No, Leo Messi did not want to say goodbye to the World Cup. The Argentineans do not settle for consolation prizes, and the captain was determined to lift the World Cup again. It's something that not even Diego Armando Maradona achieved because after the feat of Mexico '86 came the fiasco of 1990 in Italy. This could be what crowns him as the best of the Albiceleste of all time if Spain does not achieve what no one has done in this World Cup: stop the mechanical heart, almost like a truck, of a team that clings to that and to the greatest talent in history, who, at just 39 years old, has been performing the miracle of rescuing his country from the wire it has been walking on for over 40 days.
That's why one by one they went to find him, to kiss him. The veterans Facundo Medina and Otamendi crying. Supported by Lo Celso. Embraced amidst tears Giuliano Simeone. Everyone knows that it was their God who made them resurrect as many times as necessary. Lautaro Martínez couldn't even speak, who couldn't be in Qatar and dreamed of scoring in this match. "I said it on the bench, that I was going to come out and help the team. Since my dad bought me my first boots, I dream of scoring in a match like this," he confessed through tears. This team has scored 12 goals in the last 15 minutes or in extra time. A warning that they never give up. Before anyone else, Messi.
The star spent 16 years, the peak of his career, trying to put the third star on Argentina's shirt, and he did it in Qatar. Now, even though an end seems to be presumed that never arrives, he wants to stamp the fourth. For Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one. He will have to face Spain, the football that propelled him and whom he has never faced in an official competition. For Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, or Gavi, it will be the long-awaited duel against their role model from La Masía.
The match was a battle that the English did not know how to fight. They thought that Anthony Gordon's 1-0 was going to bury the Argentines, on the field and in the stands. They were very wrong. Wars are not lost in the first skirmish, and Scaloni's team had it crystal clear. Seven fouls in the first six minutes. In the first three minutes, the first clash occurred when Anderson reacted to a push from Enzo Fernández.
The Albiceleste later wanted to play football after going wild with a street football style and besieged Pickford. They shot at him as much as they could, with two posts from Mac Allister, who had become an impeccable header. Far from being scared like Tuchel, Scaloni put all the firepower on the field, starting with Rodrigo De Paul and then with Nico González and Lautaro Martínez. Their national anthem says: "Let us live crowned with glory/ or swear to die with glory". Only Spain can test the mortality of this team.
It is the final that the fans wanted, who also fought a special battle. There were no incidents, although in some areas of the stadium, the fans were mixed. There were flags, as always, but no reference to Las Malvinas during the match, perhaps due to tension. Not even with the Muchachos, which was only sung once in the first half.
What did appear for the first time in the World Cup was a chant that even the players sang on the bus on the way to the stadium. The "Se ve, se ve, el que no salte es inglés" shook the stands, which were vibrating mostly with Argentinean fans. When the flags were displayed, the Albiceleste throats heated up. The God save the King was not heard in Atlanta. The English players and the English section of the stands sang it, but the boos and protests completely overshadowed it. There was no respect, and the English chose to boo the rival anthem as well, which was barely heard.
The script of the match was so clear that it was soon confirmed: six fouls in seven minutes. Scaloni knew they were going to war, so he took De Paul out of the starting eleven to bring in the energy of Giuliano. Neither team wanted to take risks because the English were playing to return to a final they hadn't reached since 1966, and their opponent had the chance to be the first team to win two consecutive World Cups. Once again, Argentina achieved it.
They celebrated on the field, with drums, lifting the captain, and even Lo Celso picking up and displaying a banner that said 'Las Malvinas son argentinas'. The party continued in the locker room, with chants echoing in the depths of the Atlanta stadium.