Lionel Messi celebrates the first goal.Credit:AP
It’s official, there’s no player who has walked more on the pitch during this World Cup than the great Lionel Messi. That’s part of his genius.
On the night of his 1000th professional game, the little Argentine magician scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout match – and it was one which helped send Australia tumbling out of Qatar after a tournament for the ages.
It was trademark Messi. He plays at a pace he wants; at a standstill, slow, fast and another tempo altogether that only he knows. Commentators in the studio, fans on their lounge and watching at live sites all around the country could see his goal unfolding after a first half in which either team could barely muster an effort.
But just why is he so hard to stop?
Lionel Messi put Arentina 1-0 up.Credit:AP
Here’s how Messi paved the way for one of the most important goals of his international career.
Behich makes a blue
It’s important to put the build-up to the goal into context.
The Socceroos needlessly gave away a free-kick deep in their own half on the left before the opening goal. Aziz Behich, who was arguably Australia’s best player, had just been in a sideline tangle with Messi in which they exchanged words.
From the subsequent throw-in, Behich, perhaps still steaming after the Messi confrontation, carelessly clattered into Alejandro Gomez, who had his back to goal and had few options. It gave Argentina a free kick in a dangerous position, and Messi stood over the ball.
Lionel Messi lines up the shot.Credit:AP
Take two: Messi starts the move
Messi decides to swing in his free kick towards Australia’s goal and it’s cleared by Harry Souttar (who else?), but only temporarily. The ball is immediately again at Messi’s feet, in almost the exact spot where he took the free kick after Alejandro Gomez’s knock down.
It’s here where he’s at his brilliant best because Messi’s brain is working at a speed which can expose defenders whose thoughts and bodies might be elsewhere. The Socceroos’ defence, naturally, tries to step up a yard or two to clear their line, and Messi immediately has his head up looking for options.
To the left, to the left
Riley McGree immediately does the right thing, he reacts quickly and sprints towards Messi to close his time down. The Australian closes off his body to show Messi back to the inside on his favoured left. Messi always wants the left. But McGree lunges in quickly, allowing Messi to take one touch past him, opening up the pass to Alexis Macallister, who is on the edge of the ‘D’.
What happens next is crucial.
Messi keeps moving, McGree not so much
Not content with having laid off the pass, Messi keeps sprinting towards the box anticipating a potential return ball. McGree doesn’t, anticipating the space Messi is charging into will be occupied by another teammate.
But the Socceroos are out of formation from the set piece, and usual left back Behich is more central leaving Keanu Baccus to fill the space. The hesitancy allows Messi to catch a couple of yards on McGree, and even though Messi’s still not likely to be the recipient of the next pass, he’s now in the little pocket of space he craves, and the type which has made him arguably the greatest player of all time.
Macallister’s pass is rifled into the feet of Nicolas Otamendi, who is still in the area from the set piece rather than his usual position as a defender.
The little magician in the right spot again
Otamendi’s touch is, and not entirely unexpected, a little heavy given the pace of Macallister’s pass and the defender not being a natural in this area of the pitch.
Lionel Messi shoots past Mat Ryan.Credit:AP
But it only serves to cushion the ball perfectly into the path of Messi, who has kept moving at a rapid rate to where he thinks the ball might be. He only needs one touch to steady himself, putting it perfectly into the line of his magical left peg, with McGree having let him go and Baccus not tracking him tightly.
A sight we’ve seen so many times before
It’s only taken a nanosecond, but the Socceroos realise they’ve made a huge mistake.
Baccus, Souttar, Mitch Duke and Kye Rowles are all in the area when Messi lines up his shot, they’re each only a few yards away, but he’s so skilled at threading it through a sea of legs. Messi only attempts to pass the ball into the far corner of Mat Ryan’s net, eluding the goalkeeper’s outstretched right hand, rather than opting for power like many other attackers would have. The ball is placed perfectly into the corner of the net.
Messi has barely created an opening in 35 minutes, but it only takes a second.
And don’t Australia know it.
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