Messi became his country’s most capped player at the tournament with his 22nd cap, surpassing his legendary compatriot who died just over two years ago.
“I learned about it recently, I didn’t know about it. It’s a pleasure to be able to continue achieving this kind of record. I think Diego would be super happy for me, because he always showed me a lot of affection, he was always happy when things went well for me” Messi said.
Despite missing a penalty – his 39th career failure from the penalty spot – the Argentina captain said he was “happy” with this “big match”.
Photo by AFP
“We achieved our first goal, which was to get out of the group after starting the way we did (a shocking 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia),” said Messi.
“I was really frustrated with missing the penalty, because I knew that one goal can change the whole game, that it makes you play differently. But I think the team came out stronger from the penalty I missed.”
Messi, who still needs a World Cup winner’s medal to solidify his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest players, believes Argentina are shifting gears at just the right time.
“After the first goal everything went right. We went back to doing what we had been trying to do since the beginning of the World Cup, but which we hadn’t been able to achieve for various reasons.
“Being able to do it today gives us confidence for the future.”
Argentina’s next fixture is their round of 16 match against Australia on Saturday.
“We know that everything will be very difficult now. Whoever the opponent is, it will be complicated. We have recently seen, to our cost, that any opponent can play a good game and win.”
