Argentina 2 - Messi (64), Fernandez (87) 2
Mexico 0
A hit, and some hope.
If a constant line throughout Lionel Messi's career has been that it seems like he's been dropped on the game from another plane, he here descended onto this match to at last elevate it and lift Argentina into the qualification places.
His superb strike to beat Mexico was not so much out of this world as apart from this game. It was a moment of true individual inspiration totally disconnected from general play, which made it all the more essential.
That also made it one of the moments of this World Cup so far, before Enzo Fernandez followed with one of the goals of the World Cup so far.
Qatar will now forever be associated with another moment of football history, and that from one of rival Saudi Arabia's tourism ambassadors.
It's the power of sportswashing, distilled into the power of that shot.
Argentina are going to need so much more than that if they are to do justice to their previous status as potential champions.
This story is from the November 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the November 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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