Finance
Winners on two occasions Argentina advanced to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Latin American rivals Mexico at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Argentina, which had lost their first match to Saudi Arabia, scored in the 64th minute through Lionel Messi to register their first win and three points on Saturday.
La Albiceleste scored a second goal in the match, this time from Endo Fernandez, with three minutes remaining in the normal period of play.
Argentina now has three points after two games and is tied for second place in Group C with Saudi Arabia, one point behind leaders Poland, who defeated the Saudis 2-0 in the earlier game.
Both Argentina and Mexico were intent on scoring from the start, but were unable to do so, leaving Messi’s brilliance to open the floodgates of the Mexico defense.
After being set up from outside the box by Angel Di Maria, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner broke the deadlock with a powerful left footer drive that eluded Mexico keeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Ochoa was previously unbeaten in Qatar. The strike had to be true and accurate, and Messi’s crisp shot met both requirements, slipping inside Ochoa’s left post. The unthinkable possibility of Messi’s first World Cup bid failing after two games was eliminated with a single swipe of the world’s most famous left foot.
It was Messi’s eighth goal of the World Cup, after scoring one in the first match against Saudi Arabia in a 2-1 loss. Messi’s eight goals tied Diego Mardonna’s record of eight goals, and only Gabriel Batistuta (ten goals) remains Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Messi also had a hand in the second goal, as his flag kick found Fernandez, who curled his effort into the top corner for a stunning goal in the 87th minute. The 21-year-old striker, who plays for Portuguese club Benifica and came on as a second-half substitute ‘labeled’ as talented by Messi, demonstrated why he is so and why he is on the shopping list of English Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United at a transfer fee of 15 million pounds.
Earlier, Messi was in the thick of the action, sending a 22-yard free-kick over the bar six minutes after halftime, adding to the Argentine fans’ anxiety.
