Argentina went up against Australia in the World Cup knockout game yesterday. It was the first time since 2014 that Lionel Messi and Argentina reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Argentina held on till the end as Australia came roaring back in the second half of the match and almost got an equalizer.
Australia could have leveled the score line in the final minutes of the match, but Lisandro Martinez and Emi Martinez made two brilliant blocks to deny Australia the equalizer. Lisandro Martinez came on as a substitute and played a major role in Argentina’s win in just the few minutes he was on the pitch.
Lionel Messi’s record?
Lionel Messi scored the opening goal for Argentina, and it was his ninth goal for Argentina at the World Cup. It surpassed Diego Maradona’s goal tally for Argentina in the World Cup and made him the second-leading goal scorer at the World Cup for Argentina with nine goals. He will need just two goals to beat Argentina’s leading scorer at the World Cup. Gabriel Batistuta is Argentina’s leading scorer at the World Cup with ten goals.
Lionel Messi will have to break Batistuta’s World Cup record in the 2022 World Cup, as this could be his last. The Argentines will be up against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, and looking at how the Netherlands performed against the United States, it will be a difficult game for Argentina.
Argentina got their second goal in the second half of the match after Julian Alvarez scored. It was Julian Alvarez’ second goal of the tournament, and he capitalized on Australia’s defensive blunder in the second half of the match. Australia’s defense was totally at fault for Julian Alvarez’ goal.
Australia pulled one back after Enzo Jeremias Fernandez scored an own goal in an attempt to block a shot by Craig Goodwin. Australia were so close to dragging the game into extra time, but Argentina’s defense stood tall and didn’t give way for attackers to get through with ease. It was an outstanding performance from Argentina; from the goalkeeper down to the attackers, they were all superb.