25/04 - 20:00
Lionel Messi was on target as Argentina bounced back from their shock defeat to Saudi Arabia with a 2-0 win over Mexico.
Action: Mexico may have expected Argentina to be much improved following the 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia. But for much of the game, it was a similar kind of performance.
Argentina saw plenty of the ball in the first half but found creating chances difficult. Meanwhile, Mexico were happy to try and disrupt Argentina as much as possible.
It made the first 45 minutes a low-quality affair with the Argentines perhaps somewhat cautious knowing that a defeat would mean a shock early elimination from the tournament.
There were still some nerves among the Argentina supporters, who despite the result will not have been totally satisfied with the performance.
However, substitute Enzo Fernández put them in a better mood in the 87th minute. The Benfica player received the ball from a short corner, drove into the box, found an angle, and unleashed a curling drive into the corner of the net to seal the points.
The relief on the Argentina player's faces at full-time was obvious but Lionel Scaloni's team still need a win against Group C leaders Poland in the final group game to guarantee passage into the knock-out stages.
Mexico meanwhile, will need to do what Argentina couldn't do and what Poland struggled to do: defeat Saudi Arabia.
Reaction: Goalscorer Enzo Fernández: "I always dreamed of playing in this shirt when I was a kid, and today my dream of scoring a goal in a World Cup has come true
"I am very happy for today's victory, this group deserves it. For all the people of Argentina who came to cheer us on and for all those who are at home supporting us, this victory is for them."
Magic Moment: The highly-rated Enzo Fernández has been impressing everyone at Benfica and he showed his ability on the world stage with a superb strike to seal the points for Argentina.
Man of the Match: There wasn’t much going on until Lionel Messi decided to wave his wand and find a goal from nowhere. That’s why he’s one of the best ever.
xG: Argentina (0.29) 2-0 (0.22) Mexico
Stat of the Day: Only Gabriel Batistuta (10) has more goals for Argentina at World Cup tournaments than Lionel Messi (8).
#Qatar2022
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) November 26, 2022
⚽ @Argentina 🇦🇷 2 (Lionel #Messi y Enzo Fernández) 🆚 #México 🇲🇽 0
👉 ¡Final del partido!
🔜 El elenco comandado por Lionel Scaloni jugará el próximo miércoles ante #Polonia 🇵🇱
¡Vamos #TodosJuntos! 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/81Wx3o97c0
2-0 | ||
Lionel Messi 64' Enzo Fernández 87' |
