Messi many times. Especially in the 88th minute, Messi attracted many players to defend and passed the ball to Lautaro. He actually scored a high goal and missed the easiest goal opportunity in the whole game. After the game, when all the Argentine players were caring on the field, Lautaro walked towards the player channel alone, his face full of frustration.
accompany Messi until the last minute
The game with Argentine fans must be very lively. The enthusiasm of Argentine fans is also difficult to see among other fan groups. How popular is the Argentina game? Before the game, the subway exit at Ben Ali Stadium Station surrounded a circle of small vendors. They held the Argentine flag, scarves, and glow sticks, and a dozen of goods in their hands were quickly snatched away. Such a picture is almost impossible to see before other competitions.
. In the stadium, the battle songs exclusively belonging to " Pampas Eagle " have been replaced one song after another, starting one hour before the game, resounding throughout Ben Ali Stadium. The blue and white jerseys forced the beautiful yellow fan uniform of " Kangaroo Legion " into the corner. This sound lasted until the end of the game.
After winning the game, the whole Argentina team did not hide their inner joy at all. They gathered together and sang and danced, and some were shirtless and swayed with their tops as flags. Someone sprinkled mineral water into the air as champagne for celebration. The protagonist of this carnival is of course Messi - he is watched by his teammates, and seems to be unable to keep up with the pace of the young man's beating. Surrounded by the singing, I held a water cup in my left hand and waved in the air with the rhythm with my right hand, which looked like the "conductor" of this celebration.
As the "founder" of victory, he is indeed worthy of the title of "conductor". After the game, Argentine players entered the player channel one after another. Messi, who was elected as the best player, was pulled to the interview area on the sidelines by the host on the way with his teammates. At this time, half of the fans remained at the scene. It was not until the end of the game that Messi disappeared from sight and the fans who accompanied Messi until the last moment left one after another.
