Lionel Messi has said Argentina capitalised Croatia’s disorganized midfield to secure a 3-0 win to reach the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking during a post-match conference, Messi said they played smart football by reading the key moments of the game.
He said “This team, putting aside the strength we have collectively, is very smart and we know how to read key moments of the game, of every game.
“Scaloni stated that we have got a very smart team, that knows when and how to dig in, we know when and how to have possession of the ball, we know when to press, when to sit back.
Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last World Cup game
Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last World Cup game
“All in all, we understand each game and we prepare the best way along with a professional coaching staff that pays attention to details.
“As I said earlier, we knew the game would have the shape it had and that is why we didn’t feel desperate when we had to run or when they ran from one flank to another. They play in a very unorganized way in the midfield to keep the ball, leaving many spaces.”
Meanwhile, Messi has become Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 11 goals (1-2006; 4-2014; 1-2018; 5-2022). He is also the first Argentina player to score five goals in a single FIFA World Cup since Gabriel Batistuta in 1998.
The seven-time FIFA Best Player, also became the sixth player in FIFA World Cup history to score in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals in a single edition of the competition following Salvatore Schillaci (1990), Roberto Baggio (1994), Hristo Stoichkov (1994), Davor Šuker (1998) and Wesley Sneijder (2010).
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