After failing to win in four consecutive matches, Argentina entered Tuesday night’s game against Ecuador needing not just a win to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but a little bit of help too. They got both, and their victory was a one-man show, with Lionel Messi almost singlehandedly leading his team to a berth in Russia 2018.
Argentina qualifies for World Cup behind Lionel Messi hat trick
With the Albiceleste in serious trouble, Messi singlehandedly willed his team to Russia 2018.
Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The Albiceleste got off to a horrible start, conceding a goal to Ecuador just 37 seconds in. But Messi put Argentina on his back, answering with two goals in the first half before completing his hat trick in the second, guiding his team to a 3-1 victory.
Messi spent much of qualifying trying to be a playmaker, but decided to play like more of a goal-poacher and shoot on sight against Ecuador. That turned out to be a great decision. Here’s his 12th-minute goal off a combination with Angel Di Maria.
And his second just eight minutes later, as he capitalized on a mistake by the Ecuadoran defense.
And when Messi completed his hat trick with a brilliant chip, all but sealing his team’s place in the World Cup, the Argentina bench went nuts and could hardly stop itself from running onto the pitch.
It was hard to imagine a World Cup without Lionel Messi in it. But he was never going to let that happen, was he? Argentina has a lot of problems to solve before it’s able to compete for the title, but Messi’s at least given his team the chance to figure that out.
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