OneFootball
Andrew Thompson·3 dicembre 2024
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Andrew Thompson·3 dicembre 2024
It's hard to pinpoint just one Lionel Messi goal that carries more weight than the others.
The little Argentine magician has made a career of momentous moments for both club and country across 21 seasons to date, but there is no question that World Cup triumph in 2022 cemented his legacy for all time.
Though adding his name alongside Diego Maradona as a World Cup winner put an end to that debate for many, his performances in Qatar two winters ago once again showed how unstoppable he so often is.
Heading into the Round of 16 after La Albiceleste bounced back from a shock opening round loss against Saudi Arabia, Messi & company faced a motivated Australia side who unexpectedly emerged from Group D.
But the Socceroos would go no further than that night at Al-Rayyan Stadium, and Messi made sure of it after setting Lionel Scaloni's troops off the mark with another stunner.
After first shimmying past his marker just outside the box and playing a pass to Alexis Mac Allister, the now-Liverpool midfielder found Nicolás Otamendi whose one-touch ball found its way back to Messi before his inch-perfect control set him up to finish past Matt Ryan with typical ease.
Another big moment. Another big goal.
📸 Justin Setterfield - 2022 Getty Images