It wasn’t so much how Lionel Messi scored as it was how he seize and own the moment in front of 88,000 people. When Argentina plays there with Messi in the lineup, Lusail Stadium should be a no-fly zone. Passengers on any planes flying above the stadium when Messi scored would have felt the turbulence caused not by dirty air but by Argentina fans celebrating a Messi goal in a must-win match, which was destroyed with utter disdain by Argentina fans.
The crowd had been extremely loud all evening. However, the razor-thin margin between Argentina’s survival and annihilation may have kept the decibel levels in check. Or perhaps they were saving their voices for Messi’s goal, confident that the maestro would deliver when it mattered and that everything would go as planned. Two days ago, I compared low-flying F16s to 60,000 jubilant Brazilian fans, arguing that the latter would arguably win in a contest to see who could yell the loudest.
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I was proven wrong on Saturday night. The stadium erupted when Messi scored. That was the moment when sound waves could turn into flames, scorn everything around them – which by now was little bits of nothing – and leave them to burn before taking over the space left behind. That 7-1 was in a semi-final in Brazil eight years ago. Argentina had been clinging to life this year. The loss to Saudi Arabia not only shook them but also humiliated them, leaving them facing an early World Cup exit. In a group game.
However, Messi scored. And now Argentina was dreaming again: on the pitch, in the crowd, thousands of kilometers away in Buenos Aires, and a couple of hours up the road in Rosario, where this little boy lives in murals and residents’ memories. How do you want me to respond?” an Argentina fan asked after the game when asked if he was relieved the team survived or impressed by Messi. Messi is the man. It’s football. Football was created so that Messi could honor it. Messi is the man. I’m not sure how much more I can say. cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval chevalgültig cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval
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And it wasn’t just the Argentinians who were taken aback. A young Mexico supporter, draped in the greens of her team, interrupted her father who had just said that “Messi’s performance wasn’t enjoyable. Yes, it was!” she exclaimed, then settled down. “I witnessed a Messi goal. As a Mexican fan, I was able to witness a Messi goal in person rather than on television. It was satisfying to see Messi score. Now we’re rooting for Argentina and Messi to beat Poland and help us reach the knockout stages,” her father joked. It’s Messi. It’s football. Football was created so that Messi could come and honour it. It’s Messi. I don’t think there’s much else I can say. Not only the Argentinians were taken aback. A young Mexico supporter, draped in the greens of her team, interrupted her father who had just said that “Messi’s performance wasn’t enjoyable.
Yes, it was!” she exclaimed, then calmed down. “I saw a Messi goal. As a Mexican fan, I was able to witness a Messi goal in person rather than on TV. It was great to see Messi score. Now we’re rooting for Argentina and Messi to beat Poland and help us get to the knockout stages,” her father joked. Qatar is not a now-or-never World Cup for Messi; it’s a postscript to a movie that was supposed to end in Russia,” Al Jazeera’s Shubi Arun wrote earlier this month. Diego Maradona is no longer alive.
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Messi is the torchbearer for Argentina and football. It’s now or never for him, as he’ll most likely be playing in his final World Cup. Prior to the game, Saudi and Mexican fans continued to mock Messi, looking around and “checking” each other’s pockets outside the stadium and exclaiming, “Where is Messi? “Where has Messi gone? The goal against Mexico will not be among the top ten of the tournament. But it will undoubtedly be one of the topics of discussion. Argentina survived because it was Messi who scored.