Five minutes before the end of the first half of Argentina‘s 2-0 win over Australia on Thursday evening, a chant rang out across Beijing’s newly renovated Workers’ Stadium, a justification for why, 7,771 miles away, Inter Miami has made the biggest splash in MLS history. It was a chorus delivered in tribute to one man delivered not in their native tongue, but in English. “Let’s go, Messi!”
To cast one’s eyes across the stands of the newly renovated stadium, it appeared as though each one of the 68,000 attendees that had been able to source a highly in-demand ticket for the reigning world champion’s clash with the Socceroos was wearing some variant of a Lionel Messi shirt, such was the sea of white that was visible whenever the camera panned wide enough show the stands overlooking the action.
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And even when the camera zoomed in and it was apparent that maybe that wasn’t quite the case, not even the scant pockets of Australian support proved immune to the “Messimania” gripping the Chinese capital: footage showing one young fan wearing an Australian flag around his waist, positioned carefully to not obscure the Messi jersey that he was wearing. And fortunately for those in attendance, the marquee attraction didn’t make them wait. Just 80 seconds into the contest he was curling a sublime effort beyond Mat Ryan and into the back of the Australian’s goal, the 103 and fastest international goal of his career.
Two minutes later he was springing Alexis Mac Allister in behind the defence for what should have been the second, and a few minutes after that he was driving a shot into the side netting after being played through by Angel Di Maria.
Australia was hardly embarrassed after their slow start. They rallied and their ability to win the ball back with their press and immediately spring forward in transition started to ask a few questions of their foe’s defence. They probably should have gone level in the 28th minute when Jordy Bos picked out Mitch Duke at the top of the six-yard box, only for his scuffed effort to be redirected onto the post and then claimed by Emiliano Martinez.
