The party of the champions was with a 2-0 victory against a worthy Panama with a touch of Lionel Messi that was worth all the efforts that the fans made -to a greater or lesser extent- to be present in the packed and energetic Monumental.
The analysis of the match between Argentina and Panama will remain in the box of memories and
Lionel Scaloni will not pay too much attention to it
.
It was a party and it was played with logical relaxation.
The postcards from the preview of the duel showed what was to come, with Dibu Martínez crying when the whole stadium sang the "boys", with Scaloni's tears when the anthem was heard and with the complicit smile of Lionel Messi with his three children.
The party left little space for football, it must be said.
There are things, of course.
What should first be noted is that Scaloni understands everything or almost.
Because he not only sent the same 11 that played in the final against France to the field, but in the first minutes he made Ángel Di María play as a left winger, that chess move that distinguished him at Lusail.
Then, shortly after, Fideo moved to the right to leave the 4-3-3 and form a 4-4-2, with Messi and Álvarez leading the way.
The idea of the Scaloneta is marked by fire, much more so after the huge final that the team played against France.
There is a midfield that is already starting to come out of memory, with De Paul, Fernández and Mac Allister.
But they know that they cannot fall asleep because Paredes, Lo Celso and Palacios are fighting from behind, three of those pampered by Scaloni.
With the midfielders, Argentina ensures a fast and good circulation of the ball.
And they all complement each other: Enzo is the brain, De Paul the engine and Mac Allister the dedicated one.
It would be necessary to look at the heat maps after the duels of the son of Colorado and it will be evident that he runs only for the places that he has to run.
Argentina was not fine, that is why they did not go ahead at halftime.
He played badly, he missed a lot of passes.
De Paul was the one who hit the most, with Fernández missing some long touches.
And Messi, what to say about him.
A bad game can be allowed.
Or many.
He can play badly this and all the games that Rosario has left.
He already gave what he had to give;
the rest will be yapa.
He gave away the certainty that the Flea is deadly, missing three consecutive passes to Di María, quite a rarity.
Everyone who's been on the field will have something to bring up when they goof a couple of passes on the little field with friends.
"Messi missed three passes in a row against Panama," they will say.
Or we will say
What a gift.
The Scaloneta overflowed several times on the right sector, with Molina and Di María.
But they always missed the final pass and one of the many legs of the Panamanians always appeared, who arrived at the Monumental with an alternative team.
The clearest were a magical free kick from Messi that collided with the corner and a long shot from Fernández that goalkeeper Guerra took from the corner.
Scaloni put his hand in halftime because he doesn't like to lose anything either.
The entry of Thiago Almada was good: he gave the attack more freshness.
The other one who got in very well was Paulo Dybala, who replaced Di María after 14 minutes.
Both Almada and Dybala connected a lot with Messi, who continued with his night of rare passes.
Surely the roasts and gatherings of the week have taken their toll.
He repeats himself: he deserves it.
The duel against Panama was a free kick festival for Messi.
The rivals hit a lot and were brutal.
Two of Leo's shots collided with the angles, another couple was saved by Guerra and a fifth went well over the top.
From one of those who collided with the post came Almada's goal, who captured the rebound and put the long-awaited 1-0.
It seemed that the party was complete with that goal from the former Vélez.
But Messi had one more opportunity left and the people deserved it.
It wasn't Leo who needed the goal, it was the more than 80,000.
Then, in the last free kick, La Pulga pressed the ball hard against the floor and left it hanging in Guerra's left corner.
There was the finishing touch, a worthy closure for the world champions.
look too
Argentina vs Panama: the brutal double kick to Lionel Messi that left him with blood on the knee
Lionel Messi x 800 goals: all his cries, from the first with Ronaldinho to the last at the Scaloneta party
