The playlist had run its course, the voices were all hoarse, but they refused to stop singing as the man they were praising was there in front, crying after delivering yet another joyful night.
The long unfulfilled promise of the shiny World Cup trophy is making Lionel Messi play his best, drawing up hitherto hidden weapons from his armoury.
Here he scored one and created another in Lusail, the city of dreams, where his aspirations and those of his faithful were kept alive as he and his beloved Argentina found an extra gear to ward off the Croatian challenge and move into the final for another chance to avenge the eight-year-old heartbreak.
But Messi’s Argentina was circumspect as Croatia’s trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic used their experience and skills to take over the early midfield battle. But this Argentina of 2022 is more resilient and has weathered every storm to find answers whenever a question has been posed. And here, Messi led the way, dropping deep to be most involved in this World Cup – 65 touches, 10 dribbles (the most in the game) and three take-ons – to drag his team out of this mess.
As Croatia slowed to regain its breath, Argentina picked up, with Messi jolting on like an appliance suddenly plugged in and danced past a few challenges to play a one-two with Enzo Fernandez, with his pass almost reaching Nicolas Tagliafico, who had darted in from the left. He was back soon, weaving and dancing down the middle, and Kovacic, in control till then, was suddenly looking out of place.
Argentina’s penalty came when Julian Alvarez’s bursting run was cut short by Dominik Livakovic as the striker lifted the ball over his head after Enzo Fernandez robbed the Croatian leader to play a simple through ball over the high press. Dejan Lovren cleared from the line, but the referee had already made up his mind.
The pressure was immense; Emiliano Martinez, at the other end, turned his back to the drama as Messi stepped up. With destiny and the world staring, the Argentine skipper slotted it to the top right with power and rage. He ran to the right corner flag to celebrate with his teammates and disciples, respectfully away from the dazed Croatian supporters behind the team’s goal. Emiliano, too, was jiving with the blue-and-white fans who had started singing their song as soon as the ball had left Messi’s feet.
Alvarez produced a moment of magic with the blessings of all those praying. He latched on to a ball from a Croatian corner to run past all challenges from the centre circle. The three men in the dark-blue shirts were eager to backtrack and not ready to tackle, behaving like extras who have not been informed about their role in a movie starring a different set of actors. Josip Juranovic’s clumsy clearance came back to Alavarez inside the box, and it was worse from Borna Sosa, the next man standing, and the Argentina forward was happy to lift it over the ‘keeper who could do little.
But the Croatian misery had just started. Messi had energy left for more and woke up again from his slumber in the 58th minute. Twisting past two challenges, he ran behind and received a lay-off from Alvarez and forced Livakovic to go down quickly to parry a snap shot that came rocketing his way.
Lionel Scaloni introduced Lisandro Martinez to move to a back three and press the Croatians with more pressure from the wings. Soon Dejan Lovren’s loose pass allowed Alvarez to skitter down the left but his penchant to feed his captain when Tagliafico was free ended this move a little too early.
And then Messi took on Josko Gvardiol, this World Cup’s standout defender, on the right. At 35, he found the steps of 25, and refused to be bullied by the shove of the heavier 20-year-old Croatian man and danced inside, keeping him at bay. He then turned a transfixed Gvardiol one way, then the other, then back again, then the other way and was out of sight in less than a few seconds to cut it back to Álvarez. The Manchester City forward gleefully received the present to glide it beyond Livakovic.
Modric, the other maestro in the middle, ended his night with a deflected shot hitting his head. As the Croatian legend walked away, the stadium was up on its feet, applauding him for the years of toil.
The game was coming to an end and the chants soon changed back to being about the patron saint. The Maradona cut-outs were there, but Messi was ruling their hearts and this World Cup, which is now just a step away.
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