Xinhua News Agency Doha, December 18th Newsletter: This time, weeping for victory - Argentina waited hard for 36 years to win Hercedes Cup
Xinhua News Agency reporters Yue Dongxing, Wang Haoming, Wei Hua,
On December 18th, Argentine players celebrated their victory after the game. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ming
Let the tears flow, let the shouts rush into the night sky, and let the songs resound throughout the stadium...
Under the night sky of Doha, Messi used the first record penalty kick, the domineering follow-up shot in front of the goal, the stable morale of the penalty shootout, countless wonderful passes and breakthroughs, leading the Argentine team to finally break the fate in Qatar World Cup, smashing the "curse" that always accompanied the tragedy, and winning the championship.
So far, the Argentine team, which won the cup twice in 1978 and 1986, finally embroidered the third star on the " Pampas Eagle " robe after waiting for 36 years. They completed the third championship achievement after "five-star" Brazil, "four-star" Germany and Italy, and also defended the dignity of South American football and broke the monopoly of European teams over the World Cup champions in the past four (2006-2018).
At the Lucerne Stadium, at the moment of the victory of the penalty shootout, the Argentine players hugged each other, fell to their knees and cried to the ground. Messi's former idol Aimal ran from the coach's seat to the field and merged into the "blue and white ocean". Batistuta, Peron, , Riquelme, and other generations of talented and personalized stars have finally waited for the day when "Argentina is the champion" after savoring the tragedy of "Argentina, don't cry for me" countless times.
In Maradona's first World Cup after the death of , when the figure of Argentina's greatest star was missing in the stands, the team under coach Scaloni gave the most noble respect to the heroes who will always live in their hearts.
On December 18, Argentine player Messi (first from left) competed with French player on Pamecano in the game. Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong Photo
Messi and his teammates who walked to the sidelines, sang, danced, shouted with the fans, singing the song that inspired them to overcome adversity and finally won the championship -
"I was born in Argentina,
The land where Diego (Maradona) and Leonel (Messi) lived...
I don't know how many years have been sad,
The finals that we lost...
children, let the dream begin now,
I want to win for the third time,
I want to be the world champion.
We can see Diego in heaven,
He is with his parents,
cheers for Leonel."
December 18, Argentina player Messi (center) passed the ball in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ga
Messi "rebirth": Recovering his dream Copa America Similar to Maradona
Since winning the Copa America championship in 1993, the Argentine team has encountered a 28-year "champion drought" and has failed to win the championship in the finals of the competition many times. Among them, Messi and the whole team were heartbroken three times - they lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup finals, and lost to and Chile team in the 2015 and 2016.
, physically and mentally exhausted and discouraged, Messi once considered quitting the national team, but changed his decision a few months later. This is a quality that he showed in his brilliant career - never giving up.
falls and gets up again and again, finally ushering in the championship moment. In July 2021, in the World Cup final, the Maracana Stadium lost to Germany, Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 and won the Copa America championship. At the end of the game, Messi fell to the ground. At the age of 18, he finally won his first championship in the adult national team.
"I think one reason Messi is so good in Qatar is that he has won the Copa America for Argentina, which seems to have relieved the burden on his back," said English football legend Leinker.
He said that Messi's talent is not only reflected in goals and assists, as well as being able to break through three or four opponents, but also because of his vision, awareness and decision-making on the court, and constantly repeating technical movements that others are difficult to complete.
"As soon as he took the ball, the whole court held his breath.The fans couldn't help but stand up and wait for his magic, and he always didn't disappoint everyone. "Lingkel said.
Messi is not Maradona, but through years of accumulation, he has been getting up again and again after failing to fight for the championship. The 35-year-old Messi is already a bit similar to the Argentine legend.
In the quarter-finals with the Netherlands, Messi got angry because of friction with the opponent's players. In response, former Argentina's main defender Sabaleta said: "The angry Messi is what we like to see. "
" This reminds me of Maradona, his personality. It's not a bad thing when you work hard to win the World Cup. "He said.
On December 18, Argentine players celebrated at the award ceremony. Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Can
Scaloni: Team spirit Balance of offense and defense
After defeating France in the 2018 World Cup and ending in the round of 16, Scaloni took office as the interim head coach and then became a regular. Although not favored by the outside world, he is low-key and pragmatic, and he recasts the team's cohesion bit by bit.
After winning the Copa America championship in 2021, Scaloni won more trust and the team is more united. Midfielder De Paul once said: "At 10 o'clock in the morning, if Scaloni says 'good night', it will be night for us. "
went to Doha. Scaloni's coaching team includes the former genius midfielder Aimal and the former top central defender Samuel, which indicates that this is a team that advocates balance of offense and defense.
but the road to Lucerne is not smooth.
lost 1:2 to Saudi Arabia in the first game, which made Argentine fans cry. Many people even think that they will not be able to qualify in the group. But after that, the "Pampas Eagles" spread their wings and rushed to the "Tianwang Mountain" with an extraordinary elevation angle.
2:0 defeated Mexico to stabilize its position, defeated Poland 2:0 to qualify with the Polish team 2:1, eliminated the Australian team 2:1 to enter the quarterfinals, and won the penalty shootout and advanced to the semi-finals. The Argentine team, who won the bloodless 3:0 victory over Croatia - the Argentine team after the "black opening" performed better and better.
Messi said that after suffering a "heavy blow" in the first game, the whole team treated every game as the final, "lossing is making everyone grow." This means that the Argentine, who has improved its ability to withstand the "twind ball" directly, is ready to launch a strong impact on the defending champion of , in the final night. On the night of the final on 18th, the two goals were tied by the French team, and the lead was tied again and was equalized. The Argentine team, who entered the penalty shootout 3:3, won the cup as expected. Indeed, only by withstanding enough twists and turns and tests can the championship be reflected. Messi and his team wrote a brilliant page in the team's history with convincing victory.
