Heroic Lionel Messi roared Argentina have arrived at the World Cup after his moment of magic sparked a rousing 2-0 win over Mexico.
Nerves were fraught after the shock defeat to Saudi Arabia and the 35-year-old's moment of magic even had former team-mate and current coach Pablo Aimar in tears. on the bench Argentina were acutely aware of the stakes as a defeat in Lusail would have led to the pre-tournament favourites exiting unceremoniously with a game to spare. Argentina know a win over Poland gives them a chance of winning a group they were in danger of exiting with barely a whimper.
And Messi, speaking on Fox Sports' international feed, said: "We needed this result. It seems like in the second half we made our true debut … The first game was difficult for us. It is normal … In the first game there is a lot of pressure and we have many young players and it is their first game in the World Cup. It’s not an excuse we did not play well.”
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