CNN —
Another moment of Lionel Messi magic helped salvage Argentina’s World Cup hopes in Qatar 2022 as La Albiceleste secured a much-needed win over Mexico.
The 2-0 win certainly wasn’t pretty as Argentina struggled to create many clear chances against a tenacious Mexico side who offered very little threat even up front.
Messi came to the fore just after the hour mark to save his team as he had done countless times, hitting the bottom corner of the net with a stunning shot from outside the box.
After the historic loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening game of Group C, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Argentina needed a win over Mexico to avoid beating Poland by three goals or more in the final group game to qualify for the knockout phase.
Although a win against Mexico on Saturday was crucial, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was also keen to see a vastly improved performance to prove the defeat to Saudi Arabia was just a blip.
However, that feat never materialized as Argentina looked stale and lifeless for most of the game.
As Mexico chased a result, spaces in their defense began to open up with increasing regularity and Enzo Fernandez secured the win with a wonderful crossover, landing in the top corner after El Tri failed to clear his lines from a set piece .
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