Outstanding superstar Lionel Messi is living the World Cup dream with the Albiceleste.
Football players usually consider it a humiliation when they are substituted five minutes after halftime and, to make matters worse, the referee pushes them the other way. For an Argentina international, it must feel like an honor in this World Cup. In any case, Alejandro Gomez started a triumphant march in the 50th minute. The 34-year-old was allowed to run at least 150 meters around the square of the Ahmed bin Ali stadium, and everywhere he passed, people jumped up, cheered and applauded him. And Gomez cheered and applauded. His team led only 1-0 against Australia in the round of 16. Eventually won 2-1.
It was so loud in the arena, dominated by tens of thousands of Argentinean fans, that the cheers and booming voices of reporters could have reached the capital Buenos Aires even without a broadcast cable. At least in their vicinity. When Lionel Messi made it 1-0 after 35 minutes with a standard Lionel Messi left-footed shot, one might have thought that the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium would turn into a UFO and take off. In the direction of the moon, Mars, Jupiter – or in even higher galaxies: in Argentina.
It was, this statistic proves, the great footballer’s 790th goal in his 1,000th competitive match, but, incredibly, only his first goal in a World Cup knockout match. Messi has shown that he hasn’t lost much of the magic in him even at the advanced age of 35. His dribbles are sometimes still irresistible. And unlike the failed World Cup four years ago in Russia, the leader and his squad exude an energy that could take Argentina the distance in this tournament. Additionally, a community of fans pays tribute to all the players behind them. There are ingredients that point the way.
Yet it was still a damn tight box against long-crippled Australians. Out of nowhere, Craig Goodwin scored to make it 2-1 after only 77 minutes as his harmless and desperate shot was absurdly deflected. Suddenly Argentina had that nervous shaking in their legs that even the most robbed professionals are not immune to on such a world stage. In the seventh and final minute of stoppage time, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a heroic save from 18-year-old Australian Garang Kuol. Messi looked – and can continue to dream the dream of him. He doesn’t dream it alone.
