A response to Lionel Messi's World Cup goal.

Magical. Mercurial. Magnanimous. Messi. Argentina defeated Mexicoin their FIFA World Cup grudge match thanks to a goal scored by Lionel Messi's incredible left foot.

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Argentina badly needed a win after dropping their opening match to Saudi Arabia by a score of 2-1. Despite the enormous amount of pressure,

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the young wizard delivered a moment of World Cup magic that could prove pivotal in Argentina's chances of advancing further in the tournament.

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Missed timing passes and runs, being pushed out of attacking lanes, and being easily fouled or bodied off the ball were all symptoms of Messi and Argentina's inability to find

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their rhythm in the second half. If Argentina had drawn, they would have been eliminated from playoff

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contention in the group stage and would have had to play Poland, who had just defeated Saudi Arabia.

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Based on the outcome, Argentina will now be in second place in Group C, behind Poland.

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On Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, Mexico will take on Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium. This Wednesday at 2 PM ET, Argentina will host Poland at Stadium 974.

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