There were signs in the goalless first half at Doha’s Stadium 974 against Poland on Wednesday. For starters, they weren’t
In the 10th minute, the shadow that is Angel Di Maria climbing up the right flank, passes the ball to Messi who changes pace drastically to release a slingshot that Poland keeper Wojciech Szczesny has to sztrezch all full 6 ft 5 of himself to save — the first of nine in the match. In the 27th minute, Di Maria again passes to Nahuel Molina, who pulls the ball back to Julián Álvarez who shoots hard on target. Szczesny again saves – but only to push the ball into the hostile feet of Marcos Acuna who curls it like a cloud, just wide of goal.
These are names that didn’t even show on the radar in the games against Saudi Arabia and Mexico. What Lionel Scaloni did before Wednesday’s game to revive these players who had gone zombie is worth a module in business schools.
The penalty that came in the 35th minute was not a penalty, no matter what Dutch referee Danny Makkelie made of it through VAR. Szczesny’s hand landing on Messi’s stubble during a clearance doth not a spot kick make. (It’s ok to be suspicious of Makkelie’s competence in his day job as a police inspector after that decision.) Justice was indeed served on Qatari soil when Szczesny read Messi’s kick correctly and stopped what never should have started.
Before the second half, it still looked like a game that could hinge on Argentina’s ability to suddenly deflate. What followed was simply Poles-rattling. And by the 46th minute a pinpoint pass from Molina from the right reaches Alexic Mac Allister who trickles it in.
By the 67th minute, Enzo Fernandez, the ‘curlerer’ against Mexico, passes to Julián Álvarez who in three touches – trap, guide, shoot – scores. By now Argentina are enjoying themselves.
The return of the Argentina Way was, perhaps, made most visible in a move that didn’t amount to the customary ‘anything’. Two minutes into stoppage time, Christian Romero taps the ball from the centre line to Messi, who, despite being surrounded by three Polish defenders, receives the ball and passes it to his left as if kicking a can down the road to Lisandro Martinez who pushes it further forward for an approaching Nicolas Tagliafico to meet the ball midway and a fraction earlier than Szczesny can. Tagliafico sends it goalwards. Where it is frantically cleared on the goal line by Jakub Kiwior – who, along with Szczesny saves Poland from going home early from Qatar.
Argentina in theory, at last, matched Argentina in practice. Wednesday evening could well show the day.
