This man is not rewriting history, he’s the history himself! Lionel Messi has led Argentina to the World Cup 1/4 finals over Australia (2-1), simultaneously breaking many larger-than-life achievements.The tiny magician made his 1000th official appearance altogether (in his club and international career) and netted the opener, which was his 9th goal for Argentina in the World Cups. By it, he surpassed legendary Diego Armando Maradona with as many as eight WC goals.LIONEL MESSI PASSES DIEGO MARADONA FOR MOST WORLD CUP GOALS BY AN ARGENTINE! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZmbvKVcK9E— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 3, 2022 Despite such a festive night for both Messi and his national side, Australia proved to be more than a solid rival, refusing to surrender, albeit being two goals down against the football superpower.The first one was as Messi-esque as it gets, as the PSG forward stuck that one low in the far corner to launch euphoria in the stands packed with Argentinians.LEO MESSI cumple HOY su partido número 1000. pic.twitter.com/JryeejADdx— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) December 3, 2022 That opener felt like a much-needed relief for Lionel Scaloni and his slot, which kept searching for another in order to kill the game. It eventually came in the second half after a dreadful mistake of the Australian keeper, as he thought it was a good idea to dribble not one but two opposing forwards in his own box. Julian Alvarez punished him severely for this, and made it 2-0.Still, the charming underdogs fought back bravely and shocked Argentina with Enzo Fernandez’s own goal, a deflected ball that fooled Emiliano Martinez to revive the suspense.The Socceroos fullback Aziz Behich even managed to turn full-Messi near the end of the match, putting on a jaw-dropping slalom before the Lisandro Martinez’s last-ditch effort defence saved his side from certain conceding.😱 That would have been Goal of the Tournament from Aziz Behich!💪 What a block from Lisandro Martinez!#Qatar2022 | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/IX6i6n6lXp— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) December 3, 2022 Moreover, the Australians had a splendid chance to push the game into anticlimatic overtime, but Emiliano Martinez denied Garang Kuol’s last-gasp effort.Argentina will face the Netherlands in the 1/4 World Cup classic.QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16SaturdayNetherlands – USA 3-1 (2-0)/Depay 10, Blind 45+1, Dumfries 81 – Wright 76/Argentina – Australia 2-1 (1-0)/Messi 35, Alvarez 57 – Martinez 77 og/Sunday18:00: (1.35) France (5.30) Poland (10.0)22:00: (1.60) England (3.80) Senegal (7.25)Monday18:00: (3.80) Japan (3.15) Croatia (2.25)22:00: (1.30) Brazil (5.80) S.Korea (12.0)Tuesday18:00: (7.25) Morocco (3.70) Spain (1.62)22:00: (2.00) Portugal (3.40) Switzerland (4.30)***odds are subject to change
