Obviously it’s a massive achievement.
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And yet the disappointment in the bowels of NRG Stadium as the United States pontificated on their defeat was palpable.
The five-time world player of the year also had a hand in the final goal, laying on the pass for Higuain to score with a tap-in and complete the rout.
“I’m very happy for him (Messi)”, Argentina head coach Gerardo Martino said.
In just the third minute, Messi floated a perfectly weighted pass over the U.S. defense and into the 18-yard box, where Ezequiel Lavezzi headed it over Brad Guzan, catching the goalkeeper off guard.
The Argentina captain had drawn level with Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 54 goals with a strike against Venezuela in their 4-1 win in the quarterfinals of the competition last Saturday. “That is a part of our process”, Klinsmann said. At the same time, I can’t fault the guys in front of me.
The Barcelona forward has spent the last few seasons burnishing his credentials as perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game, and he did a little of that here.
In the thirty-first minute, Lionel Messi charged toward the penalty area where he was knocked to the pitch by Chris Wondolowski. It was with no doubt the biggest game in US Soccer’s history.
“When you concede a goal after three minutes against such a team… that’s when you’ve already lost your mental battle”, Klinsmann lamented. “It’s just clear that – once they have a lead, they’re not giving that lead away anymore”. DeAndre Yedlin said his team “should have been better prepared” after the game, while Geoff Cameron admitted the USMNT “respected [Argentina] too much”. The U.S. will play for third place. I don’t think it’s anything anybody who actually knows the game didn’t know. “We need to do it against better teams, like Chile”.
They were missing three of their top players due to previous foul violations, however, it may not have mattered much as Argentina looked like the far superior team and showed the world why they are considered the best on the planet.
Messi will try to fill a major gap in his resume.
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However, after Argentina finished runners-up back at the 2014 Copa in Brazil, they are favorites to go on and lift the trophy this time around for their first title since 1993.
