Lionel Messi did it again. Two assists, including a glorious cross for Lautaro Martínez’s stoppage time winner, and another display of unparalleled greatness at the age of 39 to rescue Argentina from the dead and lead another remarkable comeback against England in Atlanta to book a place in the World Cup Final.
It’s impossible to not think about what Messi’s opponents (and especially their coach) did to put Argentina in a position to snatch yet another victory from the jaws of defeat, but we have
reached the point where doubting the Albiceleste’s ability to recover from every possible adverse situation is an exercise in futility.
The extra-time thriller against Cape Verde, the miracle comeback against Egypt and the brutal battle against Switzerland were all seen as causes for concern. There was just no way Argentina could do the same when facing an opponent as good as them.
Well, they faced an opponent as good as them, fell behind again, and won anyway. There is no limit to their belief and words can’t capture the depth of their collective spirit, and the time has come to accept the fact that Argentina will never die.
Sunday’s Final against Spain will be the biggest test possible of Argentina’s resolve. La Roja are better on paper and just played one of the finest games in recent history against France in the other semi-final, and all signs point to a Spanish triumph in New York/New Jersey.
But if you somehow choose to doubt Argentina again, you have been warned. Don’t act all surprised when you see Lionel Messi lifting his second World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel chose to waste England’s best chance to win the World Cup
England played a very solid and mature first 55 minutes and took the lead through Anthony Gordon, and they had a real chance to conquer the champions and get one step closer to ending a six-decade drought. Then Thomas Tuchel happened.
The coach decided to invite pressure by making one defensive substitution after another, taking away his team’s attacking threat and sitting back for the rest of the game against the tournament’s top scorers and the greatest player of all time.
England played with a back six at times, fully focused on defending crosses and shots from distance. Unfortunately Argentina brought all of their threat through crosses and shots from distance, using those avenues to score their two goals and create a number of other huge chances.
Tuchel mocked those who criticized his decisions after the game, claiming it’s easy to judge his defensive substitutions after the fact. The problem is the entire world was seeing the problems with his strategy in real time, and Argentina’s comeback was nothing but a matter of time thanks to England’s passive approach created entirely by the decisions of the manager.
England’s players also deserve blame for how badly they played once asked to sit deep and defend for their lives, but perhaps this incredibly talented squad is more suited to attack and try to score more goals instead of trying to defend like Paraguay did against Germany and France earlier in this World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel clearly doesn’t think that way. And as a result, he is coming home without the football.
