Two minutes to go. Free kick for Messi, the sixth of the night. To place, to the left of Guerra that this time could not. Goal 800 for Messi, 99 with the albiceleste shirt. Goal that the Argentine fans waited all night and had gone to see especially. Once again, the fans left happy thanks to 10.
Since the team’s presentation, the Argentine number 10 was the recipient of the biggest ovation of the night at the Monumental, followed by Dibu Martínez and Ángel Di María. Formed with the team, accompanied by his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, with an undeniable smile, excited, he enjoyed the preview of a game like few times. It is that more than a game, it was the party of the World Champions with 90 minutes that served as an excuse.
In less than 3 minutes, Lionel Messi had already executed his first shot on goal. He changed his rhythm and took the left-footed shot from the door of the area, but it came off weak and in the middle, easy for the Central American goalkeeper.
At 17 minutes, the left post denied Messi the goal, after a splendid execution of a free kick for an offense committed by the team’s own captain. The ball sought the angle and the cry was choked in the Monumental.
Around 36′ he had the chance to open the scoring, but his shot hit a defender and after he couldn’t get a good right cross. And six minutes later, he entered the area from the right, hooked inside and hit the left foot high. Argentina, wide field and ball dominator, did not find precision to reach the goal. A team that had a hard time getting into the game, which this time was secondary. And Messi was not the exception.
The start of the second half had Leo very participative. In search of his 800th goal, the captain of La Scaloneta tried an Olympic game and goalkeeper José Guerra excelled to send the ball to the corner kick. A couple of minutes later, the Panamanian goalkeeper won again by flying to his left to take a free kick at mid-height and on 11, another good save by the goalkeeper before a new free kick. Guerra did not give Messi peace, who was looking for a new mark in his dazzling career.
Messi kicked 6 free throws: two on the posts, Guerra saved another two, one was high and the goal
Thiago Almada’s goal after 32 minutes came after another free kick from Messi to which the right canal said no. Paredes could not rebound, but Almada did not fail and made it 1 to 0 for the National Team, unleashing the celebration of the fans who did not want a 0 to 0 that would overshadow the party that was lived outside the limits of the playing field . It was a relief for the Argentine team, so that the night was complete with a victory that was widely deserved throughout the 90 minutes, beyond the fact that the absence of equivalences presaged a more bulky result.
Three minutes after the goal, Messi had another free kick and this time it wasn’t Guerra or the posts: the shot from 10 went very high. Beyond the shot on the crossbar, bows appeared in the stands to the cry of “Messi, Messi”. And finally! at minute 43, Leo’s goal came, how could it be otherwise on the night of the Monumental.
