Just a few hours prior to kick-off between Argentina and the Netherlands, Neymar and Brazil saw their World Cup dream collapse right before their eyes following a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Croatia. Lionel Messi and Co. were well aware of the fact that their South American rivals had already fallen and it was up to them to deliver in what they knew was going to be an intense matchup against the Dutch.

Messi, however, stepped up to the plate right when the lights were the brightest. This man has been on his fair share of big occasions in what has been a historic career, and more often than not, he shows up in the grandest of stages. He did just that on Friday with an epic Man of the Match performance against a relentless Netherlands side.

Messi was integral to Argentina's win. He came up with an amazing assist for the opening goal following a blistering run against the Dutch defense. He then took to the spot to score a penalty for the second goal as he gave his side a 2-0 lead in the 73rd minute.

The Dutch came storming back to score twice in the final quarter of the match to force extra time. The game went scoreless in the two extra periods, which means that penalties had to decide a winner. Messi scored again in the shootout, thereby solidifying his claim for Man of the Match.

Twitter went off as they sang the praises of Lionel Messi after that GOAT-like performance:

We won't be seeing Argentina and Brazil face off against each other in what would have been a dream quarterfinal match, but at this point, Argentina fans won't mind at all. Messi is now just a couple of wins away from winning his first-ever World Cup title, and that's without a doubt the most important thing right now. Croatia is no pushover, though, and there's no doubt that the Argentines will have their work cut out for them in the quarterfinal.