In another historic day for captain
Lionel Messi
, the
Argentine National Team
beat
Curaçao
7-0
with a hat-trick from La Pulga, who surpassed one hundred goals with the albiceleste shirt and made the more than 42,000 people who packed the stadium
delirious
Mother of Cities, to close the celebrations of the conquest of Qatar 2022.
The AFA executive who closed alternative Panama and Curaçao as Argentina's rivals at the champions' party should receive the award for best worker of the month, at the very least.
He understood all that character that put the Central American teams on the table and the medal can also be hung by
Chiqui Tapia
, who accepted and organized the games.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden / Special Envoy to Santiago del Estero - Clarín
They all deserved recognition like the ones that took place this week: Lionel Messi, the rest of the players, the coaches, the leaders, the AFA workers and the public who made and makes Qatar's feat even greater.
But as everything ends, the moment of the party seems to have ended last night, with that spectacular and smiling win against the people of Curaçao.
It is complex to make a serious analysis of what happened in the Mother of Cities stadium.
They faced the world champion, the team that since April will appear at number 1 in the FIFA ranking, against a country that is an island of around
160,000 inhabitants, the same as Tandil
.
Yes, it was as if Argentina had collided with the team from Tandil.
It is accepted and celebrated that these rivals have been chosen for the holidays.
But they should not be repeated from now on because it would be leveling down, stagnating.
Curaçao, as has been said these days, belongs to the
Netherlands
.
And the team showed a Dutch seal: it was planted with a 4-2-2, with very short lines and with the premise of playing in each of the actions.
It happens that it does not have a hierarchy, that is why the Argentines passed over them almost without meaning to, just for a matter of decantation, of going, of searching.
Already 2 minutes into the game, what would be the duel was reflected: Mac Allister recovered a ball high and very easy and Lautaro Martínez missed an impossible goal after Messi's assist.
The Bull with the bow in the National Team is wrong, but better times will come.
What the Bahian knows how to do the most is goals, so be patient.
The people of Curaçao left spaces on all the lines, beyond the fact that they were a short team.
Innocence was the norm.
The bet was to guess when Messi would score his 100th goal. He tried two and did not fail in the third: he received from Lo Celso after a recovery from Pezzella and defined a right cross.
Later, the gale of goals
.
Nicolás González
beat goalkeeper Eloy Room in the jump ball inside the six-yard box (yes, that doesn't even happen on the pitch) and put the lead upside down to 2-0.
Messi celebrated his second staff in a play that the Curaçao defenders only watched, a while later
Enzo Fernández
nailed it to the side of the post for 4-0.
The most laughable or absurd play occurred at minute 37, in Messi's third.
The man from Rosario made a couple of heads with Lo Celso in midfield after a corner from the visitor and ran out believing that Gio could put the ball behind the innocent Roshon van Eijma;
the definition of the Flea was adjusted.
Lo Celso deserves a special paragraph for the great game he played.
Perhaps that is the best news of the win for Scaloni.
Gio moved into De Paul's place and found himself very well with Fernández and Mac Allister.
There was already too much talk about his notable partnership with Messi and it became evident last night.
The second part was over.
Some little pearls: the complement started when the T and M were still singing, Scaloni did not move from his seat, Messi invited Di María with a penalty to get his and Franco Armani replaced Dibu for the ovation.
And to make the party perfect, Montiel, the one who took the decisive penalty against France, made it 7-0 after a pass from Dybala.
And all happy.
Santiago del Estero. Special delivery.
look too
Argentina vs Curaçao: the incredible goal that Lautaro Martínez missed with an empty bow
Lionel Messi makes history by walking: he reached 102 goals with the Argentine National Team
The other record that Lionel Messi achieved against Curaçao: the fastest hat-trick in the Argentine National Team
"Together 2030": the National Team took to the pitch with a strong message for the joint World Cup with Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile
