Lionel Messi spoke about the win against England and making the World Cup final.
Messi had two assists for Argentina in their 2-1 win against England. The 39 year old spoke to the media after the match. Here is what he had to say:
“Let it hurt whoever it hurts and let them say whatever they want, nobody gave this team anything for free.
“Playing two World Cup finals in a row is insane, this group is incredible.
“Honestly, before the World Cup started, I trusted this group and knew we would be among the top four.
“Let the fans enjoy it like they are, now it will be whatever God wills.”
For the second match in a row, we will not be the favourites, and that’s okay. We don’t need any tags or labels. Spain are clearly a better team than us on paper. But then again, this team has heart, and that’s our biggest advantage. We keep marching on towards the World Cup.
I think the match of the World Cup for us is already over—that was against England. Even the final may not be able to match the gravity of that game. The crowd was absolutely ballistic. The only other match that gave me a similar feeling in this World Cup was Mexico vs England. For me, Argentina vs England was the match of the tournament.
It was a war that we simply had to win somehow. No ifs or buts. Just to save the world from noise pollution for the next four years. That’s the Argentina football team’s contribution to the people of the world, and everyone should thank them for it.
The level of ignorance in the normie verse is astounding
And it gives me a headache
Nico Gonzalez cones in for for parades to sit in front of the back line UK TV. Honestly the level of stupidity these SCUMBAGS come out with
Argentinas plan b sucker move has destroyed 4 teams this might not be as easy vs Spain
But a cat amongst the pigions game will, also are fire power is far superior so use it
Another glorious performance by our boys, and I hope people who doubted them, or Scaloni, now realize how wrong they were, regardless of the result of the final. I am so proud of all of them, with multiple stellar performances. My man of the match was Scaloni with the amazing substitutes, going for broke early, being super positive etc.
Beating England in a semi like the way we did…2nd best match of my life (after the WC win over France of course). Its hard for any Argentina fan to imagine any better result. I was getting quite nervous to see England progress through the tournament, I want them to not even qualify, let alone make it to the semis, but nothing sweeter than our team beating the sh*t out of them.
For the Spain game, yes, Spain are favorites, but we have more than a punchers chance. The only player I am slightly worried about is Molina. He could have done better for the England goal. But then Licha conceded a similar goal earlier in the tournament, and it takes a very very good defender to take care of such fast breaks when the team is pulled out of position.
Spain are favourites in the normie world we’re everyone’s as thick as two German Shepard turds
Its going to be very competitive. Spain may just take the Barcelona way and keep attacking even if they concede and it can end up being a high scoring game. They have half Barcelona playing. Nico W can play, Lorente can play. It will be hard for the Mids to control Rodri Olmo Ruiz combination. Scaloni will have some surprising element. Might come up with a back 3 and try to frustrate Spain with their own game, but have to be on top of the ball. They are capable of hurting in counter and will have a plan B and super capable substitutes in all departments.
They don’t have the barca strikers they are not too much goalscoring
I am happy to meet Spain not France..
Remember without 50% of messi we won against England…
He lost balls ..still he managed to create 2 assists…
Hope Messi will score a brace against Spain….
This is the fight of Messi to beat barca players..
Time for Alvarez & all other ATM players to kill the game against Spain
I was very worried as our both CB got yellow card well before 90 mins..
Thank god
Yep that two yellows was scarry
Don’t be stupid.he is not 23 old messi you will not get better messi than this it was his best game this wc
Ah What a game and what a comeback . I almost had a heart attack today. Its been the story since knock out stage. England spoiled their chance today. After taking the lead, they all dropped to the defense and made it easy for us . Now its turn for Spain — our European ancestor/brothers . Poor Brazilians/latinos must be feeling mad today
One more game and that’s it, plain and simple, ARG came a long way since the tournament started, conspiracy theories, made up stories about Messi and ARG, FIFA this and FIFA that catering to the clueless, stupid and ignorant.
One exceptional opponent based on their last win is the only thing standing between ARGENTINA and that precious 4th STAR.
The Albiceleste showed passion, grit, determination and hustle the world has never seen in any WC, fighting adversity in the last 4 games….talent, tactics and even Messi can only get you so far, it’s the other things that you can’t calculate is what mattered.
AS ALWAYS, LET’S GO ARGENTINA, LET’S GO.
I’m back, I could not remember my log in! So, I have not posted in ages. Anyway, Argentina is on the doorstep of history!
Messi will play in THREE WC finals, 3! Who could have imagined that after 2014. Not even Pele played in 3 finals, only Cafu and now Messi.
Spain will present a clear challenge to our 4th title. We need to play smart and patient, if we can somehow score first, I think we have a solid chance at winning. I think momentum is on our side!
My analysis is that Spain is actually a better matchup for Argentina than France.
If we had faced France in the semifinal, I don’t think we would have had the same freedom we got from the England team to let us attack non stop for 45mins. After taking the lead, England dropped deep with virtually their entire team behind the ball and invited pressure for almost the entire second half. Tuchel was too cautious about exposing a defense that hadn’t looked convincing throughout the tournament, and it ultimately cost them. Every time opponents have attacked England with intensity, they’ve looked vulnerable. Also it felt Tuchel’s lack of experience in bigger stages in international football was quite apparent which is very different from club competitions.
I also strongly feel France benefited from opponents who were so focused on containing their star studded attack that they rarely tested France’s midfield or defense. Spain’s coaching staff recognized that. Their game plan was outstanding, dominate midfield and deny the French forwards any time or space! And they executed their game plan with perfection!! However I also don’t think that the exact approach will necessarily work against Argentina. We also have two world-class midfielders in enzo and macallister who are both capable of controlling possession, creating chances and scoring regularly. More importantly, both look like they are back to their best and are playing with confidence again.
Simeone may not have contributed much offensively against England, but he fulfilled his tactical role perfectly!! Until Tagliafico’s acrobatic clearance which wasn’t a very smart move coming from someone reliable and intelligent like him that led to Molina getting caught napping again, Simeone’s pressing prevented England from stringing multiple passes together and non stop attacks like our previous matches! However, whether Scaloni starts him against Spain remains to be seen as we are playing a team with very different style and has a very intelligent coaching staff. So far they have made sure that Spain conceded very little because they’ve consistently controlled matches through their midfield. I am extremly impressed with Luis Fuente and his team , who made the bold decision to drop Pedri, Barca’s best midfielder last season, to create a more balanced team, and that decision has paid off.
Beating this Spain side will be extremely difficult. Their style, midfield , and confidence make them a very tough opponent. But I’d still rather face Spain than France. Argentina’s biggest weakness so far in the tournament has been our slow, underperforming midfield. But the final will be a completely different game as our core players have rediscovered their form, confidence, and rhythm at exactly the right time.
Agree, Spain’s confidence might be there weakness. Also agree about France, I think Mbappe had blood in his eyes and wanted to get revenge, especially against Dibu.
Scaloni needs to drop molina otherwise we are dead duck.enzo and maccalister world class?? In which universe?? Enzo can score some bangers but he is nowhere near the other best midfielders of the world in actual traits of a world class midfielder.their main job is not scoring.scoring should be just bonus.before england suddenly become defensive stop pressing they actually struggled and couldn’t control the midfield.no matter what without messi we may have lost yesterday also.we have to up the intensity 10x in spain game.we have to haunt spain midfielders like a pack of wolves or hyenas so that they couldn’t get a single moment to breathe.foul tactically.get yellow card tactically we can’t allow them to play their game but do we have the players to play such a physical game?? They will get 1 extra day of rest also
Yesterday was our best display in this world cup but far from convincing molina was shit as expected.our final third passing is still sloppy except offcourse messi the goat.if england didn’t play like pussies we may have struggled against this super mediocre england as well.if we want to win back to back out defending needs to be far far tougher.we can’t allow spain to play we have to play dirty.we have to thing how to stop Yamal baena porro cucurella that flanks our biggest concern
I earlier many times said that Enzo and macclclister are engine of our team। Last wc they dominated france in final, and same thes time they played well। But many people in this forum don’t know about football, they accused both players।। Now macclclister playing in advance position which suited team most।।। He connect with Messi in that position ।last year wc final demaria assist of maclllister was great 😎।।and macca score same goal againts poland too।। He might score goal against England too।
Love reading all the great analysis and happy comments.
I can’t believe that we are in another World Cup final! The team played so well!
I have noticed some comments around with people assuming that the final will be Messi’s last international game. I don’t see it. The guy just loves to play ball. I can see him being our main man in the next Copa America. And even a late sub in the next World Cup. I don’t see him quitting any time soon
Match against England was the best performance of argentina in this world cup. Every player performed well except Nahuel Molina. Player by Player analysis…
1) Emiliano Martinez- OK but yet to see Top performance. Eagerly waiting for world class save from him.
2) Taglafico- Solid in defense, reliable.
3) Lisandro Martinez- One of the best player of tournament. Solid against England, picked up early yellow cards resulted into early substitution
4) Christian Romero- For me best defender of the world cup.Once again Solid against England.
5) Nahuel Molina- worst Argentine player. No improvement in form.
6) Leonardo Parades- Once again excellent. Surprised by substitution.
7) Alexis Maclester- Unlucky hit the post. Could have 2 or more goal. Very proactive.
8) Enzo fernandez- world class goal. Good Match. After bad match against Switzerland improvement in form. Try to score from distance and eventually succeeded.
9)G. Siomone- Constant pressing and helping on defense and do what asked for.
10) Julian Alvarez- Very hardworking and pressed throughout the match.
11) Lionel Messi- What can I said about this player. Best ever. Changed the match completely. His crossing and passing was outstanding. Stunning right footed assist to lautaro Martinez
Substitutions:
12) Nico Gonzalez- Once again excellent. Almost scored
13) Rodrigo de Paul- Dropped but come back like king and excellent match
14) Gonzalo Montiel- Excellent performance. We need him in final .Good in attack and defense
SCALONI: Excellent .Keep calm and all the substitution bang on
I dont know how many of u noticed that i was crying our players to shoot from outside the box from the second march of the tournament onwards 😂 now they scored 2 stunners back to back
Like i said all our players messi, alverz, lautaro, al mada, de paul(udines) enzo, pardes maclister, molina all scores those goals in club games thats why i was frustrsted they not scoring it here…
Maclister almost did that, last game almada also so now the spain defence will be worried abt that shooting capacity of our players the combination of crossing plus long range shooting is deadly🔥
I don’t know about you, but I’m not scared of Spain. Yeah, they’re a great team, but I think they haven’t been tested yet, and Argentina will definitely cause more problems than any other team they’ve faced so far.
Brother, this Argentina team isn’t scared of nobody and we shouldn’t be as well.
I find myself compelled to offer an apology to Otamendi, as I have been a vocal critic of his performance throughout his career. His sustained longevity in the sport is truly remarkable, and his significant contributions to the recent World Cup, particularly as a substitute, were instrumental. His prowess in aerial duels is unparalleled; his ability to leap is extraordinary. He is, without doubt, a legend. The UEFA Champions League remains the sole major trophy absent from his impressive collection, otherwise, he stands as one of the most decorated defenders in the history of global football.
1986 World Cup vs. 2026 World Cup
Quarter-final vs. Semi-final
England 1–2 Argentina (both matches)
Maradona scored twice in 1986. Messi provided two assists in 2026.
1986: The “Hand of God” (left hand).
2026: The “Right Foot of God” — Messi’s right foot delivered the winning assist.
An interesting parallels between two epic Argentina–England World Cup matches.
On a side note, Declan Rice was fortunate not to receive a red card early in the first half. Around the fourth minute, both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham confronted Messi. The TV broadcast mainly showed Messi nodding toward Bellingham, as if to say, “Just wait until the final whistle.” However, clips circulating on social media appear to show Rice covering his mouth while speaking to Messi. Messi could have complained and have Declan set off, but he chose not to.
Is it just me, or did Simeone bring even more tenacity and grit to us on the right side than RDP? He was fighting tirelessly for every ball, almost like a more aggressive version of Álvarez.
Does anyone else think we might need him again to disrupt Spain’s rhythm? It’s really difficult to throw Spain out of their flow. If they keep possession, it could become a dead end for us because they rarely give the ball away.
So, bringing Simeone into the lineup might unsettle their composure and make them lose their cool. If they become frustrated or hot-tempered, their rhythm could be disrupted. Do you think that could work?
I think starting Simeone again might work, but Scaloni and co need to think about it carefully. Spain has the best midfield in the world so if we play a 4-4-2 with Simeone on the right wing, this will give an already formidable Spanish midfield an extra player in the middle of the park. I would almost be tempted to congest our midfield, even try Almada again in this game to try to match them in midfield and not get outnumbered.
However, if nothing else, Simeone’s contribution was that he gave De Paul much needed rest. De Paul came in fresh and ready to go. Of course, he did not have to do much defending, so that helped too. De Paul is on the wrong side of 30 and for the profile of player that he is, relentless box-to-box, fresh legs is a must.
Absolutely, we’ll need him. He also provides a much needed outlet on the right side, which helps the midfield progress the ball instead of just passing between themselves due to the lack of width, something we saw against Switzerland. He didn’t do much with the ball, but he was involved a lot. He added intensity to the press and brought something different that we hadn’t seen in the previous games.
He absolutely should start to help Montiel defend against spain, who will easily be the most dangerous attacking side Argentina have faced so far.
@paul
Ayala was overrated for Argentina. You can find plenty of costly mistakes from him in big matches. In the 2004 and 2007 Copa America finals, he had terrible performances.
He was beaten badly by Baptista in a 1v1 and also scored an own goal in the 2007 final. In the 2004 final, he completely failed to mark Luisao, which helped Brazil score the equalizer.
I agree about Passarella, but Ayala and Zanetti are well below Romero’s level of consistency for the national team. They shouldn’t even be in the all time great conversation. Argentina’s defense was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses between 2000 and 2010, and I don’t think any defender from that generation did enough for the national team to deserve all time recognition…
If you are talking purely about national team performance, then certainly Romero has achieved the most since Ruggeri.
Ayala, Samuel, Zanetti – all three would be considered “one of the best of their generation” defenders. Garay, Chamot, Zabaleta, Lisandro, Otamendi, Milito – all world class. But none have delivered what Romero has for the national team. He is different level of reliable.
@paul
Yeah, I was talking about the national team only. Based on that, my ranking would be:
1. Romero – I’ve already explained below why I consider him the modern GOAT.
2. Mascherano – Although he mostly played as a CDM, he was primarily responsible for the defensive side of the game. In my opinion, he was one of the main reasons Argentina’s defense looked so competitive at the 2014 World Cup. If he had been younger, he would’ve been incredible in Scaloni’s system and made us even stronger. Pretty sure he would’ve won multiple titles with this team. He was simply born too early not to be part of Scaloni’s squad. An incredible player, one of Argentina’s greatest CDMs and one of our best overall defenders. His club career, including the 2015 treble playing as central back, only strengthens his legacy.
3. Tagliafico – The most consistent defender after Romero in the Scaloni era. He always gets the job done and rarely makes the kind of costly mistakes we’ve seen from our other full backs in the opposite side. Honestly, I don’t think we would’ve won so many titles without him guarding the left side like a warrior.
4. Otamendi – He had plenty of bozo moments, but he also produced some outstanding performances, especially against Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final. He has been an essential player under Scaloni.
5. Lisandro Martínez – I only rank him below Otamendi because he wasn in 2021 Copa America or regular starter in the 2022 World Cup. If Argentina wins the 2026 World Cup, I’d probably move him above Otamendi. He’s an excellent ball playing defender, composed, aggressive, and consistently solid. Him and Romero conceding zero goals together at the 2024 Copa America will always go down as one of Argentina’s greatest defensive achievements.
This is only considering players since the 2000s.
@chris totaly agrees with u, i havent watched the teams before 2002s but i dont think there were many better than romero, the way he stepup his game when we need him mostly is insane he is the messi of our defence along with mascharano for me
Cuti Romero is only competing with the likes of Ruggeri and Passarella for one the best Argentine CBs of all time, Ayala was too error prone for us in big game, Samuel did not play that much. I think Cuti absolutely can be slotted in best Argentina XI
His dribbling against gordan and bellingham was outstanding. This is why he is EPL’s consistent defender.
So many English football streamers and pundits themselves trashing Bellingham for badmouthing Messi. One guy said after the second goal “I want to see Jude cry after the match” LOL. Loving this.
Interesting find. Pickford had a water bottle with the names of all Argentine players and where to dive in a penalty series.
There are photos on the internet from that bottle.
Apart from Molina, our team looked so better yesterday. The play was so fast. Its hard to believe that Messi is 39 years old. Well done EL toro. Enzo’s short was superb. He realised at the right time that we can score only by shooting from the distance. Although England’s tactical change helped us to get some spaces in the right side, Montial looked so convincing yesterday and more confident. Yesterday was our the best knockout games. We should have scored more goals but pickford was excellent.
What i like about enzo is he take his time to generate power and accuracy didnt panic🔥
Yes bro. Only Enzo and Julian tried to shoot from the distance. Instead of shooting, they have been passing the ball to Messi who was strictly marked yesterday.
Spot on bro, i was asking the questions here from the 2nd game onwards that why we are not shooting all our players score stunners for club from outside the box be it alverz, lautaro, almada, maclister, enzo, depaul even molina but somehow from last two matches we have seen that shooting in national. Team also julian and enzo wirh goals and almada and maclister hit the posts
Hope they shoot more to put spian kids under pressure
WOW! What a comeback! What a game!
After Cabo Verde, Egypt and Switzerland another nail biting match from our team. They played very tough in the first half, made lots of fouls, escaped various yellow cards but managed to disrupt England’s game plan. In the second half Molina (him again) failed to cover Gordon correctly and we were down. Thanks to Tuchel’s substitutions we were able to take over control over the game. 88% ball possession in the next half hour. Wave after wave of attacks until Enzo scored. Thankfully, they pressed on and scores the winner.
It makes me wonder why they don’t play that way all the time. There is no need for all that pushing, kicking and hitting when you can play so well. Hopefully, we see them excel in the final. It will be necessary to be at our best because Spain only conceded one goal in the WC and the team has been unbeaten for years. France looked hopeless against them, but Belgium showed how they can be hurt.
I watched some comments from several European TV stations. Here are 2 comments:
“Lautaro is a tiger in the 16.”
“This is the only WC match that has the intensity of the superclasico or old firm. Each WC should have a confrontation between England and Argentina.”
Scaloni did well to steer away from the Maradona and Malvinas discussions. Unfortunately, some players showed a banner on the pitch after the match. Strange, because all players were born years after the war. Hopefully, the AFA only gets a fine and no players are suspended for the final.
Sunday will be probably be Messi’s last game for the NT. Fingers crossed he can go out on a high!
Yes, that banner shenanigan was the one blemish. FIFA will again fine the team. I bet some idiot politician convinced them to do it.
Guys, those of you not from Argentina don’t get it, it is part of painful history, people lost relatives in that war and endured humiliation. I’d be ok with a fine, so be it….no issues with the banner at all.
Why do you think Messi was singing the national anthem so loud before the kick-off?
Scaloni-skeptics were spot on. Many of the changes they were asking for worked wonders. Obviously Scaloni & co do not take feedback from us, but the shortcomings that were clear to us for the last few games, were eventually clear to them, and changes were finally made just in the right time.
De Paul was becoming complacent after continuously being rewarded despite poor performances. Today finally being benched put a fire under him, and he put in a superb performance as a sub.
Reducing the number of central midfielders created a lot more balanced team, and lot of space for Messi and the wingers. Similar to the game against Egypt, both goals again came from the wing.
Instead of passive side to side movement, to we played like the Argentina of 2021-22 – brilliant forward one touch passing, dribbles, going wide, audacious attempts from distance, all resulted in their best performance this tournament. They put the fear in England. Tuchel made the blunder of sacrificing speed for defense, and that is where Argentina shines.
Molina was the exception. He was awful once again. I am sure he will be replaced by Montiel next game.
Scaloni threw the kitchen sink at them, Alvarez ran the whole game, El Toro finally came through, Messi doing his Tony Montana expression to Jude, ” Jo wanna play Rough? OakKaA” and the man was dribbling 🤌🫡 And the whole team laid it out 110%🇦🇷🇦🇷💙
Guess what Redcoats, it ain’t coming home but you are 🤣😂😅
The vitriol around how we were favoured and had the decisions always go our way might (at least to me) have affected referring decisions – some 50-50s last night that we used to have gotten in the past, we didn’t get them last night, and my sense is the officials last were compensating and want to show total impartialness. I hope it isn’t the case that they are over-eager to compensate. In any case, these didn’t amount to anything much in the end. Importantly, no one, no one can say we were favored, we had questionable decisions go our way,
This will be controversial, but there are two awful reasons for it –
1. Brainlessness of C. Ronaldo fans. They just don’t understand football beyond counting goals and abs. They don’t know what makes good football. They don’t understand the rules.
2. Argentina committed the “horrible crime” of defeating Algeria, Jordan, Egypt within the span of a few days and that is too much too soon for one of the largest demographics on the planet who can’t see past their shared identity.
Spain strength is that midfield. I hope Enzo Macalister and DePaul/ paredes match Spanish midfielders. Still I would prefer scaloni to play Guiliano Simeone to provide. Molina looks like our weak link. Perhaps scaloni should start Montiel. This final will give me Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona vibes.
Spain’s defence is also strong. Only 1 goal conceded in the WC.
Spain’s attack has Lamine Yamal. At Barcelona he is considered Messi’s successor. Spain never lost with him on the pitch.
It is not just midfield, it is the whole team. No weak areas.
However, they sometimes have problems scoring goals (Cabo Verde, Belgium, Portugal).
Last night Molina was horrible, Montiel looked better. But I think Scaloni would play Molina and Montiel as a sub as Montiel cannot run 60 mins and tackles on legs but looks much effective offensively.
Enzo and Macca was in deep off form but peaking only at right time. Found a right combination in Paredes/ DePaul, both looked sharper yesterday but again does not have the speed n legs for 90 plus mins.
Romero n Tagli have been phenomenon in defense. Licha has been leaking goals, but looked v comfortable on the ball in opposite half. Again Otamendi comes on later with his own limitations but nerve of steel.
None of Almada, Nico G and Jr Simeone was clinical in front of goal but adds option based on match situation Scaloni choses his sub – I wish one of Nico/Simeone to start. Their speed and passing would help at counters.
Lautaro has been a super sub and found a lot of his rythm back. So has Julian, he can run for 120 mins, press effectively and defend as well. His off the ball positioning has been one of the best he was also not at his best but found ways to rise. Lets not waste space by talking about Messi. Only worry is Emi, hope he gets some reflex back and wish still comes good at penalties if need be.
Enjoy the spectacular win, take pride and be ready for a tactical master piece for the final. Path to glory and immortalization!
Yeah, given how things and the results have panned out, by the luck of it or perhaps it was Scaloni’s deliberate plan, somehow our failure to play top tier opposition friendlies just before the World Cup hasn’t been that much of a handicap in the end. The other players really took some time to come up to speed and gradually they did shine. We all talked about how Messi was carrying the team through the group stages, how almost everyone else was doing their part still but compared to previous, there were lacklusture and muted performances.
And then, everyone slowly started contributing and pulling their own weight in Gold (yes, lierally reference and we all want that 4th star). Lautaro, Lisandro, Romero, Paredes, MacAllister, Enzo, Alverez, even Emi for those saves against the Swiss. I don’t think anyone will be calling for Barco and Lo Celso to be in the starting line up for the final.
Lol that was childish. Asking for children..Lo Colso why not for a cameo still if situation permits. Scaloni knows best, taking tension in match is inevitable why else in making strategies when they are the best..he he
I was telling in a friends group if we win this i’d probably retire from fandom and forgive any thing thats going to come in future.
I gotta appreciate English media, pundits and fans. All have been nearly unanimous in being gracious in defeat, and full of praise for Messi and Argentina despite a historic rivalry. No fake complaints about unfairness or refereeing.
Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham – many players who have suffered against Maradona, Messi, Argentina, as well as famous journalists like Tim Vickery, all seem to have unbound love for Messi and Maradona. It is beautiful to watch. Great football transcending pettiness and grudges.
Even normally insufferable football influencers like Mark Goldbridge who hate Argentina and Messi with a vengeance, have no problem saluting this Argentine performance and saying the better team won.
(Certain other nations and demographics can learn something from it.)
In this age of social media, they are aware of the huge neutral followers and admirers of Messi and this Argentina! They can’t go wrong politically right they are Brits after all..😝
They are all crying inside
Crying inside or not, people like Linker, Vickery, Ferdinand have been praising Argentina long before the age of social media. They love England, but they also just love good football.
True, Linekar Ferdinand Rooney all are admirers of the magician god we have. He has been so respectful throughout his life its hard not to priase him. Any one who has eyes to see football and appreciate beauty cannot defy the Goat! Rest are what they are 😆
Lets trust Scaloni and the team 1 more time together. It would probably be Scaloni’s and some others along with Messi’s last international game. End of an ERA.
Win or Loose I support my team.
Been in this forum since 2007/08. Scaloni ERA gave us everything.
Vamos Albiceleste.
Same here. And agree. Been through all the downs at the start and then the ups in the recent years. Appreciate what this team, and most importantly, GOAT, has been through and achieved. It is not over still and there is one more story to be written. Let’s do this and get the 4th star! Vamos Argentina Vamos!!!
After This Midfield potentiality we can dream of become Champion again. Whole Team played well without Molina. Vamos Argentina.
Can we all agree that Romero is the greatest Argentina defender of all time? What a generational performance, man. Twice he won unbelievable 1v1 duels that would’ve almost certainly ended in goals if he hadn’t. Then there was that incredibly composed ball control to clear the danger when three England players chasing him in the box
His consistency is simply unmatched. Bro really deserves a bigger club so he can get the recognition he deserves at club level too. He’s too good to be playing for Tottenham. He would absolutely thrive at Barca, Real Madrid, or Bayern.
True that. But he does not keep is cool at times and prone to risky tackles and cards, but he has been phenomenon this time around.
Pre match fodder by some ex-English player: Romero’s volatile. Kane just needs to bait his ex-teammate, fall back into midfield to receive the ball and Romerk will come charging up and in. This will either lead to yellow or red card for Romero and also open up space behind him in the box.
>> Rubbish ok? Romero played calmly and intelligently, fouled Bellingham when he needed to foul, defended resolutely like a rock, led the line, classily shifted the ball in his own box and played it out nicely. Woohoo!
@Paimar
Romero never saw a red card in Argentina . People act like he’s some mindless thug who gets sent off every other match, but that reputation mostly comes cause of tottenham
At Spurs, he had to carry the entire defence by himself. He plays aggressively because the defenders around him frequently leave defence exposed, and he’s also developed a reputation among EPL referees that doesn’t help.
I remember making a Reddit post saying Romero would be an amazing signing for Manchester United to partner Lisandro , and everyone mocked me. They said he’d get sent off every game. Now those same people have finally seen what the real Romero looks like.
He had their BOY Harry Kane in his pocket the whole match.
True this!
Yes he is very dangerous man..He controlled mbape, billigam, ans brazil too..He is a leader ..He should be captain after messii
One of the greats, that’s for sure. Probably the best in the last 20 years. But it is very difficult to compare him with the likes of Pasarella, Ayala, Zanetti. Pasarella was one of the greatest defenders of all time in the world, let alone Argentina.
First of all, club football and national team competitions are different. Not saying Romero is not cut out for it, but for his club he will need to do the same routine thing about 50 times a year, and since he is a defender, he will not be able to make any mistake.
But I absolutely agree that he IS the best Argentine centerback ever to have played for the Argentina National Team PERIOD.
Can someone please check
on WC Russia (member) ? He completely stopped writing after the goals but before that he was the most active. I think he got sick or something. He was over-stressing. he need to celebrate the victory with us.
Last time he was seen at the starting XI post of this game
This pathetic guy isn’t an Argentina fan. He’s a Penaldo/Bra71L fan in disguise who’s just here to troll. It’s obvious. Pathetic, nolife loser went back to the cave where he belongs.
There were few others apart from him that we very pessimistic in the comments section.
@rahul S
I knew this guy was a fake fan the moment he said Messi should be subbed off for Paz. No real Argentina fan would say that when Messi was carrying the entire tournament.
Then he disappeared instead of celebrating, which makes it obvious he’s super hurt and going through the depression phase. He’ll be back before the Spain game, pretending to be an Argentina fan again. And if things don’t go our way, he’ll be right back to trashing Messi.
Very true
I know. Its pretty obvious
Ronaldo is full of shit. A pathetic Loser. A narcissist. Also have a huge inferiority complex because of Messi. His fans are just like him lol
Most of the cr7 fans r fans of him because of looks and has zero ball knowledge
TV and Social Media: Messi vs. Yamal.
Reality:
Tagliafico vs. Yamal’s patience.
Messi vs. Spain’s census.
Rodri vs. Paredes’ dark arts.
Baena vs. Simeone’s lungs.
Somewhere, the ball will also be involved.
I would prefer Facundo medina on that LB to give more defensive cover. Tagliafico was incredible but looked vulnerable sometimes
Medina will be more vulnerable.tagliafico will need cover.yamal needs to be double teamed.
I have been attacked here for supporting Scaloni. Those morons might have understood now why we do support him.
For those of us fans who have gone through the agony and winning mo major tournaments, having the GOAT with us, Scaloni has been the rain (Monsoon we call here) after a heavy summer.
As I always say, in Messi & Scaloni, we trust 💙
We do brother. Who has given us so much after the dreadful late 90s through till 2018. EPL fanboys and fake fans dont know what it takes to be this version of Albiceleste.
Talking of 1990 I hope Argentina play better in the final compared to the 1990 team
While everything was goin on I never doubted Scaloni or this team. I knew it.
One thing I have to appreciate Montiel, Lautaro & de Paul they perform better in 2nd half when we are down… specially Lautaro & montiel 👏👏
It’s never over until this group of players says it’s over. I was completely down and out at one stage—sad, desperate, stressed, and frustrated.
This has to be the best match we’ve played in this World Cup. We somehow won a war for the ages. Nothing gets bigger than a win on this stage, under this much pressure. This group of players is something else, man. They deserve every bit of the applause. Absolutely astonishing.
We keep marching on. Spain ahead now? The ultimate test. But congratulations to all of us too for making the World Cup Final again.
Man, I was so worried about England’s game because of their fast wingers and how we played last few matchs. But Argentina totally took over after they gave up that first goal; they just outplayed England completely. I had a feeling whoever scored first would lose, and that’s exactly what happened. I’m so stoked for Lautaro Martinez after all the crap he got last World Cup. Cuti Romero is such a player, and big props to Macca and Enzo too.
Argentina’s gonna be world champions again on Sunday, Insha Allah.
I just have one cocnern regarding spain that they will have majority possession which is obvious , so they will try to frustrate us, i really hope Scaloni finds a way to counter it and he will surely find a way
Nah, we’re not French. Argentina’s got a solid midfield too. Spain’s gonna have a tough time, but I think argentina will win the World Cup again.
We will SURE
Congratulations guys. I was so upset when we were down but omg what a team we have and coaching stuff. Now only Spain on the way and how do we get them it will be an interesting game. They don’t score a lot but they don’t give the ball so what would be our game plan will be great to see
Just kick them and press them like hell in first 25-30 minutes don’t allow them to settle down
can we please appreciate maccalister & Tagliafico ? they has been extremely steady.
Macy was fantastic Argentina could have won 4-1
Tag was amazing apart from his over head kick was a clean clearance but it gave space for Englands cross
Tagliafico will be critical against Yamal and we may need help from other players also and maccalister has improved a little but still I’m not convinced his passes still quite sloppy and our midfield passing is still not silky smooth
One thing I don’t understand is all these so called media experts are saying England played back and it was Tuchels fault. Look at the first half before the English goal. No real chances for England. Molina makes a mistake, and Argentina decided to step on their neck and crush them. You think anybody in England wanted to retreat? They didn’t. They had to. The pressure was immense and Tuchel saw this so he put in more defenders. Both goals were scored with plenty of capable English players. Argentina just decided to stop playing around and impose their will. It wasn’t just Tuchels fault. He was screaming on the sideline to push up. They just played a better team that imposed their will on them. Argentina had the better team, shut down Bellingham and Kane, and anyone objective saw there was no real threat just a bonehead play by Molina.
I could have strangled Molina. Thank god it worked out in the end.
Yes, they just don’t want admit, that Argentina was superior and by far better team on the pitch. Like you said England did not have real chance’s before Molina’s misstake and Argentina was the better trough out whole match. Fully deserved to win. This just so typical BS from English media by not wanting to admit Argentina was way better, than them. So they blaming Tuchel instead, lol!
They just blaming Tuchel but England players were tired except Bellingham @ Decine & James both were partially fit couldn’t go all game. Coach knew his limitations that’s he said I had no regrets on my tactics. Argentina Energy was too much to handle
English pundits tv presenters are a fkin embarrassment
Buffoon heads
I don’t have the audio on during Argentina live matches coz I don’t like the biased commentary. Rewatched the major parts immediately after the match just to hear the commentary and the Argentine crowd singing and cheering.
1. When Enzo scored, all the commentary could say next was “hang on, is Messi offside (since Messi had stepped out from the corner flag to receive the ball after taking the short corner and before passing to an open Enzo)? Oh it’s tight, it’s definitely worth a look, there’re definitely checking to see if he’s offside.”.
>> Rubbish, ok. Appreciate the peach of Enzo’s goal, can? Appreciate how the rest of the team pegged the 2 lines of 4 and 5 back into the box such that Enzo was super clear ok? How the so-called super reaction Pickford who had saved 2 great headers couldn’t do anything about Enzo’s smasher.
2. When Messi swivelled his hips and ran further into the box to cross for Lautaro to head in, there was complete silence. They were stunned and couldn’t say anything. Before hoh no, and England are in trouble. >> That’s right, mate. Lol.
3. When England restarted the game and began pumping the ball into our penalty box, they kept saying oh there 5 more mins, could England get something here and score an equaliser. They’ve got all the heavyweights in the box now. Surely they can touble Emi Martinez.
>> Nope
4. After Gordon scored and Argentina began controlling the match, there was once where Bellingham broke away on our right but he got crowded out. They said oh England are definitely going to get chances like that for the rest of the match. think Argentina are scared of the breakaways and will definitely have to take it.
>> Nope nothing happened after that. No chance.
5. When they saw we were crossing like mad and they starting subbing in their 2 big tall central defenders, they kept saying oh it is a wise move, this should effectively repel Argentin’s attack, dominate the crosses, etc. Towards the end of the match, they changed their tack and start criticising Tuchel – oh he shouldn’t have played so defnesively, how long did he expect the team to defend, taking out midfielders and wingers for 2 centre backs was sending the wrong signal.
>> Lol. Cannot find FIFA or referee to blame so start blaming your own coach? Can you appreciate the way Argentina controlled and managed the match after conceding and how we went about our task in cracking England open and scoring 2 good goals?
Freaking biased commentary.
well played argentina ! all the very best for final. lets go for 4th star. good to see alvarez macca fernandez and lautaro back on form just before final … lets go messi …
I said yesterday that the fans at the stadium are gonna go ballistic and the Albiceleste are gonna put down with everything they got.
The replay of the game on FS1 as we speak
Big hugs DFox.
I just put on fs1 to check and thank God I watched this game on Bein Zspoers and Tellefe Argentina.
These American commentators are getting better but still sound corny
Glory, this is glory. I havnt cried like this for futbol since 2022 final win. I’m happy we made it here, full stop. Thank you God.
PS
I thank God I have TyC sports and don’t have to rely on news here like I did 8 years ago.
It’s nice to go back a few articles and see all the “scaloni is stupid” ” he must have hit his head”, commentary from all the so called fans turned to so called tacticians. Thanks for wasting our screen space making us look for comments that actually have substance.
Vamos
I understand fans want to vent their emotions through sharp criticism, but is it just me, or do you also find it insufferable when people make outrageous comments, like subbing off Messi, without making any analytical point, simply outpouring toxicity and clearly revealing that they have zero footballing knowledge?
I’m not saying no one can call for Messi’s substitution, but shouldn’t that be based on logic and argument or at least making a half-decent point? Am I right that blogs shouldn’t be used as your swear training platform or probably should I grow tolerance?
Nico paz could have been eaten alive bro u can’t sub Messi he is always in the game. Kudus to Simone relentless pressing made sure English players get tired round 70-80 minutes
Agreed
Then why are you commenting here?? When a coach takes stupid decisions obviously it will be called yes offcourse blind fans will want 24*7 praising btw we only faced a struggling english side to reach the final no serious opponent still scaloni’s ass was saved numerous times by 39 year old goat messi.this is the biggest carryjob i have ever seen from an individual in any world cup campaign
The beast mode and subs is all SCALONI tactical superiority. He puts the other team into that situation sets them up
-Let it hurt whoever it hurts and let them say whatever they want, nobody gave this team anything for free.
Both of my kids we’re borned to support Argentina just like i was back in Late 70’s thanx to my oldman even none of us are Argentine regardless we will keep on supporting Argentina forever like we have allways done. Now both of my kids will be experiencing the exact same as some of us did at coming from 1986 as defending Champions of the world and reaching the final on a row at 1990 and beyond, that just as @Ghostdeini wrote below
But, i’m make’s me so happy and proud to see my kid’s at this moment so passionate about it as it obviously bring’s back memories from past, but we are living totally different era now and i’m so, so gratefull for Argentina for all these year’s whether they have won or not it has been so unique in so many different ways with so many great players emerging constantly from Argentina, but what make’s it even more unique is the passion from Argentine’s as a nation, which is beyond anything in football and i truly hope, that their such a beautiful culture will live forever and will go through what ever obstacles they might had to face in their future live’s. This is what the world need’s as togetherness, that can be spread by football with forum’s like this connecting also Argentina’s fan’s from worldwide and hopefully making the world to become a better place for everyone in this planet 🙏 THANK YOU🙇 ARGENTINA🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷
Argentina created so many unforgettable moments in the last world cup and they did it in this this world cup even more.
We must win the final.
All odds are against us but we must find a way.
after going through hell since 1990:
– 1990 Losing to a questionable penalty.
– 1994 seeing Diego taken by that lady.
– 1998 Berkamp wonder goal.
– 2002 Bielsa suicide sabotaging mission.
– 2004 losing in the last minute.
– 2006 after fielding the most wonderful team (watching the end of the game with riquelme, messi, aimar, saviola, crespo on the bench but cruz on the field) this one hurt so much man just thinking about that makes me teary.
– 2007 Losing to brazil.
– 2010 Diego choosing players he saw in dreams instead of deserving players.
– 2014 losing final with brutal fouls from germany (Neuer, Hoewedes)
– 2015 and 2016 losing finals.
– Messi retiring.
– 2018 what a mess, still lost to the winner.
– then came light, Scaloni and Aimar took over just for 2 games. we were lucky they got the job.
– we lost 1 copa but then we won won won won and I hope we win on Sunday and look back at this team as the greatest team ever.
That Cia lady
Welcome to the curse the pain the tears welcome to the Argentina national team
Don’t forget the imposable football the insane ball possession Tica taca the bielsa teams playing tactical ball no one had ever seen before 90% ball possession impossible superior play and still lose out
Tevez at Olympics etc etc etc this is why we are here
We are now witnessing the GREAT REVENGE POST CURSE and us isn’t over yet I said once that curse breaks Argentina will win everything
Let’s not forget fifa president sat in brasil dug out rubbing his hands together grinning Ayala punched in the face brasil score another copa lost
Copa wasn’t fifa sanctioned back then they were trying to kill it replace it with tin can gold cup
Fufa were currupt to hell and supporting calling gir brasil always
This is the revenge I said would happen once the curse breaks I knew maradona death would be a HUGE TURNING POINT.
Scaloni knows the history and knows what needed to be done
Fufa president in brasil dug out in a non fufa competition
Utter snd total corruption Now LOOK WHOS IN CHARGE
What a summary Ghostdeini, but it was all bad in the nineties.
1991 winner Copa America
1993 winner Copa America
1993 winner of the Artemio Franchi Cup, predecessor of the finalissima. Maradona’s last prize with the NT.
That 2006 loss still hurts like crazy. That team was basically a champions league winning level club team, yet we couldn’t beat ze Germans. My teenage head still haven’t forgotten Pekerman to this day for subbing in Cruz instead of Messi, although he might have done the most sensible thing there lol.
Before this world cup began, I told my best friend that if I had one wish from football, and trust me bro I don’t have a lot of football wish now, it is to beat Germany in the world cup final. Those mothereffers have given me so many sleepless nights that the France team of 22 haven’t even imagined it is possible.
PHENOMENAL VICTORY FOR ARGENTINA!!!! Everything just spot on, even the subs were pretty surprising! Except for Molina. At this point, if we can only put Molina or Montiel on that RB, I believe Montiel would prolly do much better. He was trying and trying.
There’s a fine line between terrible and passive (Molina) and, terrible but TRYING (Montiel).
Lol
Montiel is not terrible.i still montiel at 2021 copa final he was immense.tell me one performance like that of molina against strong teams
El Diego was the ORIGINAL Capo Dei Capi and you’re looking at the 2nd 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷💙✊️
Make sure you watch Frenchy vs the Redcoats Saturday 🤡🤡🤡
I don’t even know what to say. Every time we concede, this team flips the switch and goes into beast mode.
Scaloni’s substitutions were spot on today. Nico is at his best coming off the bench against tired legs, and he completely changed the game. Other than Molina’s mistake for England’s goal, that was by far our best performance of the tournament.
Simeone did exactly what he was selected to do disrupt England’s rhythm physically and mentally. It worked brilliantly until Molina lost his man. I don’t think Molina will start the final. He hasn’t been able to do anything whether in attack or defense!
Give credit where it’s due! Depaul was outstanding against a tired England side sitting deep. Lautaro after missing a similar heading chance against France at the end of regular time in the 2022 World Cup final, he made no mistake this time. Enzo , MacAllister & Julian have hit their form just at the right moment!
And Messi… how many players have played in three World Cup finals in their career? We are witnessing history here!! If he was still playing in Europe it was confirmed 9th BallonDor but he doesn’t give a flying fcuk about it, otherwise he could have scored our third in the dying moments! But decided put the team above individual accomplishments!
Spain are a very good team, but when it comes to attacking threat, resilience, and finding a way to come back and win from behind, they’re nowhere near us!
Again Congratulations, Everyone!! One more game to go. We are about to create history and lift our fourth Worldcup on Sunday!!
Messi is the 2nd player after cafu who played 3 wc finals
i still remember the immense doubt around scaloni and co in 2018 especially from many idiots on this forum who are now silent, i cannot believe that was 8 years ago…
Yes,i was rooting for scaloni as he won u17 or u15 world cup for us( Subject to correction).All the matches were won with a margin of 1-0 or 2-0 reminded me of 2010 spanish team and also a great tactician.Few may not like this,that’s ok as opinions can differ.I don’t know why,but I felt Scaloni gonna become a world cup winner for us.He has won mostly everything except 2019 Copa,and I am hopeful that we can win the final on July 20th.Personally i wanted Spain to win the semifinal as they are the best in match up for us to beat. I didn’t want mbappe or france to reach final and have a scope of taking revenge against us. Definitely a great encounter with Spain which we gonna win.We should be confident but play cleverly to win this world cup.1 more to go,Vamos albiceleste.
Then call Maradona idiot also.he also bashed afa for appointing a nobody according to him when someone becomes successful it’s easy to take credit and insult doubters.im sure even messi didn’t thought scaloni will be so successful