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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Lionel Messi's big moments against Mexico as Argentina star delivers in World Cup clash

Just when they needed him the most. Just when you thought it might not be happening, or that it might be too tough.

Just when you thought the defeat against Saudi Arabia had knocked the stuffing out of this Argentina team, who had toiled for an hour against a feisty, determined Mexico.

Just when there is all that, there is Lionel Messi.

The talisman's superb goal brought the Lusail Stadium to their feet and thrilled a sizeable contingent of Argentina fans who had been staring down the barrel of an early elimination.

Enzo Fernandez wrapped up Argentina's win with a brilliant second, but it was Messi's night.

Here's now it unfolded for him.

1. Stuck in the middle with you

Messi was often crowded out in a central role (Getty Images)

Just as against Saudi Arabia in that damaging defeat, it was a central role for Messi in the game's opening moments, but that only served to see the game pass him by.

So intense were the Mexicans in the opening exchanges, and indeed in pretty much the whole first half, the Argentina No.10 was being squeezed into positions he didn't want to be in.

That ensured that the game happening around him, notably out wide and then in the Argentina midfield, where the Mexicans had locked onto Rodrigo De Paul and seemingly identified him as the weak link. They were right.

They were trying to play through the centre, but De Paul and the rest of his teammates simply couldn't get the ball to their talisman, and when he dropped deep and looked to receive it all he was doing was playing into Mexico's hands.

Messi was cutting a frustrated figure.

2. All eyes on him

Supporters of both sides have had Messi on their minds during this tournament (Getty Images)

It has been one of the features of this World Cup ever since Argentina's defeat to the Saudis.

Everywhere you go, on a Metro train, outside a stadium, on the bay, there are songs being sung about Messi, and they aren't nice ones.

Fans of every country bar Argentina have been enjoying the pain the main man must have felt after that piece of World Cup history, and they have been revelling in it.

Mexico fans - one of the largest contingent of travelling supports here, perhaps the largest - have been enjoying it more than most, surely with this game in mind and the chance to knock out both Messi and Argentina.

The chants were back in the opening exchanges here, and if they were designed to put him off then they worked.

3. Off the radar

Messi's free-kick ended up going over the bar (Getty Images)

While Messi, and pretty much everyone else for that matter, was starved of chances in the first half, a great one - by his standards, anyway - arrived early in the second.

The little man was presented with a free-kick in a position he'd almost have chosen himself were he allowed to pick the ball up and place it down. To the right hand side of the D, around 25 yards out.

The Argentina fans chanted his name, the Mexicans jeered.

The build-up to the free-kick had almost reached excruciating levels when he stepped up and... drifted it high over bar.

The Mexicans' jeers turned to cheers.

4. The moment

Messi fired home in the 64th minute (Getty Images)

You couldn't say it was coming. Or maybe you could because of who it came from.

But when it arrived... well.

There was a split second were he had all of us in the ground fooled. Messi had the ball at his feet and while we expected a pass, a shot, or anything really, to come at some point, we didn't quite expect it to come at that precise moment.

That is the genius of the very best.

Within the blink of an eye the ball was arrowing into the bottom corner, the deadlock had been broken and the man... The Man had delivered for his nation.

It was special.

5. The moment after the moment

Messi celebrated his goal wildly with the Argentina fans (Getty Images)

Then perhaps what came next was even better.

As discussed above, Messi has taken a battering from all quarters in this past week, and while it won't bother him what a group of Brazil or Tunisia or Saudi Arabia fans shout in the passing on the Corniche, it would have bothered the Argentina supporters who had to hear it.

This is their idol who was being disrespected after all, and they weren't going to stand for it any more.

As the goal went in a bellow of one part joy, one part relief and several parts otherworldliness could be heard.

Messi ran towards his people, and they embraced him. The place came alive.

In this his last World Cup, it might have given him a taste for doing it again and again.

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