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Lionel Messi reacts to Argentina reaching World Cup knockouts.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi claims that his missed penalty in Wednesday night’s vital World Cup victory over Poland galvanised the team, which was on course for victory as soon as Alexis MacAllister broke the deadlock.
Before kickoff, La Albiceleste, one of the pre-tournament favourites, was in jeopardy of a shocking group-stage exit and faced Robert Lewandowski’s Poland with nothing to lose.
It appeared to be business as usual when Messi converted a penalty for Lionel Scaloni’s club in the first half. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was attempting a first by scoring in his seventh straight Argentina appearance. Wojciech Szczesny, the goalkeeper for Poland, stood up to the challenge and confidently palmed the ball away.
“Having missed the penalty, the team came out stronger from that,” Messi told TyC Sports.
“The team was convinced that we were going to win, it was a matter of the first one coming in. Once we scored the goal, the game was going to be played the way we wanted.”
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After Mac Allister found the key first goal, Julian Alvarez eventually got the second.
Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez, who helped score the second goal, didn’t start any of the first two contests. However, they arrived to have a significant impact. Mac Allister, on the other hand, started back-to-back victories after missing the opening setback against Saudi Arabia.
Messi continued by praising the “strength of this group,” which enables that.
“We said it from the beginning. The players who come in know what they have to do and are always fully prepared. It is the strength of this group, the union and that when a player has to, he responds,” the 35-year-old explained.
With the group stage now over, Argentina will face a spirited Australian side that qualified from a very challenging Group D ahead of Denmark. That game will be played on Saturday.
“We know it’s going to be very tough,” Messi assessed.