Not only did Lionel Messi and Argentina keep their World Cup hopes alive with their win against Mexico, but they also improved their chances of making it to the next round of the competition.
After the Argentines lost to Saudi Arabia 2-1 in their World Cup opener, everybody thought it was the end for them–well, perhaps except Messi and the rest of his teammates. After all, they were largely expected to dominate the contest, with the only real threat to their title dreams in Group C being Poland and Mexico.
Naturally, morale was low for Argentina as the team entered the game against Mexico. Thanks to two second-half goals from Messi and Enzo Fernandez, however, La Albiceleste was able to win 2-0 against their fierce rivals and live another day.
Now according to the latest data, Argentina has a 78 percent chance to make it to the knockout stages of the World Cup in Qatar, per FiveThirtyEight's Soccer Power Index. That is definitely a number that Argentine fans would love, especially after that Saudi Arabia debacle.
Of course things won't be easy for Argentina as the squad faces off against Poland in its final group stage game. Robert Lewandowski and co. still haven't lost in the competition, which is a big problem for Lionel Messi and his teammates since they really can't afford to pull a draw.
Messi understands the challenge at hand, which is why he called on his teammates to focus on winning the showdown on Wednesday. Argentina needs to win to have complete control of its destiny, and that's the only result that should be acceptable.
Follow Us
Subscribe