Emiliano Martinez hailed Lionel Messi for “making everything easier” after the ahead ignited Argentina’s World Cup marketing campaign with a purpose and an help in opposition to Mexico.
Argentina battled to a 2-0 win in Saturday’s Group C contest to keep away from an early exit from Qatar 2022 and hold their hopes of each progressing and ending high in their very own palms.
Messi made a breakthrough with a long-range strike after 64 minutes in a recreation that had been low on high quality up till then, earlier than helping Enzo Fernandez for his facet’s second.
That purpose was Messi’s fourth World Cup purpose from exterior the field – solely former Brazil attacker Rivellino (5) can higher that tally since such data have been first recorded in 1966.
He has additionally now scored in six successive appearances for Argentina, his joint-longest ever scoring run in worldwide soccer, and Martinez was filled with reward for his colleague.
“We knew that in case of defeat today we would have been out of the World Cup, and Mexico made the match very difficult for us,” he stated.
“But when you have Messi in your team everything is always easier. We never had any self-doubt, but these were tough days. We have shown that we are here to win.”
Argentina have been on the top of one of many competitors’s all-time nice shocks when dropping 2-1 to Saudi Arabia of their opening match.
After recovering with victory in opposition to Mexico, Argentina will assure development in the event that they beat Poland on Wednesday, whereas a draw may additionally be sufficient.
While Messi grabbed all of the headlines, Fernandez additionally performed a giant half within the win along with his spectacular curled purpose after being launched from the substitutes’ bench.
“As a child I always dreamed of playing in this shirt,” the Benfica midfielder stated. “Today I made my dream come true to attain a purpose on the World Cup.
“I’m very happy with today’s success, this group deserves it. It is a victory for all the fans, both for those who have come this far and for those who are following us from home.”
1 – Lionel Messi is now each the youngest (18y 357d vs Serbia in 2006) and the oldest (35y 155d vs Mexico as we speak) participant to each rating and help in a single World Cup recreation for the reason that begin of the 1966 match. Longevity. pic.twitter.com/e6Ak6fmI8l
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 26, 2022
The match at Lusail Stadium was watched by 88,966 spectators, making it the highest-attended males’s World Cup recreation for the reason that 1994 ultimate at California’s Rose Bowl (94,194).
Argentina stored their first clear sheet in seven World Cup video games, since a stalemate with the Netherlands within the 2014 semi-finals, in what was a decent match till Messi’s strike.
While conscious of simply how huge a win it was for his facet, Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni referred to as for some perspective forward of dealing with leaders Poland.
“You have to have some common sense; it’s just a football match,” he stated. “I acquired a message from my brother saying he was crying and it could possibly’t be like that.
“It’s as if it have been greater than a soccer match. I don’t share that. The gamers should perceive it’s a soccer match. If not, it will likely be like this in each match.
“It’s hard to make people understand that the sun will rise tomorrow, win or lose. What matters is how you do things.”
Discussion about this post