It was meant to be Lionel Messi’s crowning moment for Argentina — the tournament in which he steps out of Diego Maradona’s shadow for the national team — but the 2022 World Cup has been a mixed experience for the 35-year-old so far.
Argentina was stunned by Saudi Arabia in its first game, before getting its campaign back on track with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in which Messi scored the opening goal.
It means that with just a game left in Group C, Argentina remains in the hunt to progress to the knockout stages in Messi’s fifth World Cup campaign.
Argentina sits second on three points, a point behind Group C leader Poland, knowing a win in its final game against the Polish will assure its progression.
Defender Lisandro Martinez said the team, including Messi, is only getting better.
“Everything comes down to details,” Martinez said on Tuesday in a press conference. “We saw it with Messi’s goal. Before that the match (against Mexico) was very tight.”
“We know what we are capable of. We can play better and we know we have not reached our best level yet. But we are trying,” he added.