The World Cup of Argentina is a real madness

BarcelonaSpain-Argentina in the World Cup final. The world will stop this Sunday with a historic match between Lamine Yamal and Leo Messi, two football stars forged at La Masia who are 20 years apart. There is no better spectacle to stage a generational handover. The albiceleste achieved another feat in a semifinal resolved agonizingly against England, who saw themselves overturned in just six minutes, a victim of the inexhaustible talent of Rosario's number 10, author of two key passes amidst another ode to epic (1-2). The British, despite their goalkeeper's good performance, managed the lead disastrously in a very exciting second half and were eliminated against the team with the most mystique on the planet.

FIFA granted Ismail Elfath the honor —and also the mess— of officiating a World Cup semifinal between two nations in conflict for several decades for reasons that go beyond football. Argentinians and English, each vociferous in their own way, mutually boycotted each other's anthems from the stands in Atlanta. The ugliness continued on the pitch, where the players of one team and the other spared no kicks, recriminations, and constant provocations that the host referee, who failed to contain Uruguay's violence against Spain in the group stage, managed with the inexperience of someone who uses the whistle in a second-rate league like the North American one. So much overacted intensity overshadowed the talent and led to a first half with 19 fouls between the two contenders (France and Spain committed 23 in 90 minutes) and a very poor balance of chances.

England, who made up to three changes to the lineup compared to the quarter-finals, initially tried to short-circuit Argentina with man-to-man marking. The plan worked so that Leo Messi and Julián Álvarez were kept away from Jordan Pickford's goal and so that Giuliano Simeone, the only novelty included by Lionel Scaloni in the "albiceleste" eleven, had problems dominating the wing as he does under his father's orders at Atlético de Madrid. But so much determination to destroy took oxygen away from Thomas Tuchel's men in offensive terms: only some maneuvering by Jude Bellingham and a timid header from John Stones troubled the reigning world champions before the break. In the opposite goal, only a shot from Enzo Fernández from outside the area raised the decibels of the Argentine "hinchada". Everything was to be decided. More things had to happen. And indeed they did!

Messi assists twice

Easier said than done. Just a few seconds of the restart were enough for the South Americans to really test Pickford with Julián's first ambush. Dibu Martínez, very precise with his feet, launched a long ball from his own half for the Atlético striker to fend for himself, gain position on Spence and shoot at the English goalkeeper's gloves, who made a fantastic stretch. The British response also came with direct play, with the difference that it ended up in the rival net. Harry Kane, invisible in the first half, showed why he is the most complete striker in the world. Tired of battling with the Argentine center-backs, he dropped deep like a quarterback and made a long pass that Tagliafico did not know how to clear. Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers picked up the gift and Anthony Gordon, taking advantage of Nahuel Molina's defensive passivity, turned it into the 0-1. From less to more, the brand new Barça attacker, in this World Cup. He will never compete to be the most talented in the class, but he will be the craftiest. And that also has value.

The momentary superiority on the scoreboard greatly roused the Argentinians, who entrusted themselves to their eternal star to achieve a new feat on North American soil. Messi, for whom age is no burden, carried the team on his shoulders and began to demand every ball in search of the equalizer. He sent in a cross that Nico González headed, but Pickford, with a save even better than the previous one, once again frustrated the albiceleste cry. After the second hydration break, the Everton goalkeeper thanked his right post for spitting out another winning header from Mac Allister. These were forceful warnings.

England, who after scoring retreated with four central defenders in their own half, initially had that touch of luck that had so helped Argentina overcome Cape Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland in the previous three rounds, but ultimately succumbed to the madness of their historic opponent before the 90th minute. That's what playing with fire is like. In the 86th minute, Messi set up Enzo Fernández at the edge of the box, and the Chelsea midfielder finally beat Pickford with a surface-to-air missile. Delirium. And in the 92nd minute, it was Messi again, always Messi, who collected a ball on the wing to cross (with his right foot) to Lautaro Martínez's head. Such madness is hard to explain. De la Fuente's Spain, with Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal, seems like a Cartesian work compared to this Argentina obsessed with making stoicism compatible with hedonism.