Argentina put the finishing touches on a near-perfect campaign in Group J with a . The only thing preventing the Albiceleste from an impeccable group stage of three wins and no goals conceded was a second-half Jordan strike from Mousa Al Tamari.
It just so happened that the Jordan goal came right before the entrance of Lionel Messi, who began the night on the bench, only to finish it with another World Cup goal – that’s 19 now – extending his global finals scoring streak to seven matches, breaking the record of six that he shared with Just Fontaine and Jairzinho.
Team-mate and fellow attacker Giuliano Simeone is privileged enough to see it every day in training, and even he still can’t believe what he witnesses.
"There's not much left to say about him, he really is the best in the world, the best of all time, and he keeps proving it,” said Simeone about the Argentina No10. “It's incredible. I see it day to day: how he trains, how he takes care of himself. Everything he does is impressive, and he has a special kind of magic."
Earlier this week Messi turned 39 and looks a far cry from a footballer ready to hang up his boots. A whopping 18 years of age difference separates Nico Paz from his illustrious team-mate, and the Como man can’t help but marvel at how father time apparently decided to sit this one out.
"We already know what Messi is like. In the end, he's the best in history. He always surprises you with something new,” said Paz. “At his age, he still has something new to show, and today he did it again. He came on for a while, we'd been missing that, and I'm very happy for him."
The Al Tamari goal soured the mood only slightly on a night when head coach Lionel Scaloni made nine changes to his starting XI and they still largely dominated proceedings
“I think we did it the way we have to, with a lot of patience,” said Paz. “We knew they were going to sit very deep, and that we had to move the ball patiently until we found the gap. I think we set it up really well."
"Honestly, I'm very pleased with the result and with how it came about,” added Simeone. “I'm also happy with the team's work. I think overall we played a good match. It's a shame about the goal we conceded, of course, but I'm happy with the win."
Saturday night’s victory was the second time that Argentina had played at Dallas Stadium in this World Cup, and like everywhere else in the USA, there was overwhelming support for the boys in blue and white. For Paz and the rest, it’s almost as good as playing back in Buenos Aires.
“It's crazy, honestly, it helps us so much,” said Paz. “It feels like we're playing at home; hearing all those people singing is incredible. I really hope it stays this way, because out there for us it makes everything so much better."
Sources: FIFA Official
