Round night for ‘La Pulga’: He opened the scoreboard in the 35th minute to end the goalless streak after progressing through the group stage and finishing just one goal behind Gabriel Batistuta (10) as ‘Albiceleste’ top scorer in the World Cup
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his side’s first clear option with 94 goals, thanks to a low shot from the right penalty area since becoming a house exclusive, having worn Blaugrana in the prime of his career.
“I’m living in the moment, I’m enjoying what we’re going through and I’m happy to take another step to get the pass to the quarter-finals,” he said at the press conference after the end of the game.
Much to his delight, he became the player who used the captain’s ribbon the most in universal matches after beating former Mexican defender Rafael Márquez’s 15 clashes in an Ahmad Bin Ali stadium packed with Scaloneta fans.
«These are incredible sensations; It’s crazy to share such a moment of happiness with people. We know the effort they made to get here. We also thank those who encourage us from our country,” he said in words dedicated to the fans.
In the second half, goalkeeper Mathew David Ryan played the leading role in the day’s error, losing the through to England’s Julián Álvarez (57′), who pushed him into an unprotected goal.
“I feel a great joy for the group and for all Argentines. We did what we had to do, our game. We suffered a bit, but the most important thing was to win and we did it,” said the striker.
All was not rosy, however, as when it seemed that the Oceanian players were lacking gunpowder, a shot by Craig Goodwin from outside the box grazed Enzo Fernández, changing trajectory and defeating Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, who was 13 minutes behind regular time lay .
From there, the “socceroos” gained confidence and the clearest option happened in the epilogue through substitute Garang Kuol, who stayed in the penalty area and dangerously hit a ball that the Argentine goalkeeper controlled in the footsteps in front of more than 45,000 souls. “It was a difficult game, they put on a suffocating pressure. That cost us, especially in the first half. We made corrections at the break and I think the team didn’t deserve to suffer in the last few minutes, we had to increase the gap,” said coach Lionel Scaloni.
After this result, Argentina will look for their place in the semifinals against the Netherlands, who beat the United States 3-1 this Saturday. The challenge will take place on Friday, December 9th at Lusail Stadium, starting at 10:00pm local time.
jha/jdg