Lionel Scaloni talking with Messi in the match against Poland.
Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
The Argentine team qualified as first in Group C after beating Poland 2-0. The meeting left a curious image in its final minutes. The cameras of an Argentine television station captured the moment in which the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, warned Messi that the Europeans did not want to receive more goals because the result of the match between Mexico and Saudi Arabia plus the current score, made them advance as second .
The last 15 minutes Argentina won with goals from Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández. Even with this result, the Poles advanced to the round of 16 as second thanks to the slippage of Mexico, which triumphed by the same score vs. Saudi Arabia.
It was at that moment when Scaloni called Messi to the band and they held the curious dialogue that was recorded, in part, by TyC Sports. “2-0, 2-0”, began the DT. To which ‘La Pulga’ asked, 2-0 there?, referring to the Aztecs’ game. “If we score one more goal for them, they’re left out,” explained the Albiceleste strategist.
“They don’t want more, they don’t want more,” he confirmed to Messi. In the end, the Argentines slowed down and the game ended with that score. However, on the other side of the key, the Saudis scored in the discount after 90 minutes and completely buried the Mexican hopes.
For the first time since 1994, Mexico does not qualify for the round of 16 in the World Cup. Those led by Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino got four points out of a possible nine.
In their debut they drew 0-0 with Poland. Later they fell 2-0 against Argentina and ended up winning 1-2 against Saudi Arabia. The albicelestes had a controversial debut when they were defeated by the Arab nation.
However, they managed to recover in the last two games and give a couple of goals to Mexico and Poland. The difference in annotations was what left the North Americans eliminated.
With this result, Argentina will face Australia this Saturday for the round of 16. For its part, Poland will do the same against France this Sunday.
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