Under the guidance of Messi, Argentina is recovering! – Summary and player notes (Argentina 2-0 Mexico) – Football
Without brilliance, Argentina snatched a valuable success against Mexico (2-0), on Saturday, in its second match in the 2022 World Cup. Top scorer and assist, Messi carried his choice in this important meeting for the survival of the Albiceleste in this. world Cup.
Messi releases Argentina (1-0, 64th place)
Argentina is breathing a little better! Four days after their surprising defeat against Saudi Arabia (1-2), the South American squad was relaunched in Group C for the 2022 World Cup by defeating Mexico (2-0) on Saturday evening.
Without brilliance, the Argentine national team provided the basics and returned to the race to qualify for the round of 16. With 3 points, he is now in second place behind Poland, his future opponent on Wednesday in a decisive match!
Disappointing first act
In a match where defeat was forbidden, Argentina and Mexico struggled to pack the game. Especially the Argentines. Under the pressure of the opponent’s pressure from the first minutes, Messi’s teammates struggled to collect passes together and approach the opponent’s goal during the first half of the hour. A very worrying level for an Argentine team that has been largely reworked at the start, with five changes in the starting line-up compared to last Tuesday’s match.
On the other hand, the Mexicans put more impact on the duel and intensity in the recovery from the start, without worrying the Argentine goalkeeper too much during the first act that he was broken by several mistakes and locked. Watch the 4 small shots (1 for Argentina, 3 for Mexico) scored during the first 45 minutes. Only Vega, who hit a Martinez free kick and shot wide, caused a shiver in the stands of Lusail Stadium.
Messi frees Argentina
In the second half, Argentina finally got their genius back: Messi. The Albiceleste captain took advantage of Di Maria’s service to open this match with a volley from the left 20 meters (1-0, 64). Thanks to this goal, the Argentines relaxed a little more at the end of the match and Fernandez certainly pulled his team away with a nice shot from the right after Messi’s pass (2-0, 87). A slow but very important victory!
Match score: 4/10
Four shots (only one on goal) and many fouls, we can’t say that the spectacle presented by both teams in the first period was exciting… And the second act wasn’t even more exciting until Messi’s goal. Behind the Argentines released and scored a second goal without really raising the bar for this encounter.
Objectives :
– Di Maria found it a complete pivot, 20 meters out. Messi controls and hits a shot from the left between the goalkeeper and his left post (1-0, 64).
– Fernandez takes his shot from Messi and enters the Mexican area and turns his shot from the right to find the opposite corner of Ochoa (2-0, 87).
Player feedback
Maxifoot assigned a score (out of 10) to each player’s feedback.
Man of the Match: Lionel Messi (7/10)
Who else can make the difference in a match where individual achievement is required to assist a goal? Long too lonely to put up with a disappointing Argentine side, the Paris Saint-Germain star launched his side with a strike from outside the area. At the end of the match, his pass allows Fernandez to take a break. Decisive.
Argentina :
Emiliano Martinez (6): Quiet evening for the Argentine goalkeeper. He made little contribution in the first period, but saved Vega’s free kick well. There was little demand for him after the break as Mexico missed their only attempt of the second half.
Gonzalo Montiel (4): In his right lane, the team faced a complicated game. On the defensive, he didn’t release much of a lull. His offensive contribution was fairly neutral. Replace the 63 with Nahuel Molina (no).
Nicols Otamendi (6): The centre-back was really good in this part. Present in duels, the Benfica player dominated the Mexican forwards.
Lisandro Martinez (5): Romero’s favorite in the starting line-up, the central defender makes a good copy. Paying attention to movements in his area, he regularly outmaneuvered his opponents.
Marcos Acqua (6): Unlike Montiel in the other lane, the left side was more prominent. He managed to silence his face while in the offensive phase.
Rodrigo De Paul (4): Mixed midfielder. The Atlético Madrid player knew how to play aggressively when needed, but was not very inspiring in his use of the ball (16 balls he lost).
Guido Rodriguez (4): A performance no one will remember. The Betis player was generally happy to slip between his centre-backs to orchestrate recoveries, without always making the right choices. He tended to slow his team’s play. Replace the number 57 with Enzo Fernandez (no)author of a beautiful goal at the end of the match.
Ángel Di Mara (6): Without sparkling, his game remains positive. The Juventus Torino player was among the few who tried to make a difference with the ball at his feet. He didn’t do everything but his pass allowed Messi to score the first goal of the match. Replace the 69 with Christian Romero (not).
Lionel Messi (7): Read the comment above.
Alexis Mac Allister (5): An exciting game for Brighton. He was more present in the duel and did not hesitate to offer himself to support his attacking partners. Replace the 69 with Exequiel Palacios (no).
Lautaro Martinez (3): A disappointing performance. The Inter Milan striker found few balls that his team-mates did, had a few more to put under the boot and never weighed in the opponent’s box. Replace the 63 with Julian Alvarez (not).
Mexico :
Guillermo Ochoa (4): A difficult evening for the triple goalkeeper. He was frantic about his only tackle in the first period, not reassuring his partners. But he can’t do much about Hedmi Messi and Fernandes.
Montez (6): A decent match for the defender. He was distinguished by good defensive interventions, especially in the airspace, to repel danger in his area.
Nestor Araujo (4.5): The defender had a mixed performance. Like all of his team, he worked well defensively for about an hour. After he was repositioned to the right, he had a harder time.
Hector Moreno (5): The defender dominated duels and showed a lot of physical commitment. On the other hand, he was less inspired with the ball and lacked precision in recovering.
Kevin lvarez (4): Great activity in his right lane to double the offensive hits and defensive returns. Unfortunately, he had a lot of waste to weigh in this part. Replace the 66 with Raul Jimenez (no).
Hector Herrera (5): The midfielder plays as he reads the game to cut passing lines and recover balls in midfield. On the other hand, he was moved in duels (4 out of 12 won).
Andres Guardado (5): Again on the 11th, the quarterback delivered a serious first period. Like his team, the Mexican captain made an impact in duels and fought for every ball to prevent Argentina from putting the game in place. Unfortunately, he had to come off injured before the break. Replace 42 with Eric Gutierrez (4), who put himself on the tone of his team, quickly collected a yellow card. He was carried in by Fernandez for the second goal.
Luis Chávez Magalen (4): A complex game for the midfielder. He ended up spending most of his time rushing the opposition and chasing the ball. So he didn’t really get a chance to shine because he barely touched the ball for the midfielder (35 balls touched).
Jes Gallardo (4): The left side had a complicated game. In defensive difficulty, he was not always able to stop Di Maria. His offensive contribution was relatively shy.
Hirving Lozano (4): In a very defensive team, the Napoli striker was not easy to find. However, his good shots and dynamism greatly hindered the Argentine defenders in the first period. He also worked a lot on the defensive pull. Less on the horizon after the break. Replace the number 73 with Roberto Alvarado (not).
Alexis Vega (4): Mexico’s No. 10 has worked a lot in defence. Which may make him lose clarity in the offensive phase. He had a chance on a free kick taken by the goalkeeper, before sending a shot over the frame. That’s it. Replace the 66 with Uriel Antuna (no).
And yours who was the best and worst players of the match? Comment in the Comments box below!
Argentina 2-0 Mexico (midtime: 0-0) – CdM 2022 – Round 1, Group C / Day 2
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – Referee: Daniele Orsato, Italy
Objectives Messi (64) and Fernandez (87) for Argentina
Warnings :
Argentina :
Mexico :
Messi found the mistake against Mexico (1-0, 64th)
Messi celebrates his goal with the Argentine fans
Fernandez saves his goal (0-2, 87)
Mexican disappointment
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