From Messi’s Maracana magic to defeating Le Oranje on penalties – Argentina’s run to the World
Cup final.
The Albiceleste were carried through the group
stage by their captain but ever since then, Angel Di Maria,
Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano and
Sergio Romero have all since played their part.
Reaching a World Cup
final is never easy.
Argentina’s
path to this year’s
tournament decider
proves as much. But then again, it helps when
you have both Lionel Messi and Lady Luck on
your side.
It has nonetheless been a hard slog for the
Albiceleste. They made heavy work of what
was supposed to have been a straightforward
group before being taken to extra-time in two
of their three games in the knockout stages.
It’s fair to say that it hasn’t all gone quite
according to plan.
Indeed, having been the beneficiaries of what
appeared to be a very favourable draw,
stretching all the way up until the semi-finals,
an Albiceleste attack containing Messi,
Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero had been
expected to score freely in Brazil.
However, they barely scraped past tournament
debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Vedad
Ibisevic’s late goal having set up a tense
finish in Rio de Janeiro.
Luckily, though, they
held to a claim a 2-1 win at the Maracana
thanks to an own goal from Sead Kolasinac
and some Messi magic.
Argentina’s captain also proved the
difference in their next two outings, with
Messi scoring a sublime injury-time winner to
deny Iran a deserved draw in Belo Horizonte
before netting a double in a 3-2 win over
Nigeria in Porto Alegre that saw Argentina
progress with a perfect record.
The Albiceleste’s performances were nowhere
near as flawless as their results suggested,
though, and they continued to flatter to
deceive in the last 16, edging out Switzerland
with a 119th-minute strike from Angel Di
Maria. Argentina had once again benefited
from both a moment of divine intervention
from Messi who had set up the goal and
sheer good fortune, with Blerim Dzemaili
heading against the base of the post with just
seconds to go.
Gonzalo Higuain finally stepped up to the
mark in the quarter-finals, scoring the only
goal of a dour encounter with a Belgium team that failed to live up to expectations, while it was Javier
Mascherano and Sergio Romero who proved
decisive in the penalty shootout success over
Netherlands.
Mascherano was immense in the middle of the
park for Argentina, playing a key role in the
silencing of Netherlands front two Arjen
Robben and Robin van Persie, denying the
latter what would have been the winner with a
last-gasp block that it is destined to become
the stuff of legend.
Romero, meanwhile, saved two Dutch spot-
kicks to send Argentina through
to the final, where they will be hoping that
Messi and Lady Luck come to the fore once
again.