Send help! Messi saves lacklustre Argentina from World Cup humiliation

Suraj Radia

• 26 Nov 2022 21:12 GMT
• 2 min read

Lionel Messi was Argentina’s hero once again as he rescued his country from another dismal World Cup showing and highlighting just how much his team depends on his magic.

The Paris Saint-Germain star drilled in a second half strike from 20 yards to send Argentina on their way to victory over Mexico and help his side bounce back from their shock loss to Saudi Arabia.

Messi assisted Enzo Fernandez’s late stunner to round off a 2-0 win, meaning Lionel Scaloni’s side will go head-to-head with leaders Poland in the hopes of securing qualification in the final game of group C.

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Argentina were poor for most the game despite knowing that defeat would have seen them crash out of the tournament at the group stage for just the second time in 60 years.

The South Americans arrived in Qatar on the verge of securing the longest unbeaten run in international football history but they fell one match short of Italy’s record, with the Saudi defeat stopping the streak at 36 games.

Despite the eventual win over Mexico, Argentina never looked at their best until Messi relieved some pressure with his moment of brilliance.

While many tipped Argentina as one of the favourites in Qatar, there will need to be a significant improvement to ensure that Messi’s final World Cup ends in glory.

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Enzo a rare diamond in a rough display

Prior to Messi’s 64th minute strike, Argentina had mustered just three shots on goal, with the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Rodrigo de Paul underwhelming with their play in the final third.

The introduction of Fernandez was pivotal to the result, with the Benfica youngster imposing himself on the ball with 35 touches in 34 minutes.

Fernandez only signed for Benfica in June but the 21-year-old has established himself as a regular in the Argentina setup since and has already been linked with big money moves to Europe’s top clubs.

While Argentina had to rely on Messi to rescue them, Fernandez’s display on the global stage showed that the young guns may be necessary to carry their talisman to an elusive World Cup.