Messi and His Date with Destiny

 

Argentina vs France. South America vs Europe. Old Dog vs New Dog. Number 10 vs Number 10. Messi vs Mbappe. No matter the challenge, Destiny will not be denied. The final trophy has been achieved. Lionel and the Argentines have dethroned the defending champions in historic fashion!

After a disastrous first half which saw the French looking like contenders than champs, Les Bleus came storming in the second half with two goals from young sensation and possibly football's heir-apparent in Kylian Mbappe. A penalty kick and a beautiful steal for Coman from Messi lead to a brilliant counter attack that Mbappe finished. With the scores tied and the momentum shifting, France looked like the deadlier team going for the final kill. A tactical blunder by Scaloni to subbed Di Maria appeared to backfire as the Argentine offense looked stagnant. A spirited French defense, absent in the first half, showed hardened determination in the second. A stalemate ensued, regular time at 2-2.

The extra period was extra ordinary. The deadlock was broke when a mad scramble for the loose ball from a fantastic Lloris save went into Messi as he calmly kicked the ball for a 3-2 lead. With just a few minutes left and the championship seemingly secured, a handball violation allowed Mbappe to score a hat-trick to level the score again at 3-3. Mbappe and France will not go out without a fight. 

The penalty period is the time when goalkeepers shine and Martinez stood up to the occasion again. A block from Coman and a missed by Tchouameni secured the Argentine victory, 4-2.

Argentina's previous legendary number 10 has won it. The current legendary 10 has NOW won it. Weird coincidence? Maradonna 10, Messi 10, Mbappe 10. 

Fantastic victory! Fantastic World Cup!

This was a brilliantly written script - a script written by the football gods. Messi, in his late 30s, in what is touted as his final World Cup game, secures the final, elusive crown. Destiny will not be denied.  

RB28

Photo Source: The Guardian

 

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Portugal and Santos' Bad Gamble

The benching of arguably one of the best footballers in the planet during the crucial Portugal vs Morocco match was very suspect. Cristiano Ronaldo was well rested since he only played in the 2nd half of the Switzerland match. Fernando Santos thought he could apply the same strategy against a scrappy Moroccan side who has only conceded one goal the entire tournament. All firepower was needed. 

The greats need to define themselves but they can't do it if they are not on the pitch. Win or lose, if Ronaldo played full in that game, it would have been an acceptable result.

I am not an avid football fan but I think the Moroccan's play a deep defensive type of football and when given the chance, goes for the quick counter attack. Since the opposing team has moved more players forward to break the wall, the African side can do serious damage once they get the ball and go on the offensive. 

Spain and Portugal, Iberian neighbors, falling short against their southern counterpart. The Franks are next. Charlemagne will be watching.

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