Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has heaped praise on superstar goalscorer Lionel Messi, claiming that his performance against Mexico was so good even rival supporters inside the stadium enjoyed watching.
Messi, a six-time Ballon d'Or winner and revered by many as the greatest player of all time, bagged his second goal of the World Cup as Argentina calmed a nation's nerves with a 2-0 win over Mexico.
A lacklustre first-half failed to impress or create openings for the South American side who had lost their opening World Cup match with a stunning 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia.
Messi and Co feared the embarrassing possibility of exiting the competition at the group stage on Saturday evening before Messi took control of proceedings with a 64th minute strike from outside the box.
The Barcelona legend and serial title-winner shook off a tiresome start inside Qatar's Lusail Stadium to pull his side to victory, with 44-year-old national team coach Scaloni highlighting Messi as a shining light during his side's 'terribly difficult game'.
'Even the Mexican fans enjoy watching him play, even when he scores a goal against them – we all enjoy it, Scaloni said after the match.
'It was a terribly difficult game, against a great rival, and even more so because of how we came into the match.
'I'm proud of my team… The game changed, not only because we have Leo, but because we have great players throughout the team.'
Messi and his teammates had struggled to break down Mexico's robust defensive block before the PSG attacker stunned onlookers with a quick shot that crept its way past Guillermo Ochoa.
The two-time World Cup winners are attempting to end their 36-year wait to lift the fabled trophy after sporting legend Diego Maradona guided the country to their last title in 1986.
Messi is aiming to emulate his former idol's national team achievements as he enters his fourth and likely final World Cup at the age of 34. Argentina will be aiming to put their 2018 World Cup misery behind them after they exited at the round of 16 stage against France.
Argentina will have to beat Robert Lewandowski's Poland on Wednesday to guarantee their safe passage through to the knockout stages.
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How on earth does Messi manage to do this🤯 9 out of 14 (64%) of Leo Messi's non-penalty goals in international tournaments since 2014 have come from outside the box 🐐 Man is scoring long range goals like they are tap-ins. 🐐
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Even the Mexico fans had to stand and admire 📸