In his final FIFA World Cup, Messi was in top form throughout the tournament, from scoring crucial goals to assisting his teammates in scoring, the 35-year-old legend did it all.
For all the accolades, all the awards, the riches and titles, there had been one stain on his career resume, and it was one Messi erased forever on a magical World Cup night for Argentina.
The South American nation won their third World Cup in an extraordinary final Sunday as they beat France 4-2 on penalties after Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw.
Coach Lionel Scaloni on Tuesday dedicated the team's recent success to their fans from the country who gave them support & strength despite their loss against Saudi Arabia in their first game.
Dalic said the penalty awarded was a bit 'suspicious' but chose not to dwell on the referee's decision, lamenting his side's sterile possession in the opening stages before they conceded.
Messi led Argentina to 3-0 win over Croatia in their semi-final Tuesday and will earn 172nd cap at the weekend when he tries to bring them their first World Cup title since 1986.
The win sets Argentina up for a Sunday final against France or Morocco, which could see the country win its first World Cup since Diego Maradona led the Albiceleste to victory in 1986.
Croatia, runners-up in 2018, have gotten their own taste of Argentine temper at the previous World Cup when then-Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli refused to shake coach Zlatko Dalic's hand.
When asked about Croatia's veteran midfielder Luka Modric, Scaloni said he was a pleasure to watch. Argentina will trust their system when they face Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals.
Argentina's shock defeat to Saudi Arabia early on had put them on the back foot but they steadily got better and saved their best performance for arguably their toughest pool opponent.
From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.
COMMENTS