DOHA: Argentina superstar Lionel Messi said his team had shown great character and determination to pull through and reach the World Cup final after their opening loss against Saudi Arabia.
“The first match was a hard blow to all of us. At the time we had played the last 36 matches without a single loss. So, to lose the first match in the World Cup to a team nobody thought we could lose to was a strong blow to all of us as a group,” Messi told reporters after the 3-0 thrashing of Croatia in the World Cup Qatar 2022 semifinal at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night.
“But this group showed, once again, its strength. We pulled through and won match after match. We've done something amazing because every match after that was like a final.”
“It was mentally exhausting to play every match like that, knowing that a single loss or draw could put us in a complicated situation.”
The mercurial player hoped Argentina would win the ‘original final’ also.
“So we played 5 finals, and luckily won all of them. Hopefully we'll win the next one too. So we played five finals, and luckily won all of them. Hopefully we'll win the next one too.”
“I think among ourselves we were too confident back then, because we knew our potential as a group, and we lost the first match by a fine margin. That helped us grow as a team and advance in the championship.”
Argentina scored 12 goals in Qatar. Messi netted five in them and made three assists.
The playmaker said he is enjoying the moment at the World Cup.
“I have no clue. What I know is how much I'm enjoying this moment. Luckily, I feel good, I feel strong to face every single game. We've made huge sacrifices.”
“In the last game, we played a long extra-time. That was not easy at all. As for today, we were exhausted, but the team dug in, adding some more extra energy to win.”
He added that Argentina played with good discipline against Croatia.
“We've played with discipline today. We knew the game would be set up this way. We've done a great job. We were aware they'd keep possession of the ball, as they have key players in that sense, making us run. But despite that, we created our usual chances, the game also got out of hand quickly.”
“Personally, I've felt really happy throughout the whole tournament, and I still do now. Luckily, I've managed to help the team get the results we wanted.”
READING THE CRUCIAL MOMENTS
Messi said the team could perfectly read the crucial moments of the game.
“Well, this team - putting aside the strength we have collectively - is very smart, and we know how to read key moments of the game, of every game. Scaloni stated that we've got a very smart team, that knows when and how to dig in, we know when and how to have the possession of the ball, we know when to press, when to sit back. Our professional coaching staff highlights everything you need to be aware of in each game, even if it's minimal.”
“That's hugely helpful for us, when we're on the pitch.”
Messi said Argentina were patient in the semifinal.
“We never feel lost. We can always tell what our duties are: to clinch victories. As I said earlier, we knew the game would have the shape it had.”
“That's why we didn't feel desperate when we had to run, or when they ran from one flank to another.”
“We knew that was their strength, keeping possession of the ball. But we also knew we could make the most of that whenever we recovered the ball.”
“They play in a very unorganised way in the midfield to keep the ball, leaving many spaces. And we were able to take advantage of that.”
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