Argentina’s victory over Mexico in a close matchup helped keep their World Cup ambitions alive thanks to a moment of trademark magic from Lionel Messi.
Following the shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match, Messi and Argentina knew defeat would kill their ambitions of making it to the round of 16 after just two games.
Especially in the first half, which was rife with fouls and pauses that prevented Argentina from gaining any momentum, the tension grew as Messi was frustrated by Mexico in an attritional match.
After 64 minutes, Messi changed everything when he controlled a pass with his left foot and drilled a precise finish past Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
Huge crowds of Argentina fans in the 88,966-person crowd erupted in joy and relief as their World Cup campaign resumed.
Three minutes before time expired, Enzo Fernandez added a beautiful second goal by curling a shot into the top corner, but Messi’s goal was the game-changer.
They will advance to the knockout round with a win in their challenging last Group C match against Poland.
