Lionel Messi was Argentina’s savior once more, scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-0 triumph over Mexico at Lusail Stadium to kickstart his country’s World Cup quest.
Argentina must avoid defeat against Mexico if they are not to exit the campaign after only two games, following Poland’s 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia earlier on Saturday.
Argentina overcame a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia owing to Messi’s long-range opening after 64 minutes and Enzo Fernandez’s equally spectacular late strike.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have three points, one point behind Group C leaders Poland, whom they face in their final match, and Mexico have one point.
Argentina made five changes following their first defeat, three of which were defensive, and failed to make a significant attempt in the first half.
Mexico came closest to scoring before the break, thanks to an Alexis Vega free kick that forced Emiliano Martinez into action.
The quality only improved considerably in the second half, but Messi came out of nowhere to control Angel Di Maria’s pass and strike a low effort past Guillermo Ochoa from 25 yards.
Messi tied fellow great Diego Maradona with eight World Cup goals for Argentina, which added a second through replacement Fernandez.
With three minutes remaining, the Benfica midfielder collected a pass from Messi after a short corner, fought his way into the area, and curled away from Ochoa into the top corner for his first goal for Argentina.
Argentina and Mexico’s next fixtures
Argentina will face Poland on Wednesday, while Mexico will face Saudi Arabia, with all four teams still eligible to advance.
