Thank you for joining me for the latest Lionel Messi masterclass. What a treat. Pablo Iglesias Maurer was at Kansas City Stadium to enjoy it in the flesh. Here’s their match report. I’ll see you back on these pages in no time.
Today was the day the Golden Boot race came alive with Messi’s hat-trick. braces to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
This World Cup began with Miroslav Klose holding the record for the most tournament goals. It will surely end with Messi and Mbappé raising the bar by some margin.
Should probably repost these while everyone’s thirsty.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer:
double quotation mark Messi, put simply, is in extra time at this point,. winning another championship would only solidify his legend. Entirely unburdened. the Argentinian is playing his final World Cup free from the expectations that come with being a precocious wunderkind, in competition for the best player in the world, or a legend of the game looking for one last piece to balance his trophy cabinet. That sort of freedom can liberate. empower a player, but players of Messi’s ilk often need those expectations to continue to perform.
double quotation mark What comes next for Messi? He is such an enigmatic presence it is very hard to know if he would have any aptitude for coaching or punditry. or even has any ambitions in that direction. If life is to be no more than a series of brand appearances. endless games on the PlayStation, a reluctance to contemplate the end of the playing phase of his career is readily understandable.
But perhaps that’s to project the standards of normal mortals upon him and those have never really applied to Messi. Qatar seemed like the great climactic finale,. there is a possibility that it was just the first part of an even greater denouement. Perhaps he really could win it twice.
“Does Messi not understand the concept of aging?” asks Daniel Gurfinkel. “To score a hat-trick at a World Cup is already mightily impressive. to do so when you’re practically 39 years old is insane.”
Not only that, but it was a varied hat-trick. The opener was a fierce wallop (that the keeper should have done better with). The second was a classic fox-in-the-box tap-in. The third was vintage Barca, a one-two near the box preceding a sidefoot into the corner.
Too old? Too lazy? Too complacent having reached the promised land in 2022? Not a chance.
A routine victory for the defending champions. A record breaking hat-trick for the incomparable Lionel Messi.
90+3 mins: They will be tested more than this during the tournament. this has been a mightily impressive opening for Argentina. Defensively solid, well organised all over the park, crisp in build-up play, and a fit and healthy Lionel Messi.
90+1 mins: Six minutes of stoppage time to go before the latest avalanche of Messi long reads can be published.
90 mins: An exchange of turnovers in midfield typify the drop in intensity of this contest since the third goal went in.
89 mins: Algeria continue to monopolise the ball, but it’s unthreatening and increasingly directed towards their own goal.
88 mins: Algeria retain possession, as they have for the past few minutes,. Argentina are comfortable to let them have it as long as it’s outside the box, in front of their disciplined back four.
86 mins: Mahrez clips it straight into the leaping wall and out for a throw-in.
85 mins: Aouar makes the most of Mac Allister contact. Algeria get a very good shooting opportunity on the edge of the box. Ideal for Mahrez’s left boot.
84 mins: Mahrez tries to inject some energy into proceedings but there’s not a lot happening in front of him.
82 mins: This contest is now effectively over. It could hardly have gone better for Argentina, or FIFA.
80 mins: “I don’t think it’s an overreach to think that, in the decades to come, today will be looked back on as one of the most memorable days in WC history — the day Messi, Haaland. Mbappé each scored two or more,” enthuses Pablo Silva Ibarra.
79 mins: Two more subs for Algeria: Zerrouki and Boulbina seeing some junk time.
78 mins: Job done, Messi receives a standing ovation as he takes a well-earned break, along with Romero. On comes another golden oldie in Nicolas Otamendi – and a rare Argentinian youngster, Nico Paz.
Argentina break at speed. Messi controls the tempo like Patrick Mahomes in the Arrowhead pocket. firing the pass to his left, jogging forward to accept the one-two as Algeria’s defence streams beyond him. From there it’s vintage. A touch to steady himself then a sidefoot pass from 20 yards out just inside the post. away from Zidane’s dive. The World Cup goals record now to go with the appearance record. What more is there left to say?
74 mins: The host broadcaster pans to Zinedine Zidane. The 1998 World Cup winner shakes his head and looks on ruefully. He will need to be diplomatic when he catches up with his son later on.
73 mins: Penalty? Argentina’s press forces an error. Alvarez is on it in a flash, sliding the ball across the top of the box for Messi. The veteran is slow to clear his feet and is bundled over before he get a shot away. The physical pressure was deemed legal onfield and VAR does not intervene.
71 mins: Following an ad break Lisandro Martinez gives another couple of demonstrations of his class. stepping out of the heart of defence to intercept, then turning calmly under pressure to retain possession.
69 mins: Aouar gets Algeria’s first shot away in a long time, dragging a snapshot wide form the edge of the box after sharp interplay between Mahrez. Maza. You’d have to think that pair will be critical if Algeria are to find points against Austria. Jordan later in the group. Their technical skill in the final third looks a class above the rest of the squad.
67 mins: Algeria get on the ball for a spell, settling things down. It’s all very passive. in front of the Argentinian defence, who drop into a compact narrow shape and keep their opponent’s at arm’s length.
66 mins: Mbappé with a brace earlier, then Haaland, now Messi. The big boys have come to play today.
65 mins: And that sentence almost ages instantly as Messi is slipped through. drawing a rare excellent save from Zidane to deny the hat-trick.
64 mins: Only Miroslav Klose has scored more World Cup goals than Lionel Messi.
63 mins: Three subs for Algeria now with Mahrez, Aouar, and Amoura all coming into the game. Hadj Moussa, Gouiri, and Boudaoui make way.
Long ball from E Martinez out to Messi on the left. He slips the ball in behind that Algeria clear as far as Mac Allister – who hammers low. hard from around 25m out. Zidane makes an almighty mess of it. spilling the effort straight into the path of Messi, who was loitering with intent for a classic poacher’s tap-in.
60 mins: Magnificent interception by Mandi who saves a certain goal. sliding to deflect behind a De Paul cross from the right as Argentina counter. Alvarez was waiting to stroke the ball home if that intervention had failed.
59 mins: “What’s going on with the weird patches on the pitch?” asks Michael Meagher. “Was there a massive thunderstorm before kick off?” It has been cloudless in Kansas City all day. I think those evenly spaced patches emerged at half-time from some over zealous sprinkling.
58 mins: Algeria get back in possession, looking for Maza to dictate play. He is tracked by Mac Allister wherever he goes, often double teamed with Fernandez too, but he works a one-two on the edge of the box. fashions a shot that’s charged down by the human missile of Li Martinez.
56 mins: Couple more subs for Argentina with Alvarez and Gonzalez coming on for Almada and La Martinez.
54 mins: La Martinez draws a save from Zidane, drilling the ball across the keeper on the angle. the son of a gun gets a strong palm to it – unlike earlier when he didn’t cover himself in glory for Messi’s opener.
53 mins: Li Martinez steps out of defence to intercept superbly, taking a little bit of Maza for good measure. Soon the ball is fizzed to La Martinez who shows superb control. skids the ball wide to De Paul in acres of space. He enters the box but fails to find a teammate when there was almost too much on. Decent opportunity goes begging.
51 mins: Argentina get a couple of repeat phases down the right. from the second Messi has time and space to pick his spot from the D cutting inside, but even he balloons his effort into row Z. It must be the ball, surely?
50 mins: Excellent pass out of the back bypassing the press for Maza. The schemer takes possession. hurtles towards the Argentina box, where he is dumped unceremonsionuly by his effective man marker Mac Allister.
48 mins: Algeria enjoy some nice possession to start the half. There’s a couple of nice crossfield switches. some neat interplay in front of the Argentina defence but when they try to cut through there is no quarter given and Fernandez clears.
46 mins: There is one change at the break with Molina coming on for Montiel at right back for Argentina.
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